Episode 10 - The Flawed Woman
Written by: Fun But Shy Girl
Based on Characters Created by: Mark Reisman
*Present Day:
An adult Sydney and Emmy were walking into a high school together, as Sydney said, "This is going to be so exciting. I was part of the Girls To Women Club at this school back when I was a teenager, and it helped me so much with my confidence and identity." Emmy smiled as she said, "Me too. It's gonna be great to be leaders in it now. And it'll be awesome having you lead it." Then the two heard a voice say, "Well that hasn't been decided yet." Both Sydney and Emmy turned their heads and saw their old English teacher: Mrs. Harris. Sydney immediately ran over to her old teacher and hugged her as she said, "Mrs. Harris. Oh my gosh, it's so good to see you." A smiling Mrs. Harris then said, "Oh, it's so wonderful to see how my former little chicks have grown so much." Then a curious Emmy said, "So are you still teaching?" Mrs. Harris then said, "No, but helping train new leaders for the Girl to Women club is something I still do and take great pride in. But before you take on this leadership position, I have to ask you Sydney. To lead this program, you have to demonstrate the highest level of appropriate and moral character to these girls and the other leaders. Also, we can't have any controversy connected to our program. So if you think there's anything that's going to prevent you from meeting our qualifications, I need to know now." Sydney took a deep breath as she looked nervous for a second, but then said, "No Mrs. Harris. There shouldn't be any issues."
*Many Years Ago:
Fourteen year old Sydney Reynolds was walking through the park wearing a white t-shirt and pink skirt as Harry walked beside her. As the two walked together, Harry said, "I'm happy you got this modeling opportunity Sydney." A smiling Sydney then said, "I know. I can start making some real money from this. Plus, all great future singers have to practice looking good in front of the camera; am I right? Oh, there's Tony, my photographer." The two approached an older teenager named Tony as he waved and said, "Hey Sydney. I'm ready to shoot if you are. Harry, you staying?" Harry then said, "Nah. I got a big test to study for. Have a good time guys." Harry then walked off, as a smiling Tony then said, "Well anyway Syd, thanks for wearing that outfit I sent you. I got more with me. But first, lets get shooting." Sydney then stood near a lake and began taking various poses as Tony took pictures of her. Tony then said, "Great Syd. Not only are we gonna make some good money from this, this'll really help me with my photography portfolio while applying to colleges." Sydney then said, "Cool. So we got anymore outfits for me to try?"
Tony then said, "Only some swimsuits if you wanna try them on." Sydney then raised an eyebrow as she said, "Swimsuits this time of year?" Then Tony said, "Hey. You gotta get the pictures and the ads ready months in advance." Sydney then grabbed the swimsuits as she said, "Well... I guess it wouldn't be hard to try a few." Sydney then headed into a nearby small bathroom and began to change. As she changed, Tony stood outside but called out to Sydney as he said, "You got any ideas for colleges you're heading to?" As Sydney changed, she said, "Well I know it's less than a year away for you, but it's still over three for me. So I just thought it didn't matter to think about now." Tony then said, "Well you should. Plus, building a good portfolio now will help you look good to colleges later on." Then Sydney stepped out of the bathroom wearing a blue bikini set. The blue top was strapless and showed plenty of her cleavage in the middle, while the blue bikini bottom exposed most of her butt cheeks in the back. As Tony looked at Sydney he said, "Wow. Well... you're already looking good now."
Sydney looking embarrassed said, "Really? I kind of feel silly wearing this." Then Tony said, "No. I mean... any ad with you looking like this is really gonna turn some heads. So um... you wanna do this right by the water?" Sydney nodded and said, "Sure." Sydney then stood near the lake smiling. As Tony took pictures he said, "Now lets get a few of you on your knees. And a few of you bending over. Now lets get a few of you with your back turned." As Sydney turned her back to Tony, she still turned her head to look at the camera while giggling as she said, "Wow. This is fun. Any other poses?" Then Tony said, "Whatever you want now." Then Sydney said, "How about if I start grabbing my butt like this?" Then Sydney put her hands on her butt cheeks and began to squeeze them. Tony laughed a bit as he took pictures of what Sydney was doing. Sydney then laughed too as she said, "Okay. Don't share those." Tony chuckled as he said, "Don't worry Sydney. It'll be our secret."
