I never liked my family. 

Unlike other “harmonious” families, members of mine never got along with each other very well. My brother and I competed for something by breaking each other’s bones or cracking the other one’s nose. My mom seldom spoke to me, since she was a workaholic, who’d jiggle me up before the roasters roared, and then sit in front of her computer all the livelong day. My dad could always be counted on to have a full-on argument with sometimes even over food! We both had a bad temper; we both held invisible volcanoes in our minds that could explode at any second. Any traveling we did together, it ended in a nightmare for all of us. 

It was August 15th, 2016 when our entire family of six, along with my paternal parents, took to Hunan for vacation. The twelve-hour car ride was not easy for any of us. Once the car hit the highway, the engine was as quiet as a pin drop. My dad was driving his car, with his sharp eyes staring on the road like a hawk, to make sure that everybody was safe. My mom was busy typing her text messages with friends, as it was apparent from her grin extending to her ears. My brother had his cool black headphones and bombing songs from his favorite rapper. My grandparents were both snoring like lazy pigs waiting for food. I was lying on the seat, breathing steadily and heavily, and trying to adjust myself, as I had a cruel soccer practice right before the ride. There was no interaction and conversation with each other. No appreciation of the nice view along the road. There was nothing. 

Then…

“Skrrrrrrrr—” The four wheels of the big SUV embraced the asphalt, leaving two stripes of dark black wheel prints on the road. My dad jumped out from the car, opened my door, hurled me out of the car, and slammed the door as hard as he could.

“What the hell! Chuck! Look at your grade! 54/100! Don’t you feel shameful just to go home? What are all that crap in your brain!” 

“Pa—” Simultaneously, with a boiling feeling burning, there was a trace of my father’s coarse hand on my face. Looking into my father’s eyes, which were sharp as knives that were ready to launch at any time, it was my instinct that I stumbled a few steps back and fell on my rump heavily and after I stepped on my own foot. 

Thinking back, I was horrified by his twisted, stiff face with his hair on fire. With his long and deep scar, he got after his injury when he was working out, the wrinkles, which showed the aging process, and his expression mixed both with anger and agony, I felt a sudden warmth in my private area. This was the time I was determined in my heart that I wanted to leave the family as soon as possible. 

September 12, 2017 was a very special day for me, since I started my very first day of school in the USA. The sun climbed up in the early morning, mixing a great natural song with the singing of birds and shaking of the leaves. Outside my window, a picture of scenery that once I believed that could only be seen on the screen presented itself in front of my eyes: the reddish color of the morning dusk cooperating with the vitality of the green color of trees and grass to make a person start a day with joy and appreciation. 

With a deep breath of freedom and health - no supervision from my parents and the constraints of air pollution - I had a pleased smile on face for a very long time. It was really nice to see all people, no matter what ethnicity they were, just hanging out with each other with no limitations. I then met my best friend Harry. 

It was an honor that I had a chance to experience in an American family during Thanksgiving, and luckily Harry was my host. We were told that we needed to take a two-hour train first, and then we would meet with Mrs. Simonds for another five-hour drive south to DC. 

The two-hour train ride gave me an opportunity to relax from the exam I had early in the day. I sat on one of the vacant seats and prepared myself for a nap. I plugged in my ears with my earphones, played classical music, closed my eyes, and slowly lost consciousness. 

After getting off the train, I was nervous as I was shaking. I was thinking that how Harry’s mom will be like my mom and my family, who were picky and quiet. Instead, Mrs. Simonds gave us warm, tight hugs before getting out of the car. I never expected that to happen. 

On the car ride to Harry’s house, everything was different from my usual journey with my family. Instead of having our mouths zipped all the time, there were multiple back-and-forth conversations among us three. I have never had the experience of talking about topics else from academics; it was my first time appreciating the scenes on the road. Driving through the city, cars were lining up like a red dragon that was buried for thousands of years and finally had a chance to stretch its limbs and body. The sound of all different kinds of horns from different vehicles made a unique orchestra, simple but vehement. 

Moving towards the countryside, the roads were skinnier than those in the city. The impulse of wanting to take a picture could not be concealed, as the beautiful sunset occurred with the gracefulness of the dancing trees and grass at the same time. We played Michael Jackson on the way back home since he was the only American singer we knew. Following the beats and the melody, I didn’t feel depressed or nervous anymore. Instead, I felt the will to dance and sing. My head was jerking left to right and back and forth to follow the drumbeats. We conversed, sang, and enjoyed the car ride. It was simple and fun. 

On the following day, I called my parents, “Mom. Dad. I am sorry what I have done before to make you guys so mad and sad. Yesterday was the first time that I felt that car rides are actually not that bad. I want to make a change. I will try my best to work on my grades so that you don’t stop the car and beat me up in the middle of the highway. I want everybody in the car to talk to each other. It could be anything about life, certain events, the scenes, etc. It’s just that I want our family to know each other.” 

Behind the screen, they smiled. “Thank you, Chuck, for saying that. We will try our best.”