0:00
5 years ago, my life as I knew it ended.
0:03
It was graduation day, the day I was
0:05
supposed to be celebrated. Instead, my
0:08
family threw a massive party for my
0:09
brother who had dropped out of college.
0:12
While I sat home alone with my diploma,
0:14
my dad called me just to say, "Sure, you
0:17
got a degree, but you're still a failure
0:19
and a disappointment in my eyes." I just
0:22
said, "Thanks for finally saying it out
0:24
loud." That was 5 years ago. Yesterday,
0:28
I executed a plan that changed
0:30
everything. And now, they've sent me 15
0:33
texts begging, "Please answer. We're
0:36
sorry." I wasn't even planning to post
0:38
this, but the thought of it has been
0:40
driving me nuts. And I want to see if
0:42
anyone else has had anything like this
0:43
happen. I guess it's not even the worst
0:46
thing you'll read on here, but it's just
0:48
so, I don't know, petty. I keep
0:52
replaying it in my head. So, yeah. Let
0:56
me take you back to where it all began.
0:58
My family always made a big deal about
1:00
education. Or at least that's what I
1:03
Since I was a kid, the mantra was grades
1:05
first. But there was a difference
1:07
between me and my brother Dwayne. He's
1:10
the youngest, and from the beginning, he
1:12
was the golden child. He had that dumb
1:15
charm thing, always joking around,
1:17
making a mess, leaving his stuff
1:20
He was the guy who could get away with
1:21
anything. And I was the one who got
1:24
lectures about setting an example.
1:26
I used to think maybe I was just being
1:28
paranoid. Maybe I was reading too much
1:31
into it. But looking back now, it was so
1:35
obvious. He was their priority.
1:39
And I was just there. The graduation day
1:43
I'm talking about was different.
1:45
It happened last month. Actually, it was
1:48
weird in itself because they didn't do a
1:50
big in-person thing thanks to the usual
1:52
reasons. And to be honest, I was fine
1:55
with it. I'm not exactly the type who
1:58
loves all the speeches and shaking
2:00
hands. I figured we'd at least have a
2:02
small dinner or something. I didn't need
2:05
anything huge, just something.
2:08
The morning started off kind of off. Mom
2:11
was in the kitchen on her phone a lot,
2:15
Dad was in his usual mood, reading news
2:18
on his tablet, barely looking up when I
2:20
came in. Dwayne, no surprise, was still
2:23
sleeping. He'd dropped out of college
2:25
like 2 years ago, but my parents acted
2:28
like that was just his journey or
2:30
whatever. I kept thinking something was
2:32
weird. Mom kept checking her phone, then
2:35
leaving the room, then coming back and
2:36
pretending she was just answering a
2:38
group chat. She says she's going out to
2:41
get coffee. asks if I want anything, but
2:43
doesn't really wait for my answer.
2:46
She leaves and the door slams.
2:49
Dad says nothing. I scroll through my
2:52
phone for a bit, trying not to get in my
2:55
head about it. I'm usually pretty chill,
2:59
but I started wondering if I did
3:00
something wrong. So, I went to check on
3:03
Dwayne because I could hear him yelling
3:05
at someone on his phone from down the
3:06
hall. He's actually up now. And I hear
3:10
my name. So I'm like, "WTF?"
3:14
I walk in and he's like, "Oh, didn't
3:18
realize you were home." Which is weird.
3:21
I literally never go anywhere.
3:24
He's in his boxer sitting on his bed
3:26
eating leftover pizza and watching some
3:28
streamer on his laptop. He acts like I'm
3:30
not even there. I asked him if he was
3:32
doing anything today, and he kind of
3:34
shrugs. says he's got plans, but doesn't
3:36
say what. Fast forward a bit. I'm in the
3:40
living room. I got my diploma in the
3:42
mail the day before, so I set it on the
3:44
table. I figured maybe they'd want to
3:46
see it or take a picture. Nobody even
3:48
looks at it. I text my cousin Rebecca.
