Everybody in our family is tall. For some, it will be in the future. My dad’s like a tree, with long and lanky limbs, soaring to a whopping 6’4 stature. My mom stands a whole 5 feet 11 inches into the sky. And me, my height is indecisive, changing in super spurts, sometimes 8 inches at a time. For my brother and sister, their height will steadily increase in the near future, probably around the second year of secondary schooling, just like mine did.

Now they stand short, but soon they will soar. Brother is standing taller than sister, even though three years lie between the day she came into this world and the day he did. Father’s height intimidates. Add on a raspy voice and harsh tone. Father intimidates. His surly quips strike fear in all who encounter. Father, whose long legs create the illusion of a giraffe, is respected. Respect is given. Respect is earned.