*Present Day:
An adult Sydney and several other adult women sat with a room full of teenage girls, as Sydney said, "And as dirty as it is described at times, sex really is a wonderful experience. But it's meant to be between two married individuals that love each other very much and intend to spend the rest of their lives together, and no one else. It's beautiful and amazing and it's something I hope you all experience yourselves one day when you're older and ready. But just don't rush it before your wedding day. And if you're feeling confused on whether you're ready or not, remember you can always talk to your parents or the leaders in the program here. Anyway, have a good week everyone. Oh, and I won't be here next week because me and my husband will be celebrating our wedding anniversary on Tuesday. See ya in two weeks." Everyone then got up and prepared to leave as one girl approached Sydney and said, "Thanks Sydney for all you said today. I don't have a mom at home, so it's nice to hear mom stuff from someone like you." A smiling Sydney then said, "Aww. Thanks. You know, my mom died when I was young so I grew up for awhile without a mother too. I know it's hard sometimes." The girl then said, "Yeah. Well anyway, you said your anniversary is next week. How long have you and your husband been married?" Sydney smiled as she said, "Sixteen amazing years." The girl looking confused said, "Huh? But... I know your daughter Alisha. Isn't she turning sixteen years old next month. Then wouldn't that mean..." Sydney suddenly looked panicked as she said, "I mean seventeen years. Yep. Seventeen." The girl then walked away looking skeptical, as Sydney had a nervous look on her face.
*Many Years Ago:
Fourteen year old Sydney sat on her bed in just her white underwear with her phone in her hand as she said, "So did you get those pics I took of myself in that green dress? It just came in and I just had to try it on." On the other end of her phone, Sydney heard Tony say, "You looked great in it Syd. Can't wait to take pictures of you wearing that in the park tomorrow." Then Sydney began to cross her legs as she said, "And what did you think of those... bikini photos I sent you? You think those will look nice as I wear them by the lake tomorrow?" Then Tony said, "Honestly... you looked so incredibly hot in those bikinis Sydney. Although as nice a back drop as the lake will be, seeing you wear those in your bedroom made you look way hotter. Regardless, your body looks great in anything Syd. Harry must consider himself a lucky guy when you two are in bed together." Sydney made a small sigh and said, "Me and Harry haven't done it yet, and we're not planning to for a long time. We both agreed it was best that way." Then Tony said, "Well you sure are missing out. Exploring your sexuality is a wonderful thing."
Then Sydney took a deep breath and then said, "Well... if you were exploring it with a girl like me... how would you do it?" Then Tony said, "Well... it would first depend on what you're wearing when you go to bed." Sydney then looked in a nearby mirror she had standing near her bed. Sydney then took a long breath, and then using the mirror took a picture of herself laying on her side smiling in just her white underwear. Then Sydney send the picture to Tony with the caption: "Something like this." After a few seconds, Sydney heard Tony gasp as he said, "Wow Sydney. Just wow. Well... as hot as you look like that... I would gently peel those little white things off your body. It would start by me slowly moving my hands on your shoulders and then take off that back hook. Then I would gently remove those panties by sliding them oh so gently down your legs." Then Sydney grinned as she said, "What about what you're wearing?" Then Tony said, "Oh, my clothes would've disappeared from me in under two seconds once I saw you in bed. I'd then immediately get on top of you and... well... what would you like to do to me?" Sydney then grinned as she said, "Well..."
*Present Day:
An adult Sydney and several other adult women were sitting in the room full of teenage girls, as Sydney said, "And I know you all want to feel proud of your bodies. But remember, there are parts of your body that must be reserved just for the eyes of that special somebody you marry one day. To show too much or all of your body to someone who doesn't really care about you... it's like you're treating your body like trash. Don't just throw it wherever. Save it for that special somebody you know you're gonna spend the rest of your life with." Then one girl raised her hand and said, "Sydney. Wasn't like Instagram and stuff like that invented when you were a kid. Can we see the pictures you posted when you were our age?" Sydney looked a bit caught off guard as she said, "Oh... well... I deleted my old accounts because they were distracting me. Plus, you don't wanna see me when I was young and wearing those silly clothes we used to wear in the 2020's. Anyway, it looks like we're out of time. See ya next week girls."
