A monologue from the play “Late Harvest”, who has built her life independently amidst the emotional void left by her absentee father, finds herself confronted with his sudden desire to reconnect and become part of her life.
ABBY: So, you’re here now. After all these years, just like that, you decide it’s time to be a father? Do you even know what you missed? The birthdays, the graduations, every little moment that you should have been a part of, but weren’t.
I spent so much time waiting, you know. Waiting by the window, hoping you’d show up. I’d make up stories in my head about where you were, why you couldn’t be with us. As a kid, those stories were filled with adventures, excuses that made sense in a child’s mind. But as I grew up, so did the reality. The painful, undeniable reality that you just didn’t want to be here.
And now you stroll back into my life, expecting… what? Forgiveness? A fresh start? I’ve built a life without you, learned to get by, to be strong, to not need you. And it was hard. There were nights I cried myself to sleep, days I felt a void that nothing could fill. But I made it through, without you.
You know, part of me always wondered what I did wrong, why I wasn’t enough to make you stay. But this isn’t about me, is it? It’s about you and whatever reasons you had, reasons that kept you away from your own daughter.
I’m not that little girl by the window anymore. I’m not waiting for stories or excuses. I’ve learned to be okay without you. So, if you’re going to be in my life now, it’s not going to be on your terms. It’s going to be slow, and it’s going to take more than just showing up. It’s going to take time, effort, and understanding. And even then, I can’t promise anything.
I’ve moved on from needing you. But maybe, just maybe, we can find a new way to be in each other’s lives. Just maybe.
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