3:51
She says, "Congrats." Asks if I'm going
3:55
to the party later. I'm like, "What
3:58
party?" She says, "Oh, never mind.
4:01
Thought you knew." I'm like, "What the f
4:06
I just leave it for a second, thinking
4:08
maybe she meant something else. Then mom
4:11
comes back with groceries, but it's just
4:14
bags of snacks, not even stuff we
4:16
usually eat. She's whispering in the
4:19
hallway with dad. I can hear them
4:21
arguing. Mom says something about timing
4:24
and not spoiling it. I go to the
4:27
kitchen. Dad bumps into me and just
4:29
grunts. Doesn't apologize.
4:32
I ask what's up. He just says not to
4:35
worry about it. Around noon, mom says
4:37
she and dad are heading out for a bit.
4:38
Something about needing to pick up a
4:40
gift for grandma. I kind of laugh and
4:42
say, "Oh, is grandma coming over later?"
4:43
She just nods, but not really looking at
4:45
me. Dwayne is already gone. Didn't say
4:47
bye. Just slam the front door. I'm
4:49
trying not to get in my own head about
4:50
it, but I'm just sitting there
4:52
scrolling, playing with my phone,
4:53
thinking maybe I should just order pizza
4:55
and watch something dumb. It gets weird
4:57
when I start getting texts from random
4:59
relatives like, "Congrats. So proud of
5:01
you." all that, but nothing from my
5:02
parents. Nothing from Dwayne. I see
5:04
someone tag me on Facebook, but it's
5:06
just a meme. Nothing about graduation. I
5:08
text my aunt, she doesn't reply. I start
5:10
to get that weird feeling like, "Why am
5:12
I left out of whatever is going on?" And
5:14
then then I get a picture, full-on group
5:16
shot, balloons, banner that says,
5:20
"Congrats, Dwayne." All over it. It's
5:24
not even subtle. I see my mom, my dad,
5:28
Dwayne with a cake, a bunch of family,
5:31
some people from our neighborhood, even
5:33
the neighbors kid who broke our mailbox
5:35
last month. Everyone is smiling,
5:38
laughing, clearly having a great time.
5:40
I'm just staring at my phone like, "Is
5:42
this for real?" Nobody even said
5:45
anything to me. Not even a, "Hey, we're
5:48
out." or "Do you want to come?" Nothing.
5:52
I call my mom straight to voicemail.
5:55
Same with dad. I text Dwayne. He leaves
5:58
me on read. I text my cousin again. Ask
6:01
her where it is. She just says she
6:04
thought I was coming, that she didn't
6:05
know I wasn't invited. I say, "Never
6:09
mind. Don't worry about it." I sit there
6:13
watching the group chat blow up with
6:14
pics and videos. Nobody even mentions
6:18
me. I see my diploma on the table right
6:21
where I left it. I try not to lose it.
6:25
I just get up and start cleaning the
6:26
kitchen just to do something. I can't
6:28
even bring myself to eat anything. I
6:30
just drink water and scroll through Tik
6:32
Tok for like an hour. Later that night,
6:34
Dad calls. I answer thinking maybe he's
6:37
going to explain, maybe apologize,
6:40
but nope. He just says, "So, you got
6:44
your degree, but honestly, you're still
6:46
a disappointment. You just don't get it.
6:49
Dwayne's the one who really matters to
6:51
this family. like not even trying to
6:54
sugarcoat it, just straight up. I don't
6:57
even argue. I just say, "Thanks for
7:01
finally saying it out loud."
7:03
And I hang up. He calls back. I let it
7:07
ring out. I go back in the kitchen, take
7:10
my diploma, and put it in a drawer. I
7:13
hear the front door. Mom comes in,
7:15
doesn't even look at me, just heads to a
7:17
room, slams the door. I think about
7:20
saying something, but what's the point?
