Mom likes her cousin

Mom always favored my cousin Tina over me. Designer clothes Dad bought for me? She’d whisk them away to Tina. The prestigious piano tutor Grandpa hired for me? Tina took my lessons. Then Tina had a car accident and needed a kidney transplant. Mom tricked me with a bowl of sweet dumplings and I ended up in a shady clinic. When I woke up again… Mom was off to my uncle’s house… again. I immediately gave Tina’s coveted grand piano to our housekeeper’s kid.

"...Useless child." Mom saw me sitting there, motionless, and angrily threw my sheet music on the floor before settling down at her vanity table to get ready. Her long, wavy hair cascaded down her back, and she wore a beautiful floral print dress, carefully applying the latest trendy lipstick. If you didn't know, you'd never guess she was the mother of a ten-year-old.

"I'm going to your uncle's for dinner," she said, glancing at me in the mirror without a hint of concern. "Since you refuse to practice piano, you're not allowed to have dinner." She then pulled open a drawer and stuffed all the new dresses Dad had brought me from his business trip overseas into a large tote bag.

"Dad bought these for me." I didn't need to ask; I knew they were destined for Tina. I pressed down hard on the bag. She looked me up and down with disdain, the same way she always did. Her critical gaze swept over my tanned skin, and she scoffed, not sparing even her own daughter. "You know, a fine horse deserves a fine saddle. With your dark skin, you can't pull off these bright colors. It'd be a waste."

I wondered if any child in the world could hear their mother use the words "a waste" to describe them and not feel hurt. I remembered this moment from my past life. I had clung to the dresses, crying and screaming, begging her not to go. Back then, I still believed every child’s mother would be their greatest support, naively thinking she would eventually relent, bend down, and comfort me.

Instead, she not only slapped me hard but also grabbed scissors and cut up all my new clothes, pointing at me and yelling, "If Tina can't have them, neither can you!"

I froze, pulled back from the memory, and slowly released my grip on the shopping bag. It's okay, I thought. At least I get another chance. I still have Grandpa and Dad who love me. I won't be coerced into giving up a kidney again. I won't die like that again.

As Mom left, she reminded our live-in housekeeper, Mrs. Washington, "Don't make her dinner tonight." Her matter-of-fact tone was too much even for Mrs. Washington, who had worked for our family for years. She defiantly made me my favorite garlic shrimp scampi in the kitchen, muttering, "It's a sin, the way some mothers treat their children."

I quietly picked up the scattered sheet music, neatly stacked it on the bookshelf, and ran my fingers over the piano keys one last time. Then I turned to Mrs. Washington. "Mrs. Washington, didn't you say Nina likes the piano? Give it to her."

"Oh, honey, I couldn't! This p...