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The Favored Daughter Got Everything. I Got the Trunk
Novelix
Completed
"My family had finally traded in our five-seater for a seven-seater. With six of us traveling together, I thought I'd never have to lie in the trunk again. But on this trip back to our hometown, my younger sister Chloe's golden retriever was sprawled across the only empty seat. She smiled at the dog. ""Biscuit, this is your special seat from now on!"" I asked coldly, ""If Biscuit sits there, where am I supposed to sit?"" Chloe looped her arm through mine and gave it a coaxing shake. ""Ellie, you know how fussy Biscuit is. Biscuit starts howling at the slightest discomfort."" ""You've been riding in the trunk for more than ten years, so you must be used to it. Please don't fight a dog for a seat, okay?"" Grandpa Ray and Grandma Judy chimed in. ""You know Biscuit's temper. Put Biscuit in the trunk, and none of us will get a moment's peace the whole way."" ""It's better for the dog and for the whole family if you don't make an issue of it. It's only a five-hour drive. You'll be there after a nap."" When Mom saw that I hadn't moved, she urged, ""Hurry up and get in. Stop wasting time."" I waited for Dad to speak. He didn't even look at me. So that was it. Even the dog had a place in this family, but I didn't. If that was how it was, there was nothing here for me to hold on to anymore."
Chapters (3)
第1章
My family had finally traded in our five-seater for a seven-seater. With six of us traveling together, I thought I'd never have to lie in the trunk again.
But on this trip back to our hometown, my younger sister Chloe's golden retriever was sprawled across the only empty seat.
She smiled at the dog.
"Biscuit, this is your special seat from now on!"
I asked coldly, "If Biscuit sits there, where am I supposed to sit?"
Chloe looped her arm through mine and gave it a coaxing shake.
"Ellie, you know how fussy Biscuit is. Biscuit starts howling at the slightest discomfort."
"You've been riding in the trunk for more than ten years, so you must be used to it. Please don't fight a dog for a seat, okay?"
Grandpa Ray and Grandma Judy chimed in.
"You know Biscuit's temper. Put Biscuit in the trunk, and none of us will get a moment's peace the whole way."
"It's better for the dog and for the whole family if you don't make an issue of it. It's only a five-hour drive. You'll be there after a nap."
When Mom saw that I hadn't moved, she urged, "Hurry up and get in. Stop wasting time."
I waited for Dad to speak.
He didn't even look at me.
So that was it. Even the dog had a place in this family, but I didn't.
If that was how it was, there was nothing here for me to hold on to anymore.
...
"Elise, what are you standing there for? Get in the car!"
Dad finally turned around, only to rush me with an impatient look.
"The neighbors back home are all helping set up Chloe's graduation party."
"It'd be rude to keep them waiting because we showed up late."
I stayed stubbornly rooted to the spot.
Four years ago, when I got into UPenn, I'd thought my parents would be happy. I'd thought they would throw me a graduation party.
They never even mentioned one.
I once asked them why.
Mom said, "Elise, you know what our finances are like. A decent party costs a lot of money."
"And you know how much we've spent on Chloe's tutoring these past two years. It's $150 an hour."
"You're the mature one. You don't care about that kind of empty show, right?"
"Besides, you already got into UPenn. Missing one party won't change anything."
Now, four years later, Chloe had gotten into a small private school called Ridgeview College, where she'd be paying full tuition.
My parents had notified our relatives and friends well in advance that they were throwing her a graduation barbecue back in our hometown.
In that moment, it felt as though a line had been carved straight through my heart, separating me from this family.
Afraid I would be upset, Mom offered an explanation without being asked.
"Our finances have gotten much better lately, so we can afford to throw Chloe a party. Don't read too much into it."
She didn't know I'd once overheard her talking to Dad at home.
Dad had said, "Elise got into a top school, and we didn't even throw her a party. Doesn't it look bad if we throw one for Chloe now?"
Mom had dismissed his concern. "Elise doesn't care about things like that. She never fights for anything."
"Chloe is different. She cares about appearances. If we don't throw her a party, she'll hold it against us for the rest of her life."
