My parents had always ignored how well I did in my studies.
Soon, my mother got me a job in a factory. "Work hard and make sure to send money home on time," she told me. "Suzy's tuition fees aren't cheap."
Every word out of her mouth was about Suzy. She ignored how I was pale from the pains of my first menstruation and the red stains on my pants.
Working in the factory was exhausting, but the library there contained damaged textbooks and old, discarded books.
I would run to the library during my breaks to read and study.
Some factory workers were somewhat educated, and seeing that I was young and eager to learn, they were happy to tutor me. Some even tried to enroll me in a nearby high school.
I sent the majority of my wages back home, squirreling away the rest, hoping to return to school one day.
However, one day, I fell sick and was late to send the money. My parents stormed into the factory, shouting and beating me.
My coworkers tried to stop them. In the chaos, my books fell to the ground, and the money I had hidden between the pages fell out.
My father kicked me in the stomach. "How dare you hide money from us? I'll kill you!"
My mother tore the books into shreds. "You're studying? You're just trash, yet you're still dreaming of school!"
I knelt on the ground, begging my mother to stop. "Please, Mom, don't do this. These aren't even my books. I had to borrow them…"
My father slapped me. "How dare you talk back? Your mother can do whatever she wants. You're wasting money on nonsense instead of using it where it matters!"
They tore my books apart, threw them into water, and stomped on them.
They searched my dormitory, taking all of my money. They left nothing for me.
Before leaving, my mother snarled, "If you have so much free time, go get another job. Suzy needs money for her extracurricular classes."
I had nothing left.
My parents, entirely focused on Suzy, never stopped to think about how I would eat or clothe myself without any money.
…
The books were utterly destroyed. I couldn't return them, so I had to take on part-time jobs to earn money and pay back their value.
One of the jobs was at a construction site, doing odd tasks and manual labor. It was even more grueling than the factory.
One time, I dropped a whole bucket of cement because it was too heavy, and I was weakened from my menstruation pains.
The foreman shook his head when he saw this and told me that I shouldn't work there anymore.
I fell to my knees and begged tearfully, "I can do better. Please give me another chance."
The foreman sighed and tried to help me up, but the cement had dried quickly, trapping my foot.
In the end, the workers had to use a hammer to break the concrete apart, injuring my foot in the process.
I was still let go from the job, but the foreman gave me another 300 dollars out of pity. He told me to go see a doctor for my injury and get some decent food to nourish my frail body.
I limped away. The money was hard-earned, and it was my birthday, so I wanted to treat myself.
I went to a local pasta shop and ordered some pasta.
Just then, my parents walked in with Suzy.
They had taken her out for a meal as usual, but they did not expect to see me there.
My father was furious. "You hid money from us again, didn't you, you ungrateful brat!"
My mother lunged at me, tearing at my hair as she wailed, "You're all grown up now, eating out while ignoring your parents' suffering!"
They were well-dressed. Suzy was even wearing a puffy skirt with a bow, looking like a little princess.
I was sprawled on the floor, my hair disheveled, and wearing ill-fitting clothes that had seen better days. My shoes were worn and soaked with blood from the wound on my feet.
Still, I clutched my plate tightly, eating as fast as I could.
It was the best meal I'd ever had. For a brief moment, I could forget all my pain.
I saw Suzy covering her nose, turning her head away in disgust.
Seeing this, my parents were even more angry. My mother grabbed my hand as my father wrenched the plate from me and upended it over my head.
"Go on! Eat your fill!"
They left with Suzy. Before leaving, my mother searched my pockets and took all the money I had.
I sat there, sauce dripping from my hair, staring blankly at their retreating backs.
They looked like a family.
The manager refused to take my money. They even tried to offer me another plate, but I shook my head and limped out of the restaurant.
It had begun raining outside.
On the screen, my silhouette slowly disappeared into the rain.
The online tribunal was silent. My parents shifted subtly, avoiding the judge's gaze. Suzy kept her head down, refusing to look at anyone.
