- 6/2/2025
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00:00Hi, I'm Leah from Indiana. Before I continue, please hit like and subscribe. Since I was a baby,
00:05I was meant to be a dancer. I could dance before I could even walk. I would do the cha-cha while
00:10cleaning my room and bust a move while brushing my teeth. And of course, I was shaking it all
00:15the way to and from school. People smiled and laughed when they saw me, but I never cared.
00:20When I was 10, I would watch my friends head off to dance class after school. It would tear me up
00:25inside to see them living my dream. I came home one day as my mom was finishing her makeup. Mom,
00:30can I please, please go to dance class? All my friends are going. You're not going. You have
00:36no idea how much that class costs. There was no other parent to ask at that time. Just me and mom
00:41and whoever she was dating that week. But mommy, please. I swear, I'll do your laundry and chores.
00:46And when I make money from ballet, you'll get makeup from Sephora. I'll take you shopping,
00:50whatever you want. Pretty please. This means everything in the world to me. We'll see if
00:56that ever happens. Right now, I don't have time for this. I'm going to be late. The answer is no,
01:00and that's final. She left me alone in the cold house while she sped off in Ted or Fred's Ferrari
01:06to some fancy dinner. For me, another night of instant noodles. I felt devastated with how my life
01:11was going, just dreaming about my dream of dancing. But then I turned 12. I was alone, like always. And
01:18before I could blow out my candle on my plain cupcake, it flickered out. Oh no, there's still
01:23so much to wish for. I was about to leave for school when mom barged in. Hold on, Leah. You
01:29have mail. My mom handed me a card with my name and address on it. Who's it from, mommy? To Leah.
01:35From Aunt Lucy. Who's Aunt Lucy? I haven't spoken to her in years. I don't talk to that side of the
01:40family. She gave me a ticket. Mom snatched it immediately from my hand. That's not a ticket. It's a check
01:46for 10 million dollars. My mom went crazy. It was like she stepped into a Louis Vuitton
01:52fever dream. I didn't even know she was that loaded. I could do so much with this. I could
01:56buy a Gucci dress, an MK bag, and a diamond set. And I can't wait to see the look on Mary's
02:02face. She'll be fuming. Oh, that Tony who dumped me? He'll come crawling back like a puppy,
02:08begging me to take him back. I didn't remember the last time my mom looked so happy. She showered
02:13me with hugs and kisses, even making me twirl around like a ballerina. I had so much to ask
02:18Aunt Lucy. But mom said she didn't have her number or anything. And when I turned 14, mom
02:23decided to move. So we packed up everything and headed to New York City. That's right,
02:28the Big Apple. The city that never sleeps. We were ready to start a new life. I finally
02:33signed up for dance lessons at an art school. Me, the girl who used to have holes in her shoes,
02:37had ballet slippers. I practiced every day until my legs cramped, but I was ecstatic.
02:43My mom also had new friends, like Tiffany, Chanel, and Fendi. I had always wanted to be close to mom,
02:49so I joined her shopping sprees. And it worked out great. I guess that's what I was always missing.
02:54We would spend our time stocking the malls for the best clothes, handbags, and of course,
02:59shoes. Oh, Leah, we have to get these too. I was covered with shopping bags and balancing
03:04shoe boxes while scooting through the aisles. I could barely see in front of me through mom's
03:09hall. Hurry up. We don't want to miss the first drop of Balenciaga's new collection.
03:13I'm right behind you. But honestly, when we were in these very posh stores, I felt like a princess.
03:20I was offered fancy drinks, tried on expensive dresses, and best of all, I felt so close to my
03:25mom. I walked out of the dressing room in a sparkling dress. Now spin around. Beautiful. So beautiful.
03:30We'll take it. I looked at myself in the mirror. I could barely recognize myself, but maybe this is
03:36who I was supposed to be. I carefully teetered in the heels my mom had picked out for me, but
03:41crashed into the mirror. Do you think we could look at some flats? While I spent so much time with my
03:46mom, I might have been distracted from my dancing. My dance teacher seemed to be losing patience with
03:51me. Okay, Leah, you're up next. Sauté. I smiled nervously at my dance teacher, attempting to jump,
03:57but fumbled the landing. The other students giggled at me. Have you been practicing?
