Mortgaged To The Corner Store

Synopsis

My mother, Mabel Voss, had her favorite scare tactic. In our family, she'd always make an example out of me. My only value was bleeding and crying, warning Tyler Voss, her precious son, to behave. When he broke a vase, I'd be the one kneeling and picking up the shards, letting the porcelain scratch my fingertips. When he stole something, Mabel would smile and pawn me off to the shopkeeper, so she wouldn't have to pay a single cent. She thought I was in another hell, but that small store with its warm yellow lights ended up being the starting point for all the warmth of the rest of my life. Many years later, when the mess they made by spoiling Tyler finally blew up in their faces, they showed up, desperate and in tears, going on and on about "family and love." I looked at them as if they were strangers. I said calmly, "Sorry. I paid back everything I owed you during my childhood. As for what you owe me, I don't want it anymore. Just take it as... A silent goodbye."