*Many Years Ago:
Fifteen year old Sydney sat at a computer cafe typing up a document. Then Sydney heard her phone ring, and smiled as she saw who was calling. Sydney then answered the phone as she said, "Hey Tony. How you doing?" A happy sounding Tony said, "Pretty good. Spent all night having a good time looking at all of those selfies you took of yourself wearing that bikini in the shower. So wet... and the water looked good when it hit you too. So what are you doing right now?" Sydney then said, "Oh, just typing up a school paper at one of those cyber cafes. Typing here helps me focus. But it's great. I just login into my school account, and I don't even have to save anything to a USB drive or anything like that anymore. I can even bring up the document on my phone." Then Tony said, "Oh. I was hoping you were gonna say you were home. Would love to see you in a different outfit today. Maybe... your birthday suit." Sydney grinned as she ended the call. Sydney then immediately ran over to the nearby bathroom. Sydney then got into a bathroom stall, and immediately took off all her clothes and underwear. Sydney then held her camera up and began to taking several nude selfies of herself. Sydney smiled as she got shots of herself standing up straight, bending over, and sitting down with her legs stretched out. Sydney then examined her photos as she had a big grin on her face. Then Sydney heard her phone ring, and saw Olive was calling her.
Sydney answered the phone and said, "Olive?" Sydney then heard Olive say, "Hey Syd. Me and Emmy just got the coolest outfits while vintage store shopping. I gotta show you how we look. We already took so many photos." Then Sydney said, "Um, Olive, I don't have the time for you to show me pictures." Then Olive said, "It's okay. I'll send you a link to my Google photos account. Any photos I take automatically get sent there, and my the account the school set up for me has so much storage!" Sydney looked freaked out as she said, "Wait. You mean... any photo I take on my phone will probably automatically get uploaded!?" A casual sounding Olive then said, "Yeah. That way you can automatically look at your photos on any computer too. It's the way most phones work. Anyway. I'll send you the link in a bit." Sydney then hung up her phone as she began to get her underwear back on, followed by her clothes. Meanwhile back in the computer cafe, a curious young man sat in front of the computer Sydney had been at and had forgotten to log out from. The man then curiously opened Sydney's photo account, and his eyes went wide at what he saw. The man then quickly got out a USB drive, and copied the photos to the drive. Then the man quickly logged out and rushed out of the cafe. Meanwhile a frantic Sydney walked out of the bathroom as she looked at her phone and said, "Delete, delete, delete. Okay... there. It's deleted from my phone and photo account."
*Present Day:
An adult Sydney was sitting in her kitchen as she saw Alisha walking in. As Alisha grabbed some snacks, a curious Sydney said, "Where are you heading off to?" Alisha then casually said, "To hang out with Johnny at the pool." Sydney raised one eyebrow as she said, "Is Barry gonna be there?" Alisha then said, "Nah. Johnny just wants to hang out and talk. No big." Sydney then cautiously said, "Alisha... is everything okay between you and Barry? Does he know you're hanging out with Johnny?" A suddenly frustrated looking Alisha said, "Yes mom. Me and my boyfriend are cool. And we are allowed to hang out with people of the opposite gender." Then Sydney said, "But Alisha... I've seen how Johnny looks at you, puts his arm around you, and take photos of you at the pool. If Barry is really your boyfriend, then you have to be careful how close you allow yourself to get to other boys." Then an angry Alisha said, "Mom, times have changed. It's not like your stories of when you were a teenager, and the only boy you looked at or talked to in high school was dad. Anyway, see ya." Then Alisha walked away as Sydney looked down with a guilty look on her face.
*Many Years Ago:
Fifteen year old Sydney laid on her bed holding her phone in her hand as she browsed through several photos of herself. Some pictures were of her wearing bikinis in her room. Other pictures included herself wearing various sorts of underwear on her body. Other pictures however were of Sydney naked with only a few pillows covering her private regions. Then there were also pictures of Sydney in the bathroom wearing just a towel, while other pictures featured Sydney wet in the shower with only a wet towel around her body. Sydney then deleted all the photos from her phone and her Google photos account as she had tears in her eyes. Sydney then heard her phone ring. Sydney answered the phone as she said, "Hello?" Sydney then heard Tony's voice say, "Hey. Ready to show me your latest hot pics?" Sydney then said, "Tony. I... I can't. You know my friend Sophia? Well some photos and video of her got leaked out that were were taken over a year ago, and... I can't deep doing this. The photos I've sent you... if they leak out..." Then Tony said, "Whoa. Chill Syd. You've never actually sent photos of yourself naked. So you won't be in trouble." Then as tears began to appear in her eyes Sydney said, "But... if Harry knew..." Then Tony said, "Knew what? We've never kissed. We've never had sex. We've never even touched each other. We've just talked and shared a few photos. We've done nothing wrong." As more tears appeared in her eyes, Sydney said, "But we have. Tony... never call me again!" Then Sydney turned off her phone and threw it at the wall as she began to sob.
