Being born the youngest child wasn't as sweet as people often make it out to be. Moreover, he was identified as a girl at birth. All "serious" matters were left to his eldest brother, who was boy. From business matters to family matters, it was his brother who was entrusted with the responsibility. His role was to be a sweet and obedient child. A smart and obedient little princess.

Gamaliel had known that he wasn't like most girls since he was a child. He often fell asleep and dreamed that he would wake up the next day as a boy. He never knew that other girls never thought that way, not even once in their lives. When he decided to tell his friends, they just laughed and thought it was ridiculous. Others, on the other hand, said it was a sinful thought. They told him to pray.

But no matter how much Gamaliel knelt on his knee, clasped his hands, closed his eyes, and prayed fervently, he still felt imprisoned. He felt increasingly tortured and isolated. Gradually, he could feel himself fading away. He lived each day on autopilot. His memories became increasingly obsolete, devoured by the emptiness in his heart. He couldn't even remember what he had done the day before.

Until he found a way out: an online forum filled with people in the same boat as him. They shared experiences and information. They introduced Gamaliel to ways to feel like himself, even though his post-puberty physique often made him want to vomit.

One unfortunate night culminated in his parents discovering small glass vials containing hormones he had been injecting himself with. Gamaliel was doomed. His parents were furious.

Their disappointment and anger made the air in the living room heavy to breathe. Gamaliel felt breathless. His father's slap on the cheek was paltry compared to the gaping wound in his heart.

He was never accepted for who he was. He was loved because he was once a blank canvas that could easily be painted with whatever his parents desired. Now, to them, that canvas was stained with indelible black ink.

Gamaliel realized his place. The grand house never welcomed him home. He decided to leave, taking a backpack and an old motorcycle with him. To somewhere far, far away from ‘home’.