A few days after her mom left, Charlie went back to Bluebridge to get her things. She gave Charlotte the warmest hug. She told her how her mom and dad fought over her situation and it ended with a decision to send Charlotte to a boarding school in Gastonburry.
Her dad won’t have Charlotte to follow her sister’s footsteps. Charlene was a bad influence to her sister. Charlotte was going to spend her high school at the best boarding school in Gastonburry before going to the best University of her father’s choice.
Bill Ludlow made it look like it was Charlene’s fault that she had to go to Gastonburry earlier than she was suppose to. But Charlotte didn’t seem to mind, she had always wanted the life her parents had planned for her, and now she gets to do it sooner.
“Are you sure this is what you want, Charlotte?” Charlie asked.
Charlotte nodded enthusiastically, “Yes, it is, who wants to stay in this town anyways? You can come visit me there … we’ll call each other as often as we can, right?”
Charlie smiled at her eagerness, even though she was holding back tears. She thought she had more time together with her sister, but life happened much too fast lately. “Sure, that sounds perfect.”
When she entered the house, there were boxes and suitcases under the stairs. Instead of feeling welcomed at her own home, she felt like she was being evicted. The unwelcoming vibe was intense. Her father was nowhere to be seen, he was too upset to even see her go.
“Would you like to stay for dinner?” Catherine offered.
“No, mom, I’ll just pack up everything and go … I don’t want to make things worse,” she declined. Imagining sitting at the dinner table with her dad, if he would even do that, was too much to bear.
Catherine took a deep helpless breath with a half smile, “I’m sorry sweetie, I tried to talk him our of it … maybe he just needs more time.”
Charlie hugged her mom, “That’s okay, mom, I understand … thank you,” tears were falling from her eyes. She was excited about the new life she had chosen, but at the same time, she had to choose it over her family. Her mom was the one who made her choice a lot easier, she was very grateful for it. It felt like a goodbye to her, a farewell to her life in Bluebridge.
“Before I forgot … I have something for you,” her mom said. She went to the study to get it. “I asked someone to buy this for you … I have no idea how to use it, but there’s an instruction manual in there … anyways, you’ll be learning how to use it in school,” she explained.
It was a recording camera, “handycam” was the name they used. Charlie gasped, she leaped to hug her mom. “Thank you … thank you … thank you … this must cost you a fortune! Oh my God, this is so useful, mom, thanks!”
“Sure, honey, consider it as a ‘starting a new life’ gift, from me, make movies if you want, whatever you choose, I’m already so proud of you.”
Charlie held her mom tighter, she was her rock, she had always been. “I love you mom … are you going to be alright while I’m gone?”
Her mom laughed, she wiped her own tears, the reality started to sink in, she was letting her go out of her nest. “No, I won’t be … I miss you already,” she cried.
“Oh mom … I’ll come visit, I promise … I’ll come back.”
Catherine chuckled between her sobs, “I doubt that you will, sweetheart, not for a long time … but it’s sweet of you to think that … if anything … I have a reason to go to Goldstone now, and Gastonburry … I’ll be taking your sister to school and stay there for awhile.”
Charlie nodded, still in tears. So it was how it’s going to be. She never thought her decision would change the lives of her family so drastically. She said her goodbyes to her mom and Charlotte. “Tell dad … I love him too,” she said in tears.
**********
She was quiet in the car, looking out the window. Once in a while she wiped a tear from her cheeks.
“It’s very brave what you did,” Jeremy broke the silence. “Not everyone has the courage to choose their dream over their family,” he continued.
Charlie scoffed, “Or very stupid,” she said. “It’s terrifying,” she confessed. “I’ve never been on my own before … everything was always laid out for me … and not only I have gone against my dad’s wishes, I have to prove to everyone that I made the right decision … what if I’m setting myself up for failure?”
“I think … following your heart is always the right decision, I don’t think you need to prove anything to anyone … if you’re happy with your life after your decision, that’s prove enough for yourself that you’ve made the right choice … if you’re not happy with it, you could always choose something else.”
What Jeremy said gave her some comfort. It didn’t make her less nervous to start her internship with Maxine in the upcoming week. She wanted to talk to Tommy about everything, but he wasn’t home when she arrived back in Goldstone.
She left her things still packed because she will move them to her apartment fairly soon. She sat in the living room in silence. Work was about to start, college was soon to follow. Living away from her family made her feel alone, with Tommy being at work all the time.
It was too tiring to think about what will happen, she fell asleep on the couch. When she woke up, it was already dark, still no Tommy. Her stomach growled. She had to prepare her own dinner. She went next door instead, and asked Jeremy if he wanted to grab something to eat.