*The Present
Sydney was about to walk into the local high school, when Mrs. Harris approached Sydney and said, "Sydney, come here. I need to talk to you." A concerned looking Sydney then said, "What's wrong?" Mrs. Harris then said, "Look... no matter what happens, I am going to help you through it. But... you cannot go into the school." A still confused looking Sydney then said, "Why?" Mrs. Harris then said, "There are police that arrived at the school looking for you. One of the cops is a friend of mine, so he allowed me a chance to talk to you first to avoid a scene." A worried looking Sydney then said, "What scene?" Mrs. Harris took a deep breath, and hen said, "Sydney... you're under investigation because... a deep long investigation into a child pornography ring has unearthed nude photos of... you... from 2022... and they were traced back to your old school photo account you used back in high school. That's why the police came here first." Sydney had a panicked look on her face as she said, "What!? But... I... how did... I never..." Mrs. Harris then said, "I'll give you a moment to call any lawyer you know. But... I'm pretty sure you're about to be taken away to a police station Sydney."
*Many Years Ago:
A fifteen year old Sydney and Harry were sitting together on a swing set as a confused looking Harry said, "Sydney... what are you saying? I... I just want to understand." Sydney then gripped the chains of the swing set tightly as she said, "It was Tony. Remember how he used to take photos of me for that modeling agency? Well I would sometimes send him photos of me trying stuff on at home and... I just started sending him photos of me in various forms of undress." Then Harry said, "Anything else?" Then Sydney said, "No. I swear. We never kissed. We never had sex. We never even touched each other. We just talked and I sent pictures of myself to him. Never to anyone else. Of course... in the world of the internet, never assume anything stays exclusive to one person I guess." Then Harry said, "So... how long?" Sydney closed her eyes and said, "I sent him one picture ten months ago. Our talking over the phone got a little intense that night, but then the next morning we decided things went too far, and we promised never to do it again... until I sent him more photos of me a month later... and a month after that. And then it became the habit. I'd send him photos, I'd feel completely terrible later, I'd make a vow to never do it again, for over three weeks I'd feel happy that my heart only belonged to you, and then... I'd feel tempted again, and the cycle would start all over again. It wasn't until Sophia had her incident with photos of herself leaking out that I realized I had to stop. And I haven't even communicated with Tony since. I promise. I swear."
Harry then looked away from Sydney slightly as he said, "Sydney... this is hard for me. This is really hard." Sydney began to cry as she said, "I'm sorry Harry. I'm so, so, so, so sorry. It was stupid. It was dumb. I was only focused on feeling some kind of emotional high every time I did it, only to always feel a huge low later. But when I'm with you Harry, you make me feel better every day, and that feeling never goes away or lessens. I love you Harry. Before God, I swear I love you so freaking much, and it kills me inside that I hurt you." Harry sighed and said, "Sydney... you were tempted. We all are every day. I feel the same urges you do with other girls I come across. I know how you feel. Sydney... I forgive you. However... it's gonna take some time before I can believe you won't give into that type of temptation again." Sydney then said, "Wait. Are you breaking up with..." Harry then turned to look at Sydney as he said, "No, because I love you Sydney. I want us to fix what's going with you, and what may be going on with us. However... I'm going to be more cautious around you for some time. Because I am hurt by what you did." Sydney then titled her head down. Then Harry moved his head down low so he could look at Sydney right in the eye as he said, "But if anyone at school tries to mess with you or make fun of you for this, I am going to remain in your corner and help you... because Sydney Reynolds, you still deserved to be loved." Sydney made a small smile as she said, "Thank you Harry. You are too good to me. I promise I will spend the rest of my life being a better person for you." Harry then stood up and made a small smile too as he said, "And so will I." Then Harry walked out of the back yard. Then once she was all alone, Sydney fell to the ground as she began to sob.
