Chapter Eight #2
There was absolutely no hesitation. Her father did not care about her opinion or her choices. Did that make her the selfish one because she didn’t want to help? Were they both selfish?
Life had been so good for her recently, and now anxiety was settling in.
“I don’t want to go,” she told him. “I want to stay here. I enjoy my job. This city. The opportunities. I like being with Louis, and our friends. I belong here.”
“This is not up for debate.” He waved away her words like they were a pesky fly.
That did it. Anger became rage, and it was boiling.
“GET OUT!” Rosie shouted, pointing at the door as she did so.
Her father’s jaw dropped, shocked once again. And that was when her mother made a grand appearance, who had probably heard every word they had said from the other room.
“You are overreacting,” her mother cooed. “Perhaps, we all need time to calm down. Then we can talk over dinner.”
“Dinner that you expect me to cook while I give you two time to think of a plan to gang up on me and force me to do what you want?” Rosie laughed hysterically. “Not a chance. Louisa was right to leave. Which means you need to get out! You are not welcome in my home anymore.
“Every time you appear, you take over and expect me to give my life up to help you. I am not a member of your staff; I am your daughter. But you always seem to forget that.” She shook her head in disbelief.
“The sad thing is that I love you both and want to please you. I would have gone with you, had you asked me nicely. But no. It is just expected. Family doesn’t come first. You do. ”
“Rosemary,” her mother warned.
Once, that tone would have absolutely terrified her.
Not anymore. It simply added to her rage.
“Absolutely not. You don’t get to use that tone on me.
I am not a little girl anymore. You couldn’t care less about how you affect me.
My life. My decisions. I love my job. Louis. The team. I am not going.”
That made her freeze. Had she just said she loved Louis?
She had. And I truly do.
Unfortunately, she had no idea what to do. This argument had broken her. She no longer felt secure. What if he did leave? What if he did find someone younger or prettier?
You trust him more than that!
She did, but anything positive was now tainted. She was losing her parents because they disliked Louis. Seeing him would remind her of what she was losing.
That isn’t fair and you know it!
She did, but her heart and her mind were not in sync right now. Panic. Fear. Pain. Hate. They all ruled supreme right then.
“And isn’t he controlling you?” Her father made another jab, sensing her weakness. “His schedule tells you where you go. When. For how long. You are not your own boss, but with us, you would be.”
The dream, not to be on anyone’s schedule but my own.
Ha! As if they wouldn’t be there dictating her every move.
“Besides, you are slacking,” her mother added. “How many videos of them messing about are up on the internet? You have gotten soft. You are a disappointment.”
Disappointment. That one word went right for the heart, especially as it had been used a second time during this conversation, and it was used to cause maximum damage.
“You are not winning me over,” Rosie stated coldly.
Unfortunately, her mother’s words were true. She had been more lenient, and although the videos were nothing serious, it was her job to control it. Rosie was quite proud of herself for not flinching at her mother’s words.
Instead, she was paying attention to how they destroyed her morale to get her to bend to their will. They had always done it, but it wasn’t until she was truly against them that she had noticed.
“I wouldn’t be slacking if you didn’t keep demanding my time,” Rosie reminded her.
Her mother paled.
“How can I be perfect when you are a constant distraction?” she goaded, finding her own verbal knife.
“Do not speak to your mother like that,” her father warned.
Getting in the middle, her mother held a hand out to them both and took a deep breath. “You are right. We have taken a lot of time from you. The truth is, I am ill, sweetheart. Very ill. I have breast cancer. Your father didn’t want to tell you, so we did not worry you.”
“Yes, because making me feel awful about myself is a better alternative?”
Both her parents winced at that.
Then it hit. What had her mother just said? Rosie stared. Her mouth slightly open, she took a moment to process. “How bad is it?”
“Bad,” she responded quietly. “I am having treatment, and it seems to be working. But it has left me scared and wondering about the future. I would appreciate it if you came home. I can spend what time I may have left with you. Your father won’t be alone when I am gone.”
Rosie stumbled back, knocking everything off her table.
No! No! No! She cannot be sick.
Her mother approached. “It is a shock, and we are all emotional. Please have a think about our offer.”
Her mother kissed her cheek. After that, they packed quickly and left. Leaving her all alone to cry. Her mother wouldn’t lie about something like that, and it would explain why her father had been so angry all the time, but what did she do?
***
The next morning, Rosie was in her office. Utterly exhausted, she had not slept well. Her mind had been spinning all night.
There was no way her mother would lie about an illness, but it still felt like an attack. An attempt to get her to do what they wanted since they announced it after asking her to come home and save their company.
Her mother also stated it was positive results so far, then commented about potentially not being there. So, was it serious? Was it not? Was it winning?
Staring at her desk, she felt overwhelmed. The words on her computer blurred. She did not want to be here, but she couldn’t leave because she had spent so much time away. There was so much to do and catch up on. Then again, staring at the desk wasn’t getting her work done, either.
A knock came at the door, and Louis’s big smile appeared as he let himself in. In his hand was a coffee and a breakfast sandwich, which he placed down on her desk. They must be for her. She knew she should thank him. Or smile. But she just felt numb.
Louis’s smile dropped as he came around her desk to kneel next to her. His hand rested on her arm, and she pulled away.
“What is wrong?” he asked gently.
Not “Are you okay?”, because that question was pointless.
Her heart breaking, she had to get this over and done with. Seeing his face, she really didn’t want to be here. She felt suffocated. She needed time to think and make her own choices, but staying here would give him time to talk her out of things.
Her parents had won. She couldn’t be with Louis. All it did was bring her misery, and it wasn’t fair to him to keep choosing them over him. It was time to let him go so he could be with someone better.
“I need you to leave me alone.” A tear rolled down her face. She didn’t dare look at him.
She felt his mood change. She felt his panic in the way his hand trembled. She heard him gasp.
“Baby, please look at me.” She didn’t. “What has happened? Please just talk to me.”
“We are done,” she responded flatly, so dead inside. “I can’t . . . I can’t be with you anymore.”
Agitated, he got up and paced. “Your parents have said something, haven’t they?”
Rosie snapped, “Why? Because I can’t make a decision by myself?”