"Besides, her school isn't much to brag about. Without a party, she won't have anything impressive to post for her friends."
Dad had said, "What will our relatives and friends think when word gets around?"
Mom had answered as if it were obvious. "I don't care what anyone else thinks. This is all the money we have, and it's only enough for one party."
"Of course I'm saving it for Chloe. She needs the party to make herself look good more than Elise does."
That was when I finally understood that a mother's love wasn't always divided equally.
On the invisible scale inside Mom's heart, Chloe's side would always outweigh mine.
"Elise, what is wrong with you today?" Mom's impatient voice dragged me out of my thoughts.
Before, they never had to ask. I would climb into the trunk on my own.
The one time I didn't obediently lie down inside, I heard the blame in Mom's voice.
"I'm not getting in there," I said. "I've done it for more than ten years."
"I've given in for more than ten years. It's Chloe's turn now."
第2章
I knew they would never agree.
Still, I said it just to vent, even though I knew it wouldn't change anything.
"Ellie! It's not that I don't want to lie back there. The trunk is just too cramped."
"You know I can't breathe in tight spaces. It feels like I'm going to die."
Chloe grabbed my hand again, shaking it as she pleaded.
"Ellie, please. Aren't you always the one who loves me most?"
She was better at acting spoiled than anyone. The second she did it, the whole family rushed to indulge her.
She was right. I loved her more than anyone.
I let her have everything.
Food. My room. My spending money.
Whenever we argued, all she had to do was sulk. I was always the one who backed down and coaxed her out of it.
After I gave in for so long, she grew used to it. She took it for granted that this was simply how I should treat her.
I stared at her, my expression hard.
"I've loved you this much, but you've never loved me back even once."
"You'd rather give the seat to your dog than let me sit there."
"Have you ever treated me like your own sister?"
Chloe froze, stunned that I would say something like that.
Her eyes instantly reddened and filled with tears, as though I were the one bullying her.
"Don't be mad, Ellie. I'll ride in the trunk this time."
She pretended she was about to get out, but she never left her seat.
"Elise, look at the time! How old are you, fighting with Chloe like this?" Mom snapped.
Dad's tone was even harsher.
"What you said was cruel. How is Chloe supposed to lie in a trunk that small?"
"You know how easily she gets scared! Stop being so dramatic, will you?"
A bitter smile touched my lips.
So he did know how cramped the trunk was.
But he also knew I was about five foot seven, while Chloe was barely five foot three.
Not once had he thought about how much it hurt me to curl into a ball and lie back there.
I was about to speak when I heard our neighbor, Mrs. Whitaker, beside us.
"Are you short a seat? Elise can ride with us."
Mom leaned halfway out of the front passenger seat and thanked her with a smile.
"We'd appreciate that. Elise, go ride with Mrs. Whitaker."
At last, the tension eased.
Mrs. Whitaker smiled, took my arm, and led me toward her SUV.
Once I got in, I realized how comfortable the back seat of a car could be.
I didn't have to curl up until my arms and legs went numb and ached unbearably.
And there was none of that suffocating pressure of being crushed into a tiny space.
I took out my phone and emailed the HR representative at the overseas firm.
"I'm sorry to contact you again. I'd like to reconsider my earlier decision. After careful thought, I've decided to accept the offer if the position is still available."
Two hours earlier, I'd turned down Ashford & Wynn's $300,000 compensation package without a second thought.
London was far from home, and I'd been afraid my parents would worry. So I'd planned to accept a $150,000 local position at Sterling & Vance and stay in Columbus.
Ten minutes later, I received a clear answer.
They were delighted to welcome me aboard.
If there was no place for me at home, then I would put as much distance between us as I could.
The world was vast. Somewhere in it, there had to be a place for me.
Then I would never have to suffer like this again.
...
By the time we reached our hometown, the backyard had already been decorated.
Folding tables lined the lawn. Grandpa Ray stood by the grill in the corner of the patio, busy heating it up, while Mrs. Whitaker and several neighbors arrived one after another carrying homemade potato salad, mac and cheese, and other dishes.
