So pretty much all of Chiba knew I was leaving for good, except for me and my dad. They all said they were going to miss me. They also wrote me tons of letters, too, that I discovered years later in a box. We were at a McDonald's, and everyone brought me gifts. But I thought it was just them being dramatic, because I was coming back. I was eight years old.īefore we left for America, my friends from second grade in Japan threw a farewell party for me. They could figure out the details from there, summers in America, school year in Japan, maybe. I would have asked to see both my parents equally. They could have done it, though, and they could have talked to me. They avoid these conversations, because when you converse, there's conflict. He could have confronted my grandma, just like my grandma could have told him the truth about taking me to America.īut this is one way they're similar. It's interesting that my dad thought he was looking out for my best interests by letting me go. He says my half siblings didn't really like me because of the way my mom had treated them, and that worried my dad. But now my dad tells me things I'd never heard. After they split up, my mom and grandma went back to Taiwan, and I was living with my dad and his two kids in Chiba, an hour outside of Tokyo. I don't even remember my parents together. So they divorced right after they had me. She threw my sister's cake across the room, kicked all her friends out, and then started pulling my sister's hair until my dad stopped her. One time, on my sister's birthday, when she had her friends over, my mom came home and lost it at the site of the party. My dad told me she would throw things at them and get wildly abusive. My mom would get jealous whenever my dad paid attention to my half siblings over her. So then to have to suddenly move in with a family and try to fit in, it was too much. She never even dated anyone before my dad. I mean, my mom didn't know anybody in Japan. She became a stepmom to a boy and a girl. I mean, I do, but they're from my dad's previous marriage.Īnd that's who my mom moved in with. And when they'd get into fights, my mom would accuse my dad of only wanting her for her body. She told me they'd go to porn theaters together and would make love listening to Elvis. And honestly, talking about sex is the only time I've ever seen my mom really light up. I think everyone should experience that in their lives. Unfortunately for me, my parents both say their connection had a lot to do with lust, which is cool. After just a few dates, they got married, and it was great for a bit, or so my dad has told me. That way, she can make sure everything is perfect. My grandma has to tag along to everything. She and my mom were in Taiwan, so they flew to Tokyo for the event. She worried my mom was getting older and decided she was going to have to step in if my mom was ever going to find someone. So my mom and dad met through the speed dating event in Japan that my grandma signed my mom up for. This is the part of the story I knew before I flew to Japan. I told you it was, but why did my grandma kidnap me? And why didn't he stop it? Before I get to his answer, I should probably explain a little about his relationship with my mom and how unusual it is. Am I really going to never ask what happened with my move to the United States? I mean, it was the biggest event in my life. He survived it and is recovering, but it was kind of a wake-up call. It's good for people who don't want to process feelings.Īnd then my dad had a stroke. It was way easier to just talk about it on stage, where nobody could fight you on whether it's real or not. But I never asked anybody the hard questions to find out the actual truth. She stole me away from my dad, and he was the victim. It was jarring and confusing, and I blamed my dad for giving up on us and leaving us in America. I was forced to go to school in America and learn English and start a new life. I was separated from my dad and my friends. Because my family doesn't talk about this, as a kid, all I knew was I was living in Japan, and suddenly I wasn't.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |