After Michelle\u2019s mom abandons and leaves her with her stepdad, the teenage girl vows to prove she isn\u2019t a burden by becoming successful. After overcoming many obstacles, Michelle comes face-to-face with the woman who left her behind.Michelle didn\u2019t realize something was wrong until her stepdad, Eugene, collapsed onto the sofa and started crying. They\u2019d 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. \u201cMichelle, don\u2019t.\u201d Eugene reached to grab the note. Michelle reversed out of his reach. She needed to know what the heck was going on.\n
She held the page in one hand. Her fingers shook as she scanned her mother\u2019s words: \u201cI can\u2019t 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\u2019s sixteen, I\u2019ve decided it\u2019s time I pursue my dream of becoming an actress before it\u2019s too late\u2026\u201d Michelle didn\u2019t read the rest. She crumpled the page in her fist as tears poured down her cheeks. Burden\u2026was that all she was? An accidental pregnancy that further encumbered her mother by needing extra care? Her gaze snapped across to Eugene.\u201dAnd what about you?\u201d Michelle asked. \u201cAm I a burden to you too? It\u2019s not like I\u2019m your real daughter so nobody would blame you if you dumped me somewhere like a dog.\u201d \u201cNever!\u201d Eugene rushed over, dropped to one knee, and wrapped his arms around Michelle.\n
\u201cI don\u2019t understand what has possessed your mother but I love you like my own, Shelly, and I\u2019ll never abandon you.\u201d Michelle returned Eugene\u2019s hug, but Mom\u2019s words were seared into her thoughts. It wasn\u2019t like she\u2019d asked to be like this. It wasn\u2019t like she enjoyed depending on others for help with her catheter, physiotherapy, or anything else. Eugene wiped the tears from Michelle\u2019s cheeks with his thumbs. \u201cLook at me, Shelly, and listen close, okay? This is\u2026well, it\u2019s an awful and shocking situation, but you\u2019ve done nothing wrong. It will be tough, but we\u2019ll carry on without her, okay?\u201d 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\u2019d get a detective to find her mom so she could flaunt her achievements in her mother\u2019s 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. \u201cAre you sure this is what you really want?\u201d\n
Eugene asked while they ate dinner. \u201cYou have so many career options available to you and I\u2019m concerned you\u2019re choosing film for all the wrong reasons.\u201d Michelle pursed her lips. \u201cI want to be a director, Eugene. What\u2019s wrong with that?\u201d \u201cNothing\u2026so long as you aren\u2019t doing it because of your mother.\u201d Michelle shrugged and turned her attention back to her dinner. \u201cI like movies, you know that, and I really want to get into cinematography. That woman has nothing to do with it.\u201d She\u2019d 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\u2019t 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. \u201cI disagree,\u201d Michelle said. \u201cI think there are benefits and drawbacks to both.\n
Although there\u2019s 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\u2019re filming.\u201d \u201cOnly if you\u2019re lazy,\u201d Lila snapped. She didn\u2019t expect the new girl in a wheelchair to challenge her opinion like that. How dare she? Lila\u2019s eyes flickered with anger as she blurted, \u201cDigital can never beat the authenticity of a movie shot on actual film. It\u2019s just not realistic.\u201d Michelle rolled her eyes. \u201cWell, you can shoot silent movies in monochrome if you like, but everyone else is in the twenty-first century.\u201dMany students laughed at Michelle\u2019s 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\u2019t going to end well for Michelle. After classes finished for the day, Lila and her friends cornered Michelle in an empty corridor.\u201dYou don\u2019t belong here,\u201d Lila snarled as she loomed over Michelle. \u201cAnd I want you out of my class.\u201d \u201cYour class?\u201d Michelle arched her eyebrows. \u201cGet over yourself.\u201d Michelle turned and forced her wheelchair through a gap between two of Lila\u2019s friends.\n
