My Parents Chose the Caregiver Over Me

It was not easy for me to be home for the long holidays, but my father ordered me to do the dishes after dinner. I was taken aback. "Don't you have a caregiver at home?" My mother frowned. "It's been hard on Harry to be taking care of us every day. Since you're home, you should let him take a rest, and do all the housework." I could not understand this. "But I paid a lot of money to hire him to take care of you and the housework. Why am I doing the work I paid him to do?" My words caused Harry Lambert to tear up, and they angered my parents as well. My mother frowned. "What's the point of bringing you up when we hardly see you in a year. At least Harry is considerate enough to stay by our side and take care of us." As for my father, he pointed at my nose. "You don't need to waste your time coming back anymore. Harry will be our son from now on! You can just get out and do whatever you want!" I smiled in exasperation. Work had been extremely busy for me, but I still gave my parents a handsome monthly allowance. Even the caregiver cost a lot of money, but they ended up treating him like he was something precious. If that were the case, I would stop paying for everything. I wanted to see if the caregiver would still be willing to act as their son and work for free. Chapter 1 I decided to make an early return home for the long weekend to surprise my parents, but when I got up, I realized my keys could not unlock the door. I tried multiple times again, but the lock refused to budge, and that was when it dawned on me that the locks to the house had been changed. Left with no other choice, I called my mother's phone. It rang for quite a while before she finally picked up, and I could hear noises in the background that sounded like she was on a busy street. She said over the phone, "Hello? Charlie? Why are you calling me?" "I'm home, Mom. I'm right outside the door, and I can't get in. Why did you change the locks?" It took a few seconds for my mother to answer, "Oh, you're home. Your dad and I are out shopping with Harry. Wait for us outside the door. We'll be home soon." Before I could say anything, she hung up. I stood at the staircase with my luggage and waited for an hour before I finally heard footsteps coming up the stairs. I looked up to see my parents with their caregiver, Harry Lambert, walking intimately between them. He had his right hand around my mother's arm and was helping my father with his shopping bags with his left hand. They were chatting happily away as if they were a family of three. When they arrived at the door and saw me, none of them looked surprised. All my father did was glance at me, while my mother mentioned nonchalantly, "You're back." Harry was the one who released my mother's arm right away and approached me with a happy smile. "You're back, Charlie. Why didn't you say anything about coming back? We would have gone to pick you up." My lips twitched as I nodded rigidly while looking at the lock, and I asked, "When did you guys change the locks? Why didn't you tell me about it?" Harry quickly explained, "The locks were changed a month ago because the original ones weren't working well, and it isn't safe, especially when Harold and Sandra are elderly. It would be horrible if something happened to them, so I got someone to change the locks. Sorry, we didn't manage to inform you in advance, Charlie." Before I could reply, my father scoffed. He pushed the door open and said unhappily, "You don't even come back for Christmas. There's no difference to you even if we changed the locks." I knew that my father was still upset that I was not home for the holidays, and he needed somewhere to vent his dissatisfaction. I did not want to argue with him the moment I came home, so I said nothing and followed them into the house. Chapter 2 After entering the house, I walked toward the shoe rack out of habit to change into house slippers, but I saw Harry wearing my cotton slippers. Harry noticed me looking at his feet, and he quickly pulled out another pair of house slippers from the bottom of the rack out of fluster. He placed the slippers in front of me and said, "I'm sorry. I've worn your slippers, Charlie. Here, wear these instead." I stared at the thin slippers, and stared back at my cotton slippers on Harry's feet. It felt weird, but I said nothing as I put on the extra slippers quietly. After dinner, I wanted a short rest, as I was tired from traveling all day, but my father pointed at the table and said, "You should do the dishes." I was taken aback as I blurted, "Don't we have a caregiver?" My mother frowned immediately as she set her glass of water down on the table. She looked at me sullenly, "Harry has been working hard to take care of us. He does our laundry, cooks, and makes our drinks. Do you have any idea how tiring it is for him? Now that you're back, you should let me have some rest. What's wrong with you doing the dishes?" "I'm tired from work too." I looked at them, unable to understand their logic. "I've been working overtime every day, and it isn't easy for me to finally take some time off to come home. All I want is to rest. Why are you trying to make me do housework? "Besides, I paid a lot of money to hire him to do this job. Why would I do something that I have already paid someone to do?" Harry stood pitifully at the side with his head lowered. My father's face fell, and he slammed the table as he roared at me, "Money, money, money! That's all you talk about! What else do you know but money? You're abandoning your parents because you're only focused on making money! "You never visit, and you don't even come home for Christmas, but the minute you're home, money is all you talk about. You should just spend your life with your work and money. Why do you even bother returning home?" My mother sighed, looking disappointed. "Your father is right. You seldom visit us at home since you started work. We don't even see you much in a year. Harry is the one who has been taking full care of us. "Harry takes good care of us when we're sick, by making us food and feeding us medicine. He's always so caring. As for you, you're our son, but have you ever done anything for us? Do you even care about us?" My mother finally stopped