I Couldn’t Afford My Parents ‘Time Chapter 09
I zoomed in on the photo and looked at it for a long while.
There were six dishes on the table.
Not one of them was something I liked.
They were all Melody’s favorites.
Even after all these years, they still had no idea what I liked.
I didn’t point it out.
I only replied:
‘Don’t wait up for me.
The next year, Melody took her SATS.
She didn’t get into a top–tier university.
She ended up at a local university
Instead of blaming her, Mom spent $60,000 on a graduation
party for her,
The day before the party, Dad called me,
“Hazel, come home for a while.”
‘Melody hasn’t been doing well lately.”
Our relatives keep comparing her to you, and she’s under a lot of pressure.”
“Come back and have dinner with her.”
“Tell everyone that you two sisters are still close.”
I asked:
So how much are you paying this time?”
Dad froze.
“What?”
You’re asking me to come back.”
You’re asking me to pretend everything is fine.”
So how much are you offering?”
I could hear Mom crying in the background.
After a long silence, Dad finally said:
Twenty thousand dollars.”
“Come back for one day, and we’ll give you twenty thousand dollars.”
Back then, I had washed dishes for a whole month just to save $600.
Now they’re willing to pay $20,000 to have me come home
and act like Melody and I are close for a day.
But I felt nothing.
Not even happiness.
“No.”
Thirty thousand?”
Dad immediately raised the offer.
We can negotiate.”
Mom finally grabbed the phone.
Then tell me.”
“How much do you want?”
“We’re willing to pay you to come back now.”
What else do you want from us?”
I’d heard those words before.
When I was eighteen, I stood in front of them with $600 in my hands.
Back then, I thought that if I offered enough money, I could buy their love.
But later, I realized something.
Companionship wasn’t sitting at the same table.
It wasn’t about standing close together in a photo.
Real companionship wasn’t watching me hurt and only worrying about whether Melody could still enjoy her shrimp.
It wasn’t letting $300 keep my father from being there when I needed him.
And it definitely wasn’t something I had to earn by getting into Columbia.
I don’t want money.”
said it quietly.
Mom sounded relieved.
“Then come home.”
Mom will spend a whole month with you for free.”
I don’t want your time either.”
She went quiet.
“Why?”
Because my time isn’t for sale.
And I don’t want to buy your time anymore.”
I nung up.
That afternoon, I went to see a movie with my roommate.
When the movie ended. Mom sent me another message.
“Hazel, we really know we were wrong.”
“Come home.”
“You can have as much of our time as you want.”
I stared at the message for a long time.
I didn’t reply.
Those were the words I’d once wanted to hear more than
anything.
But they came too late.
So late that I already had my own life.
And I already had people who would happily have dinner
with me and watch movies with me without asking for anything.
turned off my phone.
Then I walked into the evening crowd,
Once, my parents‘ time had a price tag.
Later, they were willing to give me all the time I’d once begged for.
But I didn’t want a single minute of it anymore.
END