Family Ties or Lies?

It really hurts when you are betrayed, let down or taken advantaged of, by someone you call family.

So what if they are an elder. Respect should go both ways right? Why should I be the one to constantly give in to them just because I came into this world several years later then them?

He still owes me a huge sum of money. Being the youngest and also young then, I was made to 'lend' him the money, which at that time was everything that I had. I was never given a fair choice. I was made to feel guilty if I had refused to part with my money then. I was always made to feel like I had an obligation to help him out because it was supposedly for the family.

Now after so many years, everytime I bring up the matter of him returning me my money he always said that he didn't have enough. Even though I suggested that he could pay me back in installments of $100 a month. But he could bring his family for holidays, buy a car, buy jewelry... etc.

He insisted on getting a cut when he recommended a 1-time deal to us. But when he got a huge on-going commission from a deal that I recommended he never once offered me anything.

And now I just learnt that he just took a client from me and claimed that he was entitled to the client because he was the one putting in the investments for the client. What a load of BULL SHIT!!

There are so many other such crap instances with him and the other one that sometimes it makes me wonder if I am right in defending my views on family unity and togetherness to my husband, who incidentally doesn't care much for family ties. In fact if I should bring this incident up to him, he would use it to reinforce his views.

What makes it more crappy is the fact that this came on an already slightly crappy tail end of a rather wonderful Christmas.

Sometimes I wished I could gather up the nerve to really tell them all off one by one without breaking down myself or allowing them to out talk me. There were times when the things that they say or do just gets me so fuming mad. But my mom did too damn good a job in drilling the importance of family harmony into me that I just shut my mouth and take the crap.

I wish I had a quick wit and a sharp tongue so that they will have no chance to out-talk, out-smart, or out-whatever me ever.