Madison snorted, “We’ll rely on your son to bring honor to the family. We’ll just stay out of the way.”
No one stopped them. They slammed the door and left. The others in the room looked at each other in silence.
The happy gathering ended in chaos. After the relatives left, my dad closed the door, turned to me with a pale face and said, “You brat, you think you’re grown up? You embarrassed Virginia and Madison in front of everyone! How are we supposed to face our relatives now?”
My mom sat on the sofa, eyes red and voice shaking with tears. “Tristan, what have we taught you? No matter how harsh elders are, you can’t talk back! Now look, this could ruin our family ties!”
I stood straight and said, “Dad, Mom, you know how Aunt Virginia and Aunt Madison have treated us. They mocked us when we bought a car, complained about Mom’s birthday coat and even interfered during renovations. When have they ever respected us?”
“That doesn’t give you the right to be so disrespectful!” My dad slammed the table. “No matter what, they’re still your elders! Has all your education gone to waste?”