When Penelope\u2019s Dad insisted she change her appearance to resemble her stepmom for a spot in his will, it felt like a cruel joke. But the real reason behind his demand, unveiled at a family gathering, left her in shock and tears.\n\n\n\n

I need your help. Please. I\u2019m Penelope, but everyone calls me Penny. Feel free to address me that way. I\u2019ve never asked for advice online before, but I\u2019m at my wit\u2019s end here. Everyone\u2019s celebrating the Fourth of July with fireworks and barbeques, and all I have are fireworks exploding in my chest \u2014 and not the happy kind. Thanks to my Dad, my heart feels like it\u2019s been trampled by a herd of angry bulls\u2026\n\n\n\n

Let me rewind a bit. My parents, Charlie and Nina, divorced ten years back in a messy, public brawl that left the whole town buzzing. They haven\u2019t spoken since, and things have been awkward ever since, to say the least. Dad remarried this woman named Eloise, and after that, I barely saw him anymore.\n\n\n\n

Sure, the financial support trickled in through the bank every month, but for the most part, it felt like Dad just\u2026 disappeared.\n\n\n\n

It hurt, you know? But hey, I\u2019m 22 now, and I guess I\u2019m more of a momma\u2019s girl anyway. My parents\u2019 reasons for splitting are their business, and that\u2019s fine by me.\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s not why I\u2019m here, though. This is about something way weirder.\n\n\n\n

So, out of the blue, Dad called me on FaceTime the other day. Now, this is a man who usually communicates through carrier pigeons, so a video call was a shock in itself. But what he said next left me speechless.\n\n\n\n

\u201cPenny, honey,\u201d he started, his voice all fake sweetness. \u201cListen, I\u2019m having a little get-together for the Fourth of July. Just family, you know. And\u2026\u201d he trailed off, then blurted out, \u201cI really need you to \u201cfit in\u201d with the new family and look more \u201csuitable.\u201d\n\n\n\n

Hold on. Fitting in? With the new family I barely know? Before I could even ask what he meant by that, he launched into this bizarre request.\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was thinking,\u201d he continued, \u201cmaybe you could\u2026 I don\u2019t know, lighten things up a bit? You know, your stepmom, Eloise, she\u2019s a blonde, and\u2026\u201d\n\n\n\n

Ugh, here we go. Here comes the Eloise comparisons. It\u2019s like a broken record at this point.\n\n\n\n

He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. \u201cWell,\u201d he mumbled, \u201cmaybe you could consider\u2026 dyeing your hair blonde? Like Eloise? And those, uh, big, ugly glasses you wear \u2014 maybe some colored contacts instead?\u201d\n\n\n\n

He trailed off again, but I knew what he was going to say. Those \u201cbig, ugly glasses\u201d were my signature. They framed my face, you know? Without them, I felt exposed, like a book with its cover ripped off.\n\n\n\n

\u201cChange my appearance?\u201d I gasped. \u201cDad, are you serious?\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cLook, Penny,\u201d he sighed, \u201cI just want things to be\u2026 easier. You know, for everyone. And hey, if you do this, there\u2019s something in it for you too.\u201d\n\n\n\n

He hesitated, then blurted out, \u201cI\u2019m revamping my will, and let\u2019s just say being more, uh, presentable might be beneficial in the long run.\u201d\n\n\n\n

My jaw clenched. Beneficial? Was he basically saying I needed a makeover to get a slice of his inheritance pie? My anger reached its boiling point.\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, I need to look like your trophy wife to get a mention in your will?\u201d I spat.\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t be dramatic, Penny,\u201d he huffed. \u201cIt\u2019s not that big of a deal. Just a little dye job and some contacts. Think of it as an investment in your future.\u201d\n\n\n\n

An investment? This wasn\u2019t some stock market deal, Dad! This was my identity he was messing with! The call ended in a mess of tears and shouting, and let me tell you, I was having an emotional explosion going on inside.\n\n\n\n

Fuming, I stormed over to Mom\u2019s place. She lives just down the street, and thankfully, she was home. As soon as I explained everything, her face hardened.\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, honey,\u201d she said, \u201cI know exactly what\u2019s going on here.\u201d\n\n\n\n

But then, she pulled back, saying, \u201cListen, you should do what your Dad wants. But trust me, there\u2019s more to this than this makeover. Just wear the specific dress I\u2019ll give you. Show up to their Fourth of July party looking like that, and see how things unfold.\u201d\n\n\n\n

My stomach churned. The idea of changing my appearance just to appease Dad left a bitter taste in my mouth.\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut Mom, I don\u2019t even want to go,\u201d I mumbled, burying my face in her shoulder.\n\n\n\n

She cupped my face in her hands. \u201cI know, sweetie. But trust me, there\u2019s a reason for this. Just go, play along for now.\u201d\n\n\n\n

But the thing is, I didn\u2019t want to bleach my precious dark hair. So I bought a blonde wig from the store and some contact lenses.\n\n\n\n

