The Ordinary Child

Synopsis

My dad was a math professor at a top university. My mom was a nationally renowned physics prodigy. But I was just an ordinary kid. Soon, they realized that, no matter how hard they tried, I, a three-year-old kid, just couldn't grasp calculus. That was when they decided to have another kid. My little sister, Sophie, started showing off her incredible intelligence the moment she was born. By six months old, she was already barking out commands for me to bring her bottle. By the time she was eighteen months old, she could already make sense of Shakespeare's sonnets. By the time she was two, she was already reading with comprehension. When Sophie was three, she solved a math problem Dad had scribbled down without even trying, and that was when my parents decided to move away with her. They wanted to head to a big city that would be better for Sophie's talents. The day they left, I clung to Mom's leg without thinking. Mom gave me a frosty look and said, "Emily, you're just an ordinary kid. My precious time and energy aren't meant to be wasted on you." While Dad cradled Sophie with care, he coldly peeled my fingers off. He said, "Emily, you may be ordinary, but it's time you learned to fend for yourself." They abandoned me. So later, when my old and lonely parents kept calling and begging me to visit them, I just told them flatly. "You know I'm just an ordinary person. I can barely take care of myself, so how could I possibly have the time or energy for you?"