"Skylar! Come down stairs right now." Mama shouted
"Wait a second ma, I am still doing something." I shouted back while reading the last chapter of the book
"What are you doing? What's more important than helping me in the kitchen? Do you know what time is it already? Your ahyas and your papa will wake up in an hour." Mama told me, while pulling me up from my desk, I didn't even notice her walking inside my room.
"Uggh why do I always have to help you out mama?" I asked her with annoyance in my voice
"Because at your age right now, you should know how to cook and do house chores because that's what woman do when they have a family and husband of their own. Didn't you know how lucky you are to be even studying instead of just cleaning the house?" Mama angrily told me, I already know this she keeps on repeating it all over again, I am so sick of hearing this, why does it have to be always woman? Didn't men have their own feet and hands? Why can't they just do it on their own. I am so sick of this mindset. It has always been like this ever since.
"Do it faster so that they could it when they wake up." Mama said while chopping the vegetable, I only sighed as a respond, this is my routine every single day, I need to do the house chores and help mama in cooking. I need to help my ahyas and papa when they needed something to get. Sometimes I thought what if I was born a boy? Maybe it wouldn't turn out like this, if I were I boy maybe I could read books all day.
"Mama why does it have to be unfair? Why does woman in our clan gets discriminated? We can do what men can do mama but why dies it have to be that way?" I asked her
"Because it is believed that men in our clan will bring fortune and will pass through our surname to generations. While the woman will leave the house and get married to her husband and stay with her husband's family. That's why girls are badly discriminated in our clan." Mama explained it to me
"But mama I can also make our surname shine and forever fortunate. The surname Shi will be famous and great in the future because of me mama, so you wait and see." I told her with all determination, she just looked at me with a shocked face and told me to put the food in the dinning table, but suddenly I heard a laugh
"HAHAHAHA——what kind of joke is that Skylar?" Papa mockingly asked me
"Papa, I am not joking, I will surely make our surname famous and fortunate." I told him while feeling scared
"You are no great, you are nothing like your brother. Your ahya will bring success and fortune to our surname so don't play jokes on me 'cause it's so damn funny. And you have two of them meaning more success and fortune to have in our family. You are just a trash and good for nothing Skylar. Why did you have to be a girl anyways? If you were just a boy then maybe you are already acknowledged and loved by our clan!" He shouted at me, I have nothing to do but burst into cry. My confidence was again dropped low. Being a Chinese isn't easy at all. You need to do things and accept the fact that girls are only a wife to her husband. I was always the outcast and it really pains me to actually realize this, they don't even treat me as their family.
"Skylar? Why are you crying?" Ahya Symon asked, he's already here, I silently looked away
"Papa what did you say to make her cry like this?" Ahya Symon asked
"I was just making her realize that she is good for nothing." Papa said
"What?!" Ahya Symon said, and angrily looked at papa
"Yes Symon, I am making her realize where she should stand." Papa replied, Ahya Symon just clenched his fist and pulled me close to him
"What show is this?" Ahya Syd asked while laughing
"Shut up asshole." Ahya Symon said
"Don't say that to your ahya Symon!" Papa shouted, I was shocked to hear papa shouted so loud
"Why couldn't I? You guys are always making things bad for Skylar." Ahya Symon said and pulled me away from the dinning table
We walked into the rooftop, then suddenly he hugged me tightly and said
"I am sorry shobe for always being late to rescue you. Don't give up hmm kay?"
"Yes I won't ahya, I will prove them wrong." I said to him but I know deep inside of me, it will be very hard to overcome this.
"I promise to always protect you no matter what." He told me, and I smiled warmly
The warmth of someone who understands me. Someone who trust me. I know it would be very hard to trust.