Today, on the 4th of July, I wore my mother\u2019s dress, the one she gave me specifically for today, and highlighted my looks with the blonde wig and contacts. Gosh, I looked so different, like a stranger staring back at me from the mirror.\n\n\n\n

Pecking a kiss on my mom\u2019s cheek, I nervously got in the cab and headed to Dad\u2019s party. When I reached, I could smell BBQ and oven-baked ribs. People were laughing and chatting, and I could hear Dad\u2019s gruff voice surpassing everyone.\n\n\n\n

I expected surprise, but he was SHOCKED when he turned and saw me. He went completely pale, people. Then, he pulled a long face and asked, \u201cWhere did you get this stupid dress?!\u201d\n\n\n\n

I practically wanted to crawl under a rock because I didn\u2019t know why he was reacting like that seeing me in that dress.\n\n\n\n

It was fine, though pretty old, but it looked perfect and fresh out of Mom\u2019s closet. I could still smell the naphthalene despite dabbing my favorite English Rose perfume on. So you can imagine how long this dress had been practically sleeping in Mom\u2019s cupboard.\n\n\n\n

\u201cDad, what\u2019s wrong?\u201d I asked nervously, taking off my blonde wig.\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s when I saw a side of him I\u2019d never seen before. Dad\u2019s eyes filled with tears, and he just let them flow. I was so worried at this point.\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere did you get this dress?\u201d he repeated, his voice trembling.\n\n\n\n

Dad took a deep breath, struggling to speak. \u201cPenny, that dress\u2026 Your mom wore it on our first date.\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s harder and harder for me to see you every year because you look just like your Mom. The woman I deeply loved and had a huge scandalous divorce with when you were just 12. I tried not to see you often because my heart would hurt every time I looked into your eyes and saw hers.\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought if you looked different, maybe it wouldn\u2019t hurt so much. Maybe I could finally include you in my new family. But seeing you in that dress\u2026 It\u2019s like I\u2019m reliving everything all over again,\u201d Dad choked out.\n\n\n\n

I had tears in my eyes. \u201cSo, you wanted me to change my appearance because I remind you of Mom?\u201d\n\n\n\n

Dad nodded, wiping his tears. \u201cI\u2019m so sorry, Penny. I couldn\u2019t tell you to your face. It hurt too much.\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cDad, I can\u2019t change who I am. I can\u2019t pretend to be someone else just to make things easier for you. I\u2019m your daughter, and I look like Mom. That\u2019s not going to change.\u201d\n\n\n\n

He looked at me, his eyes filled with regret. \u201cI know, Penny. I know. I just\u2026 I didn\u2019t know how to handle it.\u201d\n\n\n\n

I looked him in the eyes and said, \u201cYou need to sort out your inner demons, Dad. You need to accept the fact that I look like Mom and move on. Because I\u2019m not going to change who I am.\u201d\n\n\n\n

Dad nodded slowly, his face speaking volumes of his pain and realization. \u201cYou\u2019re right, Penny. I need to deal with this. I just didn\u2019t know how to face it.\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think you should talk to Mom, too. Maybe it\u2019ll help you both heal,\u201d I said, sighing.\n\n\n\n

He looked at me with a hint of hope. \u201cDo you think she would?\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d I admitted. \u201cBut it\u2019s worth a try.\u201d\n\n\n\n

Dad took a deep breath and nodded. \u201cThank you, Penny. For being honest with me.\u201d\n\n\n\n

I couldn\u2019t focus on the laughter and conversations around me. My mind was spinning with everything Dad had confessed. I kept glancing back at him, seeing him lost in thought, struggling with his emotions.\n\n\n\n

When the party finally ended, I headed back to Mom\u2019s place. She was waiting for me, a concerned look on her face.\n\n\n\n

I sighed, feeling exhausted. \u201cIt was intense. Dad\u2026 He broke down. He told me everything.\u201d\n\n\n\n

Mom nodded, her eyes softening. \u201cI thought he might. That\u2019s why I gave you that dress.\u201d\n\n\n\n

I looked at her, surprised. \u201cYou knew it would trigger something in him?\u201d\n\n\n\n

She smiled sadly. \u201cI had a feeling. Sometimes, we need a little push to confront our past.\u201d\n\n\n\n

I hugged her tightly, feeling a sense of gratitude and sadness. \u201cThank you, Mom. For everything.\u201d\n\n\n\n

She held me close, whispering, \u201cI\u2019m proud of you, Penny. You handled it with grace.\u201d\n\n\n\n

As I pulled back, I felt a sense of hope. Maybe, just maybe, things would get better.\n\n\n\n

But you know what? I\u2019m still so angry. I\u2019m angry that my Dad put me through this. I\u2019m angry that he tried to make me into someone I\u2019m not just because he couldn\u2019t handle his own emotions.\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not fair. If he really loved my Mom so much, then why leave her and start a whole new life? Why keep his distance from me just because I look like the woman he once loved? Why force me into the skin of another person?\n\n\n\n

Tell me, was it fair on his part? What should I do? Should I even try to mend things with him? Or should I just let it be and move on with my life? I need your advice. Please.\n\n\n\n