As she headed away, her wheelchair lurched and tipped backward.\u201dNot so fast.\u201d Lila sneered at her. She had a tight grip on Michelle\u2019s wheelchair handles and was now steering her toward a utility closet. \u201cHey, let me go!\u201d Michelle couldn\u2019t turn efficiently with her front wheels off the ground. \u201cWhat the hell do you think you\u2019re doing?\u201d \u201cShowing you who\u2019s in charge here,\u201d Lila replied. \u201cI didn\u2019t come to film school to listen to hacks like you.\u201d \u201cAre you crazy?\u201d Michelle reached back and tried to pry Lila\u2019s hands off her wheelchair. \u201cJust because you don\u2019t agree with me, doesn\u2019t mean you get to stuff me in a closet.\u201d \u201cOh, don\u2019t I? You\u2019re the one who has a problem here,\u201d Lila yelled. \u201cAll 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\u2019s no way I\u2019m 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.\u201d\n
\u201cDon\u2019t do this, Lila. Just let me go.\u201d \u201cNot until you\u2019ve learned your lesson.\u201d Lila grinned as she closed the closet room door and turned the light off.A janitor found Michelle half an hour later and called campus security. \u201cI don\u2019t think you should return to college until that girl has been expelled,\u201d Eugene said. \u201cIt\u2019s too dangerous.\u201d Michelle sighed. \u201cI don\u2019t know what to do, Eugene. I don\u2019t understand how a person can be so fanatical about such a nonissue that they\u2019d hurt someone else.\u201d \u201cSome people are just\u2026\u201d Eugene shook his head. \u201cI don\u2019t know. But you can\u2019t take the risk that she\u2019ll bully you again.\u201d \u201cI\u2019ve already pressed charges.\u201d Michelle took Eugene\u2019s hand in hers. \u201cI won\u2019t let her get away with this. Thank you, Eugene.\u201dEugene frowned. \u201cBut I haven\u2019t done anything.\u201d \u201cYou\u2019ve been there for me whenever I needed you.\u201d Michelle smiled. \u201cI can\u2019t tell you how much I love and appreciate you.\u201d\u201dWe might have a tough fight ahead of us.\u201d Michelle\u2019s lawyer, Mr. Abubakar, said as he studied Michelle\u2019s paperwork. \u201cYour bully, Lila, comes from a wealthy family and is sure to appear in court with an entire stable of lawyers.\u201d Mr. Abubakar lifted his gaze to Michelle. \u201cAre you sure you\u2019re up for this?\u201d Michelle nodded. \u201cAbsolutely.\u201d \u201cGood. 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.\u201d\u201dI understand. I\u2019m not afraid of a fight, Mr. Abubakar and I\u2019ll do everything I can to help you.\u201d Michelle leaned forward and looked into her lawyer\u2019s eyes.\n
\u201cEven 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.\u201d Mr. Abubakar smiled. \u201cOkay, let\u2019s meet again in about a week\u2019s time. We\u2019ll discuss our strategy then.\u201d Michelle reached across the desk to shake Mr. Abubakar\u2019s hand. \u201cI\u2019ll see you then.\u201dOver the next week, Michelle spent all her free time researching legal procedures and precedents for assault cases like hers. It was slow work initially since she didn\u2019t understand most of the legalese, but she slowly became more familiar with the terms.When she returned to Mr. Abubakar\u2019s office, she brought a folder of notes and a legal book she\u2019d loaned from the college library. \u201cI hope you don\u2019t mind, but I\u2019ve done some research and found some interesting information that may be helpful.\u201d Michelle lifted the folder from her lap and presented it to him. Mr. Abubakar took the folder and scanned the first page. His brow furrowed in concentration as he turned the page. \u201cThis is useful.\u201d He smiled at Michelle. \u201cI\u2019d already noted some of these cases, but there are others here that I can reference too.\u201d \u201cGreat.\u201d Michelle grinned. \u201cI was a bit concerned it might be too basic.\u201d\n
Mr. Abubakar shook his head. \u201cNo, you\u2019ve done a good job here, just like a trained paralegal. Have you been taking classes in law?\u201d Michelle shook her head. \u201cI just have a knack for research.\u201d Mr. Abubakar began discussing the strategy he wanted to use for Michelle\u2019s case. While he searched his desk for a document he wanted to show her, Michelle\u2019s eyes were drawn to a collection of framed pictures and handwritten notes hanging on the wall below Mr. Abubakar\u2019s diplomas. \u201cOmg, that\u2019s a famous actor,\u201d Michelle exclaimed. \u201cDo you know him?\u201d MR. Abubakar chuckled. \u201cAll of those thank-you notes and photos are from former clients. I used to be a junior partner in a bigshot entertainment firm.\u201d \u201cWhy did you leave?\u201d \u201cJob satisfaction.\u201d Mr. Abubakar shrugged. \u201cMy 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\u2019t benefit them.\u201d He frowned.\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not the type of person I wanted to be.