To my surprise, he even offered to pay the full tuition, room, and board—a sum easily totaling two hundred thousand dollars. I was amazed by Papa’s generosity. But in the next sentence he added, “After that, you’re on your own. If you ever need any help or support, don’t come to me.” I didn’t expect to rely on Papa financially after college, but in his words I heard a threat: Papa might disown me if I pursued art seriously.
