Jonathan Goldstein

Did Christina, did you ever express it?

And how could she have?

She never felt like she had the right to stomp her feet, to slam the bedroom door, in so many words, to act like someone's kid.

I thought that maybe if I could get Isabel to put herself in Christina's shoes, it might help her understand.

Was there anything that you can think of that's comparable from your own life, Isabel, like something that you really felt very passionate about, like the thing that you really, that was your great love?

Her father was a rancher, Isabel says, and her mom died when she was little, so her dad raised the kids by himself.

And Isabel, being the eldest, had a lot of responsibility.

Was that typical?

Did a lot of kids in the class have to miss?

Yeah.

And what ways?

How do you mean?

So you never ended up getting the high school degree?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Isabel wanted to give Christina something she never got herself, a good education.

But by depriving Christina of basketball, Isabel took away just that.

At the time, though, she didn't know it.

What Isabel did know was that when Christina showed up at her door 30 years ago, she was already in her 60s.

Isabel was old, and if she were to die, Christina would be left all alone.