The News (2)

"Well, your father and I both decided to have you move in with your aunt in Wooddale." She continued, "You know your chances of finding a better job are higher in big cities. A small town like Roseville has too little to offer a girl like you, my child."

Genova went stiff upon hearing that.

Her eyes shut up at her mom, looking so taken aback.

Mary let out a deep sigh seeing the look of shock on her daughter's face. Admittedly, the older woman had expected this exact reaction because anyone close to them would have deduced how inseparable their family of three was.

Genova was a child who had never been away from her family since the day she came into their lives. So this sudden news would surely be hard for her to digest.

Leaning over the table to take her daughter's hands, "Child, as parents, you have to believe that we will always do what's best for you. Your betterment will always come before ours. And this decision is one that we have pondered greatly about and decided it was the best thing to do for you," Mary tried to console her child, but the girl's mind was too occupied running myriads of questions about what prompted this decision.

Why were her parents suddenly sending her away?

For as long as her memory served, never once had they given her the feeling of getting separated from her. But why now?

Does this sudden decision have something to do with how her birthday turned out?

The most important question would be, what exactly happened last night?

Genova's heart was pounding so hard against her ribcage as though she would have a meltdown.

The fear of leaving her safe haven and facing the outside world without having her parents close was tangible. She had gotten way too comfortable with her current life that she never thought about leaving any of this behind one day. The world out there was full of competition - people using others as stepping stones to climb up the lather in their selfish quest to get to the top.

The cruelty of the world was something she never wished to be a part of. She never wanted to experience any of it!

But it would seem that hope had come collapsing on her way sooner than she would have ever pictured.

Returning her focus to the woman before her, "Why the sudden change, mom? Does it have anything to do with last night?"

Mary's eyebrows came together. "Did something happen during your outing with Zaina last night?" She queried worriedly.

Genova pursed her lips.

Judging from her mom's reaction, she confirmed that the older woman is indeed clueless about what might have happened during her night out.

But how did she get home?

More importantly, why can't she remember anything after that one glass of Long Island?

Could it be that the Booz content was too strong for her to handle?

'But how can that be? I specifically requested one with the minimum intake or none at all if possible.'

Perhaps even the tiniest quantity was a no-go for her.

"Do you have any idea how I might have gotten home from the party?" Genova decided to probe her mom further, simultaneously avoiding the older woman's question.

"Oh, yes! You phoned your dad in the middle of the night, asking him to pick you up," Mary answered with a confused expression. "Don't you remember?" she asked incredulously.

Genova hummed in understanding and gave her mother a crocket smile. "Of course I do. I only wanted to confirm something."

'So dad brought me home. But why is any of these not making sense to me?' She muttered internally.

-----

~2 months later~

Genova was bidding goodbye to her parents, who were in tears at the departure gate.

After the conversation with her mom on the preceding morning of her Sixteenth birthday about the issue of moving to live with her aunt in Wooddale, Genova couldn't help but feel that something was wrong.

The sudden decision left her feeling like there was a big ploy behind this conclusion. Every fiber in her blood said this had something to do with her.

She felt guilty for no apparent reason because she never had the idea that her parents would want to be separated from her one day.

It didn't matter how they put it because how she saw this was as though she was being punished for whatever unknown sin she might have committed.

The excuse to ensure she got a better life was far from convincing!

Though her income working at a café shop wasn't all that pleasing… it was still something. Indeed, Roseville was a small town with little to offer, but the money their farming generated had been enough to pay her school fees, food and other expenses.

It had been enough for her family of three to live well ever since she knew her left from right.

What's more, things got even better when she got herself that job. It lifted a significant burden on her parents as she could now foot her own bills and even had enough left to save for future purposes.

The family of three lived a simple life and never wasted on unnecessary things. As such, Genova's salary and their farm's revenue were more than enough to bring them through any difficulty in life.

Genova tried making her mom and dad understand that she didn't need anything more than what she already had, but to her dismay, nothing she did or said could falter their minds.

She was left disheartened!

She didn't want to be away from the only people she had lived her entire life with.

Her heart was aching, thinking she wasn't wanted anymore. However, seeing how devastating this decision made her parents, she understood it was even harder on them.

She realized that it wasn't as she had imagined.

They weren't shipping her away because of her unknown sin!

But why were they insisting on her leaving if they also hurt as much as she was?

What use would whatever money she might earn in the city be if she couldn't be with the two people she loved the most?

It wasn't like they would ever require a penny from her anyway.

No matter how hard Genova tried to understand this situation, she just couldn't. Perhaps she might have seen things in a different light should this decision have been brought up any day other than after the event that took place on her sixteenth birthday—one she was yet to fully make sense of.