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“Peg was telling Mom that they were smothering me and actually stunting my growth, not to mention with all the reading they encouraged, they weren’t letting me do any physical activities. You see, I was already overweight.”
“She really let my mom have it about getting me healthy and losing some weight and signing me up for activities that required me to move, I was shy and had poor social skills, which was obvious.”
“My mom was shouting back about how it was her and my dad’s decision on how to raise me. Her sister then dropped a bomb, yelling that I shouldn’t have to pay for their insecurities about what had happened with their first child.”
Michael stopped rubbing her arm. “First child? What did she mean by that?”
“My mom screamed at Aunt Peg about how she had no idea what it was like to lose a child to SIDS and told her to go fuck herself,” Anelise said.
Michael felt awful for Kim and Neil, knowing they had suffered such a terrible tragedy and how they were coping with it. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like if he lost Ollie and felt his heart lurch. “Oh, Ani. I’m sorry!”
She pulled his arm and kissed his hand. “My Aunt lowered her voice and apologized for yelling but said it wasn’t fair to me the way they were being so overprotective. And Mom said they were just trying to keep me safe.”
“Peg then told her that ensuring safety was one thing and stifling me was something else entirely. I’ll never forget Peg’s warning that they were either setting me up to be a social outcast or preparing me to rebel and run away.”
“I left before I could hear any more. I was reeling and just kept to myself. I decided before we got back home that I was going to take control of my life and make my own way in the world.”
“So I joined the school newspaper, started tutoring at the elementary school, and began taking online classes at the community college. Since I loved books, I took all the English classes I could at my private high school.”
“My favorite English teacher helped me choose classes and guided me. He had a good friend who taught at Vanderbilt, and he told her about me. In my senior year, they offered me a full ride.”
“And because I had taken so many college classes, they got me on the fast track for my master’s degree. I helped speed that along by taking some classes in the summer too.”
Michael was amazed by how she had steered her life and was actually very proud of her. “So how did you convince them to let you go to Tennessee? That must have been a tough conversation.”
“My English teacher and his friend, Mrs. Hallings, met with my parents and the principal to tell them what an incredible opportunity it was, and if I’m being honest, they completely guilt–tripped them into letting me go.”
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“The time leading up to going to Nashville was rough. Any little thing I did wrong, they threatened to not let me go, and it was a very tense summer for me. I was never so relieved as when I saw them drive away after I moved into my dorm!”
“But my
dad made it very clear that they could bring me back home anytime they wanted to. The first few weeks were really tough. Luckily, I became best friends with my roommate, Leslie.”
“She and her mom, Naomi, really helped me to become empowered and realize that I am in charge of my own life and destiny. The whole Rothchild family is like my second family, and I love being around
them.”
“They’re all amazing people, and to be honest, I love them more than my own parents. Don’t judge me! I’ve vacationed with them, spent holidays together, and they’ve sort of adopted me as their own.”
“Last summer, at a party, Leslie’s dad, Johnathan, introduced me to some guests as his adopted daughter. They let me be myself and support me in everything I do.” Her heart warmed at the thought of the family.
“Wow, Ani. That’s really something!” he said, trying to digest all she’d told him. He’d never have guessed that about Kim and Neil, but then again, he’d never seen them with their daughter.
“Leslie got me to join groups on campus, took me to parties, and really helped me come out of my shell. I started eating better and walking to lose weight.”
“She introduced me to the world, pop culture, and sex. I mean, she and Naomi taught me about my body, how to respect myself, and how to make guys respect me too.”
“I can always ask them anything, and they never make me feel stupid or embarrassed. And trust me, I had some dumb–ass questions at first!” She laughed.
“I doubt that!” he responded, laughing along with her.
“No, seriously, I once asked if orgasms cause pregnancies and not sperm!” she confessed, and he burst out laughing.
“Okay, I take it back! That’s a pretty wild question!” Michael replied, once he’d stopped laughing.
He continued, “But seriously, Anelise, you’re an amazing woman–passionate, smart, kind, and beautiful. I feel so honored to be part of your journey.”
She turned to him and kissed him gently, then asked, “So you’re not going to bolt after everything I’ve UNLIMITED told you?”
He shook his head. “No way. You’re mine until we reach Chicago, and you head back to Nashville.”
Hearing him say that made Anelise’s heart sink a little, but she knew it was for the best. Michael didn’t want to admit that he’d been thinking about how they could make it work once they got back, but he had
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a job and a child in another state.
She was still in college, and after everything she’d been through, she deserved to live life to the fullest. He kissed her again, took a long sip of his wine, and pulled her back into his arms.
He took a deep breath. “And since we’re sharing tonight, I think it’s time I told you about Ollie’s mom.”
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“Michael, you don’t have to. I don’t need to know…” Anelise said, her fingers tightening around his.
“No, I want you to. After everything you’ve shared with me, it’s only fair,” he replied.
“Kara and I, we met at Drake University during grad school. I was working on my master’s in accounting, and she was wrapping up law school. We started dating, and when we both landed jobs in Chicago, we decided to move in together.”
“We found this amazing condo on the South Side. It was a blast. I met Craig during my first week at work, and we clicked right away. We were just living life, not a care in the world.”
“We’d go on vacations, hit up nightclubs and restaurants, and probably drank more than we should have,” Michael began, his mind drifting back to those days.
“Did you guys ever get married?” Anelise asked.
“No, Kara didn’t want to. She was happy with how things were, and I was okay with that,” Michael said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
“About four years back, I came home from work to find Kara in tears. She’d been feeling off and had gone to the doctor. Seeing her cry, I thought she had cancer or something. My heart just sank.”
“Eventually, she told me she was pregnant. We’d had a birth control slip–up, and she was already nine weeks along. We never planned on having kids; we didn’t want anything to disrupt our perfect life.”
“We were selfish, liked our late weekend mornings and our heavy Friday and Saturday nights. I asked her what she wanted to do, and she decided on an abortion. So, we made a doctor’s appointment, and I
went with her.”
Half an hour after she disappeared into the back room, she was back, sobbing. I walked her to the car, thinking she was upset about the procedure. But then, on our way home, she dropped the bomb.”
“She couldn’t go through with it. We were going to have a baby.”
Anelise stayed silent, just holding his hand, waiting for him to continue.
He took a deep breath and went on, “I had no clue how to be a dad. I mean, my dad is great, but I’d never pictured myself as a father. But suddenly, there it was, staring me in the face.”
“Things changed between us after that. Kara didn’t enjoy being pregnant, and it wasn’t an easy pregnancy. She hated the weight gain, the swelling, not being able to drink. She was miserable.”
“Ollie was born on September 8, and the first time I held him, I was a changed man. Hearing him cry, it was like he had a hold on my heart. I’d never felt so much in a single moment! I couldn’t wait to bring him home, to watch him grow.”
“But Kara, she never took to being a mom; she actually despised it. She never really bonded with him. I
Chapter 18 of 54: Chapter 18
