My mom left me because of my disability. She just disappeared, leaving only a note. It said, “I can’t anymore. This burden took away my best years.”

I cried for months, but my stepfather helped me find a reason to keep going. He is simply the best; he took care of me and always treated me like a princess! Despite everything, I was happy because of him. Years passed. I studied hard and became the most successful lawyer in the city!

I had a family and often went to my father’s farm. Everything was fine until a knock on the door changed everything. At the doorstep stood my mother, just as I remembered her. I was shocked to learn the truth.

Michelle’s world crushed when she saw her stepdad collapse on the sofa and started crying. She couldn’t understand what was going on until she noticed he held a note in his hand.

As she navigated her wheelchair between the sofa and the armchair, Michelle managed to grab the piece of paper which disturbed her stepdad. He tried to take it away from her, but she still managed to read it.

It was her mom’s handwriting. “I can’t do it anymore. You know I never wanted children, but I tried my best to care for Michelle anyway. That burden has taken the best years of my life from me.

But now that she’s sixteen, I’ve decided it’s time I pursue my dream of becoming an actress before it’s too late…” Reading these words, Michelle felt excruciating pain. It was as though someone stabbed her in the heart.

With tears rolling down her face, she turned to her stepdad Eugene and asked him, “And what about you? Am I a burden to you too? It’s not like I’m your real daughter so nobody would blame you if you dumped me somewhere like a dog.”

“Never!” Eugene rushed over, dropped to one knee, and wrapped his arms around his step-daughter.

She hugged him back and started thinking of her life. She didn’t wish to be disabled and depend on anyone, but that’s what life served her with.

“Look at me, Shelly, and listen close, okay? This is…well, it’s an awful and shocking situation, but you’ve done nothing wrong. It will be tough, but we’ll carry on without her, okay?” Eugene assured her as she was trying to collect herself from the shock.

At that moment, instead of feeling sorry for herself, Michelle promised herself that she would do all it takes to become a successful individual. She was determined to prove her mother wrong, because she wasn’t a burden, she was just a person who was born with disability.

Michelle graduated top of her class and was accepted at several universities, many of which offered her scholarship. She, however, was determined to purse a career in the world of film, and dreamed of becoming a successful film producer. But deep down, she dreamed of meeting her mother again and even imagined situations in which she would audition for one of the films she would one day produce.

Her stepdad was aware that Michelle wanted this career because of her mother, although she never confessed that.

Sadly, her college days turned into a nightmare when she got into an argument with a classmate named Lila.
Lila was a popular girl who wanted things done her way, and Michelle confronted her several times. One time, the two argued whether physical film was being superior to digital shooting.

“I think there are benefits and drawbacks to both. Although there’s a certain look and feel you can only get from physical film, digital allows you a greater range of editing options that might be more suitable for the project you’re filming,” Michelle shared her opinion.

“Only if you’re lazy,” Lila snapped. She didn’t expect the new girl in a wheelchair to challenge her opinion like that. How dare she? “Digital can never beat the authenticity of a movie shot on actual film. It’s just not realistic,” Lila said angrily.

As the discussion became heated, Lila got angrier and once the class was over, she confronted Michelle and started bullying her together with her friends.

At one point, they pushed Michelle into the closet room and turned the lights off. It wasn’t until two hours later that the janitor found Michelle, alone and scared.

The following day, Michelle turned to Mr. Abubakar, a lawyer, and told him she wanted to sue Lila. Mr. Abubakar took the time to listen to Michelle and told her she had a case, but Lila was coming from a wealthy family, so she shouldn’t expect much from the lawsuit. Michelle wanted to proceed with it anyways.

In the days to come, she stared reading law books, researching legal procedures and precedents for assault cases like hers. When she returned to Mr. Abubakar’s office, she brought a folder of notes and a legal book she’d loaned from the college library. He was stunned by the work she did. Everything was perfectly prepared, as though Michelle was a real lawyer.

“This is useful.” He smiled at Michelle. “I’d already noted some of these cases, but there are others here that I can reference too.”

“Great.” Michelle grinned. “I was a bit concerned it might be too basic.”

“No, you’ve done a good job here, just like a trained paralegal. Have you been taking classes in law?”

Michelle shook her head. “I just have a knack for research.”

Looking at the work she had done, he told her that she could be a successful lawyer had she studied law.

Michelle frowned. “What do you mean?”