— You’re you, Jerilynn, you’re not a TV show.
— They’re reality shows. They show what — what happens — what can happen. In reality. And it’s because they stay at home and are dependant on their moms. There’s, like, no consequences.
— Well, I think it’s good you’re having these thoughts, but—
— I just think it will be so much better if we live in an apartment.
— And how do you expect to pay for that? Is Rikki working? Are his parents going to give you money?
— I don’t think so.
— And I don’t have it, Jerilynn, I just don’t have it. I’m working at Sears! I think it’s a sweet — it’s a good idea, I mean it’s sound, but there’s — the baby is already going to be a big expense. The baby is a hardship. You really need to start to realize. There are diapers, there—
— I know! And I don’t — I wasn’t going to ask you for any money. I want to use my own money.
— (A kind of crazy look) Your own money?
— From my trust.
— What do you mean trust?
— For the money. For the pictures—
— What pictures—
— The ones you took. Of me. The photographs. Remember when you said you were going to put money away? Because you said you wanted me to benefit? You said you wanted me to benefit from your work—
— Oh. Yeah. OK. Okay — this — this is. . . . ….
— I’m not asking for your money. I’m not asking for anyone’s money but my own. And I know I might not be able to have it until I’m 21 or 18, legally or whatever, but what I wanted to ask you was if you — if they — the bank or whomever — if they could give me my money early because of my — because of my circumstances. I can even help you with it, I mean, if you need money, so you don’t have to work at Sears anymore, it would take off such a burden from everyone’s shoulders. . or I can even take part of, like, whatever it is, I could take just like 125,000 or even a hundred—
— (Trancelike) A hundred and twenty-five thousand. .
— Mom, I don’t care what it is, you can release to me whatever, it’ll just make things so much easier—I mean, so people — you & Rikki’s parents — so no one has to worry…
— Jerilynn, I want you to listen to me. I want you to hear this. I really want you to hear this. For a lot of years, I raised you and your brother alone. Your father gave me money for a while & then that stopped. And I was desperate. I was very, very depressed. I felt like the world passed me by. It’s a terrible feeling to have. I started taking pictures again because it was the only thing that stopped me from spiraling down. I started taking pictures of you because you were my light, my little faerie, my little blond angel. I had no idea anyone would be interested in those photographs. Because they were really just for me. Are you listening? Because I really want you to listen, Jerilynn, you really need to listen. I was absolutely — I couldn’t believe they got so much attention, even acclaim. And it allowed me to begin a new life, it let us begin a new life. But what you need to know is that I did not become rich. Not me, not the galleries, not anybody. It was more — it’s like my career has been more — more a cause célèbre than anything else. Do you know what a cause célèbre is, Jerilynn? It’s when something’s controversial but not necessarily profitable. You know, so I traveled to England to show my work, to tremendous expense, & everywhere we went — it wasn’t cheap bringing you on these trips, that’s why I had your brother stay with Ronny in NY — there were always these little tempests when I showed my work, & it seemed that as long as the pictures were controversial, people were more apt to buy. They sold for twenty-five hundred up to $12,000. We didn’t sell too many $12,000 ones, we sold a lot in the midrange & even more in the lower, the lower prices. And the galleries took 50 %. 50 %. .
— If what you’re saying is there’s less of the money left, I already told you that’s OK, because—
— I didn’t have to put you in a private school, but I did. Do you know how much New Crossroads cost? $23,000 a year. For a 12-year-old!—
— Mom, it doesn’t matter, I’ll just take whatever’s there—
— Jerilynn, I don’t even remember, but that’s not—
— You don’t remember how much is there? In the trust?
— I don’t remember… promising that — because I knew what our situation was. But that I don’t remember isn’t the point — I’ll take your word for it, & it does sound like something I would have definitely wanted to do if I could—
— There isn’t any money?
— Jerilynn, I’ll go over my bank statements with you, I’ll have the accountant go over them with you. Right now, I’m carrying $90,000 in credit card debt.
— O my god. You totally lied. You totally scammed your own daughter. . . …
— Jerilynn—
— O my god, I hate you——
— That isn’t fair. Apparently, you weren’t listening when — (Reeyonna starts to SCREAM) Jerilynn — Jerilynn, stop. Stop!
— You piece of shit! You stole money from me!
— I didn’t st—
— My own mother actually stole money from me! O my god! O my god——I want you to DIE, you BITCH! I want you to DIE! You piece of shit bitch! You will NEVER see your grandchild EVER I would NEVER let you see her even if I had a MILLION DOLLARS! I would never let you see her because you are so SICK, you are so FUCKING SICK that you would probably take NUDE PICTURES of it & try to SELL them on the INTERNET! because you’re CRAZY you’re CRAZY you’re a fucking SICK CRAZY SLUT & I fucking HATE YOU! You are the biggest WHORE, you always make a FOOL out of yourself Steve Martin was LAUGHING at you & James Franco wanted to fuck ME not YOU even tho he could tell you were a fucking OLD WHORE! [sustained screams, then] YOU FUCKING FUCKING FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT [a sustained scream, then] you should just DIE why don’t you go somewhere and DIE you are the WORST & the SICKEST you have NO TALENT and everyone thinks you’re CRAZY they KNOW you are no one even wants to be SEEN with you all you have is how SICK you are, you are the WORST MOTHER, O my god I would rather be ADOPTED like RIKKI than have YOU as a MOTHER! You will NEVER meet my baby, you will go to your grave without seeing my baby & when my baby is older I will tell him that his grandma was a SICK PIECE OF SHIT and how HAPPY he should be that you never held him — you will NEVER EVER EVER hold him, do you understand? Are you listening? You better! You better! Because you ARE A SICK FUCKING WHORE AND I HOPE YOU DIE! I HOPE YOU DIE! I HOPE YOU DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!