I’ve always thought myself lucky that my parents don’t discriminate between myself and my brother, guess it’s not true anymore. Outside, I’m Bangalore’s star female football player, it’s the best feeling in the world. At home I’m just the girl who gets injured. The fact that I can play, actually play, means jack to them. It’s always my brother getting, “oh how was badminton class Marty?”, “Who all did you play?”, “who all did you beat?”. I come home with the best player in the tournament award and all I get is a “congratulations”. Fair? I think not.
A whole lot of people might think that I’m over reacting, maybe I am, but they know how important it is to me. They just don’t understand why. When my brother plays badminton well, they’re all gung-ho about putting him in coaching; I, on the other hand need to bring the house down to be allowed to go for coaching. Pay my way through it too!
I come from a family of people who are hard-a** about badminton. I don’t think they took me dropping out of the sport very well. It’s funny how they keep going on about how I constantly injure myself playing football when in actuality, I tore my ligament because of their f***ing sport. I love the game, but hate it at the same time because my parents refuse to accept the fact that I’m so much better at another sport. Football, people don’t get why I love it so much. Everywhere around me I hear people saying “I was so good at that sport, too bad I had to stop playing”. Why the hell did you have to?! I’m determined not to let my academics take over what I truly care about, sure it’s a lot of work, but I’m getting there. Slowly. Surely.
So I come back home after my game, nobody says a word. Meanwhile, my dad is uploading videos of his “promising” son playing “his” sport. The only videos of me playing a sport are of me playing Baddy, the only pictures of me with my sports trophies are those with my badminton trophies. I guess that’s why I’m so adverse to playing the sport. I just hate what it took away.
They say your parents are programmed to love you unconditionally? Too bad I have major trouble agreeing with that. They might as well stamp a “T&C apply” on your ass and get it over with. Cause having to explain to the people who are supposed to understand you the best, about why something is so important to you is a waste of time, you’re better off suffering in silence.