I died on the spot, and before I could even find peace in death, my parents helped her dismember my body and feed me to alligators. There wasn't a trace of me left.
When devotion became a weapon and morality became a cage, who would still want to play the role of the dutiful child?
Now that I've been given another chance at life, I'm living it for myself. This time, no one is going to stop me.
"Why aren't you answering? Your sister's gone! Are you just going to leave your mom without anyone to take care of her? You expect me to do it?
"Amy, weren't you always the responsible, dutiful one?
"You can always go back to school later, but if your mom dies because you didn't come home to take care of her, you'll regret it for the rest of your life!"
My dad's frustration grew as I stayed silent. He wasn't even trying to fake it anymore. His irritation leaked through the phone.
I hummed a few times into the receiver, pretending the signal was bad.
"Hello? Sorry, bad reception... what did you say? I think my phone's out of service…"
Then, I hung up.