04:01Yes, of course. I lied. What time did I have to practice? School was out at three. I told my mom
04:06I would be at Bloomingdale's by four. I mean, it was so unreasonable. Besides, I never looked more
04:11like a ballerina. The clothes, the hair, the shoes, the makeup. I was the definition of what a ballerina
04:17looked like. It wasn't my problem if my teachers couldn't see it. By the time I was 16, me and my mom
04:21had our routine down. Shopping, dining, shopping, and dining. Mom had friends she'd visit while I
04:27was in school, and we'd chat about them over dinner. And you wouldn't believe her hair.
04:31It's turned this terrible orange color, and her roots? Her roots could be seen from outer space.
04:38Honestly, Leah, I'm beginning to think you're my only real friend.
04:41She loved me. My mom loved me. Just then, two men walked into the restaurant and surrounded us
04:47with serious faces. Jeannie Roberts? Um, yes? What is your problem? They flashed their badges at us.
04:53It was the police. You have to come with us. Excuse me? I am not done with my dinner. I want
04:59to speak to your manager. Jeannie Roberts, we need to talk to you about your tax evasion. This is
05:03ridiculous. You don't have the right person. You're gonna ruin my blouse. Mom, what's going on?
05:09Leah, I will call you as soon as I can. Can you let up a little? This is silk. The police dragged my mom
05:15out of the restaurant. I didn't know what else to do, so I ran back to our apartment. I paced and cried,
05:20staring at my phone. My mom was arrested. What on earth could I do? Finally, at midnight,
05:26the doorbell rang, and it was mom. Mom, what's going on? Listen, I have to be quick. You need
05:32to get help. Otherwise, they'll put me away for good. They said tax evasion, but you haven't done
05:36anything. We have the money. Tell the police we have millions of dollars. We don't, Leah. It's gone.
05:42My stomach dropped. I need you to get me out of this trouble. I need you to go see Aunt Lucy and ask
05:47for the money. They have people watching me. They'll pounce on me if I try to leave the city. But you
05:52said you didn't know anything about her. Yeah, um, I just remembered her address. Go to her and get
05:57the money so I can get out of here. I had no other choice. It was just me alone, and I had to save my
06:03mom. I hopped on the first train I could find. There were a million people on the subway, and I squeezed
06:09my way through the crowd. The train car jerked, and the guy's soda splashed all over my face. He glared
06:14at me. Hey, watch it. But he splashed me. Finally, I arrived at my aunt's house and knocked on the door.
06:20Her house towered over me with dozens of closed shutters and fading awnings. I'm not interested in buying
06:26anything. I'm not selling anything. I'm Leah. Are you Lucy? I'm looking for my great Aunt Lucy. Leah? I ran to
06:33her and opened my arms for a much-needed hug. I was taken aback when Aunt Lucy sidestepped me like she was
06:39avoiding a bug. Do you know you look very sticky? I know. I took the subway here. My mom asked for
06:45your help. You helped us before, and we appreciate it, so I didn't help you. Well, with the money you
06:51graciously gave us, you helped us a ton. That was your father's last investment. I was instructed to
06:56cash it out and send it to his next of kin. That's you. My dad? I can only recall bits and pieces of him.
07:02I know. You're not missing out. So, Jeannie's in trouble. You want something from me? Why should I bother?
07:08We're family, aren't we? I always disliked your mother. Spoiled, selfish, and vain. Does the apple
07:14fall far from the tree? You look just like her. But I didn't look like myself. She wanted me to
07:20leave, but I couldn't. She was my only hope. I kept pestering and pleading with her for days,
07:25buzzing around her like a pesky fly. Finally, after what felt like forever, she talked to me. This used
07:31to be a hotel, you know. I took care of everything, and I was great at it. But it's hard for a person my
07:36age to manage everything around here. There's too much space and too many stairs. I have a few
07:41guests coming over, but I don't have much staff. I would like to see how useful you can be. Whatever
07:46you need, I can do it. I needed to wing her over to save my mom, so I got to work by cleaning out
07:51the fireplace. Large chunks of ash rained down on me, covering the floor in a thick blanket of gray.
07:57Oh, oh my god, what a mess. Leave this and go wash your face. And when I scrubbed the windows,
08:02one of the panes cracked, and a large piece of glass fell. I caught the glass right before it
08:07hit the floor. Oh no. I heard some guests coming, so I quickly shoved the glass under the bedspread.
