After Michelle’s mom abandons and leaves her with her stepdad, the teenage girl vows to prove she isn’t a burden by becoming successful.
After overcoming many obstacles, Michelle comes face-to-face with the woman who left her behind.Michelle didn’t realize something was wrong until her stepdad, Eugene, collapsed onto the sofa and started crying. They’d just arrived home and discovered a note from Mom on the coffee table. That same note now lay on the seat beside Eugene. Michelle navigated her wheelchair through the gap between the sofa and the armchair. She leaned over and snatched up the note. “Michelle, don’t.” Eugene reached to grab the note. Michelle reversed out of his reach. She needed to know what the heck was going on.
She held the page in one hand. Her fingers shook as she scanned her mother’s words: “I can’t do it anymore. You know I never wanted children, but I tried my best to care for Michelle anyway. That burden has taken the best years of my life from me.
But now that she’s sixteen, I’ve decided it’s time I pursue my dream of becoming an actress before it’s too late…” Michelle didn’t read the rest. She crumpled the page in her fist as tears poured down her cheeks. Burden…was that all she was? An accidental pregnancy that further encumbered her mother by needing extra care? Her gaze snapped across to Eugene.”And what about you?” Michelle asked. “Am I a burden to you too? It’s not like I’m your real daughter so nobody would blame you if you dumped me somewhere like a dog.” “Never!” Eugene rushed over, dropped to one knee, and wrapped his arms around Michelle. “I don’t understand what has possessed your mother but I love you like my own, Shelly, and I’ll never abandon you.” Michelle returned Eugene’s hug, but Mom’s words were seared into her thoughts. It wasn’t like she’d asked to be like this. It wasn’t like she enjoyed depending on others for help with her catheter, physiotherapy, or anything else. Eugene wiped the tears from Michelle’s cheeks with his thumbs. “Look at me, Shelly, and listen close, okay? This is…well, it’s an awful and shocking situation, but you’ve done nothing wrong. It will be tough, but we’ll carry on without her, okay?” Carry on? No. Michelle decided right then to do whatever it took to prove her mother wrong.
One day, when she was wildly successful, she’d get a detective to find her mom so she could flaunt her achievements in her mother’s face.Michelle worked hard at school and graduated top of her class. Several colleges offered her scholarships, and her friends were shocked when she chose to major in film studies. “Are you sure this is what you really want?” Eugene asked while they ate dinner. “You have so many career options available to you and I’m concerned you’re choosing film for all the wrong reasons.” Michelle pursed her lips. “I want to be a director, Eugene. What’s wrong with that?” “Nothing…so long as you aren’t doing it because of your mother.” Michelle shrugged and turned her attention back to her dinner. “I like movies, you know that, and I really want to get into cinematography. That woman has nothing to do with it.” She’d never admit to Eugene, or anyone else, that she often imagined her mother staring at her in shock after appearing to audition for a movie Michelle was directing.The other students stared openly at Michelle as she entered the room. A young woman with bright magenta hair leaned over to whisper something to her friend, and both girls sniggered. Michelle didn’t think much about it until a few days later. The instructor asked about the movie the class had watched the day before. Lila, the girl with magenta hair, answered with a ridiculous rant about physical film being superior to digital shooting. “I disagree,” Michelle said. “I think there are benefits and drawbacks to both. Although there’s a certain look and feel you can only get from physical film, digital allows you a greater range of editing options that might be more suitable for the project you’re filming.” “Only if you’re lazy,” Lila snapped. She didn’t expect the new girl in a wheelchair to challenge her opinion like that. How dare she? Lila’s eyes flickered with anger as she blurted, “Digital can never beat the authenticity of a movie shot on actual film. It’s just not realistic.” Michelle rolled her eyes. “Well, you can shoot silent movies in monochrome if you like, but everyone else is in the twenty-first century.”Many students laughed at Michelle’s reply and started teasing Lila. The instructor broke up the argument and urged the students to return to the topic, but Lila glared at Michelle for the remainder of the class. The day wasn’t going to end well for Michelle. After classes finished for the day, Lila and her friends cornered Michelle in an empty corridor.”You don’t belong here,” Lila snarled as she loomed over Michelle. “And I want you out of my class.” “Your class?” Michelle arched her eyebrows. “Get over yourself.” Michelle turned and forced her wheelchair through a gap between two of Lila’s friends. As she headed away, her wheelchair lurched and tipped backward.”Not so fast.” Lila sneered at her. She had a tight grip on Michelle’s wheelchair handles and was now steering her toward a utility closet.
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