Grandma Evelyn always said I was her favorite out of her seven grandchildren. Growing up, she gave me countless shoes, clothes, and books. But Grandma always claimed she couldn’t afford new things, so she’d pick up secondhand items for me instead. Mom and Dad would always say that even if they weren’t brand-new, it was the thought that counted with Grandma, so I always felt pressured to accept them graciously. Later, I graduated from college and landed an offer at a major company. The whole family threw a party to celebrate. At the party, Grandma handed me a laptop—another secondhand gift. In that moment, years of pent-up emotions suddenly hit me. I grabbed the device and smashed it hard on the floor: “Why is it always secondhand?!” My relatives immediately called me ungrateful. Grandma wiped away tears and softly said she wouldn’t come to our house anymore, so she wouldn’t embarrass me. I didn’t say a word. I turned and walked into my room, bringing out all the secondhand items she’d given me over the years, one by one. The room fell completely silent.
As soon as Grandma Evelyn walked in, she pressed a wallet into my hand and handed over a bag of treats, which Mom quickly took from her. Then she pulled another bag from her purse and gave it to me: “Sarah, Grandma got you a tablet. You can use it for work.” I took the bag, frozen for a moment. Mom gently nudged me from the side: “What are you staring at? Hurry and thank Grandma! Everything you’ve had since you were little—didn’t it all come from Grandma? Even if it’s secondhand…” Grandma Evelyn rubbed her hands together, smiling awkwardly and nervously: “Grandma doesn’t have much money, but if Sarah wants something, I want to get it for you.” I took the bag and sat aside, carefully opening the packaging. Sure enough, there was a tablet inside, with obvious signs of wear along the edges. I pressed the power button, and the screen lit up with a yellowish tint. I stared at it for a few seconds, then abruptly stuffed it back into the bag and slammed it down on the coffee table: “Are we so hard up that we can’t even afford new things? Why do I always have to get stuck with secondhand stuff?” The living room went dead silent, everyone freezing in place. Grandma Evelyn jumped to her feet, hands trembling slightly: “Oh honey, don’t you like it? Is it not working right?” I turned my head away, voice tight: “How much did this tablet cost? Please don’t waste your money on stuff like this anymore. Just give me cash, and I’ll buy something new myself.” “What on earth are you saying?!” Mom shot up. “That’s Grandma’s way of showing she cares!” “What good is this secondhand garbage?” I pushed the bag forward. “I need a proper computer for work. Don’t try to palm this off on me.” My relatives started murmuring among themselves. Uncle Mark shook his head: “Kids these days, so unappreciative.” Aunt Susan pursed her lips: “Tell me about it. When we were kids, we’d be thrilled to get a piece of candy. And she’s already starting her career, yet she’s still so clueless.” … Mom grabbed a throw pillow from the couch, ready to hurl it, but Grandma Evelyn quickly held her back. She gently took my hand, her voice very soft: “Sarah, don’t be upset. Grandma didn’t think this through… You’ve grown up now, you have your pride—you deserve new things.” Aunt Lisa chimed in from the side: “Mom, are you still coddling her? My son hasn’t even gotten any hand-me-downs from you!” Grandma Evelyn waved her off: “Alright, alright. Girls should be spoiled… I just didn’t realize Sarah’s got her pride now.” I looked at Aunt Lisa: “Then give this tablet to your son. Just give me the cash instead.” Aunt Lisa sputtered, turning red. She opened her mouth but said nothing. Mom rolled up her sleeves, ready to come at me again, but Grandma Evelyn quickly pulled her toward the kitchen: “Let’s make dinner first. Sarah must be hungry…” “Just wait till your dad gets home—he’ll straighten you out!” Mom turned and shot me a glare. Grandma Evelyn, still walking, murmured: “Grandma’ll make you ribs, your favorite when you were little…” “Don’t bother,” I cut her off. “I haven’t liked those in years.” Grandma Evelyn froze mid-step. She stood there for two seconds, then slowly walked back to the couch and sat down, a forced smile still on her face.
