All I have ever wanted was an “I love you” from my father and after 26 years of my life, it might finally happen. He might be the first South Asian dad to even consider saying the magical phrase. But here’s the catch: he is asking for $100,000.
It’s not his fault; he had never heard the phrase before. My mom never told him about it, because grandpa had never even contemplated uttering it in the household. Many of you might not know my dad—he used to be a small-time actor in Bangladesh, but he had to quit because he struggled to say “I am proud of you” to his on-screen son. You understand his struggle with the big “L” word, right? I tried getting him to say “I am proud of you” to me, but he says that will cost me $500,000. Hopefully, if I reach my goal of $100,000 for this campaign, I can try that next.
My dad’s inability to say “I love you” to me has affected my romantic relationships. I have struggled to say I love you to my girlfriend. Don’t get me wrong—I have said everything else. Some examples: I like you; you are my favorite; will you marry me? Everything but “I love you”. If my dad says it to me, then maybe it will revolutionize my relationships and have a generational effect over the years.
The only thing that my dad is more afraid of saying “I love you” is getting COVID-19. With the $100,000 he said that he will build an apocalypse bunker to protect himself from the virus. Your donation will transform South Asian family dynamics for years to come.
P.S. If you are also South Asian, I can put this on a voice recording and you can just close your eyes and imagine that it’s your dad. They all sound the same anyway.