MOTHER COULDN’T RECOGNIZE HER DAUGHTER, WHO ABANDONED HER WITH STEPDAD YEARS AGO

As Michelle was waiting for the food, her stepfather, Eugene, started to cry, as he fell to the sofa. He was crying her mother’s name, as he was holding a note in his hand.

As Michelle moved her wheelchair towards the note, Eugene said, “Michelle, don’t.”

As she started to read, she cried too, because the note was from her mother, saying that she was leaving the house.

“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 stopped at one point. She started to cry. She said to herself that she wasn’t a burden. Why her mother said that and left?

“And what about you?” She asked to Eugene then. “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 screamed, and tushed towards her as he hugged her.

“I don’t understand what has possessed your mother but I love you like my own, Shelly, and I’ll never abandon you.”

Then she hugged to him too. But she was scarred deeply with the words of her mother. She didn’t wanted to be a disabled person, but she was not a burden too. She was smart.

Eugene kissed his daughter’s cheeks, then wiped her tears away. “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?”

It was a big thing for Michelle. She was sure that she will show her mother that she is not a burden, and prove her mother that she was wrong in her thinking.

She swore that she will be a successful woman and find her mother with the help of a detective.

She worked incredibly hard and became the top of her class. As she received many scholarship offers, she decided to chose to study in film studies, which her friends were shocked.

“Are you sure this is what you really want?” Her stepfather, Eugene asked to Michelle.

“You have so many career options available to you and I’m concerned you’re choosing film for all the wrong reasons.”

“I want to be a director, Eugene. What’s wrong with that?” Michelle said.

“Nothing…so long as you aren’t doing it because of your mother.” Eugene responded.

Michelle said then, “I like movies, you know that, and I really want to get into cinematography. That woman has nothing to do with it.”

She had a goal that she told noone. She wanted her mother to be auditioned for the movie that she would direct.

As Michelle entered to her class, people started to talk to each other, as they starred to Michelle. She didn’t cared much about anyone else, and few days passed.

The instructor asked something about the movie they discussed, and one of the girls that talked when Michelle entered to the class, Lila, had made a statement that physical films are superior against the digital shootings.

“I disagree,” Michelle responded.

“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 said, she didn’t liked the Michelle challenging her.

“Digital can never beat the authenticity of a movie shot on actual film. It’s just not realistic.” Lila added.

“Well, you can shoot silent movies in monochrome if you like, but everyone else is in the twenty-first century.” Michelle said as she rolled her eyes.

Other students laughed to the Michelle as she teased Lila. But that was a bad thing, since Lila was angry, and mean. The instructor broke the argument, and went back to their topic about the movie.

After the class, Lila and her friends had cornered Michelle.

“You don’t belong here,” Lila shouted.

“And I want you out of my class.”

“Your class?” Michelle was annoyed.

“Get over yourself.”

As Michelle rushed her wheelchair to the gap between them, Lila grasped her wheelchair and said, “Not so fast.”

Then she started to push her wheelchair to the utility closet as Michell shouted, “Hey, let me go!”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Lila said, “Showing you who’s in charge here, I didn’t come to film school to listen to hacks like you.”

“Are you crazy?” Said Michelle as she tried to stop the wheelchair.

“Just because you don’t agree with me, doesn’t mean you get to stuff me in a closet.”

Lila said, “Oh, don’t I? You’re the one who has a problem here,”

“All my life I had to listen to freaks like you dissing actually good movies because all your feeble mind can comprehend is that bull that gets churned out for making money. There’s no way I’m going to listen to it in film classes too. Not if I can help it. And the next time you want to cut me off, think about this moment right here.”

“Don’t do this, Lila. Just let me go.” Michelle yelled, but Lila had decided.

“Not until you’ve learned your lesson.” Lila said, then closed the door and turned the lights off in the utility closet.

Half an hour later, a janitor found Michelle, and called the security.

Eugene said, “I don’t think you should return to college until that girl has been expelled,”

“It’s too dangerous.”

Michelle smiled, “I don’t know what to do, Eugene. I don’t understand how a person can be so fanatical about such a nonissue that they’d hurt someone else.”

“Some people are just…” Eugene shook his head as he couldn’t understand. “I don’t know. But you can’t take the risk that she’ll bully you again.”

“I’ve already pressed charges.” Michelle said, as she held Eugene’s hands.

“I won’t let her get away with this. Thank you, Eugene.”

“But I haven’t done anything.” Eugene said.

Michelle smiled as she said, “You’ve been there for me whenever I needed you. I can’t tell you how much I love and appreciate you.”

Michelle’s lawyer, Mr. Abubakar said, “We might have a tough fight ahead of us.”

“Your bully, Lila, comes from a wealthy family and is sure to appear in court with an entire stable of lawyers. Are you sure you’re up for this?”

“Absolutely.” Michelle answered.

“Good. You have a strong case, but I must warn you that nothing is certain. With enough time and resources, which our opposition definitely has, even the strongest case can be sunk when it reaches judge and jury.”

“I understand. I’m not afraid of a fight, Mr. Abubakar and I’ll do everything I can to help you.” Michelle said.

“Even if she does get away with this, I want to know that I did everything in my power to see her punished for bullying me.”

