Chapter Ten
THE SEMI-INVISIBLE GIRL
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
("Where are my real parents? What are their names? Did they abandon me too? How did you get me?")
"Daria, darling, we're your real parents! Why are you saying these things?"
"You wouldn't treat me this way if I were your own flesh and blood. You spend way more time with her than with me, not to mention money, and she gets your undivided attention any time she wants it, where I practically have to be bleeding all over the floor!"
Helen was sympathetic but indignant. "Daria! That is not true! It may seem that way to you, but we do our very best to pay equal attention to both of you."
Daria wasn't having any. "How about last week, when I was telling you about what I did in school, and Quinn came in, said "Hey, look at me!", did a really bad pirouette, and you two started oohing and aahing all over her, and forgot I was even in the house?"
"We're sorry, kiddo, I guess we thought you were finished." Jake offered.
"No, you didn't. As soon as Quinn came into the room, you completely forgot about me, just like you did this morning."
Jake and Helen exchanged a guilty look. "Well, why didn't you say something, sweetie?" Asked Helen.
Daria looked angrily back at her mother. "I did, several times. But Quinn was spinning around bumping into things, and you two were going gaga over her, and you didn't hear a word I said. After a few minutes, I couldn't take any more. I gave up and left."
"Oh, honey, we were just trying to be encouraging to Quinn! We didn't mean to ignore you. What did you want to tell us?"
Daria opened her mouth to speak, but choked up. After two more false starts, she managed "I... won a... an art scholarship... to the University of Texas."
Helen gasped. Jake said, "That's great, kiddo!"
Daria continued, near tears. "It was just for the summer, and just for one class, but it was a scholarship. And I won it based on my ability, not on how cute I am or how loud I can say 'Look at me!
"What do you mean 'was'? You're going to go, aren't you?"
Daria squeezed her eyes tight shut. "It's too late. The application had to be turned in by last Friday, and you didn't sign it."
"Oh, no, sweetie! Why didn't you come back with it later?"
Daria glared at her mother. "Why didn't you tell Quinn to wait her turn? Why didn't you let me finish what I'd already started telling you? I have a little pride, and I have this weird idea that I shouldn't have to compete with Quinn for a few seconds of your attention every now and then. I've tried that, and lost, and now I realize that I'll always lose. I know I'm not pretty or precious or bouncy, but I can't help it. If I'm not worth some of your time, put me up for adoption and give me a chance with some childless couple!"
A grim silence settled in the den. Helen, Jake, and Daria each stared at some random spot around the room, expressions of great sadness on their faces. At length, in a rare moment of insight, Jake said, "Gosh, honey, it sounds like you're more upset about this attention thing than you are about getting left behind."
Daria looked at her father with surprise and a bit of respect. "Yes! Yes! Exactly! I didn't mind being left at the river. I figured one of you needed immediate medical attention. I was proud that you trusted me to look after myself. I even thought you'd be proud of me for building that grille and finding food and cooking my own lunch." She looked down at the floor. "That is, until I realized I'd been deluding myself. The truth is, as soon as Quinn started screaming, you forgot I even existed. That's what hurts." She lowered her head into her hands.
Helen looked at Jake in confusion. Jake told her how Daria had foraged and prepared her own lunch. Surprised, she turned back to Daria. "Don't tell me you just picked some mushrooms and ate them! If you ate the wrong ones, you could die!"
Daria jerked her head up, startled and indignant. She stared open-mouthed at her mother for several seconds, then let her head hang again in despair. "As if you cared. After you disposed of me in an unmarked pauper's grave, you could get Princess Graceless a chambermaid. Or a lady in waiting, whichever she preferred."
"Daria! What brought that on?"
"You did. You just proved my point. I didn't just pick some random mushrooms. I'm quite capable of finding edible mushrooms, and lots of other wild foods, too. I could catch rabbits or squirrels if I needed to. I could build a shelter if I had to, just like I designed a solar grille that I could build with materials on hand, that would cook the food I had. But you don't care about any of that, any more than you care how well I do in school, or what my interests are, because I'm not cute and perky and popular, and that's all that matters to you!" Turning her face away from her parents, Daria ran to her room and shut the door.
Jake said, "Jeez, Helen, at least I told her I was proud of her."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Be sure to miss the Angstful conclusion... THE COMPROMISE AND THE QUEST.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE SEMI-INVISIBLE GIRL
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
("Where are my real parents? What are their names? Did they abandon me too? How did you get me?")
