A free woman doesn’t owe anything to anyone. I. My parents never considered me a part of their family. Even though they were more progressive than many people of their generation and gave me an education, they always expected that I would pay them back because it was a loan that I owed them. They *let* me study in the US and fulfill my dreams but then they asked for that money back so they could throw their daughter a lavish wedding, which they saw as their *real* duty in life.