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"What happened?"

"Life’s expensive Business isn’t great"

"Business isn’t great," she repeated "You et hit by the recession, too?"

"You have a sone fro to buy me a car, you shouldn’t have promised me one"

"You want to keep this one?"

"You’re the car thief in the fa seconds, please?"

Elle pulled over a block fro her with her father

She turned off the car and sat in silence

"Elle … baby … I’ you wanted, but I can’t right now I owe some money I have to pay it back"

"Whatever"

"Don’t be like that You know I love you, and I’d do anything for you"

"I know," she said, although she wasn’t certain that she did "I gotta go"

Her father grabbed her forearruff kiss on the cheek

"Don’t bethe best he can"

"Tell ed Her hopes sagged "I just wish things were different"

"Yeah, well … you and ot out of the car

She shut the door behind her and said under her breath, "Don’t call me kid"

As she walked the final block to her house she choked back tears of disappointo, on her fourteenth birthday, he’d proet her a car for her sixteenth birthday And she’d believed hih deep down she knew better He made promises all the time and never kept them I promise I’ll see you at Christet a new job so you won’t have to worry about me Promises made, never kept One day she’d learn

Maybe it was her fault Maybe nobody could be trusted to do what they said they’d do Once in her life she’d love to have soh of a shit about her to make her a promise and keep it For once she wanted someone to treat her like she mattered