"That's how parties are back home. You host in your own backyard, the neighbors bring dishes and lend a hand, and it's livelier than booking a party room at a restaurant. It saves a lot of money, too."
When I arrived, Mom was holding Chloe's hand and chatting animatedly with our relatives.
Someone saw me and casually asked, "Is that Elise? Didn't she graduate this year too? How's the job search going?"
Mom answered indifferently, "Yes. She has something lined up here in Columbus."
"She's nothing special. She's lucky she found a job at all. As long as she makes enough to pay her own rent, that's good enough."
I used to believe she only said things like that because she wanted to keep a low profile.
But then, again and again, I heard the way she spoke about me and the way she spoke about Chloe.
The difference was night and day.
That was when I realized she truly looked down on me.
No matter what she said about me, her tone would always belittle me.
第3章
Mom saw me approach and shoved Biscuit's leash into my hand.
"You're not doing anything, Elise. Go walk Biscuit."
Her tone was a command, not a request.
I happened to need some air anyway.
I had barely taken two steps when I heard Mom praising Chloe to our relatives with a smile.
"Chloe didn't perform her best this time, but her school is actually very good."
"Her major is better, too. Once she graduates, she'll get into a big company. Her prospects are much better than her sister's."
"Chloe has been lucky since she was little. Everything will go smoothly for her her entire life."
A wave of emotion rose in my throat.
So this was what it meant to be the favored child. Even if she were a pile of shit, her parents would still act like she was perfect.
As I passed the backyard, I heard Dad chatting with several men.
He spoke like a man dispensing hard-earned wisdom.
"Raising a daughter is an investment, especially once she starts college."
"When Chloe goes to college, her mother and I are giving her a $2,000 monthly allowance."
"She needs enough money in her pocket, or some frat boy will buy her one meal and take advantage of her."
My heart felt as though it had split open.
I'd had only $300 a month to live on in college.
Without a work-study job, I would've starved until I was skin and bones.
I remembered the day Mom pushed that $300 into my hand. Her tears had fallen onto the crumpled bills, one after another.
She held my hand and said, "Elise, this is all our family can afford. We truly don't have anything else to give you."
"Chloe is about to start her senior year, and her SAT score is terrible. I'm afraid she won't get into a decent college without tutoring."
"If she doesn't go to college, her whole life will be ruined."
"You've always been the understanding one. You'll understand your dad and me, won't you?"
Back then, I truly had understood them.
I'd watched Mom hire a private SAT tutor for Chloe at $150 an hour to raise her score.
At the time, Chloe took four sessions a day.
One day of her tutoring cost more than my entire monthly food budget.
But because she was my own sister, and because Mom had said our family was struggling, I'd accepted $300 a month without a single complaint.
During those four years, neither Mom nor Dad ever asked whether I had enough money or enough food.
My one stroke of luck was that My grades had earned me a full-tuition scholarship from an outside foundation, so my tuition was completely covered.
If the school hadn't waived my tuition, I didn't dare imagine whether I could have finished college at all.
Dad kept talking happily, never noticing me as I passed.
Or perhaps he simply didn't care how I felt.
...
By the time the party began, I'd tied Biscuit to a tree outside the yard.
When I returned to the tables, every seat was taken and half the food was already gone.
No one had told me they were starting. There wasn't even a place for me.
As members of the host family, we were supposed to sit down last.
If there was no place for me at the table, I wasn't going to eat that day.
Mom looked completely unaware.
"Elise, you haven't eaten? I thought you already had."
"Honestly, all you do is run off to avoid helping and play on your phone."
"You were so busy playing that you even forgot to eat!"
A cold laugh stirred inside me.
She could always turn her lack of concern for me into something that was my fault.
An aunt beside us smiled and offered, "I'll get another folding chair from the garage and make room for Elise."
Mom waved her off.
"No, no, don't bother. Everyone's already seated. Another chair will only make it cramped."
She grabbed a paper plate and scraped together a little mac and cheese, a few charred pieces of pulled pork, and a spoonful of leftover coleslaw from the nearly empty serving dishes.
Then she handed the plate to me.
"Take it outside and eat."
It was as if she were handing scraps to a homeless person.
