Slim frame and slimmer sense of self, he’s shorter than average, but there’s an intensity that hums through him. Cash is an untreated wound that has formed a thick, undeniable scab much like his own facial disfigurement, a scar that stretches from his left temple to his cupids bow, a burn so furious, the left corner of his mouth still quivers when he’s on edge.
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Although not overtly intimidating, you can’t miss Cash when he enters a room, but most try not to look. That’s how Cash experiences the world, by being avoided, ignored, or belittled. As a result, he’s had a difficult time connecting with people and maintaining a full time job, forcing him to become a jack of all trades--savvy, but with limited opportunity. He also sells bits and ends of the foster home on Craigs List (1995), which hasn't become apparent or of any concern to the inspector from family services.
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Since the diagnosis of his son’s rare heart condition, uninsured Cash is tasked with paying for his time sensitive surgery, desperately seeking extreme measures to come up with the funds, including joining the White Brotherhood as a means of networking and financial opportunities. After getting a tip about the black market sex trade from the Brotherhood's extensive (government) connections, Cash hesitantly agrees to sell his foster daughters, Nushka and Sybil, as a means for coming up with the money before it’s too late.
Upon learning that Nushka and Sybil are missing on the day they were to be taken away, Cash discovers an informational brochure on Moira’s commune. Putting the pieces together, he immediately takes off hoping to intercept the girls before they reveal his plans and threaten his deal with black market operatives expecting their end of the bargain.
BACKSTORY: A product of Southern American poverty, Cash was born to a struggling, single mother who became addicted to painkillers after being prescribed Oxycodone for a minor injury*. Betrayed by his mother’s neglect that left him disfigured, he is distrusting of people, excluding his prized biological son, Dustin, who he views as an opportunity to live vicariously through.
Making the mistake of marrying Mary, who much like his mother is an addict, Cash vows to provide a better life for his son, but sees limited mobility in what is essentially third world America. Fostering children has become a necessary income that Cash cannot afford to lose, especially after his son is diagnosed with a rare congenital heart condition requiring immediate surgery. Because Cash’s wife Mary, a violent drug addict, uses fostering to fund her habit, he can only depend on himself to come up with the finances as Mary can’t be trusted.
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