Pride and Passion
I had three weeks left before my senior year starts. I had plans to be someone exciting this year. My parents always sheltered me and overshadowed all of my dreams as a high school girl! My father was in the military, and my mother was a nurse. I wanted to be a cheerleader, but dad said ‘no.’ Wanted to be a majorette, but dad said ‘no.’ Wanted to go to parties on the weekends, both parents would say ‘no.’ Wanted to wear some really cool clothes, but both parents said ‘no.’ So, sick of the word ‘no’!
I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but I have every intention of enjoying my last year, regardless of my parents’ objections. I have always kept my grades up and have been a model child. I was going to have a talk with my parents this evening. I had it all planned out! I was just waiting until dinner. My friend, Kendra, was going to be waiting patiently to hear how my talk went with my parents. She wanted to make this year a fun year too!
While I was waiting, I wasted time away reading my teen novel and then practicing my speech to my parents in my head; many times! Finally, it was time to fight for my freedom and fun! I had a mission, and I walked confidently down the stairs. I immediately started setting the table for dinner. I could smell that mother had made spaghetti and garlic bread for tonight’s meal. It was one of my father’s favorites, even better, for setting the mood for tonight’s topic.
My father came to the table. I was putting my game face on when I suddenly noticed his grim facial expression. My mind immediately started screaming, ‘Abort! Abort! Abort, mission!’ I remember taking a very deep breath to calm myself down. I was feeling upset! I wanted this to happen tonight. I wanted the satisfaction of knowing that I had three weeks to prepare for the greatest school year of my life. I could feel my shoulders starting to sag. The defeat was creeping in quickly. My father requested that I sit down, and my mother came to the table to set the food down before us. I suddenly noticed that my mother was wearing a similar scowl to her face. My stomach started to lurch inside. I felt that a storm of disappointment was coming.
My father started the conversation, “your mother and I have some important information to tell you. We want you to stay patient and quiet until we finish. Do you understand?” My stomach started to roll. I could only shake my head ‘yes’ as my answer.
“Brynley, your mother and I have some very exciting and challenging news to share with you tonight.” My heart started sinking; I did not feel that this was going to bode well for me. I continued to listen before asking any questions. “I have been given another opportunity to go to Germany for a year. Your mother has expressed an interest in going with me. How would you feel about going to Germany for your last year of school? Wouldn’t that be exciting!”
Exciting? I can’t even express the rest of my thoughts because they were just too unchristian of me! I must have given a look because my mother and father appeared disappointed. “We were afraid that you would be disagreeable; so, we have one other offer to give you.” My nerves were on pins and needles! What else could they possibly hit me with?
“You can go and stay with your Aunt Jimena in West Virginia for your last year. You would be going to Barboursville High School.” I felt the air of life burst out of me!
“You’ve got to be kidding me! Why can’t I stay with Kendra for my last year and stay where I’m comfortable? Please, I know her parents wouldn’t mind. I’ll make straight A’s, I promise!” The look on their face told me that it was not going to be an option. I could feel the bile start to climb into my throat! I couldn’t believe this was happening to me, especially in my last year of school.
“Brynley, I know you’re disappointed, and this is hard for you. We understand that it’s your senior year, and you’re going to have to start all over again somewhere, but this is the best we can do for you. Either come to Germany with us, or you can stay with my sister in West Virginia.” My mother’s voice was firm. I could see that I would not get the chance to stay with Kendra and her family for my senior year. Quickly, I started to feel my happiness slip away. I was feeling extremely angry and agitated. Tears began to form in the corner of my eyes; as I realized that all my plans to have a fun and exciting senior year were not going to happen.
I went to reply to my mother’s question. I could feel the resentment of having to make such a decision. I would be eighteen in October, but It wouldn’t matter because my parents will never treat me like a responsible adult! It made me angrier to even think about it! With all the anger in me, I replied. “I do not want to go with the two of you! I’ll take my chances in West Virginia first! Maybe, I can have fun with the cows and chickens there; what do you think?” I didn’t give either one of my parent’s time to answer me. I swiftly ran up the stairs and slammed my bedroom door hard! I wanted to scream, but the tears started flowing, and all I could do was gulp in the air while the sobbing began to express itself. They may ruin my senior year; however, for college, I would go far away. I will definitely enjoy college, and they couldn’t tell me what to do there! Kendra was calling me. I tried to take deep breaths and answer the phone. I told Kendra about my horrible situation. She was my best friend, and she truly sympathized with me. She offered me to stay with her and her parents. I explained to her that I offered that up as a suggestion and that my parents refused. She sighed out of frustration.
