I signed the allowance contract with trembling hands because Bridget's voice made every rule sound like the structure I had been starving for. Now the papers lie open on the coffee table, my family trust under her control along with every part of me she decides to claim. The December fifteenth deadline is coming fast, but it's the weight of her palm on my shoulder that keeps me from standing up.
She has not let go yet. I know I should ask what happens next, but the words stick when I imagine earning her approval through the obedience she demands. This was supposed to be a transaction, yet the way her low voice pauses makes me wonder if she feels the same pull toward something more.