talking, and Harry walked softly up to her to hold her hand while comforting her softly, "Don't be mad, Sandra. Charlie is in higher management now, and he has a lot of work to do. It's not like he doesn't want to come home." I got so angry at their words that I wanted to laugh sarcastically. How could they say I did not care about them? I gave them ten thousand for their monthly expenses without fail, and I paid a lot of money to hire a caregiver to take care of their daily needs, as I was worried they wanted to save the money. All I wanted was for them to have a better life by working hard. Why did I become the uncaring son in their eyes, but the caregiver I hired became a saint to them? I clenched my fists as I tried to hold back my anger. "This doesn't sound right, Mom and Dad. How can you say that all I care about is work and money, and not you? "I used to come home every time I had free time, but you said I was just wasting money, and I should learn to be independent instead of running home all the time like a child who refuses to grow up. You wanted me home less, and I obeyed your wishes. "Haven't I been calling you often? Haven't I been giving you your monthly allowance without fail? Even Harry was hired by me, and I pay him well for taking care of you. Isn't all this considered caring about you?" Chapter 3 My father's face fell. "But you don't even come home for Christmas. Is that acceptable? That's the time when our family should be together. What's the point of giving us money when your mother and I have enough money from our pensions? We don't need your money." "Don't be mad, Harold." Harry quickly went to my father and gently tugged on his arm. He smiled gently, "It's not easy for Charlie to be working in the capital on his own. He's in higher management now, and it's only normal that he can't make much time. I'm sure he misses both of you a lot." However, my father only got angrier after hearing Harry's words. "What's so great about being in higher management? He's a man, and he needs to take care of his family sooner or later. It doesn't matter how high he climbs up the career ladder. He would still need to take care of his family in the end." My mother agreed. "You're not getting any younger, Charlie. It's time you considered getting married. My colleague's daughter is about the same age as you are. She's soft-spoken and understanding, and she works around this area. She comes from a good family, and I think it'd be nice for you to meet her. You can get engaged if you're a suitable match." I did not even hesitate to reject my mother. "I don't want to go on a blind date, and I don't want to get married." "You don't want to get married?" My father's face fell. "Do you plan to spend the rest of your life just working?" "Why not?" I looked right into his eyes. "You…" My father was heaving with anger. "Your mother and I are getting old, and we need someone by our side. If you get married, we will have someone with us to depend on and take care of us. Why do you refuse to consider our well-being?" I frowned. "Didn't I already hire Harry to take care of you?" My father slammed the table and gave me an ultimatum. "If you refuse to get married, quit your job and come back there to take care of us! Otherwise, don't call us your parents, and we'll take Harry in as our son instead!" I laughed angrily. "I planned to come home and work after graduation, so that I could take care of you." I looked at them as I spoke calmly. "But you felt that it would be embarrassing for me to find work in a small town when I graduated from a top university. You thought it was beneath me, and you forced me to find a job in the capital. "It wasn't easy for me to finally find my footing in the city after years of hard work, and I'm finally leading the life I want, but you want me to give up everything by resigning and coming home just because you said so?" I shook my head and said with conviction, "I won't be able to do that." My father frowned, and he raised his voice, "Why not? We brought you up, but you're trying to shirk responsibility when we're asking you to take care of us?" "I'm not shirking any responsibility," I tried to explain patiently. "I got to where I am right now by working hard all these years in the capital. If I give up my life just like that, all my hard work would be for nothing." "So, you're turning your back on us?" My mother chimed in with a disapproving look. "We only have one son. Who can we depend on if not you?" "I never said I was turning my back on you." I took a deep breath, trying to find a solution to this. "I can take care of you if you move to the capital with me. I'll be able to work while caring for both of you." My father waved no with his hands, looking annoyed with me. "Move to the capital? We've been living here for decades, and all our friends and family are here. We won't be able to fit in at a strange, new place." That was when my mother nodded in agreement. "Your father is right. You're still renting in the capital, and it's not as comfortable as staying in our own home. We don't want to move there." I frowned. "You don't want to be there, and I can't resign. I don't think there's anything else I can do about this." Chapter 4 My father looked sullen. "Nothing you can do? You just don't care about us now that you've made it in the city!" "The bottom line is that I won't resign," I said firmly, refusing to give in. My father wanted to continue berating me, but Harry quickly came over to try to smooth things over. "Harold, Sandra, it's not often that Charlie comes home. You're a family, so you should try and talk things over, not argue." Harry turned to look at me with a soft smile, "Harold and Sandra are getting on in years, Charlie, and all they want is someone to be by their side. It's only normal that they feel that way, so please don't be mad about it." My father's expression softened when he looked at Harry. "Harry is the understanding one, and he's the one who cares about us. He's not like you at all. All you know is work and money." I did not want to argue with them any longer. It was becoming mentally exhausting, so I turned to return to my room. However, I was taken aback when I pushed the door open. My bed was covered with an unfamiliar bedspread, and