JUST TWENTY DOLLARS

Mia’s perspective: “Please,” Lou begs, “please please please pleeeeeeeeeeease! It’s only twenty dollars!” Very soon, my mom relents and hands her twenty dollars. As soon as she’s gone, I turn to my mother. “Come on mom, you have to stand your ground,” I say, “if she wants money, she can find a job! She has an able body.” She just looks at me, as if to say, what do I do? “Just say no!” I tell her, “Just refuse to give her your money! You're her mom, she has no right to take things from you! She’s fourteen! Are you really going to let your fourteen year old daughter push you around like that?” My mom is silent, and for a minute I think she’s going to cry, but then she just shakes her head and walks out of the room.

Mom’s perspective: My oldest daughter is kneeling in front of me, begging for twenty dollars. It’s just twenty dollars, I think, I might as well give it to her. I hand her the money and she’s so happy, I ‘m not.

Lou’s perspective: “It’s just twenty dollars,” I say, “and I’ll never ask for any ever again,” my little sister Mia rolls her eyes. She gives me the look that she always does when I say that, I just glare at her. My mom looks down at me helplessly and looking so tragically sad that I almost stop begging, she hands me the money.