Diane posted a picture of herself in the airport lounge an hour later, showing off a rare diamond necklace.
“Thank you, Mom, Dad, and dear George,” she wrote in the caption.
The necklace cost $50,000. My parents didn’t have any money coming in after they retired, and George only made $3,000 a month, but they bought it without thinking.
They did this because they thought I would pay for it like I always do.
Robert mind-linked me in a panic. “Sis, all our reservations have been cancelled! We’re stuck at the airport with nowhere to go!”
“That’s too bad. Have Diane pay; she can afford a $50,000 necklace.”
“That’s not the same! Mom and Dad said they would pay her back.”
“Robert, with whose money?”
He stopped talking.
The next day, I finally picked up the phone and talked to my mum.
“Where are you? Why haven’t you come back yet? Everyone is waiting for you!”
“Why do you have to wait for me?”
“For dinner! Hurry up!”
“Go on without me.”
“We’re done. Now we just need you to give us money.”
I laughed. Normal behaviour of someone who feels entitled.
“Dear mother, are you so poor that you can’t even buy dinner? Did buying her necklace make you poor?”
They were very angry inside. “This is all your fault! We wouldn’t be so tired if you had sent us the $50,000! If you can’t come now, send the money! We need to fix this!”
“Okay, I’ll send it right away.”
I cut off the mind link and completely cut off my connection.
Then I called my bank and put a hold on the joint account I shared with my parents.
Then I called the company that issued my credit card. “I need to report charges that weren’t authorised and take away users who were.”
Thinking about how mad my parents would be if their cards were turned down at the airport restaurant made me feel a lot better.
My family sent me a lot of messages on my phone:
“Darling, there seems to be a problem with the card,” Mother said.
Robert: “Sis, this isn’t funny! We’re stuck!”
Dad: “You’re a disgrace! How could you make us look bad?”
Diane: “Mom and Dad are so stressed out. If you were a good daughter…”
George sent a text that said, “I messed up. Let’s talk.”
I blocked them all and turned off my phone.
I watched the clouds go by through the window of my first-class cabin.
Don’t help them; let them figure it out on their own. This she-wolf was no longer useful.
Finally, I turned on my phone after I got to my fancy beach resort.
My parents called right away.
“You finally answered! Why was your phone off? Why couldn’t we reach you through the mind-link? I thought you were dead!”
“Listen to yourself! I was going to sleep outside in the freezing snow, and you weren’t worried about my safety? You attack me like this? What kind of parents are you?”
“You just turned off your phone so you wouldn’t have to send us money! You did it on purpose!”
“Yes, I did it on purpose. Parents, remember this: you’ll never get another cent from me!”
My parents could hear how determined I was and freaked out.
Their mental voices got softer and more persuasive. “Don’t be like that. I know it was wrong to make you sleep outside. We’ll make it up to you. Where are you? We’ll come get you. We got you a gift, a surprise.”
I rolled my eyes in my head.
They never wanted to spend money on me, even though we lived together for years. When I was in high school and doing well, they wanted me to drop out early to get a job and help the family.