the table was filled with men's cosmetics and hair gel. The wardrobe was filled with clothes, and it looked like someone had been staying there for quite a while. Harry was following behind me, and I turned back right away to look at him. "Don't you have your own room? Why are you staying in mine?" He started getting shifty-eyed, and he lowered his head, looking flustered. "I'm sorry, Charlie, I…" Before he could finish, my mother started to explain on his behalf, "The heater in Harry's room isn't working. We've tried to get it working for days, but couldn't get it to work. I let him use your room because the weather has been getting colder. "You're not home often, anyway, and it doesn't make sense to leave it empty." I was furious. "It's still my room even if I'm not here! How can you let him have my room without my permission?" "Why would we need your permission?" My father suddenly roared, looking red with anger. "Your mom and I bought this house, so we have the final say on who stays here. We can let Harry stay here, and we can make you leave the house!" I trembled with rage at his words, and I stared at my parents, suddenly realizing they were like strangers to me. This was my home, yet I felt like an outsider. I decided not to argue with them and turned toward the door, dragging my luggage behind me. "Fine. If you want me to leave, I'll leave!" My father scoffed, looking at me with disdain. "If you're so great, leave and never return to this house!" My mother wanted to say something, but sighed in the end and said nothing. Harry stood at the side while saying anxiously, "Don't be mad, Charlie. This is entirely my fault. I'll move out right now…" However, I was no longer in the mood to listen, and I left with my luggage without looking back. I went down the stairs step by step with my heavy luggage and called a taxi to take me to the nearest hotel. The next afternoon, my cousin called me on the phone. "We're having a family gathering today. Aren't you back home? Hurry over. Most of us are here." "Alright, Andrew. I'm coming right now." After hanging up, I dressed up and headed to the gathering. When I arrived, I saw my relatives gathered around, and so were my parents. However, I paused in my tracks when I saw Harry standing next to my mother. Andrew spotted me first, and he waved at me. "Over here, Charlie." I went over to him and asked in a low voice, "What's he doing here?" Andrew sighed. "Your parents brought him here." Chapter 5 After the gathering, we decided to continue the event by adjourning to the restaurant the family had booked earlier. While we were seated around the table, my mother said, "Now that everyone has gathered, Harold and I have something to announce." My father continued the announcement by looking at everyone and saying, "We're planning to take Harry in as our godson." Everyone went silent at his announcement, and our relatives started looking at each other. My mother said, "Harry has always been a considerate child. He has been taking very good care of us by doing the laundry, cooking, and serving us drinks, and he's closer to us than our own son." Our relatives turned to look at me while I gripped my fork and stayed silent. My father glanced at me, and his tone turned grim. "Harry is nothing like someone we know who never shows up throughout the year, and if he did, all he talks about is money and never shows us any concern. He refuses to resign and come home to take care of us, and he doesn't want to get married, either. "He had his own life now, and doesn't care if his parents live or die." Andrew quickly tried to smooth things over, "Uncle Harold, Aunt Sandra, Charlie cares about you. It's just that his work is really busy and he's facing a lot of stress. You shouldn't say this about him." My mother waved Andrew off, looking upset. "Busy? All he talks about is being busy. What's the point of earning so much money when he can't stay by our side? He's not like Harry, who knows how to take care of us. "Whenever we have a headache or get sick, Harry is the one who stays by our side and cares for us. He's much more dependable than our own son." My father became agitated and raised his voice slightly. "If we can't depend on our son, we'll just get a new son who truly cares for us. If Harry can take care of us in our elderly years and give us a funeral, I wouldn't mind leaving the house to him!" Our relatives were astonished. They looked at each other, but no one dared to say anything. Some of them wanted to talk my parents out of this, but they were so determined that everyone decided not to say anything in the end. We left the gathering with an unsettled feeling. After everyone left, Andrew pulled me to the side, looking worried. "Charlie, what did that guy do to your parents to convince them to leave the house to him? You should talk to them and stop them from doing something so stupid." I looked at my parents chatting happily with Harry from a distance and shook my head. "Maybe they just want someone obedient who does everything they say and stays by their side. There is nothing I can do about it if I can't be that person, and they found someone who could be that for them." The holidays ended very soon, and I prepared to return to the city. Before I left, I gave my father a call, but no one picked up. I tried calling my mother, but my call was declined. After that, I tried several times to contact them, but they rejected my call every time. I stared at my phone and decided to stop calling them. I dragged my luggage to the train station and started my journey back to the capital. For the next few weeks, I would often see my parents' social media posts with pictures of them having dinner with Harry or the three of them taking a group shot, looking intimate like a family. They posted a picture of Harry holding my mother's arm and smiling gently alongside a caption that emphasized how they were a happy family. I swiped past the pictures and did not like them or comment. Instead, I pretended I had never seen any of the posts. Not long after the holidays ended, my mother suddenly called me. The moment I picked up, I could hear her unhappy tone. "Why didn't you transfer this month's allowance to us, Charlie? Why haven't you paid Harry his salary yet?"