*The Present:
Sydney sat in her home next to Harry, as they were both facing Sophia's mother Angela. As Angela looked through some papers she said, "Well we have a lot of good things going for us here Sydney. The state obviously doesn't see you as a major threat since you were released with no need for bail. But we're gonna have to present a good case to the judge when your upcoming trial happens. What we have on our side is you've never faced criminal charges before, and this incident happened when you were a minor, so you'll be charged as such. However a lot of things are still up in the air." A concerned looking Sydney then said, "What do you mean?" Angela sighed and said, "Even if you're a minor, uploading any child pornography of any kind is a serious crime. Despite it being so long ago, you could find yourself facing some kind of fines, probation, or even being putting on the sex offender registry for up to ten years." A wide eyed and panicked looking Sydney then said, "What!? But these were photos I took of myself years ago, and I never actually sent them to anyone. Plus... this was all back when I was practically a whole different person." Angela looking sad said, "I know Sydney. I know you're not that person anymore... but we're going to have to find a way to show the court that. Anyway... I'll give you some time to process. We can talk again on Monday." Angela then left the room. Then within seconds Sydney fell into Harry's arms sobbing. As Harry held Sydney, a crying Sydney then said, "I'm sorry Harry. I am so, so, so freaking sorry. I promise you I never actually sent those photos. I only took them and... Oh God, this is killing me all over again." Harry then looked into Sydney's eyes as he said, "Sydney... I forgave you long ago, and I still forgive you now. Sydney, you've always had your flaws... but you still have so much inner beauty and kindness. And I love you just the way you are. But... for the longest time... you've also tried to hide who you really are from the rest of the world... and I don't think that's always been the best choice." Sydney then looked down as she had a sad look on her face.
*Seventeen Years Ago:
Sydney was sitting at a table in front of her laptop in an apartment as Harry said, "Hey Syd. I'm about to take a shower." Sydney then looking slightly nervous said, "Well don't make it short. I need to convince my dad that I'm the only one living here, so you showing up again is gonna make things weird." Harry then said, "Syd, don't you think you should tell him. I mean we've been lying to both our parents for months now and..." Then Sydney looking very nervous said, "And if we both want to stay alive, we need to keep it that way." Harry sighed as he walked into the bathroom. Then Sydney looked at her laptop, as a video of her father Max appeared. Sydney put on a smile as she said, "Hey dad. Great to see you." A smiling Max then said, "Great to see you to honey. Did you pass that big test you were stressing about?" Sydney nodded her head and said, "Yep. No big." Then Max said, "Well I guess living alone with no room-mates keeps you less distracted now." Sydney quickly nodded her head as she said, "Yep. No distractions and no room-mates here." Then Harry suddenly stepped out of the bathroom wearing just a towel as he said, "Hey Syd. You buy any new shampoo. We're out." Sydney then turned her head and glared at Harry as she said, "Not now!" Harry then realized Sydney was in the middle of a video call with Max and quickly went back into the bathroom. Max looking confused then said, "Sydney, who was..." Then Sydney looking nervous said, "It's not what you think dad. We only became room-mates to save money." Max who looked shocked said, "Sydney... I... I.. I'll talk to you later." Max then ended the video call, as Sydney put her hands over her face and said, "Oh God. I have become a complete and total disappointment to my father."
*The Present
Sydney sat in the living with her daughters Alisha and Valicity. Sydney looked a bit nervous as she said, "I know you two have maybe already heard some things but... girls... when I about your age... I... sort of cheated on your father for a time. I didn't have sex with anyone, but there was this other boy I became friendly with and... I sent several photos of myself wearing little clothing to him. I even took some photos of myself... naked... which were accidentally saved to a cloud account associated with my high school... and my... crime of uploading naked photos of myself when I was young has finally caught up with me, which is what I'm going to court for soon. I already admitted this to your father when we were still in high school, but... it's not a part of my past I'm proud of." A confused looking Valicity then said, "Why haven't you told us before?" Sydney looking sad then said, "Shame, I guess. But also... I guess I wanted to be a better role model to you both, and any younger girls I came across. I wanted to be the ideal mother figure so bad that... I felt like I had to hide any flaws or mistakes I made from you both. I... I'm sorry I've lied to you both for so long." The three all sat silent for a moment. Then Alisha said, "Mom... we've kind of already known for years now." A surprised Sydney then said, "What?"
