Christine Masciotti
Dramatic
TARA, 18
TARA has left her freshman year at college to decide what she wants to do with her life. She has been living with her father. Turns out, she has a boyfriend whom she wants to go and visit, but she needs bus fare to get there. Her father, not happy with her choice of boyfriend, doesn’t want to give it to her.
TARA You never reached out to me. You sent birthday gifts through snail mail so they came a week late. You think that counts for anything? It’s more-personal communication like using Skype or FaceTime that makes a difference. How dare you stop paying child support when I turned eighteen? You washed your hands about me. All you do is pay my phone bill! You buy me a phone for my birthday, something from the dinosaur time—you didn’t even pay twenty dollars for it. I looked it up on eBay and the bidding started at ninety-nine cents! After a year of dry spell, you look for extra work. It doesn’t work that way—the bills keep coming in. You have to find work. You’re not the only one with financial problems! You took money under the table not to pay child support! We had to petition the court. Checks came. Eleven dollars. Twenty-four dollars. I don’t know why Mom endorsed them . . . fold and tear, fold and tear, fifteen dollars! Wow! Thanks, Dad! Mom was starting a business on her own. One person worked for her who she couldn’t pay. We had to move to pay for my first semester of college. We had to move to a smaller place. You didn’t pay for my education. One thing I need your help with, and you can’t do it! I didn’t know how lucky I was to be spared any fucking connection to you.