“Brynley, we’ll find a way to fix this. Just give me time to think.” I loved Kendra, but this was too far out of her league to fix. I simply agreed with her because I spent so much energy crying; that I felt exhausted and just wanted to go to bed. Maybe, I would wake up tomorrow and find out that this whole scenario was just a horrible dream! Please, God, let this just be a terrible dream! I got off the phone with Kendra and lay on my bed, thinking about how unbearable this year was going to be for me. I couldn’t take any more disappointment; somehow, I fell asleep.
It was just fifteen minutes until noon. I sluggishly arose from bed. I decided to take a shower before going down for something to eat. The shower helped me feel a little better. I dressed and walked silently down the stairs because I did not want my parents' attention. In fact, I tried to avoid them for as long as I could. I grabbed some bread, peanut butter, and a banana to make a sandwich. Kendra had left a message for me to come to her house as soon as I could. I hadn’t seen or heard from my parents yet. I jotted down a note to let them know that I had gone to Kendra’s house, then quietly exited through the back-sliding doors. I was able to escape undetected! Kendra’s house was two streets down from mine. I was there in less than ten minutes. I knocked only once, and the door flew open. Kendra grabbed me in a big hug and then declared that she thought she had a solution. I felt my heart leap with possible hope! Could Kendra find a way to fix this? Kendra grabbed my hand and pulled me into her kitchen. She made me sit at the island as she continued to tell me her plan. As I listened to her explain how she was going to work it all out, my mouth fell open. It wasn’t perfect, but it definitely helped salvage the horrendous turn of events. I was willing to try it. Anything was better than to do this on my own! Kendra handed me her phone, and I dialed my Aunt Jimena’s number.
Aunt Jimena answered on the third ring. “Hello?” I cleared my throat, feeling a little nervous that this was not going to work.
“Hi, Aunt Jimena; it’s me, Brynley. Hey, I talked to mom and dad last night. I told them that I wasn’t interested in going to Germany with them. I would much rather stay with you.” There was silence still.
“Well, I’m really glad, Brynley. I think you would have some fun down here. I’m really excited to have you here, too.” My hands were trembling.
“Thanks, Aunt Jimena. Can I ask a favor of you, please?” My heart stopped, waiting for the result of my question.
“Sure, hon, what do you want?” My voice shook slightly.
“Aunt Jimena, is there any way that you would consider my best friend, Kendra, come with me; if her parents let her? I would love to have a friend and not be completely alone at a new school in my senior year. I would be so grateful if you would consider it. I would get a job, and we would pay for our food. I promise that we wouldn’t be in your way. We’ll even clean your house while you work.” I was holding my breath. The silence seemed to continue forever.
I heard a low chuckle. “Brynley, I wouldn’t mind if Kendra wants to stay. If her parents ‘ok’ it for her, then I’m ok with her coming too. I met her parents twice when I’ve come to visit. You’ll just have to let me know what they say. I have plenty of room. They need to know that I’m a nurse and work the night shift; so, there will be some nights that I’m not home. It would be good for you to have someone, though, when I’m not there. I totally understand how you feel, about starting all over again, in a strange school with no friends.” Suddenly, my life felt like it was finding perspective again. I felt somewhat elated! Kendra heard the conversation; and was clapping softly, with glee, that my aunt was fine with her coming with me. I promised Aunt Jimena that I would speak to Kendra’s parents tonight and then call her back. We said our good-byes, and then, I hung up the phone.
