Now, more than ever, I was itching to put everything I knew into practice. But before I could fully dive into my studies, my phone blew up with call after call. At first, I answered, but soon enough, it was just one aunt or another, all trying to guilt-trip me into going home.
I remembered why I stayed to care for my mom in my past life. One reason was my grandmother, who raised me. I always wanted to repay her once I was older and earning money. But one night, she went to bed and never woke up again. It was my first encounter with death, and it left me treasuring the fact that I still had both my parents.
The other reason was the constant barrage of relatives telling me to stay home and take care of my mom. They said, "What's the point of school if you lose your mom?" And I listened, terrified my mom would die if I didn't. So, I stayed, diligently taking care of her, only to be rewarded with betrayal and death.
But this time, fate had given me another chance. I wasn't going to sit back and let them manipulate me again.
Aunt Lucy called me. "What's the point of a girl getting all that education? You'll end up married, at home raising kids, and taking care of your husband anyway. And now, your mom's in a terrible accident, and you're ignoring her? She's your own flesh and blood!"
I replied, "She's your sister too. Same parents, right? If you love taking care of people so much, why don't you do it?"
Uncle Max said, "Your mom spent all that money raising you, and now when she needs you, you run off like an ungrateful brat! You're heartless!"
I said, "Didn't my mom give your family plenty of money over the years? Now that she's bedridden, instead of helping out, you're here yelling at her daughter? Where's your heart?"
For every guilt trip they tried to throw at me, I had a comeback ready, each one sharper than the last. I wasn't holding back. My grandmother, the only one who ever truly cared for me, was long gone. These relatives? They didn't care about me, so why should I care about them?
After that, I blocked them all.