7:22
I go to my room, lock the door. I text a
7:25
couple of people I trust. Just ask them
7:27
if I'm crazy for being mad. They say,
7:29
"No, it's messed up." But what can you
7:31
do? Family is family. I'm just done. I
7:35
decide right there. I'm not letting this
7:38
go. I'm not going to just take it and
7:40
pretend everything's fine. It's not even
7:43
about the party. It's just the way they
7:45
act like I don't exist. Like I'm just
7:50
I sit there staring at the wall just
7:52
thinking, "I'm not even sad. I'm just
7:55
pissed. I'm not letting this slide."
7:59
That's the night it all changed. I
8:02
started making plans. I started looking
8:04
through old messages and bank statements
8:07
just because I wanted to see if I was
8:09
losing it or if they really had been
8:10
using me. And yeah, I found transfers
8:14
for bills that I know didn't go to
8:16
anything I use. cash I gave mom that she
8:19
said was for groceries, but I remember
8:22
seeing her give Dwayne money the same
8:24
day. I went through my emails and found
8:26
one from dad months ago, asking for my
8:29
card info for a subscription, which I
8:31
know now is for Dwayne's stuff. I
8:33
screenshot everything. I end up texting
8:36
Rebecca and ask her if she ever noticed
8:38
anything weird about family money stuff.
8:41
She says, "Honestly, yeah, but she
8:45
didn't want to get in the middle." She
8:47
tells me she heard mom once tell her
8:48
aunt that Coulter is so responsible he
8:50
can help out a little more. It's only
8:52
fair Dwayne's struggling. I started a
8:55
note on my phone just writing out every
8:57
time I can remember Dwayne getting
8:58
bailed out. The time he crashed dad's
9:01
car and they told everyone it was a
9:02
mechanical problem. The time he got
9:04
caught stealing from a store and mom
9:06
paid off the guy who ran the place. The
9:08
time dad got mad at me for not backing
9:10
up my brother when he got in a fight at
9:15
I realized I've lost thousands to these
9:17
people. I put together a spreadsheet of
9:20
every dollar, every payment, every time
9:22
I paid for something for the house that
9:23
Dwayne used up. I wasn't even done. I
9:27
just got more angry. The next day, I
9:30
tell mom I need to talk. She's on her
9:32
phone, barely looks up. I say I know
9:35
about the money. I want it back. She
9:39
laughs. Says I'm being dramatic. I tell
9:42
her I'm serious. She says, "What are you
9:45
going to do? Sue your own family?" I
9:50
She puts her phone down, gets up in my
9:52
face, says I need to respect her. I say,
9:55
"Respect goes both ways." She slaps me.
9:59
I just stare at her. She says, "You're
10:02
just like your father, always picking
10:04
fights." I say, "No, I just want what's
10:09
She walks away, calls Dad. I hear her
10:12
yelling in the next room. I go to my
10:15
room, start pulling my stuff together. I
10:18
text my group chat, tell them I'm moving
10:21
out. A couple of friends say I can crash
10:23
for a bit. I start packing. I leave the
10:26
rest. I go downstairs. Dad's walking in
10:29
the door, sees me with bags, asks where
10:32
I think I'm going. I tell him, "I'm
10:33
done. I'm leaving and I want my money."
10:36
He laughs. Says, "You're not getting a
10:38
scent. You owe this family everything."
10:41
I say, "Not anymore." He blocks the
10:44
door. I push past him. He grabs my arm.
10:47
I shake him off. He yells something
10:50
about being ungrateful. I slam the door
10:52
and leave. I crash with a friend for a
10:55
few days, get a little place after that.
10:58
It's not great, but at least it's mine.
