"Those thousand-dollar sneakers? I saved up two months of his allowance to buy them in one go. And don't I give you five hundred a month too?"
"You're both my children. Both of you are equally precious to me. I can't have your brother thinking I'm playing favorites."
She was still reciting the same fairness speech she always gave. But I wasn't a kid anymore, and I wasn't falling for it.
"Fair? That's a joke. My five hundred is supposed to cover an entire month of living expenses. His five hundred is pocket money on top of everything else. They're not even close to the same thing."
"Dad already gives him everything. My brother doesn't need your money."
"Dad already said it himself—whoever's name I carry, that's who's responsible for me. Why can't you just take care of me and only me?!"
My words lit a fuse. Mom exploded.
"Your father and his backward, superstitious nonsense! He's an irresponsible father. Both of you are my flesh and blood—how could I abandon one child just because of a last name?!"
"If I'd known you'd end up thinking this way, I should've had the first child take my name!"
That sentence drove into my chest like a spike.