AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s a little hard to trust you when you aren’t opening up to me,” she points out.
“Yeah, well, every time I ask you about how things are with you, you change the subject,” I counter.
“I don’t know,” she murmurs.
“What don’t you know about?” I ask.
She says nothing, and I can just picture her shaking her head several times as she always does when she’s out of sorts, which, unfortunately, has been more often than not lately.
“Mom, please,” I beg.
“You sent me away across the ocean,” she says, her tone a bit sharper now. “Away from you and your brother, and I…”
“Mom, it’s not that I don’t want you around,” I assure her. “I love you, and I want to keep you safe.”
“What about keeping you safe?” she demands. “Your father could come after you to try to get to me. Did you even think about that?”
Yes, actually, I had, but I don’t bother to tell her that. Instead, I make a scoffing sound. “Father doesn’t care about me.”
“In his mind—”
“Don’t go there. His mind is sick and twisted.”
“He thought he was helping us.”
“Right, because so long as you’re making money, that’s the end all be all. Legality of your profession doesn’t matter.” I roll my eye. “Mom, don’t worry about him. I’m not.”
“If I don’t have to worry about him, why shouldn’t I come back to the US?”
I blow out a breath. “You can’t worry about him as far as me,” I say slowly. “As much as you don’t want to hear it, you know he’ll come after you.”
“I still don’t see why you think you’re safe from him,” she protests. “I don’t like this, Katie. I really don’t. Why don’t you see about transferring and coming to a college abroad? Wouldn’t that be better? Then I can keep an eye on you—”
“Because that’s what every college freshman wants for her college experience. Mom, please. Let me make mistakes and fall down and learn how to get back up again on my own two feet. College is a part of growing up, and I won’t let Father take that away from me.”
Just like I won’t let her take that away from me either.
“I know you’re worried about me,” I continue, “and I appreciate that. You care about me, and I love you. I promise I’ll call more or at least text more. I’ll let you know what’s going on with me, okay?”
“But how will I know if you’re keeping something important from me?” she presses.
“Why would I do that?”
“I don’t know. Because you don’t want me to worry?”
I wince. She knows me well.
“I promise to tell you about anything important,” I try to reassure her. “You asked about the guys on campus. There are some hot ones, but it’s only the second day. It’s not as if I’m going to run out and nab myself a guy right away.”
“Just be careful,” my mom says. “Use protection. No glove, no love.”
“Mom!” I can’t help but laugh.
“I’m not stupid,” she says. “I know there’s a very good chance you’re going to lose your virginity before you marry a guy.”
“Mom…”
“And so long as you don’t ruin your life over it—”
