23:03 Fri, Jan 10 G
When I won an iPad at my company’s annual party, I was thrilled. As soon as I got home, I shared the news with my mom, grinning from ear to ear.
The next day, my sister–in–law, Amanda, knocked on my bedroom door.
“Hey, do you think you could give that iPad to your nephew, Ryan?” she asked with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Ryan’s been needing one for school–online classes, assignments, you know. You don’t have kids, so you don’t really need it. Why not just give it to him?”
I shook my head. “Sorry, Amanda, but I’m planning to use it myself.”
That’s when the entire family decided to gang up on me.
“You’re living here, eating here, and you can’t even give your nephew something you got for free?”
“What a selfish, ungrateful leech!”
“Don’t ever call me your brother again. Get out of this house!”
So, I did. I packed my things, moved out, and left them to their drama. Funny thing is, after a while, they begged me to come back.
60
“Listen, Emily,” Amanda began one evening, pulling me aside with an overly earnest look. “You know how hard your brother works, right? Ryan just started high school, and the pressure is insane. We can’t afford a tutor, and the iPad would help him keep up with online
resources.”
I hesitated. “But I was planning to use it too…
“For what?” she snapped, patting my hand like I was a child. “Watching YouTube? Scrolling through Instagram? You can do all that on your phone, can’t you?”
She sighed dramatically. “Ryan’s at such a critical point in his education. As his aunt, shouldn’t you support him?”
The iPad I’d won was the latest model, something I’d been eyeing for months but couldn’t justify buying because of its price. Now she wanted me to hand it over for free? Absolutely
not.
“You could always check out second–hand options,” I suggested. “You can get a decent
tablet for much cheaper.”
Amanda’s eyes widened in horror. “Second–hand? Are you serious? All the boys in Ryan’s
class have the newest models. Do you want him to be the laughingstock of the school? Is
that what you want?”
Before I could respond, she sneered, “You’re trying to humiliate him, aren’t you?”
I clenched my fists. “Then go buy him a new one!”
She threw her hands up. “Why would I do that when you already have one? It’s such a
waste!”
Her tone shifted to mock sympathy. “You’re divorced now, Emily. No husband, no kids. When you’re old, you’ll need Ryan to take care of you. Shouldn’t you invest in his future?”
I laughed bitterly. “Don’t worry about me. I won’t need anyone.”
And with that, I slammed the door in her face and went to work.