08:12A large older man entered the room and plumped down on the bed. The glass made a large crunching
08:17noise, and the man screamed, new sheets. You must need new bedsheets. I scampered out of the room and
08:23caught Aunt Lucy giving me the death stare. On the way to get new bedsheets, I bumped into a flower
08:28vase and knocked water everywhere. I sprinted off into the hall and grabbed the mop to clean,
08:33and then, but the rest of the guests slipped and fell. Oops, I think I forgot the wet floor sign.
08:38Ugh, it's gonna be one of those days. I totally screwed up, and I knew there was no way she'd
08:44forgive me. So, I hid from her, and when she finally found me, I started bawling like a baby.
08:49She couldn't be mad at a sobbing girl, right? I could see her face soften, and I figured I had a
08:55chance to get on her good side. I tried to make up for all the mistakes I had made. I gave my
09:00aunt a foot massage, made her fresh juices and warm soup, and in my final efforts, I polished her
09:05dresser and found a music box. Don't break it. Oh, I wouldn't. I love it. I'm a ballerina, too.
09:11Well, maybe. I used to be. You're a little young for used to be anything. For me, this ballet feels like
09:17Lucy and I were finally talking, and it felt like the ice was melting. She told me how she used to be a
09:23dancer. When I was a baby, my dad would tell her all about how much I loved dancing. I finally got
09:29through to my aunt, but I still needed her help. I brought up how desperate I was to save my mom.
09:34I was wrong. You're not like your mother at all. Okay, enough of all this. Let's go. We took a car
09:39downtown and met my mom. What on earth happened, Jeannie? You are still as disappointing as ever.
09:44Ugh, here we go. Why did you even bother to come here? You could have sent the money with Leah,
09:49but I guess belittling an innocent woman is more your speed. Aunt Lucy asked mom for her tax forms,
09:54but all she got was silence. Mom, just give her the paperwork. She'll help us. What's wrong with you?
10:00Okay, fine. I'll just leave. And then mom spilled the beans. She had conned us. The cops were fake.
10:06The tax problem was fake. All a scheme to get money from Aunt Lucy. I can't believe this, mom. How could
10:12you do this? I had to. The bank was going to take the apartment, so I had no choice. I was in debt and knew
10:17only you could convince your aunt. I'm sorry. I know I spent a little, but I spent on you too, and it was
10:23for us, right, Leah? It made you happy, right? You were happy, and that's what made me happy, but I'm behind
10:30on all of my classes. We're out of money, and we don't even have the apartment, and now you're definitely
10:36not happy anymore, so I'm not happy, and I don't see how I could ever become a dancer. Enough. Leah, you need to
10:44go to school and work on your studies. You want to be a ballerina? Yes, of course. Then you are coming
10:49with me. And Jeannie, you need to pay all of this off. You'll need a source of income to dig your way
10:54out of this. This is an impossible situation. I know I made a mistake, but I want to change, and I can't
11:00live without you, Leah. I had doubts, and I was furious, too. I even stepped outside with my aunt to
11:05leave, but then I realized I couldn't abandon my mom, not even after all the things she did. Okay, mom,
11:11I think we should try to be a family, all of us together. I believed that this time it was going
11:16to work out. The three of us went back to the hotel, and we're ready to start our new lives
11:21together. But the next morning, mom, I ran around the hotel, but couldn't find my mom. Her clothes
11:26and purse were gone. I searched up and down until I got to the front desk. The cashier's box was
11:31completely empty. She left and took my aunt Lucy's money. I was devastated. I brought her here,
11:37and it all happened because of me. What should I do? I had brought on enough trouble, and I had to
11:42earn and return every penny back to my aunt. Leah, are you leaving, too? I'm so sorry, Aunt Lucy. I
11:49just wanted us to be a family. I don't want to cause you any more trouble. I thought it would be
11:54better if I just left. I'm so sorry about my mom. I wanted to believe that she would be different,
11:59but she wasn't. Just the same horrible, selfish woman. Leah, you don't have to go. It's not your fault.
12:06We're family. Sometimes the family you're given isn't the family you end up with, and that is
12:11okay. Really? Really. I love you, and I do have some good news. I made a few phone calls, and you
12:18have an audition next week. Oh, thank you. I love you, too, Aunt Lucy. At the audition, I danced my
12:25heart out, and for the first time ever, I was supported and loved by my Aunt Lucy, and that sounds
12:31like the perfect kind of family to me.
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