Kendra and I grabbed each other for a hug. Phase I was successful! Now, to just convince her parents to let her go. We talked about how to approach her parents on the matter. We decided to talk to her mom first. Her mom was excellent at convincing her husband over anything she wanted. Kendra and I went out to the pool area, where her mother was sunbathing. Kendra’s mom was a stay at home trophy wife. She was a gorgeous woman. Kendra was as stunning as her mother. Sometimes, it was hard being her friend; because she was so pretty. If Kendra was around, boys definitely noticed her, and I was just in the shadows. I loved her, though, and I was thankful that she was my best friend! Kendra started the conversation with her mother. She just told her mom everything. Then she told her mother that she wanted to go to West Virginia with me. We wanted to finish high school together before we went off to college. Shockingly, her mother wasn’t that surprised by the request. “Kendra, are you sure you want to leave your school and other friends, to go and start all over again?” Kendra swiftly answered, ‘yes.’ Her mother shrugged her shoulders and said, “Well, I’m ok with it. I’ll tell Paul about it tonight.” Paul was Kendra’s stepfather. He was a lawyer.
Kendra and I went upstairs to her bedroom. Kendra was excited! She knew Paul would be ok, with whatever Kendra’s mother wanted. Kendra was looking through her closet, trying to determine what she was going to take with her. I was thrilled that I at least wasn’t going to have to go alone. I would have my best friend to be there with me and help me survive. Maybe, this would allow me to make my senior year exciting. No parents, always telling me ‘no’ to everything that I wanted to do or wear. I was feeling more enthusiastic about the move, the more that I thought about it! Kendra had chosen six super cute outfits to pack and take with us. She had planned on buying some new clothes, too. I watched her pick-six pair of shoes and four pairs of boots to take, as well. She started looking through her jewelry next. She had chosen four necklaces, six pairs of earrings, and four rings and bracelets. Kendra’s parents were very wealthy, and Kendra had a wardrobe to prove it! She also had a fantastic car. Her parents recently bought her a two series BMW, red, and the top would come down for pretty weather driving. It was gorgeous! The interior was a dark grey leather, and I loved it! Kendra was telling me that we would drive her vehicle to West Virginia. There was no sense in taking my pitiful old Honda. It was a beast. It was a sturdy and well-built car; it had just seen many years of use. Kendra and I started talking about Aunt Jimena’s area. It had been a while since I had been down there. I couldn’t remember any kids living in that area at that time. We talked about how we were going to present ourselves to the new school. The more we talked, the more excited we became about the idea. We could start all over again. Be anybody, and anyway we wanted to. No one knew us. Kendra started talking about us tanning and buying clothes to get ready. We figured that we would buy our clothes here in California. We didn’t think that West Virginia would have the style of clothes that we were wanting or used to. We totally planned on rocking the California girl look and attitude! We weren’t going to act silly or air-headish or anything like that, though. Hopefully, they had some cute guys in Barboursville! I’ve only had one boyfriend; he wasn’t that great, in the end. I dated him for one year; I really thought that I loved him; until I found out that he cheated on me. He was very popular in school, and extremely cute! I found out that he slept with another girl because I wasn’t ready for an intimate relationship yet. I felt so betrayed. He tried to convince me that he still loved me, that he was weak, and made a terrible mistake. He said that he would do anything to have me back. We had been broken up for about four months now. He still calls and texts me, but I just ignore him. Maybe, I can forgive him; only time will tell.
We spent hours talking about clothes, our new attitudes, and the possibilities of finding cute boys! It was going on five-thirty in the evening. I needed to be making my way home for dinner. I invited Kendra to come with me to help me tell my parents the good news. She happily accepted.
When we stepped inside my house, six suitcases were sitting at the bottom of the staircase. I was confused. I heard my mother rumbling around in the kitchen, and she looked exhausted. “What’s up?” My mother looked at me, surprised to find me standing there.
“I just found out that your father and I have to catch a plane in the morning, for Germany. We thought we would have at least a week to prepare, but they want to send your dad there as soon as possible. I’m trying to get everything ready. I called your Aunt Jimena; and she is coming to pick you up, three days from now. She said she would call and tell you a time to expect her, for sure. Make sure you’re ready, ok?” I must have had a shocked expression because my mother apologized for the sudden and last-minute changes. I heard my father come in behind me.
