The Prince
Description
Vocal Characteristics
Language
EnglishVoice Age
Young Adult (18-35)Accents
North American (General)Transcript
Note: Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and may contain errors.
Hi, I'm Clara. When I was around six or seven, I begged my mom to put me in art class. I love drawing in. My art teacher said. I had a natural talent. I was super proud of myself, so I would happily give my artwork to my mom and she would go, Oh, lovely for me, this is really pretty. But one day I got home from school and saw her tearing up my drawing and throwing it in the trash. My world was ripped apart. I kept crying in secret and ultimately dropped out of art school. I even stopped drawing all together, but I was still so young that I guess I forgot about it for a while until I was 13 and my so called parents betrayed me. My grandmother had come to visit for a few weeks. I used to play in her bedroom because that guest bedroom was actually my playroom. One day my grandma's gold watch went missing, and she casually mentioned it at the dinner table. Then the missing watch situation escalated fast. Grandma would wake up early every single day and search the house. She'd flip over cushions and rugs open all cabinets leave our house a total mess. Couple days later, I was playing outside. When Dad came home early from work, he asked me to come inside for a second. Mom told me to sit on the stool in the kitchen and all three of them came to stand really close. My grandma asked, Where is my gold watch, Clara? I told them I didn't know. But Dad said, Look me in the eye and tell me what you did with the gold watch. I explained that I had no idea, but they kept pressing me, taking turns to ask the same question over and over again. I couldn't prove my innocence to three adults who had already decided I was a thief. They didn't yell or anything, but it was so much pressure. I started crying that stopped them. But later that night, they banded together again. Dad tried another tactic. He hugged me and said, Maybe you took it and forgot. It happens to everyone. Just tell me. Mom played bad cop for a while while Dad played good cop, and the threats and pity got totally mixed up in my young mind. Something inside me just shattered. They don't trust me. I kept telling the truth, but they had decided they wouldn't stop until they got a confession. The questions and interrogation went on for four days until I got so sick of it that I made a decision. I'm going to run away from home. But the world was a scary place for a 13 year old kid. I could get hurt. I could be kidnapped, so I didn't dare leave the house. No matter what happened, I was safer at home. The next morning, I announced I took the watch and gave it to my friend Janie. I thought the torture would stop if I faked a confession, but no Dad grabbed his keys and said, Get in the car. He wouldn't tell me where we were going, But I soon saw that we were outside Janey's house. Oh, my heart sank. Dad told Jamey's mom that I gave Jamie my grandma's gold watch, he said, It's very expensive, so I want it back. Jamie said she didn't have the watch. Dad was like, You're lying. Jamey's mom got so angry. If Janey says she doesn't have the watch, then it means she doesn't have to watch. My daughter doesn't lie. Whoa, I was in shock. Why couldn't my mother have done for me what Jamey's mom did for her When we got home, Mom said, Jamie's mother probably pawned off the gold watch to make money. She couldn't understand how a mother could defend her child for no reason other than selfless love and peer trust. The next day at school, I was angry and ashamed. I told Jamie why I lied and she wasn't upset at all. Turns out her mom never even asked her about the watch again. I felt a burning disappointment in my chest. I didn't want to go home where my own parents didn't believe me, their own daughter. My grandma wouldn't let it go. She would wake up every morning and throw run comments like stealing is a sin. Lying sends you to ****. She stopped letting me play in her room, which was actually my playroom, and she was just a guest. Grandma wouldn't even let me get my stuff out of there. To top it off, Mom would look at me with disappointment dripping from her eyes. I'm so ashamed of you. How could you do this. It's so embarrassing. I wasn't sad anymore. I wasn't even angry. I felt betrayed. Week later, Grandma was leaving. When she hugged my mom. The stupid gold watch fell off her wrist right there in the middle of the living room. Mom and I were in shock, but Grandma just said I found the watch while I was packing. See you soon. Goodbye, Clara. Then she gave me a hug. Grandma didn't even apologize to me. I turned to my mom and mom just went back to reading her work emails as if nothing even happened. No one apologized to me. Why should they apologize to a child? They didn't think they did anything wrong. I'm now 23 I never returned. My parents calls. There's no trust. They complained that I never come home for the holidays. What can I say? I never got over their betrayal. They're dead to me.