Sometimes the best revenge isn’t planned. Sometimes it’s just living well enough that when the people who hurt you finally see what they lost, the lesson teaches itself. That’s exactly what happened five years after my parents slammed the door in my face for choosing art over their approved college path.
I was 18 when my parents decided my dreams weren’t good enough for their family.
I had just graduated high school and my portfolio was bursting with designs I’d poured my heart into.
It was like I was absolutely certain that graphic design was my calling.
I’d spent four years sneaking into the computer lab during lunch, teaching myself Photoshop and Illustrator while other kids were eating cafeteria pizza.
“Riley, sit down,” my mother, Karen, said the day after graduation. “We need to talk about your future.”
My father, Mark, sat beside her on our beige couch, arms crossed, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else.
But he was there, which meant he agreed with whatever Mom was about to say.
…The story doesn’t end here, it continues on the next page 👇