The relatives’ stares felt like daggers. Some shook their heads, others pressed their lips tight. Grandma Evelyn bowed her head slightly, twisting the hem of her shirt, her voice barely audible: “It’s fine, really… She’s just young.” I tuned out their muttering, sitting on the couch and playing with the wallet Grandma had given me. Feeling its weight, I suddenly noticed it was too thin. I opened it to find only a twenty-dollar bill inside. Fury flared up inside me. I stood up and threw the wallet at Grandma Evelyn’s feet: “What’s this supposed to be?” Uncle Mark immediately bent down, picked up the wallet, stood up, and snapped at me: “What’s your problem, Sarah? Is twenty bucks not enough for you?” Grandma Evelyn quickly took the wallet back from him, her trembling hand reaching into her pocket and pulling out three neatly folded twenty-dollar bills. She took out two bills, fingers shaking as she offered them to me: “Sarah, honey… Grandma only has sixty dollars on her. Will forty be okay? I still need bus fare to get home later…” I swatted the money out of her hand: “I don’t want it. You might as well give this to Aunt Lisa’s son.” Aunt Lisa suddenly stormed out of the kitchen: “Sarah, what’s your issue? I just made a comment—do you have to be so petty?” Mom also rushed over: “When did you get such an attitude!” The relatives started in with the judgment again. “So disrespectful!” “All that education and she’s still like this!” Grandma Evelyn, eyes red, slowly bent to pick up the money from the floor. Uncle Mark scoffed from the side: “You’ve coddled her too much. Now she can’t even stand forty lousy dollars!” I let out a bitter laugh: “Yeah, I can’t stand it. If you’ve got money for a wallet, why not add enough to buy something new? Who wants this used junk…” Before I could finish, a hand suddenly grabbed my collar from behind, and then a hard slap landed across my face. I staggered and fell to the floor, a metallic taste spreading in my mouth. Dad had come home at some point and was now standing over me, face crimson with rage. Grandma Evelyn immediately hobbled over with her cane, pushed Dad away, and knelt down trembling to touch my face: “Sarah… Does it hurt? Let Grandma see…” Dad was still shouting: “How could I have raised such an ungrateful kid! Don’t you remember how your grandma took care of you when you were little?” I wiped the corner of my mouth, looking up at him: “Yeah, you’re right about everything. I’m the ungrateful one. At least, that’s how you’ve always seen me.” Dad, livid, started to step forward again, but Grandma Evelyn turned and blocked him: “Okay, okay… Let’s eat first. Sarah must be starving.” The other relatives quickly jumped in to mediate: “She’s still young. Hitting her won’t fix anything…” “Talk to her calmly. Teach her right from wrong…” Grandma Evelyn gently took my hand: “Come on, let’s eat something.” I stayed quiet and pulled my hand away. She didn’t say anything else, just slowly followed behind me. When I sat down, she quietly took the seat next to mine. Grandma Evelyn slowly moved the egg drop soup, which was across the table, in front of me and said softly: “Sarah, you always loved this.” As she spoke, she used her slightly trembling hand to spoon two large servings into my rice bowl. Aunt Lisa chimed in with a sarcastic tone: “Some people have all the luck. Get everything they want and still act picky.” Dad also spoke up in a deep voice: “Alright, your grandma’s being so good to you. Let it go already.” I looked at the soup and suddenly felt my stomach twist. The next second, I stood up abruptly, unable to stop myself from dry-heaving. Then I grabbed the soup and dumped it into the nearby trash can. “I never eat this,” I said coldly. The dinner table erupted instantly. Uncle Mark slammed his hand on the table and stood up: “Sarah! I’ve had enough of your attitude! What has your grandma ever done to you to deserve this?” Grandma Evelyn also stood up, eyes red, lips trembling: “Sarah… Grandma’s dirty. Grandma collected bottles to buy you those secondhand things. It’s Grandma’s fault… I won’t come back anymore, I won’t come… You have to eat well, okay?”
My heart twinged. The words “I’m allergic to eggs” stuck in my throat. Crash! Dad suddenly threw down his fork, grabbed the barely touched bowl of soup, and stalked toward me. Dad grabbed me, then lifted the bowl and tried to force it into my mouth. I struggled frantically, soup splashing everywhere—down my chin and into my collar. Mom, Grandma Evelyn, and several relatives rushed over, pulling Dad away with all their strength. I stumbled to the floor, coughing uncontrollably, the front of my clothes soaked. Voices exploded around me. “What if she chokes?” “This kid is hopeless!” “She’s this way at her age—what’ll she be like when she’s older?” I coughed, tears streaming down my face, barely able to catch my breath. Grandma Evelyn rushed over, eyes red and tearful: “It’s Grandma’s fault… I shouldn’t have bought that tablet today. Shouldn’t have come…” I suddenly pulled my hand away from hers, gasping for air with a bitter smile: “What are you putting on an act for? You intentionally bought that used tablet, didn’t you? And the wallet—you wanted to humiliate me, right?” Aunt Lisa shrieked: “What’s wrong with that tablet? When we were kids, we would’ve been thrilled to have something like that!” Mom pulled Grandma Evelyn