When Carina’s parents kick her out after high school, she has no choice but to navigate her way around life. Years later, after making a success of her life, and her wedding is around the corner, she reaches out to them, only for them to storm into her life, trying to take ownership of what she has worked so hard for. “Carina,” my mother said, opening a packet of biscuits. “You’re going to regret not going to medical school.” “Mom,” I replied. “My brain doesn’t work like Jade’s; she’s the doctor in the family, not me.” “I don’t see why it can’t be the both of you,” she sniffed, dunking a biscuit into her lukewarm tea. “Why do you even waste your time with computers? Those machines are not going to make your life comfortable.”This wasn’t anything new.

My parents hated that I loved computers, and when school was out in the next few months, I was going to be off to college, studying IT.“Who cares about cyber security, Carina?” my father asked while he sat down with a pork chop. “Saving people’s lives, honey. That’s what success is. Not playing on computers.”“Cyber security is how your important details are protected, Dad,” I would always say, rolling my eyes. “It’s how countries keep their people safe.” “It’s not good enough,” my mother said from the sink. After graduation, my parents made me leave the house. “You’ve chosen this path,” my mother said when I bought my IT textbooks. “So you’re capable of taking care of yourself.” “I don’t think that’s fair, Mom,” I retaliated. “You let Jade live at home for her whole degree.” “Yeah, well, she was learning how to save lives, Carina,” she said. Fast forward 13 years. I’ve got a successful career, a beautiful house, and the most caring fiancé, Mark, I could have ever asked for. “Are you sure that I should invite my parents to the wedding?”