Hopelessly Yours by Yosh Episode 100

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Anything in bold is narration.

Anything highlighted in yellow is inner voices.

Anything in italics is stage directions.

Anything in bold and italics is context to the scene.

Anything highlighted in blue is numbered lines.

Anything highlighted in red is more information to the scene.

Episode 100: 

The day is June 23rd 2024. It’s a Sunday.

Sotsona’s parents apologize to her. 

Sotsona’s dad speaks in a shameful manner.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 1) Our apology to you is long overdue, but you still deserve to hear it now. 

Sotsona’s eyes widen in shock, and she looks at her parents with her mouth slightly open.

Sotsona’s mother sighs, glancing at her husband.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 2) Where do we start?

Sotsona’s dad

Line 3) Let’s start by apologizing for not being able to afford the school she wanted to go to*.

*Refer back to episode 1, line 19.

Her parents speaks in sentimental manners.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 4) Right. We would like to apologize for not supporting you further in going to that school.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 5) Sure, the school was expensive, but we could’ve taken out a loan.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 6) Although, I mentioned that taking out a loan would only add to the debts we already had*, I should’ve done it for you anyways.

*Refer back to episode 1, lines 31 and 32.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 7) Then, at least, we could’ve made your dreams come true.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 8) We know how much you wanted to go to that school, and it’s our fault that you were never able to.

Sotsona’s parents look at her in a guilty manner.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 9) I would say ever since then, that’s when the both of us started failing as parents.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 10) If you didn’t feel like going to a community college after not being able to afford to go to your dream school*, we should’ve supported you regardless.

*Refer back to episode 1, line 42.

Sotsona’s father speaks in a tone of remorse.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 11) Instead, we started to treat you badly.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 12) Although I was upset that you didn’t feel the need to attend any kind of school fresh out of high school, that shouldn’t have hindered my relationship with you.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 13) Just because you decided to get a job didn’t mean that we could look down on you.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 14) But we did. And we’re incredibly sorry for that.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 15) After you got a job, I wanted to make sure that you wouldn’t leave the house for any other circumstances.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 16) At the time, I thought you would go around doing bad things behind our backs, but now I realize that we should’ve given you more flexibility.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 17) We should’ve trusted you more. And we should’ve treated you more as a responsible adult rather than still as a kid.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 18) Having no choice but to work and then come straight home must’ve felt like torture for you.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 19) We should’ve let you do whatever you wanted and let you come back home on your own time.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 20) On top of not letting you out of the house, we should’ve compensated for that somehow.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 21) If I felt that you were safe only under my supervision, I should’ve spent more time with you.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 22) We should’ve checked in, seen how you were doing.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 23) But anytime we’d make contact with each other during the house, we were cold to you.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 24) We looked down on you and kept reminding you of how you should’ve gone to school rather than deciding to get a job*.

*Refer back to episode 4, line 58, episode 16, line 23.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 25) We were cruel for that. We had no right to look at you in such a way.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 26) You’re our daughter, after all, and we should’ve cared for you like one.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 27) But we were strict, and that caused you to be by yourself.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 28) We isolated you. And that must’ve felt very lonely.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 29) We’re sorry for ever treating you in such a way.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 30) We were caught up in our day-to-day lives, with our shabby jobs, and we projected our frustrations out on you when it was never your fault to begin with.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 31) Although that's how things truly were, nothing could excuse our treatment. No matter what our circumstances were, we should’ve been there for you, but we weren’t.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 32) Anytime you’d hear from us, we would insult you.

Sotsona’s father rubs his temples, feeling immensely frustrated at himself.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 33) I don’t know what got over me to ever speak to you like that.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 34) And I don’t know why it took us so long to realize that what we were doing was wrong too.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 35) It was when you left.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 36) I was incredibly mad at you because you came home late a couple of days ago*, and then we didn’t hear from you the entire day when you said you had an interview*.

*Refer back to episode 4, line 50.

*Refer back to episode 5, line 26.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 37) When we heard the last of you on the phone, I let my rage consume me, and I said things I didn’t mean*.

*Refer back to all of episode 16.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 38) The worst part is that after that, I continued telling myself that what I did to you was right, until after a while, when I’d come back from work and see that you weren’t there.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 39) The house was so empty without you. Your room was left untouched, and it made me realize that my own flesh and blood didn’t deem her house worthy of living in.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 40) Not because her house was bad, but because her parents are.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 41) How could I live with myself knowing that my own daughter that I raised no longer wanted to live with me and left to her own volition?

Sotsona’s dad

Line 42) I felt utterly terrible. It was a much needed wakeup call in life.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 43) I was and still am terribly angry at myself for letting things get to this point.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 44) I just wished I had realized all of that sooner so that you wouldn’t have left us in the first place.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 45) Knowing that it was too late completely shattered me.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 46) I thought we’d never be able to see you again.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 47) But now…

Sotsona’s dad chokes up, reeling remorseful.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 48) Seeing you here feels unreal.

Sotsona’s father starts to cry again, with his wife getting emotional as she watches him break down.