Alisha with a straight forward tone said, "Aunt Sophia knew and already told us a little bit of the story. But also, I always knew you didn't have a pure past. Mom, I've seen you and dad's wedding album. Not only were you so hiding a baby bump, but I saw the wedding date marked on the book and I know my own birthday. I know you got pregnant with me before you and dad were married." Sydney now looked more upset as she said, "Alisha... oh God. I... I've been lying to you my whole life and... I'm sorry. I'm so, so, so sorry. I screwed up. I screwed up big time." Then Valicity also in a straight forward voice said, "But you didn't. Mom, you married dad before Alisha was born and have stayed together since. You've had a great career, mentored so many other girls, and you adopted me. Mom, you made my life better. And when me and Alisha realized you had screwed up long ago, but were still able to grow into the awesome mom you are now... it was honestly kind of an inspiring story." Alisha smiled as she said, "Mom, you don't need to create the image of being a woman who has always done the right thing. The story of a flawed messed up girl who still became a terrific, hard working, kind, virtuous, and loving person... that's already a good enough mother to us." Sydney then began to start crying some happy tears as she hugged Alisha and Valicity as she said, "Girls... I love you both so much."
*Seventeen Years Ago:
Sydney was sitting outside of a coffee shop looking nervous. Then she saw a car pull up, and her father Max step out of it. Max then walked over to Sydney as he sternly said, "Hello Sydney." Sydney looked nervous as she said, "Hey dad. Um... thanks for driving all the way here to talk." Max then sat down as he said, "Well I realized I really needed to after what I saw in our last video call." Sydney breathed in deeply, and then said, "Look dad... I know you must be worried or disappointed in me, but please understand that I did what I did to save money." Then Max looking disappointed said, "And what about the fact that I only see one bed in the background of our videos calls in this now shared dorm room. Could you not afford a second one?" Sydney looking a bit upset said, "Dad... we've been careful." Max looking very upset now said, "Sydney, I can't believe what I'm hearing. What would Harry say if he found out?" Sydney suddenly looking confused said, "Huh? Dad, what are you talking about?" Max then said, "Sydney, I think it's highly inappropriate to live with and sleep with some other guy when you're in a long term committed relationship with Harry, who has been a very loyal boyfriend to you for so long."
Sydney still confused said, "Dad... Harry is the guy I'm living with." A look of clarity went across Max's face as he said, "Oh. I'm sorry. When he stepped out of the bathroom in the video call, I couldn't see his face, and I guess I didn't recognize his voice either. I thought he was some other guy. I guess that was just my dad fears assuming the worst." Then Sydney still looking a bit confused said, "So... you're not mad me and Harry are living together?" Max looking much more calm and laid back now said, "Well I'm definitely glad you're not living with a guy who is practically a stranger. But you and Harry have known each other for years. I trust you both." Sydney still looking a little bit nervous then said, "Okay. Sorry about all the confusion dad. I honestly thought you knew that was Harry in the background of the video call, and would get mad at us for living together since... you know... you told me that I should wait as long as it takes before I decide if Harry is the person I want to share myself completely with." Max made a reassuring smile as he said, "Syd... I told you that back when you were a high school freshmen and you had only just started going out with Harry. But you've been dating for over seven years since. If you don't know by now if Harry is someone you want to share yourself completely with, you may never."
A now relieved Sydney then said, "So you mean you're not mad at me?" Max keeping his reassuring smile said, "Honestly... me and Harry's parents have been wondering why you two hadn't started living together years ago." Sydney looking a little confused again said, "Well... it's because... I didn't want to make major decisions in my life that would upset you." Max sighed and said, "Sydney, you're an adult now. And that means you're allowed to live your own life. You don't have to overthink about how your life affects mine anymore. As long as Harry treats you well, and you make decisions on where your relationship heads together as equals... you both will always have my love and support. Anyway, I have to get back to Portland to the bike shop. I... kind of left nobody in charge when I left." Then as Max stood up, a confused looking Sydney then said, "So that's it? No reminding me to be safe and use protection, or pressure for me and Harry to get married right now, or anything like that?" Max smiled as he said, "You're an adult now Syd, and no longer living under my roof. The only person in charge of your actions is you now. So just... don't disappoint yourself." Then Max walked over to his car, as Sydney waved goodbye to him.
*Present Day:
Sydney sat in a court room as Angela stood next to her before a judge. As Angela looked at the judge she said, "So as you know your honor, all of us do change a great deal over two decades. And my client had demonstrated that since, by graduating from high school, then college, and then becoming a productive member of her community through her work with social services, including adopting a young girl who is with us today; a young girl that would've had no home if it wasn't for my client. My client is not here to deny what she is accused of, but I am here today to declare she has already paid her debt by giving back to society immensely, and has already learned from her mistake." The judge then said, "Your words have been noted, but I'd rather here from your client now. Sydney... do you have any words to say?"
