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While Ollie was taking his afternoon nap, Anelise called Leslie and told her about her weekend, leaving
out some of the more intimate details.
Leslie was both jealous and thrilled for her best friend. “You are so damn lucky! You lost your virginity in Paris! One of the most romantic cities in the world! If I didn’t love you so much, I would hate you right now!”
Anelise laughed, “It really was amazing. I will never forget it, ever.”
After their conversation, she started reading and taking notes from her new book, figuring out how to incorporate it into her paper. She had emailed her professor to ask if she could extend the length of her
paper.
She knew she wouldn’t be able to wrap up her argument in the eighty–page limit set by the department, and she really hoped they would agree. She hadn’t worked this hard to leave out key points!
After Ollie woke up, they played with his new toys from Paris since it was raining and they couldn’t go to the park. They laughed and giggled for a while before she got up to make dinner.
Michael had texted to say he would be late and told them not to wait for him. They were almost done eating when Michael arrived, kissing them both before changing and joining them for dinner.
Ollie was sitting on his lap, chatting with his dad, when Anelise’s phone rang. She sighed when she saw it was her parents.
“Hi, Mom,” she began, trying to hide her annoyance.
“Hello, sweetie! How is everything going in jolly old England?” Kim asked.
“It’s going great. My paper is coming along really well. I found a book in a bookstore today that will help support my argument,” Anelise explained.
“That’s wonderful! How is Ollie handling being out there?”
“He is perfect! We have so much fun together. He really is an exceptional little boy!” Anelise gushed.
“And I hope Michael isn’t working too hard!”
“No, he seems to be managing his workload well,” Anelise said, rolling her eyes, sensing her mother was leading up to something.
“Excellent. I was talking to a friend of a friend this weekend, and sheentioned that the publishing house her husband works for is hiring at the start of the year. I think that could be a great opportunity for you!” Karen suggested.
Anelise was silent for a moment, finally realizing what her mother was trying to do. “Um, thanks, Mom. 1…um…haven’t really thought about a career yet. I’m just focusing on my thesis right now.”
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“That’s admirable, Anelise, but December will be here before you know it, and you’ll need a job when you move back home. Have you considered the Chicago Library System?” Karen asked.
“Mom, the waiting list for the library system is long, so I don’t know if that’s an option or even what I want to do,” Anelise reasoned.
“Well, your father and I were talking, and we both agreed that you aren’t going to be one of those college graduates who sits at home after graduating. We’re going to have to charge you rent when you move back home,” Kim warned.
Anelise was taken aback for a moment. “Mom, I…um, I don’t know if I want to go back to Chicago after I graduate…”
There was silence on the other end, and Anelise thought the call might have been dropped. “Mom, are you there?”
“Yes, I’m here. Why wouldn’t you want to return home?” Kim demanded.
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“Well, I really like Nashville, and there are some good opportunities there too. I want to keep my options open,” Anelise explained.
“Those people planted this idea in your head, didn’t they?”
“Mom, what are you talking about? The Rothchilds have been nothing but wonderful and welcoming to me! They didn’t plant any idea in my head!” Anelise said, her voice tinged with irritation.
Kim let out a derisive laugh. “That Naomi Rothchild is something else! I saw the change in you the moment you came back home! You had makeup on, and your hair was cut! I should’ve nipped it in the bud right then!”
“Mom! Enough! I made those choices! I decided to cut my hair and wear makeup!” Anelise shot back.
“Don’t you dare raise your voice at me!” Kim warned. “I need to discuss this with your father! I’m not sure we can let you stay in Nashville after December!”
Anelise couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “I have to go, Mom. Ollie needs his bath before
bedtime. We’ll talk later…”
She ended the call and collapsed onto the couch, stunned by her mother’s words.
She’s deciding whether I can stay in Nashville? Am I a child?
She sat there for a while, feeling the tears trickle down her cheeks. She tried to wipe them away, but
they kept coming.
“Ani, are you alright?” Michael asked, having heard her raised voice.
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Anelise took a few deep breaths and nodded. “Yeah, just another delightful call from home.”
“Sure seems like it. Take a moment, I’ll handle Ollie’s bath,” he offered, concern etched on his face.
She nodded and walked over to the French doors, opening them to take in the
dows the rain.
She didn’t know how long she’d been standing there lost in thought when Ollie came bounding out to her and wrapped himself around her legs. She smiled and lifted him up, inhaling his clean, sweet scent.
“My Ani, you sad?” he asked, touching her cheek.
She gave him a sad smile and kissed his nose. “No, sweetheart, I’m fine. Why don’t you grab your book, and I’ll read to you?”
He wriggled out of her arms and dashed to his room. Michael came over and wrapped his arms around her. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
She leaned into his embrace. “I think it’s time I told you about my parents.”
“Alright, let’s get Ollie to bed first, and then we can talk as long as you need,” he said, kissing the top of her head. She nodded and went to sit on the couch, ready to read to the little boy.
An hour later, Michael was on the couch, pulling Anelise into his lap after setting two wine glasses and an open bottle of wine on the coffee table. “Can you tell me what’s happening, Ani?”
Anelise let out a sigh. “It’s a bit of a long story…”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he reassured her, planting a kiss on her temple.
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“I didn’t fully grasp it until I was fifteen, but my parents have always been the hovering type.”
“I remember when I was six, I was dying to join a ballet class like the little girl down the street. I wanted a leotard and a tutu so bad! But my mom said ballet shoes would wreck my feet, so she wouldn’t let me go.”
“Sleepovers were off–limits, and I could only go to birthday parties if they were just a few hours long.”
“I wanted to experiment with different hairstyles, but my mom would only do pigtails or a ponytail. I wanted to chop my hair off in middle school, but that was a no–go too.”
“I wasn’t even allowed to hang out with friends at their houses, the mall, library, or anywhere, unless my mom was there. It drove me nuts, and I tried to get them to ease up, but they said it was their way or the highway.”
“So I felt trapped. Eventually, my friends stopped inviting me to parties or outings because my parents were always breathing down my neck,” Anelise said, taking a sip of wine to moisten her mouth, then
continued.
“Mom tried to make it up to me by buying me books. So when I was lonely and couldn’t hang out with my friends, I would read. I read more books than I could keep track of. I swear I read every book in the school library and borrowed from the public library.”
“Anyway, I started to pull back to avoid the pitying looks and snide comments as my friends made fun of my parents. My circle of friends started to shrink, they didn’t want to deal with ‘the girl with the weird parents.”
“I tried to talk to my parents about it again, but they made it clear that they were in charge, and if my friends couldn’t understand that they were just trying to keep me safe, then they weren’t really my friends.”
“I finally gave up trying in eighth grade and just buried myself in my books. When I was fifteen, we went to Mexico for my Aunt Peg’s wedding. She’s Mom’s sister. Anyway, that was the first vacation we’d ever taken, and I was thrilled!”
“Flying on a plane, seeing the ocean, it was like a dream. I wanted to explore the resort, but my parents wouldn’t let me go anywhere without an adult, not even with my cousins. I was so mad I ran back to our room crying.”
“I guess my family saw how tightly my parents were controlling me and didn’t like what they saw. I UNLIMITED went down to my aunt’s room to ask my mom a question, but the door was open, and I overheard a good
chunk of their conversation.”
Michael was gently rubbing her arm with one hand and holding her hand with his other. “What did you overhear, Ani?”
