I Became The Pariah Of The Family

Since that incident, I gradually stopped answering her calls. Deprived of her target, she went into a full-blown frenzy. She alternated between sobbing about how hard her life was and badmouthing me to anyone who would listen. But none of these soothed her bruised ego. Finally, I could not stomach the harassment any longer, so I went home to check things out.“Where did you buy this piece of junk? It’s a ticking time bomb. Give me my money back!”The floor was thick with dust, looking like it had not been swept for a long time. I stepped forward, picked up the phone, and gently wiped it clean. My heart ached when I saw the spiderweb cracks across the screen. I had bought this with my hard-earned money while I stuck to using the relic of a phone I got back in my college days.“Mom, this cost over three hundred dollars. Even if you don’t like it, you shouldn’t throw it on the ground. I can’t return it as new anymore; I’ll have to sell it as used.”She made less than two hundred

I would sometimes snap back using my parents’ sarcastic tone, and the conversation would end with a floor covered in shattered dishes.“How much money did we waste on your education all these years? Do you want to see the itemized bill? Other people your age are already bringing home big money for their families. Have you calculated the net loss you’ve cost us? How can you even compare yourself to Patrick? Don’t you have any self-awareness about where you stand?”Whom should I compare myself to then? I was expected to compare my grades to the top of the class, but my spending to the bottom. Ideally, I should have been a full-time student earning six figures on the side while remaining a submissive and obedient shadow. Back then, I was trapped in the cage of poverty and gasping like a fish in a drying puddle. I was held captive by the very things I needed to survive.Her leverage was always that she “did not make me drop out.” Indeed, she did not. But providing an education was a

October used to be the busiest month on the farm. In the past, I would save my annual leaves just to go back and help. I would end up sun-scorched and exhausted. I did not go back this year, nor did I send any money.Instead, I went on a trip.It was a local getaway just outside the city. I avoided the peak crowds. It was an affordable and relaxing trip.The hotel where I worked hit its peak season as soon as my holiday ended. I was working until midnight every day, crashing into bed the second I got home.Still, life would not give me a break. Right in the middle of a frantic lunch rush, I got a text from Dad.“Mom fainted from exhaustion. She’s at the clinic on an IV drip every day. She can’t do anything around the house anymore. I come home every day, and there isn’t even tea for me. Is work more important than your parents? You’re so busy you’ve forgotten the people who raised you.”He attached a photo of Mom hooked up to an IV. I suddenly remembered how she used to tak

I had spent five years working in hotel administration. Since I was a little girl, I had yearned for the world beyond the horizon, and education was my only escape. Back when I was preparing for grad school the first time, my parents’ constant cry about money had withered my ambition. Although that dream had not blossomed then, the seed had remained. I kept thinking about how wonderful it would be to see the other side of the world. I realized that if I saved my own money, no one could stop me.Visas, language proficiency tests, tuition fees, referral letters…I handled it all.The waiting was the hardest part, but the weight of the world lifted when the offer letter finally hit my inbox.It felt like a dream.During the final push, I had been so obsessed with my applications that I had practically evolved past the need for sleep, fueling myself entirely on caffeine. I worked harder than I ever had. Had I worked this hard for my college, applying for top-tier grad school w