LOVE AND BLACKMAIL

     My daughter, Hanah, is in college about 7-8 hours away from home. She is a third year Studio Arts' Major. 
Since her second year in college she lived together with a few other students in a house so completely taken by mold that her books and clothes all got green pallor and moldy smell. 
    Hanah ignored my urging her to find another residence. Now, I guess, someone else got through to her. She moved to another place. I was happy.
     In her previous house there was no internet. She used it as an excuse not to write or call or tweet or chirp or... (you get it!).
     For three months or more I stopped myself from getting upset at her and blasting her off the face of the earth with one of my e-mails or texts. I took a higher road.                                                                            In a mean while, I forgot the sound of her voice! 
     Yesterday, the internet's gate opened and out came my daughter's message. I was too happy to realize at the moment when I saw her name in the AOL inbox, the meaning of her e-mail.
     Since she knows that I write and like to write, she was smart enough to make her e-mail more creative than a usual letter. Judge by yourself:

     "Before you say 'NO', hear me out. I don't own any pants anymore, I threw them all away because they were all unwearable (there were holes in all of them right where the whole purpose of pants sat). I also don't own any shoes anymore because of the same thing, they wore out their purpose. I am about to throw away most of my clothes because they are moldy and tattered. 

     I moved out of the moldy house! But now I don't have shampoo, conditioner, soap, utensils, or anything to cook food in. (I kinda feel like a UNICEF commercial...)

    It's almost Thanksgiving, and that also means it's almost Black Friday--No don't run away!-- I just need a little--come back!-- allowance so that I can get new clothes and shoes and some other little things that are Useful and NOT frivolous. 

     I'm down to the bare minimum in my bank account, which means if I don't use that money then I can pay for rent. I just need some money for clothes, is all, and if you feel generous, some money for food.

      I'm going to be blunt now. I need at least $150, I calculated it. Pants, some shirts, and a pair of shoes. (you can get a sense of How much clothes I'm throwing away) 

     With $200 I get pants, shirts, shoes, new sheets for my bed that aren't moldy and maybe some dollar store shampoo. And a bit more than that means I have money left over to buy groceries for a little while. 

     So, unless you want your daughter walking barefoot in crotchless pants and clothes that smell like mold, stealing food from places, I think this would be a good investment!            

     Otherwise, when people look at me like I am a witch beggar, I will tell them that my parents want me to look like this and start sobbing. Consider it? Please? 

     With all the love in the world, Hanah"

     Now, what would you do if you were in my shoes? On the one hand, it's a plea. On the other - a blackmail! But it's such cute, drama-queen-like blackmail that I might just give in!