“Okay, let’s meet again in about a week’s time. We’ll discuss our strategy then.” The lawyer said.

“I’ll see you then.” Said Michelle as she shake the lawyer’s hand.

Michelle spend her free time to research the legac procedures about her case, and when it was the time for a meeting with her lawyer, she said, “I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve done some research and found some interesting information that may be helpful.”

The lawyer, Mr. Abubakar was surprised as he said when he checked the folder Michelle prepared, “This is useful.”

“I’d already noted some of these cases, but there are others here that I can reference too.”

Michelle smiled, “Great.”

“I was a bit concerned it might be too basic.”

“No, you’ve done a good job here, just like a trained paralegal. Have you been taking classes in law?”

Michelle said no, “I just have a knack for research.”

As she was checking the room while Mr. Abubakar was checking the folder, she saw a famous movie star’s picture with him, under his diploma. She said, “Omg, that’s a famous actor,”

“Do you know him?”

“All of those thank-you notes and photos are from former clients. I used to be a junior partner in a bigshot entertainment firm.”

“Why did you leave?” She asked.

“Job satisfaction.” He smiled.

“My younger self was starstruck by the opportunity to work with all those famous people and movie studios, but eventually, I realized I was just helping strong people bully the little folk into deals that didn’t benefit them. That’s not the type of person I wanted to be.”

Then the court day came. And Mr. Abubakar was right, as Lila came with four lawyers. But that didn’t changed the outcome, and the jury found Lila guilty, and she received punishment as community service.

“Thank you, Mr. Abubakar. I can’t tell you how much this means to me.” Michelle said to Mr. Abubakar.

“This is why I do this job, Michelle, to ensure the little guys get a fair chance. It’s something you could do too, you know.”

“What do you mean?” Michelle asked.

“You have a knack for law. I noticed it while we were putting your case together.” The lawyer continued.

“I’ve heard bad stories about the kids that go to the arts section of your college. You don’t belong among cruel people like that, Michelle. You could become a great lawyer and fight against the injustices in this system with me.”

As Michelle had thought about changing her major, she remembered her goal, and kept staying in filming. When she arrived for her lesson, she saw that Lila’s friends were trying to avange her, as they used Michelle’s head on naked women pictures.

She started to cry, as she left the school to talk with Mr. Abubakar. “You were right.” She said as she kept crying.

“The other kids at school are still targeting me and even the administration doesn’t seem to care.”

“Do you want to fight them again?” Mr. Abubakar said.

“Because we’ll need some proof to catch the people behind this.”

“I do want to fight them and everyone in this world who is cruel and bullies others. I’ve decided to become a lawyer like you, Mr. Abubakar. Someone who uses their power to fight the evil people in this world. I plan to switch majors tomorrow, and I’d like to know if you’d mentor me?” Michelle said.

“It would be my honor, Michelle.”

After seven years, she graduated from her school, and started to work with a big law firm. She was there for two years.

“You need to know how they cheat the system so you can beat them,” Mr. Abubakar warned Michelle about big firms, and he was right. Michelle decided to start her own career.

As she started her own office, she started to gain money, and used it to advertise her office. She was providing free legal services for people in need too. But she had some health problems, and forced to take a break.

After she took a leave for her recovery, she returned to her office, and walked slowly to her desK, to sit her new chair. She was feeling much more confident since she took the opportunity to went under surgery to be able to walk again.

As she started to her job again, a woman entered to her office, which shocked Michelle.

“Is it true that you help people for free if they can’t afford to pay you?” Iris, her mother said, as she didn’t recognized her daughter.

“I don’t have a job and I don’t have any money.”

As Michelle was speechless with the situation, Iris said, “I guess I was mistaken.”

“No, you’re right. I just…” Michelle stopped her.

“I do work pro bono,” she said.

“Please tell me why you need legal help.”

As Iris was thankful for Michelle’s help, she really didn’t recognized her daughter. She was receiving help from her daughter that she abandoned because she was disabled.

As they had met for couple of times until the court, Michelle wondered that when would her mother recognize her.

Michelle fought hard for her mother, and her sentenced time was reduced to a year, or a fine. After the court, Iris said, as she was thankful to Michelle, “I still have no money to pay the fine,”

“I’ll have to go to jail after all.”

“If the court will permit it, I’d like to pay the fine on my client’s behalf so she can go home immediately.”

“Why would you do this for me?” Iris hugged her.

“You really don’t recognize me at all?” Said Michelle, as she looked at her mother.

“This may refresh your memory.”

Then she took a note from her bag, as it was old and creased. But she recognized her own words.

“This can’t be real.” Iris was shocked.

“You can keep that, I don’t need it anymore.” Michelle said, as she gathered her belongings from the table.

“I’m sorry you didn’t get to be an actress after all, but I hope you enjoyed living for yourself.”

“Wait, Michelle. We need to talk.” She said.

“No.” Michelle shook her head. “You didn’t even recognize me, your own daughter. And I know I don’t look exactly the same as the kid you walked out on, but come on!”

“Please, just let me explain.”

Michelle left the courtroom, and left her mother in the courtroom. She then paid the fine, and went back to her office.

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