My mother was shaken up after what happened earlier. My father’s terrifying threats to hurt both of us left her too scared to sleep alone. She decided to sleep in my bedroom, and honestly, I felt safer with her there too. She promised me that we will both run away from this house very soon. When I woke up the next morning, though, my mother wasn’t beside me. I found out she’d gotten up early and had a conversation with my father already and I didn’t see that coming. To my surprise, they both came into my room together to wake me up. They had an offer, one that felt like it came out of nowhere. They returned all the stuff they’d taken from me earlier. Then they told me they won’t be putting padlocks on the doors during the day anymore. But the real kicker was the choice they laid out. I could stay with them, or I could leave…on one condition. If I chose to go, they wanted me to sign a note saying, “I am leaving of my own free will,” along with some other stuff they didn’t fully explain. It felt like a trap, like they were trying to cover their bases. I told them I needed time to think it over, and we agreed to sit down and talk more on Monday. Later, though, my mother pulled me aside and said something I was not expecting. She told me they didn’t actually want me to sign any note. Now I was confused, why bring it up in the first place? What was their angle?
Today was monday and I had a tough conversation with my parents about my decision to leave home and start a new chapter. It started simple enough. I just wanted to check in with my father, asking, “So, how was your day?” But he quickly turned it heavy, saying his days have been rough for months. I tried to focus on today, but he brushed it off as “not very special.” Then I mentioned my mother seemed unwell, hoping to keep things light and avoid talking about my teacher, David, since I know my father doesn’t like him. But my father flipped, asking if I knew how long “he’s” been unwell, pulling out this doctor’s file from Rainbow Hospital to prove it. He kept saying to my mother, “She doesn’t know,” like I’m clueless about his health. It felt like he was trying to make me feel guilty, like I haven’t been paying attention. I didn’t even know what to say, so I just said, “No, I don’t know.” It was like he wanted me to feel bad before we even got to the real talk.
My mother tried to chime in, but my father kept cutting her off, which honestly frustrated me. She’d start saying something, like about the file, and he’d talk over her, saying, “She should know I take medicines and how unwell I am.” I tried to shift gears, mentioning how I thought all four of us, me, my father, my mother, and David could talk together, but my father shut that down, ranting about how David “cusses” and talks rudely. I get it, they’ve had bad interactions, but I wasn’t even trying to talk about David. Every time I tried to steer us back, my father would say things like, “You started it,” which made me feel like I was being blamed for his tangent. It was exhausting, like I couldn’t say anything without it being twisted.
The real heart of the conversation was about me leaving. I brought up what my mother told me that my father wanted me to leave without any problems or contract. But when I said that, my father got defensive, saying, “When did I say that to you?” and told me to talk to my mother instead. It felt like he was dodging, making me question if I’d misunderstood something. I stayed calm, saying I also wanted to leave smoothly, no drama, and that I wasn’t trying to cause trouble. But then he said something that hit hard “You can’t cause problems for me because I’ve never done anything to let you.” It felt like he was painting himself as perfect, like my wanting to leave was somehow unfair to him.
Things escalated fast. I reminded him of a past conversation where he’d said I could stay and get my stuff back or leave and write a note. He denied wanting a note but then dropped a bomb, if I leave, they’d “legally evict” me from their lives, like I’d be “no longer their daughter.” He kept repeating it “permanently, you’re not my daughter”, “you’ll have nothing to do with my family or properties.” He was trying to scare me into staying by threatening to cut me off completely. I just kept saying, “Okay,” because what else could I say? I told him I’d discuss it with David and get back to him. It felt like he was trying to make me feel like leaving was betraying the family.
My mother tried to jump in, saying she’s emotional and just wants me to be happy, but she kept comparing my decision to her own “mistakes,” like messing up a Jio Fibre plan. It was confusing, she was supporting me but also making it sound like I might regret this, which added this layer of guilt. She’d start to share her feelings, but my father would interrupt her again, saying things like, “She’s standing up, what will she hear now?” It was so frustrating to see my mother sidelined like that. I wanted to hear her out, but my father kept taking over, making it about his pain, like how his “home’s falling apart” or how he’s tried to love me but feels I think he’s hated me since childhood. He was putting words in my mouth to make me the bad guy.
I tried to keep things practical, like asking about my Lenovo Thinkpad laptop that my father sent to get fixed. I told him if it wasn’t fixed, I’d rather have it back to work on it myself, but he said it was already done. Then he added, “We didn’t damage it,” like I was accusing him, which I wasn’t. He kept saying I’d regret leaving, that I wouldn’t understand now because I’m not a father. It felt like he was trying to make me doubt myself, like I’m too naive to know what I want. At one point, he even brought up this handwritten letter he’d give me when I leave, asking me to promise not to open it for two years. I agreed, but it felt like another way to keep some hold over me, even after I’m gone.
By the end, I told them I’m planning to leave by next Monday and that I’d let them know, but I wouldn’t share my address. He started talking about this whole thing about technology and how he’s not far behind me. My mother tried one last time to share her feelings, saying she’s letting me go because she wants me to be happy, but my father cut in again. I kept asking if they had anything else to say, but it felt like we were going in circles. I finally said, “Should I leave then?” because I just couldn’t take it anymore.
Looking back, I feel torn. I want to live my life, chase my dreams, and find my own path, but my father’s words, calling my leaving a “death certificate” keep echoing in my head. It’s like he wants me to feel like I’m abandoning them, when all I want is to be free to grow. I stayed calm, maybe too calm, just saying “Okay” to everything, because I didn’t want to fight. But now I wonder if I should’ve pushed back more, especially when my father kept twisting things or shutting my mother out. It’s like I’m caught between wanting to respect them and needing to stand up for myself.
This whole talk showed me how hard it is to break away in a family where leaving feels like a betrayal. The way my father kept denying things or making me feel guilty, it’s a lot. I’m not sure what’s next, but I know I need to leave to find my own space, even if it means carrying this weight for a while. I am attaching the audio recording of that meeting along with the transcript.
