I raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you mean an adult who silently accepts betrayal and continues to pay the bills?" I shook my head.
"Mom, don't pretend. That's exactly what you wanted." Dad took a step forward and tried to push himself on me, just like he had done as a child…
Jacob, we raised you. We fed you and clothed you. We gave you everything you have.
He raised his eyebrows. "The least you can do is help us now." I met his gaze.
"I've helped you before. For years." I leaned closer to him. "And you thanked me by banishing me from your lives."
Mom's lips trembled. "We thought... you'd understand." I exhaled heavily and shook my head. "Oh, I see."
I looked at her. "I realize that I was never part of your family. Just a wallet."
Silence again. But this time it was oppressive and suffocating. I turned to Eric, who had been acting as if he weren't there the whole time.
"And you? Do you have an excuse?" I folded my arms. You've had years to grow up. Take control of your own life.
I had just started to do something. But you hadn't." I paused and, looking him directly in the eyes, said the last thing I had to say:
"Because you knew they'd always take care of you." I narrowed my eyes. "And when they were gone, you just thought I'd take over." "What am I supposed to say to that?" Eric finally blurted out.
"I didn't ask for it." I nodded slowly. "Of course you didn't ask for it."
"You simply took advantage of it." His mouth opened and closed again. I said nothing.
Mom made one last attempt to show compassion: "Jacob, we are family. And in a family, you take care of each other."
I stared at her for a long moment and then replied slowly, "Exactly." "Then why did you never take care of me?" She froze.
No words. No excuses. Nothing.
I breathed out deeply. I felt lighter than I had in years: "We did it."
I turned around, went back to the building, and slammed the door in their faces. I hadn't even made it to the couch when my phone vibrated. A text from Dad:
After everything we've done for you, are you really abandoning us now? I grinned and replied, "No, you abandoned me."
"I finally accept it now." I pressed send and blocked her numbers. But I had no idea that this would only make things worse.
Less than a day later, everything spiraled out of control. I started reading Facebook posts. My parents were never particularly tech-savvy, but somehow they knew how to create a stir on social media, especially when things were going well for them…
At first I thought it was just another one of her gimmicks, because that was her modus operandi: airing family matters in public. But when I checked my newsfeeds, it dawned on me. It wasn't just about me no longer receiving financial support.
The posts were disguised as expressions of familial love. In reality, however, they were veiled attacks on me. My mother wrote something to the effect of: "I didn't raise my son to be so selfish."
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