The whole family found out about Mom’s online romance, and everyone laughed at her. My cousin Chloe scrolled through Mom’s phone. “Aunt Megan, your boyfriend is even pretending to be a celebrity? His profile is full of pictures of Ethan Cole.” Mom stated firmly, “That’s right. He is the actor Ethan Cole.” That just brought on louder, more explosive laughter. But when Ethan Cole actually showed up at our house for New Year’s Day, they stopped laughing. 1 On New Year’s Eve, the family was gathered around watching TV, but Mom’s phone wouldn’t stop buzzing. My Aunt Carol saw her chance and started poking around. “Megan, why are you glued to your phone giggling like that? Don’t tell me you’re online dating like some teenager?” For some reason, Aunt Carol had been nagging Mom all day about finding someone new. Ever since Mom got divorced, she and I had moved in with Grandma and Grandpa. But Aunt Carol kept saying that being around my dad for so long had rubbed off on us, that we had inherited his ‘scammer genes’ and would try to swindle Grandma and Grandpa out of their house. Funny, when our family was doing well financially, she was the one who visited the most, always managing to walk away with bags full of stuff. Sure enough, as soon as Aunt Carol saw Mom and me at Grandma’s today, her face soured. She slammed the door loud enough to shake the walls. The first thing out of her mouth after sitting down was, “So, Megan, when are you going to find your next meal ticket? You can’t just hang around your parents’ place in your thirties.” And now, here she was, starting up again. Except this time, she was actually right. There was a handsome man in Mom’s phone, and he even sent me snacks and toys sometimes. Mom blushed and quickly put her phone away, saying nothing. But wouldn’t you know it, my younger cousin Kevin snatched Mom’s phone right out of her hands. Mom doesn’t use a passcode, so he opened it easily. The screen was still on her recent chat history. Mom had saved the contact with a heart emoji. Kevin gasped, “Whoa, Aunt Megan really is dating someone online!” Mom scratched her head, nodding shyly. “I was planning to tell you all once things were a bit more stable.” I grabbed the phone back from Kevin, scolding him, “That’s rude!” But just as I got it, a slender hand plucked it away. My older cousin Chloe started scrolling through Mom’s online boyfriend’s social media feed. Suddenly, she burst out laughing, shaking so hard she almost dropped the phone. “Aunt Megan, your boyfriend is pretending to be a celebrity! His whole feed is pictures of Ethan Cole.” Chloe excitedly called over to Aunt Carol, “Mom, come look! It’s all Ethan Cole, the guy from that show you were binge-watching last month.” Uncle Rick and Aunt Carol crowded around, staring at the pictures of the handsome man on the phone. Aunt Carol started lecturing Mom in a patronizing tone, though the corners of her mouth were turned up in amusement. “You’ve definitely run into a scammer. Did the divorce mess with your head? How could you fall for something so obvious?” Mom got annoyed, insisting firmly, “I’m not being scammed. He is Ethan Cole.” That just led to another round of explosive laughter. Uncle Rick clutched his stomach, saying he was laughing so hard it hurt. “Come on, Sis. Think about it. A huge star like him? He’s got fans everywhere. And look at you – divorced, with Jenny to raise. Why would he possibly be interested in you? You’re dreaming.” Chloe took a picture of Ethan’s feed with her own phone and started typing furiously, even sending voice messages. “OMG, girls, you won’t believe this! My aunt is dating Ethan Cole online! LMAO!” After listening to a reply, Chloe chattered back into her phone, “Right? The scammer really knows how to target middle-aged women, though. Ethan Cole is like, the ultimate heartthrob for that generation.” Aunt Carol took Mom’s phone from Chloe and handed it back. “Megan, why don’t you try video calling him? You probably haven’t even done that, right? Bet it’s just some creep pretending on the other end.” 2 Mom quickly refused, “He’s rehearsing for a New Year’s broadcast right now! It’s not convenient for him to video chat!” “Rehearsing for a New Year’s broadcast? Oh my god, Aunt Megan, you’re killing me! Hahaha!” Chloe acted like she’d heard the funniest joke ever, bending over laughing