Sotsona continues to look at her parents in disbelief, feeling immensely shocked at the words coming out of their mouths.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 49) I’m so glad, yet so ashamed.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 50) The guilt I feel is what I deserve, but I wish I never did anything to hurt you.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 51) You deserve better. And I’m so sorry for everything I’ve done to you.

Sotsona looks at her parents in a somber manner.

Line 52) Sotsona’s inner thoughts: He sounds genuinely sorry.

Line 53) Sotsona’s inner thoughts: I never thought I’d see the day when my father would bawl in front of me like a baby.

Sotsona’s mother speaks in a tone of guilt.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 54) Sotsona. I should’ve never raised my hand at you*.

*Refer back to episode 4, details in between lines 53 and 54.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 55) I sit here in utter shame, knowing that I, as a grown woman, slapped my daughter across the face.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 56) I will live with that guilt for the rest of my life. I’m so sorry.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 57) As for yelling at you over the phone, I never meant any of those words.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 58) My projections and frustrations aren’t an excuse to the vulgar insults I used on my very own daughter*.

*Refer back to episode 16, line 8.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 59) I’m incredibly sorry for all of it.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 60) I wish I had been hit with the realization of my wrongdoings earlier.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 61) If I could turn back time to mend all my mistakes, I would.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 62) I severely regret all the things we ever did to you.

Sotsona’s mother tears up, feeling incredibly ashamed.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 63) You’re my baby. I should’ve thought twice before ever hurting you.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 64) I remember the day I held you in my arms for the first time.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 65) Your small hand grasped my pinky ever so tightly.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 66) I still see you as that small, precious baby girl that is my whole world.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 67) I’ll do whatever I can for the rest of my life to mend all the mistakes I made.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 68) I apologize for everything I did.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 69) I apologize for everything I did as well.

Sotsona looks at her parents pitifully.

Line 70) Sotsona’s inner thoughts: I guess they really mean it. This doesn’t seem like some sort of tactic to manipulate me into forgiving them.

Sotsona’s parents speaks in authentic tones.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 71) It must be shocking to hear all of this, but we want you to know that all we’ve said to you today is what we truly mean.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 72) We didn’t apologize thinking you’d forgive us. We apologized to you today because we’re truly sorry.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 73) These apologies of ours are not nearly enough to mend all these broken years.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 74) Which is why I dedicate the rest of my life to showing you how sorry I am.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 75) To spare anymore regrets, I will also showcase to you for the rest of my life how sorry I am.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 76) As native Americans, it is our duty to remain intact as a family.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 77) We failed in doing that.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 78) Which is why we will do anything in our power to restore our relationship.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 79) We don’t expect you to forgive us, and we don’t expect you to come home either.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 80) Your departure taught us a valuable lesson we so desperately needed to learn.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 81) We’re going to try to be and do better.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 82) We cannot live with ourselves the way we were.

Sotsona sits in silence, trying to process everything they just told her.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 83) Please take all the time you need to absorb all of this.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 84) We’re sorry for abruptly putting all of this on you today, but we assure that we don’t expect anything in return.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 85) Seeing you physically coming to our house is enough for us.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 86) We missed you abundantly.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 87) Again, we’re glad to see you.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 88) You don’t have to tell us what you were up to these past few months today.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 89) You do not owe us an explanation, even though we would like to know that you’ve been doing well all this time.

Sotsona glances at her parents, looking at them sadly.

Sotsona

Line 90) I don’t know how to go about saying anything to you guys after apologizing to me.

Sotsona’s mom speaks in a reassuring tone.

Sotsona’s mom

Line 91) We know that it’s a lot to take in. So, why don’t we call it a day?

Sotsona’s dad

Line 92) I think it’s best we do that too.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 93) Sotsona, don’t feel obligated to tell us anything.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 94) We’re not worthy of hearing your explanation after how we’ve treated you.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 95) Whether you forgive us, never come back home, or never keep in contact…

Sotsona’s dad

Line 96) That’s a decision you and only you can make for yourself.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 97) We support anything you decide to do.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 98) You’re on your own, and it seems like you’ve been doing well.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 99) Continue living your life the way you want it.

Sotsona’s dad

Line 100) That also includes whether or not you want us to be in it.

Sotsona looks at her parents in disbelief.

They give her a bittersweet expression.

Line 101) Sotsona’s inner thoughts: I can’t take the easy way out by leaving them hanging.

Line 102) Sotsona’s inner thoughts: If they’re sorry, I should try to mend things between us.

Line 103) Sotsona’s inner thoughts: This is my family, after all.

Line 104) Sotsona’s inner thoughts: Although I don’t forgive them just yet, I want to start rekindling things.

Line 105) Sotsona’s inner thoughts: It will take time, but it’s worth a shot.

Sotsona

Line 106) No. I don’t want to leave until I tell you guys what I’ve been doing.

Sotsona

Line 107) Whether or not you think your worth my explanation, I need to get it off my chest.

Sotsona

Line 108) Ask me anything you want to know.

End of episode.

Author's Note

Hello, please let me know if you notice any grammar issues. I hope you enjoyed reading. If you'd like a different format, check this story out on wattpad.