�

She is tap, tap, tapping away on the countertop with the tip of her press-on nail.

�Gee, Claudia, could you be anymore obvious with that freakin� tie?� Rolling her eyes, and focusing them on the ceiling, Peggy lets out a sigh. �As if the whole world doesn�t know my sister�s a fag.�

Claudia glances at herself in the mirror. �What�s wrong with the tie? Women wear ties all the time, it doesn�t mean shit. You�re just jealous.� She leans across the kitchen counter and turns the ceramic salt and pepper shakers around so that the �S� and �P� are clearly visible. �I know there�s just a transvestite in there somewhere who�s just waiting to burst out.�

�Jealous?� The high-pitched strain of Peggy�s voice melds into the rhythmic tapping of her nails. �Yeah, right, go fuck yourself. Like I�d really be jealous of you. I don�t even know why I�m coming to this fucking wedding anniversary. I don�t know nobody, none of your faggy friends like Donna and that moron Pat. Oh yeah, and those two gaywads. . .what were their names?� She moves her hand to her forehead, tapping lightly, this time with the pad of her finger.

�Peggy, stop.� Claudia turns toward her sister, the blue and white tie crumpled up on one end like a paper towel.

�A-ha! Jim and Ed, kissing in public, french kissing even! I swear to God, at Donald�s Bar Mitzvah, I saw them fingering each other in the bathroom stairwell-�

�Peggy, I said stop it right now!� Claudia slams her hand down so hard the salt and pepper shakers wobble and revolve around, the sound funneling down like dropped coins. �You�re my sister and I support you whether you�re bitchin� about a bad haircut at the salon or complaining about Ted dropping off Donald two hours late at Chuck E. Cheese. Why can�t you just support me-�

Peggy gets up with a start, accidentally knocking the bar stool over. �Don�t.� She raises her hand in defense and scrambles around searching for her purse. �Don�t ask me to support what you�re doing.�

Claudia watches her sister crawl around on the linoleum and remembers the times they would swing out in the backyard, singing the theme songs to their favorite cartoons over and over again. She turns back towards the mirror, smoothes out the wrinkles of her tie carefully. �Right. Maybe I am asking for too much too soon.�

Peggy stares at the back of Claudia�s head. Her hair is jagged, a home-butchering with kitchen shears, she can tell. �You used to have such beautiful hair. Long. Silky. I was always so jealous.�

�Yeah, well, its just hair, Peggy. Don�t worry, it will grow back.