3. Throughout her childhood,
Constance is emotionally and
verbally abused by her mother.
If only I could stop wetting the bed
just for a week. No beatings, no
pain. My mother might even like
me for a week. It wasn’t too much
to ask … I would just like to be
normal, normal for seven days.
4. When Constance is 13, her mother
moves out of the house, leaving her to
fend for herself without electricity or
food.
Constance takes two jobs to pay the rent
her mum charges her, while studying,
with a far-fetched aim of becoming a
barrister.
Story Summary
5. Constance’s mother tears up her
university application forms, but she
manages to enrol herself into
Newcastle’s law course.
She started to tear it up into small
pieces.
“Only clever people go to university,”
she said…
6. Constance graduates with Honours as a
Bachelor of Law.
“I’m off to university… I will never ever
speak to you again… I have nothing
to thank you for, Mummy.,. All I ever
wanted was a mum who loved me…”
7. It tells of the torment Constance
receives, and
how she rises above the abuse to strive
for excellence and reach her goals,
even though nobody believes she will
succeed in life.
8. It teaches us to persevere through
our own problems,
to dare to believe in our dreams and
reach for excellence.
