“You know what Mama always used to say,” I say quietly, tugging another cigarette out the carton and lighting it. “Good cancels out the bad.” My brother is silent for a beat, but I can hear the cogs in his brain clicking into place. “That’s why you left. You thought Mama would have wanted you to turn good, because it’ll cancel out all the bad from the rest of the family. You left because of Mama.”
