Chapter 79 - Give and Take
Q. Name three things you and your partner share in common.
Katherine: "Damn. This one is hard. What do we have in common?"
Cage: "Love for kink?" they laughed.
Katherine: "Videogames."
Cage: "Our love for anime and hentai."
Katherine: "That was quick. Next question."
For what in your life do you feel most grateful?
Cage: "I am grateful for my parents and the love I have received from people throughout my life."
Katherine: "I am grateful for my luck and that I was able to work hard and get to where I am today."
Cage: "I want to change my mind now,"
Katherine: "I want to change my mind, too."
- - -
Q. If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?
"I wish I could have spend more time concentrating on my family than spend it on honing my skills."
"Can you elaborate what you mean?" she asked.
"I was in dance classes, going to play the violin and the piano. Then I was trying to get into sports and trying to ace my classes. I was always doing the best I could do everything to prove to my parents that I was this talented person, but I never realized that they would have been proud of me no matter what I did." He paused, mulling over his words. "They are successful in their own careers and have enough money that I can live my life without having to work hard, but I still wanted to do better than them. I selfishly took away the little time I had with my parents so that I could be the best of myself." Regret colored his voice.
"I don't think you were wrong in trying to hone your skills. You really tried your best, and I think your success speaks for itself. I can't say that you did poorly and I am sure they are proud of you," she comforted gently. She had gotten to know a lot about this man in the past couple of days and she knew how much he loved and cherished his parents. If he felt like he had betrayed them, it must have been a great thorn at his side. She wanted to ease it.
"But I still don't have time for them. If my mother has a show, I need to clear my schedule months before so that I can go, or else something or the other always pops up. I feel like I am a bad son because I never have time for my parents. I feel like I have taken away their opportunity to make me feel proud of them."
"You are not a bad son," she said strongly. "Are you proud of them? Of what they have achieved?"
"Hell yes. I love their work and the passion they pour into it. I dare say that I got my greed for success from them." He had a faraway tone in his voice as if he was thinking about times long gone.
"Then what is stopping you from telling them that you love them and appreciate everything they did for you?" Katherine asked.
"I think… I am too grown-up now to emote." He grumbled.
"You are never too grown to tell your parents you love and appreciate them. Ray, listen to me when I say that they know how you feel, but sometimes you need to reinforce your emotions by speaking up. Just like any other romantic relationship, it is necessary for you to put effort into your relationship with your family and friends. It's always about the policy of give and take. You can't just assume that they know. You can't just think that you are incapable of telling them how much they mean to you. I trust you. You are a kind man, and I can see that your parents taught you well. But the fact that you feel like you have things to regret means that there is scope for you to improve on what's already good in your life. You never know, maybe your parents are just waiting for you to reach out to them."
"You may be right, love." He sighed. "I've never thought of it this way. It almost makes me shy. I think I needed to hear this from someone." He went into deep thought about what she had just said. It was worth a try, wasn't it? He just had to reach out and everything would fall into place.
"If you need me to tell you this again, give me a call and just ask. I will be glad to scold you and coax you into thinking about what matters the most," she reminded him.
"Maybe I should kick out my psychic and appoint you to give me advice. You are doing a far better job of helping me out." He smiled a small smile, knowing she could not see.
"I thought it was a joke. Do you really have a psychic at your beck and call?" He burst out into laughter.
"I was kidding." She shook her head, smiling at his silliness.
"You can't just joke in the middle of such a serious conversation!" She paused. "Now go and call your parents before I burst."
- - -
"Did you have a good chat?" she asked, tired from a long day of work.
"Yeah. We decided on a day to meet and have dinner and there were tears involved."
"And you called back immediately? Aren't you a good boy…" Katherine cooed, making him giggle.
"I needed to know what you would change about your childhood," he reminded her.
"Oh, yes. I forgot all about that. I have to tell you my answer, too."
"Is it sad?" he asked.
"It's not like it's sad. It's just that I don't want to sound like a… baby." She chuckled. "I wish my parents got together better. My idea of a relationship is skewed because I have never seen a healthy relationship. My father was always working and my mother was always sacrificing for the family. She was the one who left her job. She was the one who taught us everything and our dad only concentrated on bringing money home. Like… I appreciate his input. He has influenced me to do a lot of things in life, but sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have grown up with the love of a father. I especially feel the loss when I see other girls gush about how close they are with their dad, or what they did when they were young. I feel envy because I have never had that in my life. I love the man, but sometimes I resent him."
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