behind her, eyes red as she shouted at me: “I know you hate your dad and me, but Grandma practically raised you!” “Look at her leg! She broke it working construction to pay your school fees! What’s wrong with secondhand things? As long as they work, isn’t that enough?” I winced in pain, got to my feet, and brushed off my clothes: “Enough! It’s *your* job to take care of Grandma, not mine! *You* let her leg go untreated! What does that have to do with me? If secondhand stuff is so great, why don’t *you* use it? Go ahead—be my guest!” At that, Dad lunged again. Grandma Evelyn tried to stop him but couldn’t hold him back. He grabbed me and slammed me onto the coffee table. My back hit the edge with a jolt, and the pain made my vision go black. “Fine, fine!” Dad panted. “I’ll show you if this used tablet actually works!” He reached for the bag but knocked something under the coffee table—my journal. It must have fallen out when I was thrown earlier. I tried to grab it, but the pain in my body kept me from moving. Dad picked up the journal, flipped through a few pages casually, and his face instantly went pale. “What did you write in here?” His voice shook. “You said you hated Grandma… And in your diary, you wished she was dead?” Everyone froze, then crowded around to look. Grandma Evelyn stood there stunned, tears silently streaming down her face. Mom snatched the journal, glanced at it, then rushed over and slapped me twice. I tilted my head, wiped the corner of my mouth, and smiled: “Yeah, I want her dead. Why didn’t that old bag break her neck when she fell?” The other relatives started shouting: “Ungrateful little bitch!” “Heartless monster!” Grandma Evelyn wiped her tears with her sleeve, turned, and started toward the door: “I’ll go… I’ll leave right now…” “Mom!” Dad called out, voice shaking with rage. “You’re not the one leaving today.” He suddenly turned to me, eyes blazing. “If anyone’s getting out, it’s this brat!” I lifted my chin: “Fine by me. That’s what I wanted anyway. I got this job to get independent faster, to get out of this family.”
Dad snatched my journal off the coffee table, tore out a blank page furiously, and pulled a pen from his pocket: “Good! Today we’re signing a disownment paper. I’m cutting you off. As far as I’m concerned, I never had a daughter like you!” Grandma Evelyn rushed forward, trying to grab the paper: “You can’t sign that… Please, don’t…” I scoffed, looking at her: “Save the act. I’m leaving today, one way or another.” Mom still wanted to argue, but I’d already quickly signed the paper and tossed it back. Uncle Mark stamped his foot: “You little brat! What a daughter!” “I’ll pack my stuff and get out.” I turned toward my room. Grandma Evelyn stumbled, grabbing my hand, voice trembling: “My sweet girl… We’re family. You can’t do this…” I shook off her hand and looked at her coldly: “Family? I don’t have a family like you. Mom also cried, grabbing me: “You weren’t like this as a kid… Whatever you wanted, Grandma found a way to get it for you. Your dad and I didn’t have money back then, and your grandma did collect recyclables…” “But every time she brought something home, you’d hug it tight and never let go. You even called your friends to show off that Grandma bought you a new fairy tale book…” “Karen, don’t waste your breath,” Aunt Lisa scoffed from the side. “Look at her. Does she look like she’s listening?” Dad turned his face away, eyes red too. I noticed a relative filming with their phone, muttering: “Disrespectful, ungrateful. Let her company see this. How could someone like this get hired there?” I frowned, then smiled instead: “Go ahead, film all you want. Today I’ll show everyone exactly what kind of person Grandma really is!” I straightened my clothes and walked into my room, then dragged out box after box of stuff. Old clothes, old books, old toys—piled up on the floor. Everyone fell silent, stunned. Grandma Evelyn’s face went pale, voice trembling: “Sarah… What are you doing? These are all the things I gave you when you were little… Didn’t you say you’d keep them forever?” I kicked the pile: “Why would I keep this garbage?” “Wait a minute…” Aunt Lisa suddenly knelt down and picked up a faded child’s jacket. “This jacket…” Other relatives crowded around too, picking up items and examining them closely: “This doesn’t make sense…” “These things look like they’re…” Grandma Evelyn frantically tried to pull me away: “Sarah, stop making a scene…” Mom and Dad also frowned, staring at the pile of stuff on the floor. I pulled the used tablet out from under the coffee table. “Grandma,” I said, looking at her pale face, enunciating each word clearly. “You’ve hidden this for all these years, thinking I’d never find out, didn’t you? I was too young to realize before, but now I see right through you.” “So what if it’s a little old?” Dad was still arguing. “If you don’t want to be here, just leave. Stop with the drama!” I didn’t say anything. I just turned the tablet screen toward everyone. In that instant, the room went deathly quiet. Mom’s scolding expression froze on her face. Dad’s mouth hung open, no sound coming out. He just looked up suddenly, his gaze extremely complicated as he looked from Grandma to me, my face set. Everyone crowded around, and when they clearly saw the used tablet in my hand, everyone gasped.
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