“Did you tell her?” My mother replied, ‘yes’ to him. My dad gave me a big hug. “I wish you would change your mind and come with us.” I smiled.
“I’m sorry. I would much rather stay with Aunt Jimena, dad. I promise to call often, though.” My dad smiled and gave me another hug.
“I’ll be calling you, too! I love you. Please, be good for your aunt; and be very careful there. Do you hear me?” I shook my head ‘yes.’ Kendra and I excused ourselves upstairs and let my parents finish packing and getting ready to leave.
“Your parents are so discombobulated! Don’t bother telling them that I’m going to go with you. I don’t think they’re ready to handle any more information right now. We’ll tell them once they get settled in Germany.” I agreed. I had Kendra to stay the night with me. We stayed up late, just talking about all of the possibilities of a new school. We were just praying that we weren’t going to be disappointed. We just wanted a little excitement and fun, that’s all!
We fell asleep, watching you-tube videos on makeup application and hairstyles. Early morning came, and my mother was waking me up to say good-bye. I hugged and kissed her. I promised her I would be good for Aunt Jimena and promised to be very careful while living with her. I never mentioned Kendra. I hugged and kissed my dad and then watched them drive away. I was still really sleepy because we didn’t fall asleep until late; so, I headed back to bed.
It was noon before I awoke again. I heard Kendra taking a shower. I drug my tired body downstairs to the kitchen. I w fix was about to fix a bowl of cereal; when I noticed a white envelope with my name on it. It was from my mom and dad. I opened it and found a debit card with my name on it. My mom wrote me a note that told me I had five thousand dollars on this debit card that she left for me. The money was for school supplies and clothes, as well as it was to be used for school needs; so that I didn’t bother Aunt Jimena
for money. Wow! It took a few minutes to soak in that I had money to buy everything I wanted. I immediately ran back upstairs. Panting, I told Kendra what my parents had done. She squealed with joy and told me to take a shower; because we were going out shopping! I obeyed quickly. In about thirty minutes, I was ready to shop!
Chapter Two
Kendra and I walked to her house and got into her car. We were going to make it a day of shopping since the weather was perfect and we were feeling excited. We went to the Grove Mall to shop for everything because it had everything! I bought an amazing multi-colored Boho dress and paired it with burgundy heels. I found jewelry that was perfect for it. Found a thin, brown leather jacket, white t-shirt with long sleeves, light blue ripped denim jeans, and white heels. I also bought a pair of brown boots to go with the outfit too. This cute shirt caught my eye! It was white and lace, and it fell over one shoulder. I bought a white undershirt to go with it. Purchased a cute pair of jeans that rolled up on the bottom and finished the outfit off with cute white tennis shoes. Loved my white jeans, light tan, alpaca-hair, mid-drift sweater, tan ankle boots, and adorable cream, long-waisted jacket! Kendra picked out a navy-blue mini skirt for me. She combined it with a bright green silk camisole and a navy-blue sweater. I decided on navy thigh high socks and navy flats. I loved this outfit! It was smart and adorable looking. I Bought a gray mini skirt, a soft white sweater, white knee socks, and black flats. I was going to wear black obsidian jewelry with this outfit. A black and white midi dress screamed for me to buy it, and I did! I bought a pair of sheer black, thigh-high socks and found a gorgeous pair of black, short-heeled shoes to wear with it. Kendra and I found several pairs of jeggings that we liked. I bought tan, black, blue, and red.
I had several random shirts and sweaters that would go with all of them. Between the shoes at home and the ones I have already purchased, I had shoes for every outfit. Kendra and I decided to buy a few ‘country’ outfits. I mean, West Virginia was a country type state, right? I found a pair of stonewashed and dark indigo shorts. I had to have the long shear and lace cardigan, brown leather Roman laced shoes, and finally, this adorable brown cowgirl hat. What country boy wouldn’t love this outfit? Oh my gosh! The sweetest outfit ever was this crème midi dress that had tiny burgundy and green flower print on it. I found a nice jean jacket and chose an awesome pair of burgundy cowgirl boots to match it! It was seriously adorable!
Pride and Passion Page 1
