The Phoenix

Imagined Life

Wondery

History, Fiction, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.8 • 8.3K Ratings

🗓️ 2 October 2020

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

You’ve made it to the top of the top in entertainment, and you’re only a teenager. But you’ve got some serious obstacles. Like your mom. And the machine known as Hollywood. You’ll fight to survive, but are you strong enough?

Hosted by Virginia Madsen.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, Prime Members! You can listen to Imagine Life, add free on Amazon Music. Download the app today!
0:07.0	This episode contains depictions of sexual assault and drug use, and may not be suitable for everyone. Please be advised.
0:15.0	Imagine you're 9 years old and riding your bike through a small desert town. The wheel's bounce on the cracked dusty pavement. The sun blasts hot on your shoulders. And on your lips is the taste of chocolate mixed with caramel.
0:40.0	Um, milk duds. Your absolute number one favorite. You don't know why they call the milk duds. Duds sounds like a bad thing. But those things are perfect.
0:52.0	By your side, as usual, is your best friend, Mary.
0:56.0	Hurry up, slowpoke. You pedal faster.
0:59.0	Mary, wait! What's the rush? I've got a surprise for you. Wait, what? You'll see.
1:07.0	Mary turns onto 12th Street. That's your street. Oh no. You pray she's not headed for your house. Because as you cruise past, you hear your parents doing what they're always doing these days. Fighting.
1:26.0	But Mary pedals faster. And faster. She glances back at you. Come on!
1:33.0	A minute later, you arrive at a vacant lot down the street. That's when you see it. A zip line.
1:42.0	Strung up between two trees. Just begging you to take it for a ride. Mary hops off her bike and lets a crash to the ground. And before you can say a word, she's off running.
1:55.0	You don't think. You just chase after her, the wind blowing through your hair. Mary beats you to it. Climb the tree and grabs the handles of the zip line. Then she pushes off the tree and goes sailing through the air.
2:10.0	Look out below, here I come.
2:13.0	Your heart thumps as Mary whizzes by. She curls up her body so her new sneakers don't drag on the ground.
2:20.0	I'm Tarzan.
2:23.0	And here you thought today was already perfect. But it's about to get so much better. You climb up the tree and grab the handles.
2:33.0	Okay, my turn.
2:35.0	You take a deep breath and wipe your sweaty palms on your shorts. Then you close your eyes, lean forward and get ready to...
2:47.0	You turn to see your mother sprinting across the vacant lot, heading right towards you. Her arms are flailing, her eyes are bugging out of her head.
2:57.0	In all your nine years, you've never seen her this worked up.
3:02.0	No, no, no, no, no, no.
3:04.0	Mom, it's just a zip line.
	...

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