11:01
I cut off their access to my accounts,
11:04
change passwords, switch my number on
11:06
anything joint. I send them a
11:09
spreadsheet with what they owe me. Every
11:14
I say, "Don't call me unless it's to pay
11:16
me back." I block Dwayne everywhere. I
11:20
block Mom. I leave dad unblocked just so
11:23
he can see my messages. I make it clear
11:26
I'm not playing anymore. It's wild how
11:29
fast people start calling when their
11:30
comfort gets yanked. First clue
11:32
something was shifting was this random
11:34
text from mom early on a Monday. She
11:36
says, "Call me when you wake up. It's
11:38
important." I kind of roll my eyes
11:41
because it's always important when they
11:43
need something. I ignore it. My phone
11:46
keeps buzzing. Dad, then mom again, then
11:49
my cousin Felipe, who never texts unless
11:52
someone's in the hospital. I finally
11:55
pick up for Felipe and he says, "Your
11:57
dad's freaking out about the bills." I
12:00
just say, "I'm done paying for other
12:04
He goes quiet, says, "Yeah, but it's
12:10
I hang up. The electric company calls.
12:14
The house payment bounced. I already
12:16
took my name off, but I guess Dad tried
12:19
to add me back without asking. I call
12:22
the company, tell them not to let anyone
12:24
do that without my consent. The lady is
12:27
all polite. Says she'll flag the
12:28
account. The family group chat is
12:31
basically a war zone now. Rebecca keeps
12:34
me updated. Mom is posting stuff like,
12:36
"Some people forget who raised them."
12:39
And dad is throwing shade about
12:43
Dwayne is just spamming memes about
12:47
Felipe chimes in once, says, "Maybe we
12:50
should hear Coulter's side." Nobody
12:53
answers him. Mom shows up at my
12:55
apartment, banging on my door, saying
12:57
she just wants to talk. She pushes past
13:00
me, stands in the middle of my kitchen
13:01
like she owns it. You need to stop this.
13:04
You're ruining your brother's future.
13:06
You're making your father look bad. I
13:09
tell her, I'm just done paying for stuff
13:12
that isn't mine. She says, "You're
13:15
acting like a stranger. This isn't how
13:17
family acts." I say, "It's not family
13:20
when everyone's using you." She slaps
13:23
me. I don't move. She glares and storms
13:26
out. I just get colder. I go through
13:29
every account I can think of. Anything
13:31
with my name, my info. I either lock it
13:33
down or pull my name off. Old streaming
13:36
accounts, utilities, even some
13:38
memberships I barely use. I start to
13:40
realize this isn't about the money
13:42
anymore. It's about making them feel
13:44
what it's like to be ignored. To be
13:46
treated like an afterthought. The last
13:48
straw is this message from mom. You've
13:50
ruined us. Are you happy?
13:53
I don't answer. I just keep gathering
13:56
everything, getting ready for the final
13:57
move. The funniest thing is I I actually
14:01
sleep better now. Not even mad, just
14:03
waiting, getting everything lined up.
14:07
I'm about to hit them where it hurts
14:08
most and they have no clue. So, it's
14:10
been 5 years since all that graduation
14:13
day mess. And not going to lie, every
14:17
year since I kept waiting for things to
14:19
just fade out. That never happened.
14:23
I was still getting the random texts
14:25
from my mom. Sometimes a guilt trip,
14:28
sometimes just a meme about forgiveness.
14:32
Dad would call once a year, usually
14:34
after Dwayne did something expensive,
14:36
and act like nothing ever happened.
14:39
Then, like 2 months ago, Rebecca sends
14:42
me a screenshot from some real estate
14:43
site. Isn't this your parents' house?
14:47
It's up for auction. Bank repossessed.
14:51
All of it out there in public. I don't
14:53
even react at first. I just ask her,
14:56
"Are you sure?" She says, "Yeah." She
15:00
checked the address. I searched for it,
15:03
saw the same thing. Auction date,
15:06
property details, the whole deal. I
15:10
don't say anything for a while. Just
15:12
keep refreshing the page. I know they
15:14
have no idea I've seen it. About 2 weeks
15:17
later, Dad calls from a new number. I
15:21
ignore it, but then he leaves a
15:22
voicemail. He sounds tired, way older
15:25
than I remember. I know we haven't
15:27
always seen eye to eye, but we need
15:29
help. The bank is taking the house.
