He insinuated that he doesn’t want to have anything to do with his children any more. That, in the warped way in which he sees the world, they have all turned against him, when the truth is that they have only been reacting to what they see with their eyes for what he is at the moment.

A man whose pride has caused his own downfall, and of which the collateral damage is his family.

You know what? I don’t really care any more…

* * * * * *

I have never been close to either my parents or the parents of any of my former loves, which accurately betrays the kind of environment I grew up in, and, more implicitly, the quality of my own family ties.

Father spent most of his time away from my sisters and I. Mother shuttled between Taiwan and Singapore, staying on each side for a year at a time. My sisters spent most of their university years in Taiwan. For a period of about seven years, I was alone in Singapore. Accustomed to being alone, I sought permission from no one. I lived the way I wanted to.

You could say that all the years I spent living alone molded me into someone who has always thought, first and foremost, for myself, for my own survival. Someone who is self-centered. Someone selfish. And this is why I do not think I can ever fully connect with the parents of the significant other.

You could also say I am a self-proclaimed king who is presiding an empty kingdom.

Going forward, this is what you must know about me.

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