(Scene opens with Terry Probyn making a cup of coffee. She looks at it almost as if to examine its’ contents.)
When I was a little girl I wanted to be a teacher. (Laughs) I thought that the best people in the world were teachers. They got to stand in front of students everyday and captivate their minds. So one year when my daughter was five I decided to substitute. And let me tell you, that was the first and the last time I ever did that.
Do you have kids? You never forget that first time in the grocery store or at the amusement park when you turn your back for one split second to buy cotton candy or reach for that can of tuna and you turn back around and…they’re gone. Just gone. And…and your heart drops and your breath stops, you start sweating and your hands are clammy and the only thing you can do in that moment is pray, pray to God that they are close and that you will find them. (Beat) And boom, there Jaycee was, at the check out, looking at popcorn. (Deep breath) And I grabbed her and I hugged her and I cried. She looked at me and said, “Mommy, why are you crying? I just wanted to look at the popcorn. Mommy can I have some popcorn?” (Beat) I promised her that day I would never let her out of my sight again. I promised her. To protect her for the rest of my life…and I lied.
