Stay Away From Biased Parents

I don't understand why, despite my despair, I still hold onto some kind of expectation from them. I'm not even sure what I'm expecting.

As I gazed out at the pitch-black night sky, tears suddenly fell silently down my cheeks.

Perhaps it was some sort of telepathy, but shortly after I woke up, I received a call from my dad.

"Something happened to your mother!

"She suddenly collapsed, and now she's in the hospital. You need to come right away."

On the phone, my father's voice was filled with tears.

I was terrified.

For a moment, I forgot all my dissatisfaction and drove to the hospital immediately.

At the hospital, I busied myself with all the necessary paperwork and payments.

After emergency treatment, my mom finally regained consciousness.

Her health had always been poor, and every year, she had to be hospitalized several times, yet the doctors could never pinpoint the cause.

I had always suspected that she had heart issues and believed she might suffer from intermittent blood supply problems, which caused her to frequently faint.

I had urged her countless times to go to a better hospital for a thorough check-up, but she always found excuses to avoid it.

Seeing her lying weakly in that hospital bed, looking pale and fragile, I felt my heart ached.

All the resentment I had toward them over the past few days suddenly vanished.

I took several days off work to stay at the hospital and care for her.

At night, I watched over her, and during the day, I ran up and down with her for tests and payments, leaving me breathless with exhaustion.

Seeing my mother's complexion improve, I remembered one thing.

"Where's Lonnie? Why hasn't he even called?"

"I didn't tell him," my mom answered as she nibbled on the apple I had peeled for her.

"Why didn't you tell him?"

"What's the point of telling him? He's careless, clueless, and completely unreliable.

"He's not like you. You're attentive and considerate. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to manage all this on my own. The hospital's all self-service now, and I don't even know how to use those machines." My dad smiled as he praised me.

Their praise did not make me happy but instead made me feel even more uncomfortable.

The smile on my face faded.

I took out my phone, but before I could dial Lonnie's number, my dad stopped me. "Don't call him. Your mom's almost recovered now, and there's nothing much he can do to help."

"How can he not help? I've taken several days off already. I need to get back to work. Can't he come and take over for me?"

"No, no, you go ahead if you need to. I'll take care of your mom."

Anger welled up inside me, nearly bursting from my chest.

Ignoring everything, I called Lonnie and calmly explained the situation.

After expressing his concern, Lonnie said he couldn't do much either.

"My business is just taking off. There's no way I can take time off. Charlette, I'm sorry to trouble you, but I'll make it up to you later."

It suddenly dawned on me that every time my parents needed help, their first instinct was always to call me.

They'd ask me to buy medicine, run errands, and even tell me they didn't know how to shop online, so I'd have to order their daily necessities for them. From small chores to major issues like taking care of them in the hospital, they always relied on me.

Lonnie was always absent during these times.

But he had a way with words, always making it seem like he had done his best.

In the end, it was always me who bore the financial and emotional burden, taking care of everything.

I thought, "Why did I never see this as a problem before? I even took pride in the fact that my parents relied on me.

I used to think all of this meant they loved me more."

Before I could respond, my dad was already eagerly telling him, "It's okay. Don't worry, and don't bother coming back. I can take care of your mom."

"These past few days have already cost me eighteen thousand dollars in hospital bills. I've paid for everything. You should transfer me nine thousand dollars," I said through gritted teeth.

Lonnie readily agreed.

But my dad snatched the phone from me and told Lonnie, "No, no, you don't need to pay anything. I'll pay Charlette."

After hanging up, he immediately started scolding me.

"What were you thinking? I never said you had to pay for anything. Why were you so eager to ask Lonnie for money?"