\u201dJust as Mr. Abubakar predicted, Lila appeared in court with a team of four lawyers and their aides. Lila smirked at Michelle as the proceedings got underway, but Mr. Abubaker soon turned her smirk into a furious pout. Despite all of Lila\u2019s lawyer\u2019s efforts to get the case dismissed, Michelle and Mr. Abubakar didn\u2019t give up. They fought hard, and eventually, the jury had to vote in Michelle\u2019s favor. Lila was sentenced to community service. \u201cThank you, Mr. Abubakar. I can\u2019t tell you how much this means to me.\u201d Michelle said as she left the courthouse with her lawyer. Mr. Abubakar smiled. \u201cThis is why I do this job, Michelle, to ensure the little guys get a fair chance. It\u2019s something you could do too, you know.\u201d Michelle frowned. \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d\u201dYou have a knack for law. I noticed it while we were putting your case together.\u201d Mr. Abubakar moved closer. \u201cI\u2019ve heard bad stories about the kids that go to the arts section of your college. You don\u2019t belong among cruel people like that, Michelle. You could become a great lawyer and fight against the injustices in this system with me.\u201d\n
Michelle was intrigued by Mr. Abubakar\u2019s suggestion but ultimately shrugged it off. She was committed to becoming a director and, although she would never admit it, her vision of one day meeting her mother again. Michelle returned to college but soon realized it wouldn\u2019t be so easy to escape what happened between her and Lila. Even though Lila had been expelled, her friends clearly held a grudge against Michelle and were determined to make her suffer. Several students snickered when Michelle passed them on her way to class. She didn\u2019t think much about it until she saw a second group of students who openly pointed at her and burst out laughing. Then, Michelle saw the posters. Somebody had photoshopped her face onto several pictures of naked women and put them all over the walls. Vile slurs had been scrawled across the images using a red marker.Michelle halted in the corridor leading to her first class and stared at the pictures surrounding her. They were everywhere! She burst into tears and turned, wheeling away as fast as she could. Michelle called Mr. Abubakar soon as she got home. \u201cYou were right.\u201d She sniffed and wiped away her tears. \u201cThe other kids at school are still targeting me and even the administration doesn\u2019t seem to care.\u201d \u201cDo you want to fight them again?\u201d Mr. Abubakar asked. \u201cBecause we\u2019ll need some proof to catch the people behind this.\u201d\n
\u201cI do want to fight them and everyone in this world who is cruel and bullies others. I\u2019ve 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\u2019d like to know if you\u2019d mentor me?\u201d \u201cIt would be my honor, Michelle.\u201dSeven years later Michelle completed her law degree and, following Mr. Abubakar\u2019s advice, she worked in a large firm for two years. \u2018You need to know how they cheat the system so you can beat them,\u2019 he\u2019d said, and she soon realized he was right. When she could no longer stomach the twisted practices of the big firm, Michelle struck out on her own. She set up her office and made a good income. Eventually, she put up a sign advertising free legal services for needy people on Fridays. Unfortunately, her health deteriorated during this time. Surgery for her medical condition hadn\u2019t been viable before due to the risks, but now Michelle had no choice. After taking an extended leave to recover from surgery and complete her rehabilitation program, Michelle returned to her office. She parked her wheelchair in a corner of the room and slowly walked to her desk to sit in her brand-new office chair. It was weird to use her legs. She\u2019d gone into surgery with nothing but the hope that she\u2019d survive and be able to continue doing good for her community. Some people had even congratulated her on social media afterward, as though being able to walk now made her complete. She\u2019d blocked them all.Her first client arrived soon and distracted Michelle from her inner turmoil. Michelle stared at her in disbelief when the woman entered her office.\u201dIs it true that you help people for free if they can\u2019t afford to pay you?\u201d Michelle\u2019s mother, Iris, asked. \u201cI don\u2019t have a job and I don\u2019t have any money.\u201d Michelle put her hands together in a prayer position before her face.\n
