The narrator, Elena, recounts her difficult childhood with a stingy and emotionally abusive father. He was overly frugal, often prioritizing saving money over his family's well-being, and frequently blamed Elena for his financial burdens. Elena's life changed when her younger sister, May, was born with partial blindness. Despite her father's behavior, Elena took on a caretaking role for May and developed a passion for biology and medicine. With the help of a boy named Kevin, Elena's research talents were recognized, and she was accepted into Harvard Medical School on a full scholarship. Elena eventually became a successful neurosurgeon, got married to Kevin, and had two kids. In a twist of fate, Elena's father needed her medical expertise when May required surgery, and Elena was able to restore May's vision by removing a tumor. The story concludes with Elena reflecting on her journey, grateful for the support of her loving family, and finding a sense of closure and vindication in her success.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The narrator's dad started taking her for a walk every day when she was four years old.
2. On one of these walks, they found a five-cent coin glued to the pavement.
3. The narrator's dad was very stingy and tried to scrape the coin off the pavement.
4. The narrator's parents owned a big shoe business.
5. On the narrator's sixth birthday, no one came to her party because her dad had emailed her classmates to bring only cash gifts and their own food.
6. The narrator's dad was kicked out of a McDonald's for trying to steal ketchup and mustard sachets.
7. The narrator's mom was pregnant with their second child.
8. The narrator's sister, Maisie, was born with partial blindness.
9. The narrator's dad was very strict and controlling, especially when it came to toilet paper.
10. The narrator's sister accidentally spilled juice on the floor, and the narrator took a roll of toilet paper from their dad's closet to clean it up.
11. The narrator's dad yelled at her for taking the toilet paper and made her feel guilty.
12. The narrator's parents were busy with their affairs and often left the narrator to take care of herself.
13. The narrator missed out on after-school activities and parties to take care of her sister.
14. The narrator's parents didn't allow her to attend her best friend's birthday party.
15. The narrator sneaked out of the house to attend the party, but her sister fell down the stairs and hurt her head while the narrator was away.
16. The narrator's dad blamed her for the accident and made her feel guilty.
17. The narrator's mom stood up for her and told the dad not to blame the narrator.
18. The narrator started writing stories and researching biology topics as a way to cope with her emotions.
19. The narrator met a boy named Kevin in the park, who turned out to be the son of her biology teacher.
20. The narrator's biology teacher was trying to steal her research and publish it under her own name.
21. The narrator's dad found out about her research and yelled at her, telling her to focus on taking care of her sister.
22. The narrator got accepted into Harvard Medical School with a full scholarship.
23. The narrator's dad was angry and felt that she was being selfish for pursuing her dreams.
24. The narrator's mom and sister were supportive of her decision to attend Harvard.
25. The narrator's dad lost his business due to making some stupid investments.
26. The narrator started sending her dad money to help him out.
27. The narrator's sister had a blood clot in her brain and needed surgery immediately.
28. The narrator performed the surgery and also removed a small tumor that was pressing on her sister's optic nerve.
29. The surgery was successful, and the narrator's sister regained most of her vision.
30. The narrator's family had a group hug for the first time.
31. The narrator's dad asked to move in with her, but she refused.
32. The narrator's dad moved in with his sister instead.
33. The narrator published several groundbreaking research papers and became a renowned neurosurgeon.
34. The narrator is now married to Kevin and has two kids.