The narrator, Leslie, shares her story of growing up with a tumultuous home life, frequently moving, and dealing with her difficult stepfamily, particularly her stepsister Dana. Leslie's life becomes more complicated with the arrival of her little brother Sam, who turns out to be a handful as he grows up. Despite her efforts to care for him and help him behave, Sam's behavior worsens, and Leslie finds herself torn between her responsibilities towards him and her own life. She eventually finds love and starts a new life with her fiancé Alex, but struggles to balance her responsibilities towards Sam and her own happiness. When Leslie is offered a job opportunity in California, she is forced to make a difficult decision and ultimately chooses to start a new life, leaving Sam behind.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The narrator, Leslie, grew up in a household where her parents fought a lot.
2. Leslie's mom took her and left her dad when Leslie was a kid.
3. Leslie and her mom moved to a new town and lived in a small apartment.
4. Leslie's mom eventually got married to a new man, and they had a daughter named Dana.
5. Dana was mean to Leslie and would often bully her.
6. Leslie's parents had a baby boy named Sam when Leslie was older.
7. Leslie took care of Sam a lot and grew attached to him.
8. Sam was a difficult child and would often get into trouble.
9. Leslie's parents were not very involved in Sam's life and would often leave him with Leslie.
10. Leslie and Dana would often fight, but they eventually grew closer due to their shared loneliness.
11. When Sam was 10, he got into trouble at school and Leslie and Dana had to go to a meeting with his teacher.
12. Leslie's parents were not very supportive of Sam and would often make excuses for his behavior.
13. Leslie met a guy named Alex in college and they started dating.
14. Alex was supportive of Leslie and helped her deal with her family problems.
15. Leslie's family moved to a new house and Sam started hanging out with spoiled rich kids.
16. Leslie was worried about Sam's behavior and tried to talk to him about it.
17. Sam got into trouble with some creepy guys and Leslie was worried about his safety.
18. Leslie got married to Alex and moved out of her family's house.
19. Sam missed Leslie's wedding and she was very upset.
20. Leslie decided to move to California for a job opportunity and left her family behind.
21. Leslie told Sam that she was done being his babysitter and that he needed to take responsibility for his life.
22. Leslie said goodbye to Sam and told him that she would always be there for him, but she couldn't be his parent anymore.