and unable to straighten up. Uncle Rick sighed. “Sis, you can say stuff like this at home, but please don’t go embarrassing yourself outside.” Even Mom, who’s usually mild-tempered, started getting flustered. “I’m telling the truth! Don’t call!” But Aunt Carol had already hit the video call button. Sure enough, it rang for a long time with no answer. Not giving up, Aunt Carol tried again. Same result. Mom shrugged. “See? He’s busy right now.” Aunt Carol chuckled behind her hand, then pulled me aside. “Jenny, honey, talk some sense into your mom. She’s about to give you a scam artist for a stepfather.” Her words made me really uncomfortable. I pulled away and said seriously: “He’s not a scammer! I’ve seen him! He looks exactly like his pictures.” Once, our school had a big clean-up day, and we got out earlier than usual. When I came out of the school gate, I happened to see Mom talking to a man. But when he saw me, the man quickly looked down and walked away. It was only because I asked Mom later if her friend could come to the amusement park with us that he came back. He was tall and handsome, and standing next to Mom, they looked like what my teacher calls a perfect match. He’s definitely not a scammer! Aunt Carol’s face hardened, and she was about to scold me when Ethan Cole’s video call came through. Aunt Carol, quick as lightning, snatched the phone and answered. The lighting on his end was dim. You could vaguely see him looking down, tidying things up. “Hey Megan, what’s up? I was rehearsing and didn’t see my phone.” Uncle Rick, Aunt Carol, and Chloe all huddled closer. They couldn’t see his face clearly, their heads practically glued to the screen. Just then, he finished tidying up, picked up the phone, looked at the screen, and exclaimed, “Whoa! Who are you people?” Aunt Carol grabbed Chloe’s arm, her voice trembling slightly. “Chloe, doesn’t that voice sound exactly like him on TV?” Mom, clearly annoyed, took the phone back from them and exchanged a few brief pleasantries with Ethan Cole. When she turned back, Uncle Rick, Aunt Carol, and Chloe were just staring at each other, wide-eyed. Aunt Carol said, “I swear, that voice, and what I could see of him… it really seemed like Ethan Cole. But… that can’t be right, can it?” Chloe jumped in, her voice shrill. “Mom, you guys are so behind the times! That was probably an AI deepfake video. There are tons of scams like that going around lately.” Chloe then quickly searched for news articles about AI impersonation scams and showed them to Aunt Carol. Aunt Carol’s eyes widened in understanding. “Oh, right, right! That must be it!” 3 Grandma came out of the kitchen carrying a platter of food, calling out cheerfully, “Okay everyone, clear the table, time to eat!” Aunt Carol, Uncle Rick, and Chloe rushed to the dining table. In the end, Mom and I had to help Grandpa, who had just woken up from a nap, to his seat. Even though Grandpa has high cholesterol and sleeps a lot these days, his temper hasn’t softened a bit. At the table, Aunt Carol brought up Mom’s online dating again. Grandpa slammed his hand on the table and yelled, “Nonsense!” “When Jenny’s father got scammed, it was because you weren’t watching him properly! Are you going to get scammed again now?” I didn’t understand why Grandpa blamed Mom for Dad’s debts. Dad was the one who racked up debt and ran off. Mom only found out when the court came to repossess our house. Ever since Mom brought me here to Grandma’s house, Grandpa brings this up and blames Mom whenever he’s unhappy. Mom usually just listened silently, but this time she couldn’t hold back. “Dad, Gary was always like this. I saw the warning signs the first time he messed up. You were the one who insisted I give him another chance.” Grandpa’s face flushed with anger, his mustache bristling. “So your husband wasn’t good enough, and now you’re blaming your old man?” Aunt Carol chimed in to support him. “You know what they say, ‘for better or worse.’ Besides, you chose to marry him, didn’t you? How can you turn around and blame Dad now?” As Aunt Carol said this, I saw Uncle Rick nervously tugging at her sleeve. “That’s not how it happened at all!” Mom’s eyes turned red with hurt. “It was practically an arranged marriage! What choice did I have?” She murmured, “Dad, you ruined my career prospects back then for the sake of my brother. Are you going to control the rest of my life too?” Grandpa’s finger trembled as he pointed at Mom. “What- what are you saying? If I hadn’t brought you back, you’d still be in the city being some kind of… groupie?” I shouted, correcting him, “Not a groupie, Grandpa! An agent! A talent agent!” I had pestered Mom before to tell me stories about when she was young. Back then, Mom listened to Grandpa and went to work in a big city. She made some great friends who saw her potential and recommended her for a job as an agent. Mom said an agent’s job is to find work for the stars they manage, promote them, and help them become famous. Even though the agency was small and the actors Mom managed weren’t well-known, Mom said it was the happiest and freest time of her life. But later, when Grandpa heard about Mom’s job, he called it indecent, accused her of flaunting herself and not behaving properly, and actually went to her company, made a scene, and dragged her back home. As soon as Mom got back, Grandpa immediately arranged a marriage for her, forcing her to marry my dad, giving her absolutely no chance to resist. Mom only found out later that Grandpa was actually desperate for money to help Uncle Rick start a business, and that’s why he used the excuse about her job to bring her home and marry her off quickly. Hearing our conversation, Chloe’s interest was piqued. She put down her phone and stopped texting her friends, asking curiously: “What agent? You don’t mean like… a celebrity agent?” “Alright!” Uncle Rick cleared his throat, telling Chloe to be quiet. Then he said to Grandpa, “Dad, let’s not dredge up ancient history.” Grandma brought Grandpa a fresh pair of chopsticks and stepped in to smooth things over. “Let’s not argue on New Year’s. We still have the New Year’s Eve show to watch together after dinner.” I looked at Mom worriedly. She smiled and patted my hand, then lowered her head and took a bite of food. 4 After dinner, we all sat on the sofa to watch the New Year’s Eve specials on TV. My cousin Kevin complained, “It’s so crowded.” Aunt Carol, cracking sunflower seeds, remarked, “Well, there are two extra people this year, of course it’s crowded. Never heard of a married daughter coming back to her parents’ place for New Year’s Eve anyway.” Hearing Kevin say it was crowded, I started to get up to find him a small stool, but Mom stopped me. She asked Aunt Carol, “What exactly do you mean by that, Carol? I already told you I’ll look for a place of our own after the holidays.” Aunt Carol uncrossed her legs and sat up straight, facing Mom. “Megan, it’s not that I don’t want you here.” “I’m just worried you’ll get too comfortable and start thinking this is your house. What if you end up like your ex-husband and try to mortgage Mom and Dad’s house too?” Mom frowned. “That’s a ridiculous thing to say. I don’t owe anyone money. Why would I mortgage the house?” Chloe interjected with a worried expression, “My friend just sent me a bunch of news stories about people getting tricked by scammers into sending money or making donations online. Aunt Megan, be honest with us, how much has he scammed you out of already?” “He’s not a scammer,” Mom repeated tiredly, having said it several times already today. Just then, Aunt Carol pointed at the TV in shock. “Look! Isn’t that Ethan Cole?” On the screen, Ethan Cole was performing a solo, wearing a festive red suit. He was singing his own hit song, the one he wrote the lyrics for: “Moonlit Serenade.” Aunt Carol muttered to herself, “Why is he wearing the same clothes as in the video call earlier? Can scammers predict the future now?” Chloe patted Aunt Carol’s shoulder, explaining, “His performance outfit must have been leaked online by fans. Seriously, Aunt Megan, the scammer you’ve found is really meticulous.” Hearing this, Aunt Carol became even more convinced Mom was being duped. “Megan, this scammer really seems to have some tricks up his sleeve. Scams are so sophisticated these days, they can even fake what a big star is wearing on the same day! You absolutely cannot send him any more money.” Mom had been watching Ethan Cole’s performance with a soft smile, but Aunt Carol’s words made her expression harden again. After a long silence, Mom said, somewhat exasperated, “He is Ethan Cole! And I haven’t been scammed! If you really don’t believe