Like the Fantastic Four, but without the fantastic part

Hey, don't write yourself off yet
It's only in your head you feel left out
-- Jimmy Eat World, "The Middle"

The double-edged sword with large families is the invisibility factor. At any given point in time, at least two of us will feel wholly invisible. My parents don't hide the fact they have favorites and every holiday we gather around and guess who the favorite is. My vote has been on my sister since she had a baby a year and a half ago. She recently won the incumbency by getting pregnant a second time.

Sometimes being invisible works. For instance, if things aren't going well in life--you don't have a job and the dog just hacked up something on your carpet and your brake lights went out on the trip over there--you totally don't have to talk about it.

Sometimes I convince myself I'm making the whole thing up. Like when I saw my siblings for the first time since New Years on Easter. They didn't notice that I'm not blonde anymore. I mean, the last time I was a brunette was 15 years ago, so I could see how easily it could slip every. single. person's. mind.

Hmph.

Then sometimes something happens and I know that I'm not melodramatizing life as the invisible woman.

STEPMOM: I just called your brother and both he and his wife can make it, so I made a reservation for six at Sotto Sotto for your birthday dinner.
JAMIE: You mean seven. Seven people.
STEPMOM: Well there's your mom and stepdad, me and your father, and your brother and his wife.
JAMIE: Yes. But I'm going too.
STEPMOM: ...