Tangled Dreams

CHAPTER 1: THE DILEMMA OF DREAMS (Part 4) | Eunice Wong

"Eunice, you're 21. You're already an adult. Why won't you listen?" The repetitive lecture from my dad about my life had just begun. As usual, I tuned out. I pushed aside the plate of rice soaked in chicken curry with its side dish of spinach fried in shrimp paste. I had lost my appetite.

"Ever since you were a little girl, you wanted to be a pilot, so why have you changed your mind now? What's the big idea about owning your own café? There's no future in it," he droned on. His eyes scrutinised me. As he waited for a reply, he fed himself another mouthful of rice from the plate in front of him.

"I have acrophobia. I'm afraid of heights. It makes my head spin when I think about planes flying high up in the sky. How could I possibly do it, dad?" I explained as calmly as I could. I had lost count of the number of times we had discussed this. I gulped down some of the cold red rose syrup to keep my cool. Discussions with my dad called for the utmost patience because he almost always questioned my reasoning. He totally failed to understand me.

"You have never been on board an airplane, so how do you know you'd get dizzy? You might even enjoy the flight. I'm sure you would," he continued. He was gradually finishing the food on his plate, clearly enjoying his meal.

"Thanks to acrophobia, I will never get on a plane, let alone fly one. Even crossing the road on an overhead bridge makes me shake, dad. It's just not possible..." My response was abrupt.

"That's why I want you to take flying lessons. It's practical training that will help you. After a while and once you are used to it, the acrophobia will vanish," he said, so sure of himself. I lost my patience.

"I want to set up my own café and introduce mum's recipes to the world. That's my dream." My resolute voice filled the dining area that suddenly seemed cavernous with just the two of us there. He stopped eating. His eyes glanced in my direction.

"Pilot. That's your dream. End of story. Next week, you'll start flying lessons. I've already made all the arrangements. Just make sure you're there. Don't even think of not showing up, 'cause I'll find out. Understand?" My dad's voice was stern as he cautioned me. The anger boiled over deep inside me. Didn't he care about my feelings?

"That's totally unfair! It's your dream, not mine! How can you impose it on me? If mum were here, I'm sure she'd be on my side." I tried to control my voice and emotions. It was rude of me to raise my voice to him, but my raw anger was coming to a boil.

"There are only two of us now. I make the decisions in this family. My decision is final." My dad delivered his ultimatum and walked away. My mind was in turmoil. My hands reached for the paper napkin on the table and ripped it to shreds as the fury and bitterness trapped within me spewed out.