we are siblings talking in the backseat of my grandfather’s prussian benz & i tell my father’s son one day i will own a car that looks like this. i ask him what he dreams of for the future that awaits & he tells me he doesn’t know. i tell him about penthouses in tokyo and the husband i would want to marry. i tell him i am careful to not pick someone like his dad. in school, i overhear my classmate ask my teacher: a student from a school this expensive wanted to be a farmer? i am told if i don’t go to a school overseas, i am making a waste out of my educational opportunities. on my way home, i watch manong’s hands beginning to tremble over the metal-plated wheel.
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Julia Ongking currently lives in her beautiful home country: the Philippines. Born and raised as a Chinese-Filipino, she enjoys developing her perspectives through reading, writing, and having meaningful conversations with people from all walks of life. Her work has appeared in SAND Literature, Third Wednesday, and Rappler Magazine, amongst other digital and print publications.