Her Dying Wish

This story was inspired by my daughter. She is a newly minted actor, having graduated with a university degree in Theatre Performance. On a recent visit home, she informed me she would like her cremated remains to be scattered over an ancient Greek theatre. Confirming there was nothing amiss, I set my concerns aside. The writer in me kicked in, and the following script quickly unfolded in my mind. Sara is in her twenties now, but she remains a member of Generation X, a cohort of children known as latchkey kids. The term had been around for some time when the moniker was, like the keys to their homes, hung around the necks of Sara’s generation. In the 1970s and 1980s, higher divorce rates and a lack of childcare options caused many children to be left wanting for the supervision they otherwise required. ‘Day Orphans’ is what they were called. In their teens, some found refuge in alcohol and drugs, others experienced an early development of self-reliance and adaptation to difficult situations. Sara grew up in the latter group.