Girl in the Basement

from Monologues That Kick Ass

by David-Matthew Barnes

Girl, a teenage runaway and prostitute, has stumbled into the basement of an abandoned warehouse. Inadvertently, she has interrupted the suicide of a young man who is hiding in the building. Here, she tells him about her family life and why she left home.

GIRL:   It probably took them three weeks before they even realized I was gone. I called home once but all I got was voice mail. I just hung up. I should have left a message, I guess.

But my sister would have just deleted it. She hates me. She’s older than me and has a rich husband and a new baby and she prays like a bad habit. Always talkin’ to God... Amen, amen.... She drove me crazy with that religious stuff. I came home with a hickey on my neck from this Mexican guy and she told me I was a whore and that I was going to hell. Personally, I think she was just jealous. You should see her husband. Uhhhg-ly. She doesn’t care. She’d lay down with a midget if he had money and shouted “Hallelujah”.

No, I had to get out of that place.

My Mom is cool. But my sister had it in for me real bad. I think she asked God to kill me, so that she can be an only child and have all of the attention for herself. When I was a baby, she tried to set my crib on fire. I’m not kidding. She tried to burn the whole house down, with me in it. I worry about her little baby. She might bury the thing in the backyard if she thinks the baby is a sinner.

My life was normal at home... Too normal. That’s why I left. There was nothing to do. I wanted to be on my own. I’m not gonna lie to you, babe. It sucks. Despite it all, I proved her right... My sister... Look at what I do for money. She won.

(Beat.) Sometimes, I wish the crib would have burned.