15:32
Dwayne's out of work. Your mom is sick
15:34
with worry. We just need a little
15:37
support to get back on our feet.
15:39
I listened to that message three times.
15:42
First time in years, I actually felt
15:44
nothing. Not mad, not sad, just done.
15:49
So, here's where I decided to go allin.
15:52
I called the auction company, asked what
15:54
it takes to bid. Turns out not as hard
15:56
as I thought. I got my paperwork
15:59
together, put in a bid just high enough
16:01
to win. Didn't even tell Rebecca. Kept
16:04
it quiet. I just wanted to see if I
16:07
could actually do it. Day of the
16:10
auction, I show up, watch as a couple of
16:12
investors try to lowball it, but I keep
16:14
going. Nobody recognizes me, not even
16:18
the guy running the thing. I win the
16:21
bid. I sign the papers. I walk out with
16:24
the keys and the deed. I wait a few
16:27
days. Finally, dad calls again. He says,
16:31
"We have to be out by the end of the
16:32
month. Can you help us find a place?"
16:35
Mom is crying in the background. Dwayne
16:37
yelling. I say, "I bought the house."
16:42
Silence. Then dad says, "What?" I say,
16:47
"Yeah, it's mine now. I'm not helping
16:49
you stay. You made your choices."
16:52
Dwayne grabs the phone, says, "You can't
16:54
do this. You're scum. You're not
16:56
family." I say, "You never treated me
17:00
like family." Dad tries to talk over
17:02
him, says, "You don't mean this. You're
17:04
just angry." I say, "I'm not angry. I
17:06
just don't care anymore." They try
17:09
Mom shows up at my place, bangs on the
17:11
door, says, "Please, just let us stay
17:13
until we figure it out." I say, "You
17:17
Dwayne tries to block my car in the
17:19
driveway, tries to shove me when I get
17:20
out. I shove him back. He throws his
17:23
phone on the ground, storms off. Dad
17:26
just stands there, arms crossed, says,
17:29
"You'll regret this. You're still a
17:32
disappointment. Degree or not." I say,
17:35
"At least I'm not homeless because I
17:37
expected someone else to save me." I
17:39
give them the legal notice just like
17:41
anyone else. No special treatment, no
17:44
more handouts. 30 days go by and they
17:47
actually leave. I drive by the house and
17:50
it's empty. No note, nothing left behind
17:54
except a couple of broken chairs and
17:55
some trash in the yard. Rebecca calls
17:58
me. You actually did it? I say. Yeah.
18:03
She says, "How do you feel?" I say,
18:07
"Lighter, I guess." She laughs. You know
18:11
they're telling everyone you tricked
18:13
them. I say, "Let them." The next
18:16
morning, I check my phone and there's 15
18:18
unread texts all from mom, dad, Dwayne.
18:22
Please answer. We're sorry. Can we talk?
18:28
I just scroll through, screenshot the
18:31
whole thing, then archive it. I rent the
18:34
house out to a family I'll never meet. I
18:36
don't go back. I don't look for closure.
18:38
I don't tell anyone outside of Rebecca
18:42
So yeah, that's it. 5 years, a thousand
18:46
broken promises, and now they finally
18:48
know what it feels like to be left out,
18:53
I didn't do anything illegal, didn't
18:56
even yell. I just let them taste what
18:59
they served me for years.
19:02
And I'm not sorry. Not even a little.
19:06
The wild part is I still get those texts
19:08
every couple of weeks. I just delete
19:10
them. What would you have done? Would
19:12
you have let it go or would you have
19:13
done what I did? Let me know in the
19:15
comments below. And don't forget to
19:16
like, share, and subscribe to hear more
19:18
stories like this. Thanks for listening.