Growing up, I knew very little about my mother's side of the family. They had basically disowned her after she decided to do the unthinkable and go to medical school in a time where (particularly in the deep, rural south) women would never be doctors. My relatives were scowling faces that wandered in and out of holiday gatherings, pausing just long enough to pass judgement and leave my dad outraged for about a week. There was someone home up there, but it was more feral than person. "That's nothing," she hissed. "They chose you. And I hate you!" She grabbed my breast and twisted it sharply.