I paid for my sister’s education while working two jobs, only to have her call me a loser at a family dinner. She was shocked when I stopped paying her rent and told everyone why she could no longer afford her lifestyle. When my younger sister Lauren got into her dream college, everyone in the family acted like it was the greatest accomplishment of all time.
My parents were beaming with pride, Lauren was already talking about the career she was going to have, and I was standing in the corner quietly calculating how it was all going to work out. My parents didn’t have the money to pay for her education. They made that clear when they started dropping hints in family conversations.
“Lauren is so smart, but college is so expensive these days,” my mother would say, looking at me as if I didn’t already know where this was going. I didn’t have much. I was working as a mechanic and trying to save up for a house.
But Lauren was my sister, and I figured what’s the harm in helping, so I pitched in. At first it was small things, for textbooks, some groceries, but it didn’t stop there. Soon I was paying her rent, her utilities, even her nights out when she needed to de-stress.
Every time she asked for money it came with an excuse. “I’ll pay you back when I graduate.”
Or,
“Mom and Dad just can’t help right now.”
What made it worse was that my parents acted as if I was obligated to help. “Family takes care of family,” Dad would say, as if I wasn’t already breaking my back working two jobs to keep them afloat.
Lauren, meanwhile, acted like the world revolved around her. She’d post pictures of fancy dinners and weekend trips, smiling as if she wasn’t living on my dime. I kept telling myself this was temporary.
Once she graduates, it’ll all be worth it, I thought. But deep down I was starting to resent the fact that my life was on hold while hers was moving full steam ahead, and I was footing the bill. I thought things would get better once Lauren settled into her college routine.
I imagined she’d realize how much I was doing for her and show some gratitude. But if anything, her entitlement only grew. The first real sign was her spending habits.
While I was skipping meals and working late shifts to pay her rent, Lauren was flaunting her new wardrobe on social media. Designer handbags. Trendy shoes.
The story doesn’t end here –
it continues on the next page.
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