I spent years being bullied by my father when it came to my academic career, but as soon as I was old enough, I decided to take financial control. Despite that, my father still tried claiming he was paying for my tuition until I exposed him most unexpectedly! My father’s temper had loomed large over my childhood, dictating the terms of success and failure with a rigidity that left little room for error. “Random checks today, kiddo,” he’d announce, rifling through my belongings with a zeal that suggested he was defusing a bomb rather than searching a teenager’s backpack.His standards for my academic performance in high school were just as invasive:

“Nothing below a B, Jenny, understood?” The stress of living under his microscope had been unbearable. It was such a relentless pressure that it pushed me toward a decision that would define my college years: I would pay for my education myself, preferring to carry the debt over the tyranny of his expectations.On the other hand, my cousin had it much easier with supportive parents who pushed him but also gave him enough space for his own growth. My aunt and uncle also gladly paid for his university tuition without expecting too much from him, but only the best. Paying my way through college didn’t seem to faze my father at all. Funny enough, not once did he mention it or offer to take over. However,

he didn’t bother telling the rest of the family that he was leaving me to fend for myself and took credit for my prowess at college. Let’s just say, my father was something else. The facade of his financial sacrifice crumbled one summer evening, amidst the casual chatter of a family gathering. My uncle, oblivious to the undercurrents of tension, innocently inquired in front of everyone: “So, how much did her education cost you?” My father, ever the performer, seized the spotlight with gusto! “Oh, it’s been quite the investment,” he boasted, puffing out his chest,

“A small fortune, really, but nothing is too good for my daughter!” The audacity of his claim was staggering, a bald-faced lie delivered with a smile! I didn’t say anything to dispute his claims and only smiled briefly before moving away, hoping to avoid hearing more lies, or worse yet, get dragged into them. However, I also decided then and there to plot revenge against him. During the family dinner, I invited everyone to my graduation as I’d completed my final year through no easy feat on my part. When graduation day finally arrived, I planned on unveiling a carefully crafted truth. As my name echoed through the auditorium, I stepped forward, the weight of my secret poised on the tip of my tongue. “I want to thank… ME for working really hard to pay my tuition with no help from anyone,” I declared, the words hanging in the air like a challenge. The audience, caught off-guard, watched as the screen behind me came to life with images of my real college experience: me, in the trenches of minimum-wage labor, battling fatigue and dirty dishes, a far cry from the leisurely college life my father had described.