20

During the next attack, I got hurt protecting another innocent person.

    “You shouldn’t have done that,” Eileen told me at the hospital. “Other people don’t matter. You deserve being hurt for being so stupid.”

    Dad and I exchanged a look.

    “Don’t you want to say something nice to Lily after she was hurt?” Dad asked Eileen.

    “No, I will not because she was being stupid.”

    “But she’s hurt. Aren’t you worried?”

    “No.”

    I hadn’t been able to bond with Eileen since then. Eileen was always trying to get me to give up on my hobbies and even my career and pursue something else. My parents and friends always supported my interests, even if they didn’t share them. I did the same for them.

    I was desperate, so I once offered to play music for Eileen. I was trying to get Eileen to accept my interests and career. Eileen laughed in a condescending way as if this was a stupid suggestion and said she couldn’t care less about my interest in music or how good I was. I was losing interest in bonding with her after the way she behaved. Her behavior wasn’t simply a mistake, but a sign that she was mean as a person.

    I couldn’t talk to Mom about it. I couldn’t talk to Dad because I didn’t want to upset him by saying his wife was mean. He had seen signs that she was, but I didn’t know how to approach this topic because I didn’t want to make things worse for him.