me, should I ask him to come over for a New Year’s visit tomorrow so you can see for yourself?” Chloe secretly whispered in Aunt Carol’s ear, “Mom, I think she might actually be losing it.” “You said it! Let’s see Ethan Cole come visit our house,” Aunt Carol grinned, barely able to contain her amusement, eager to watch Mom make a fool of herself. But I was thrilled to hear this. I had secretly overheard Ethan telling Mom on the phone that he wanted to come visit for the holiday, but Mom kept saying they should wait. I’d been quite disappointed about that. 5 The next morning, Uncle Rick went out early, leaving Aunt Carol alone on the sofa, cracking sunflower seeds. “So, Megan, when is Ethan Cole arriving? If he doesn’t show up today, maybe you should start looking at apartments? Are you really planning to keep freeloading off Mom and Dad?” “He just finished his New Year’s performance. He’s on his way now.” “Right, right.” Aunt Carol smirked knowingly, spitting sunflower seed shells all over the floor. Grandma was mopping. Mom felt bad for Grandma, took the mop from her, and started cleaning, reminding Aunt Carol: “Don’t spit the shells on the floor. Mom just mopped there.” Aunt Carol scoffed, swinging her legs idly. Kevin was playing with my building blocks. I snatched them back from him. Having nothing to do, he started wandering around bored. Aunt Carol got up and went to the fridge, calling Kevin over. “Come here, sweetie. Mommy will steam some crab for you.” Suddenly, she exclaimed, “Oh dear, I didn’t realize Megan and Jenny would be here too. There are only six crab legs!” Then, with a look of mock apology, she said, “These are Alaskan King Crab legs, you know. Very special. We only splurge like this once a year for the holiday. Megan, surely you wouldn’t expect Mom and Dad to give up their share for you two.” Even I understood her implication – there were none for us. But I remembered there was still a whole box of crab legs in the freezer that Ethan Cole had sent over last time. Plenty to go around. Mom ignored Aunt Carol and put our entire box of crab legs in the steamer pot. It was packed full. When they were cooked, the aroma was incredible. Aunt Carol proudly declared that Alaskan King Crab always smelled that good, but when she went into the kitchen, she realized the delicious smell was coming from our crab legs. She immediately changed her tune, saying ours must have additives, that the smell was just artificial flavoring. At the table, Kevin finished the crab legs Aunt Carol had brought and reached for the ones Mom had steamed. Aunt Carol slapped his hand away with her chopsticks. “Don’t eat that junk. Who knows how long those freezer-burned things have been sitting there.” But Kevin threw a tantrum, whining and insisting he wanted to try one. Our crab legs were huge and looked much better than Aunt Carol’s; no wonder Kevin was tempted. He cracked open a shell and greedily started eating the meat inside. Aunt Carol got flustered and offered her own crab leg to him. “If you’re hungry, eat Mommy’s. Don’t eat that!” But Kevin threw the crab leg Aunt Carol offered onto the floor, shouting, “Aunt Megan’s crab is way better than yours!” Aunt Carol’s face turned ugly. Skeptically, she took one of our crab legs herself. The moment the crab meat hit her tongue, her eyes widened in astonishment. She was completely speechless. She silently finished the crab leg, then stared longingly at the platter, wanting another but too embarrassed to take one. Just then, the doorbell rang. “Is that Ethan?” I gasped, happily jumping down from my chair to answer the door. Aunt Carol muttered behind me, “No way, the scammer actually dared to show up…?” I opened the door, and standing there was a young man with a friendly face. His hands were full of bags, and he was balancing a large gift basket. He smiled when he saw me. “You must be little Jenny.” He had a baby face, but his voice was surprisingly deep, which startled me, making me step back. Aunt Carol peered over my shoulder, and her lips immediately curled into a smirk. “Seriously, Megan? This is your boyfriend? If he didn’t speak, I’d think he was your nephew! Hahaha…” “And you were so insistent it was Ethan Cole coming. You bring this guy instead? Are you trying to make fools out of us?”
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