“ Be whatever you want, but don’t let anyone see. Perfect the surface. Learn your lines. Sit up straight. Use the right fork, put your napkin on your lap, say excuse me, say please, smile for chrissakes, smile, stop crying, quit whining, quit asking why, because I said so dammit, don’t talk back to me, watch your mouth, missy, behave yourself, control yourself. I always had this mental image of me, spilling out of the shell of my skin, flooding the room with tears.
Wasted by Marya Hornbacher