Sydney cleared her throat, and then stood up and said, "Thank you for allowing me to address the court. As my lawyer has said, I have learned a great deal from my mistake I made when I was young, and have grown a great deal since then. I was immediately ashamed after I committed the mistake I made long ago, and have been growing every day since then. I did that in part by focusing my mind on my education, my family, and now my work I do in which I give back to the community. As you see in your records, I did attend therapy for several years in response to my actions, which did help give me new direction in my life. A new direction that I hope you now see. I have addressed... and will continue to address what led me here for the rest of my life... and if given the chance, I will also tell what led me here to others; as a means to prevent this from happening to them as well. I am asking you your honor, that you please grant me the ability to finally end this shameful chapter of my life, so that I can move forward with my future... while still not forgetting my past." The judge sat silent for a moment, and then said, "M'am... my verdict is... you pay to the state a penalty of 350 dollars, and in exactly one year, barring no crimes are committed by yourself, this incident will be expunged from the court's records. You have become a different person m'am... and I see no reason to fully punish someone for a person they no longer are. You may leave." Sydney had a smile on her face, as Angela put a hand on Sydney's shoulder while smiling as well.
*Sixteen Years Ago:
Sydney sat in the kitchen of her and Harry's apartment as she held her phone in front of her while doing a video call with her father Max. As Sydney looked at her phone she said, "Thanks for the food you sent us dad. It was great." Then Max smiled as he said, "Well I only send the best food to the best daughter in the world, and the soon to be best mother as well." Sydney rubbed her stomach briefly as she said, "Thanks. It still feels weird to say I'll be a mother soon. Dad... what was it like when mom was pregnant with me?" Max smiled and said, "She was a roller-coaster of so many emotions. But she was excited to have you. We had both waited so long for just the right time to finally have a kid of our own, and the wait was worth it." Sydney looking nervous now said, "Dad... did I let you down... by not waiting for me and Harry to get married before I got pregnant?" Max sighed as he said, "Sydney, I already told you... I can't be mad at you for making the same mistake both your mother and I each did at one point. But you're doing everything you can to grow from this and become better. That's what really matters. And I am proud that both you and Harry are taking responsibility for your actions. Just focus on only doing the right thing as you take each new step forward." Sydney nodded her head and said, "Thanks dad. And... thank you for loving me no matter what I do." Max smiled as he said, "It's called being a parent. Something you're about to discover yourself soon."
*Present Day:
Sydney sat alone in her home, when there was a knock on the door. Sydney opened the door and saw Emmy. Emmy walked in and immediately hugged Sydney as she said, "Hey. How you doing?" Sydney hugged Emmy back as she said, "Okay. Just went through a roller-coaster of emotions but... I'm okay." Sydney and Emmy then sat together, as Emmy said, "Well at least your case ended well. It looks like everything ended up perfect." Sydney sighed and then said, "No Emmy. It wasn't perfect... just like me." A confused Emmy then said, "What do you mean?" Sydney then looked at Emmy as she said, "I am not a perfect person Emmy. You know... in modern American culture today... so many of us get so obsessed with being perfect, or super ideal, or the best role model or leader that we... we pretend we're already at that level before we've experienced the tons of growth to properly get there. And the truth is... we'll never get all the way there. We're all flawed imperfect people. But we have to acknowledge those flaws and not hide them. Because only by acknowledging them... can we start to really grow past them. As terrible as recent events were... I'm actually glad everyone knows how flawed I really am and really was... because now everyone knows the real me. And... I like finally being the real me everywhere I am now." Then Emmy said, "Well... I am sorry to say that because of recent events... it did cause some controversy with the Girls to Women program, and a bunch of mothers did pull their girls out." Sydney looked upset as she said, "Oh no." Then Emmy made a little smile and said, "But... for the girls that did stay... recent events actually started up a lot of conversations on how we can all grow and learn from our mistakes. Honestly, the conversations we've had our some of the best I've ever seen teenage girls and adults have together. And Mrs. Harris did say that once a year or two passes... she's gonna really push for you to come back to the program... because she said the program needs more like women like you. I believe she referred to you as an excellent example of a flawed women... that proved she still has a place in God's perfect plan." Sydney smiled as she said, "Tell her I said... thank you."
THE END