Could it be that her own mother didn\u2019t recognize her? Michelle thought about how she\u2019d looked as a teenager. She\u2019d worn her dark hair short in a boyish cut, so it was easier to care for, and she wore glasses all the time because she was so short-sighted.Now, she\u2019d replaced her glasses with contacts, grown her hair to shoulder-length, and dyed it blond. Was that all it took to fool a mother who hadn\u2019t seen her child for years? \u201cI guess I was mistaken.\u201d Iris rose to leave, but Michelle gestured to her to wait. \u201cNo, you\u2019re right. I just\u2026\u201d Michelle hesitated on the verge of confronting the woman but didn\u2019t know how. It was easier to focus on the job. \u201cI do work pro bono,\u201d Michelle continued. \u201cPlease tell me why you need legal help.\u201dMichelle had often imagined reuniting with her mother when she was younger. Most of her daydreams featured Michelle in a position of power, the epitome of success. On the other hand, her mother would be wretched with need and apologize profusely to Michelle as she begged a favor.Having her daydreams play out, in reality, was not at all as satisfying as she\u2019d imagined. Iris was in big trouble. She\u2019d crashed into an influential businessman\u2019s luxury car while driving drunk, and the man\u2019s lawyers intended to throw the book at her. \u201cHonestly, I don\u2019t think I can get you off entirely, but we can push for a reduced sentence, possibly even community service. I\u2019ll need more details but first, can I offer you something to drink?\u201d Michelle stumbled as she returned with refreshments for them. Iris quickly caught her elbow. \u201cAre you okay?\u201d Iris asked.\n
Michelle nodded and pointed to her wheelchair in the corner. \u201cI\u2019m still getting used to walking.\u201d Iris nodded absently. Michelle had thought this might be the clue her mother needed to recognize her but no, Iris still had no idea that her lawyer was the daughter she abandoned.Michelle met with Iris several times leading up to the court date. Each time, Michelle wondered if that would be the day her mother recognized her, but she never did. Oddly, this was precisely what Michelle needed to bury her demons. Michelle fought hard in court and was successful. The judge lowered the sentence to a year in prison or a fine. Michelle was satisfied, but when she turned to Iris, the woman was in tears. \u201cI still have no money to pay the fine,\u201d Iris sobbed. \u201cI\u2019ll have to go to jail after all.\u201d On impulse, Michelle turned back to the judge. \u201cIf the court will permit it, I\u2019d like to pay the fine on my client\u2019s behalf so she can go home immediately.\u201d \u201cWhy would you do this for me?\u201d Iris wrapped her hand around Michelle\u2019s wrist.\n
\u201cYou really don\u2019t recognize me at all?\u201d Michelle tipped her head. \u201cThis may refresh your memory.\u201dMichelle reached into her case and removed a note. It was heavily creased from being read and crumpled up several times over the years, but Iris\u2019s words were still clearly legible. \u201cThis can\u2019t be real.\u201d Iris stared at her openmouthed. \u201cYou can keep that, I don\u2019t need it anymore.\u201d Michelle started to pack up her things. \u201cI\u2019m sorry you didn\u2019t get to be an actress after all, but I hope you enjoyed living for yourself.\u201d \u201cWait, Michelle. We need to talk.\u201d \u201cNo.\u201d Michelle shook her head. \u201cYou didn\u2019t even recognize me, your own daughter. And I know I don\u2019t look exactly the same as the kid you walked out on, but come on!\u201d \u201cPlease, just let me explain.\u201d Michelle walked out of the courtroom and left her mother behind once and for all. She paid the fine, then returned to her office to help her next client.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mom Doesn\u2019t Recognize Her Disabled Daughter after Leaving Her with Stepdad \u2014 Story of the Day After Michelle\u2019s mom abandons and leaves her with her stepdad, the teenage girl vows to prove she isn\u2019t a burden by becoming successful. After overcoming many obstacles, Michelle comes face-to-face with the woman who left her behind.Michelle didn\u2019t realize\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":83913,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[855],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-83910","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-story"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/140.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83910","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83910"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83910\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}