"Will she ever get better? Or is this all she is? A sad alcoholic who's only going through the motions? A miserable woman who wants to die because she thinks I'll be better off without her? I want my mom back. More than anything else in the world I want her back."
In our country there are a lot of children of alcoholics and drug addicts who don't have it easy. They have to grow up much too fast. At a life stage where they deserve to be sheltered and protected they're parenting grown ass adults. They can both love a parent dearly, desperately wanting them to get better, and deeply resent their bad decisions and the consequences.
Layla, narrator of Melody Maysonet's What We Wish For, is living in a shelter when we meet her. Her single parent mother, Shauna, has managed to lose her job and their home. They're sharing a small, dreary room and eating in a communal dining room.
The shelter is having a financial crisis. According to Shauna's case worker she isn't making sufficient progress toward employment. She has ten days to get a job or they'll be evicted. Layla is terrified.
"Have you thought about what will happen? Because I have. You and me wandering the streets with our stuff in a garbage bag, nowhere to shower, nowhere to go to the bathroom. And when we get hungry what are we going to do?"
What actually happens is even scarier. Shauna overdoses on heroin and is rushed to the hospital. Layla can't stay in the shelter alone.
Shauna has a sister, Tanya, with whom she's lost touch. She's married to an egotistical image-is-everything jerk who is running for mayor of the town they all live in. It could destroy his chances of being elected if the media learns about the plight of his sister-in- law and niece. So he offers to pay for Shauna to go to a fancy rehab. While she's there Layla can stay with his family...
...they're mad affluent. But living there is no walk in the park for Layla. Her uncle is a cruel, egotistical man who considers Shauna and Layla a burden. What if he breaks his promises. What if Shauna can't handle rehab? What if she can't handle life when she gets out?
Maysonet based the narrative on her own life experiences: of being really poor as a teen and being an alcoholic as an adult.
"I did emerge into a happier place, but not before alcoholism brought me to my knees. I almost lost myself, but even in the throes of my addiction, I had hope that life would get better, that I would get better."
On a purrrsonal note, yesterday I'd put up flyers for Amber's event in Bangor. Today I distributed a lot more at UMaine. People are really getting excited about it, especially people who have seen her talk before. I was glad to get home early. I lucked out at the library--I got TWO Tiffany Jackson books including her latest one. And I lucked out on the weather. It's warm enough for me to spend the afternoon outside reading near my beautiful flowers.
A great big shout out goes out to all the people who are helping me publicize Amber's event.
Jules Hathaway
Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone
No comments:
Post a Comment