"Daria, darling, we're your real parents! Why are you saying these things?"
"You wouldn't treat me this way if I were your own flesh and blood. You spend way more time with her than with me, not to mention money, and she gets your undivided attention any time she wants it, where I practically have to be bleeding all over the floor!"
Helen was sympathetic but indignant. "Daria! That is not true! It may seem that way to you, but we do our very best to pay equal attention to both of you."
Daria wasn't having any. "How about last week, when I was telling you about what I did in school, and Quinn came in, said "Hey, look at me!", did a really bad pirouette, and you two started oohing and aahing all over her, and forgot I was even in the house?"
"We're sorry, kiddo, I guess we thought you were finished." Jake offered.
"No, you didn't. As soon as Quinn came into the room, you completely forgot about me, just like you did this morning."
Jake and Helen exchanged a guilty look. "Well, why didn't you say something, sweetie?" Asked Helen.
Daria looked angrily back at her mother. "I did, several times. But Quinn was spinning around bumping into things, and you two were going gaga over her, and you didn't hear a word I said. After a few minutes, I couldn't take any more. I gave up and left."
"Oh, honey, we were just trying to be encouraging to Quinn! We didn't mean to ignore you. What did you want to tell us?"
Daria opened her mouth to speak, but choked up. After two more false starts, she managed "I... won a... an art scholarship... to the University of Texas."
Helen gasped. Jake said, "That's great, kiddo!"
Daria continued, near tears. "It was just for the summer, and just for one class, but it was a scholarship. And I won it based on my ability, not on how cute I am or how loud I can say 'Look at me!
"What do you mean 'was'? You're going to go, aren't you?"
Daria squeezed her eyes tight shut. "It's too late. The application had to be turned in by last Friday, and you didn't sign it."
"Oh, no, sweetie! Why didn't you come back with it later?"
Daria glared at her mother. "Why didn't you tell Quinn to wait her turn? Why didn't you let me finish what I'd already started telling you? I have a little pride, and I have this weird idea that I shouldn't have to compete with Quinn for a few seconds of your attention every now and then. I've tried that, and lost, and now I realize that I'll always lose. I know I'm not pretty or precious or bouncy, but I can't help it. If I'm not worth some of your time, put me up for adoption and give me a chance with some childless couple!"
A grim silence settled in the den. Helen, Jake, and Daria each stared at some random spot around the room, expressions of great sadness on their faces. At length, in a rare moment of insight, Jake said, "Gosh, honey, it sounds like you're more upset about this attention thing than you are about getting left behind."
Daria looked at her father with surprise and a bit of respect. "Yes! Yes! Exactly! I didn't mind being left at the river. I figured one of you needed immediate medical attention. I was proud that you trusted me to look after myself. I even thought you'd be proud of me for building that grille and finding food and cooking my own lunch." She looked down at the floor. "That is, until I realized I'd been deluding myself. The truth is, as soon as Quinn started screaming, you forgot I even existed. That's what hurts." She lowered her head into her hands.
Helen looked at Jake in confusion. Jake told her how Daria had foraged and prepared her own lunch. Surprised, she turned back to Daria. "Don't tell me you just picked some mushrooms and ate them! If you ate the wrong ones, you could die!"
Daria jerked her head up, startled and indignant. She stared open-mouthed at her mother for several seconds, then let her head hang again in despair. "As if you cared. After you disposed of me in an unmarked pauper's grave, you could get Princess Graceless a chambermaid. Or a lady in waiting, whichever she preferred."
"Daria! What brought that on?"
"You did. You just proved my point. I didn't just pick some random mushrooms. I'm quite capable of finding edible mushrooms, and lots of other wild foods, too. I could catch rabbits or squirrels if I needed to. I could build a shelter if I had to, just like I designed a solar grille that I could build with materials on hand, that would cook the food I had. But you don't care about any of that, any more than you care how well I do in school, or what my interests are, because I'm not cute and perky and popular, and that's all that matters to you!" Turning her face away from her parents, Daria ran to her room and shut the door.
Jake said, "Jeez, Helen, at least I told her I was proud of her."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Be sure to miss the Angstful conclusion... THE COMPROMISE AND THE QUEST.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~