Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 82255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
“Stella, I need to speak with you in private. I thought perhaps we could go grab a bite to eat.”
“I already ate dinner,” I say. “It’s almost eight o’ clock.”
“Well, dessert then. It’s important.”
“Is Dad here too?”
She shakes her head. It feels weird going somewhere with just my mother since we barely speak. But I know she wouldn’t be here unless she had something big to tell me. I look at Sybil, wishing I could drag her along with me, but I know that’s not an option. I offer her a weak smile.
“I’ll catch up with you later?”
“Okay. Rain check on dessert. I’ll take your stuff back to the dorm.” She tosses her hair over her shoulder and flits off to grab our stuff while my mother and I head for the exit.
Silence lingers between us until we get onto the street, and she walks toward a car I don’t recognize. A pre-owned Honda Civic. I can’t remember her ever driving before, and to the best of my knowledge, Luis has always chauffeured her around. But here she is walking over to the car as if it’s the most normal thing in the world.
“Hurry up and get in, Stella,” she barks. “It’s humiliating enough that I have to be seen in this. No need to linger.”
I climb into the passenger seat and stare at her as she pulls out onto the street and drives aimlessly. She said we were going to dessert, but it’s clear that was just another statement to keep up appearances. Instead, we end up at a public park where she parks the car and turns off the ignition.
“Mom, can you please tell me what’s going on?” I ask. “Is Dad okay?”
Her fingers tighten around the steering wheel in obvious frustration before she removes the sunglasses that aren’t even necessary in the evening light. To my utter shock, she isn’t wearing a shred of makeup, and it’s obvious from her puffy eyes she’s been crying.
“I assume since your father left the country with the last of our money, he must be fine.”
“What?” I stare at her in disbelief. There’s no way that’s true. “That doesn’t even make sense. Why would he do that?”
“Because, Stella.” She looks out the window. “He’s been embezzling from the company for years. Apparently, he knew the house of cards was about to fall, and he didn’t want to be left standing in the dust when it did.”
I shake my head on autopilot, intent on denying these awful things she’s trying to tell me. It can’t be true. My father would never…
“He wouldn’t leave me. And he wouldn’t steal.”
“He did leave you,” Mom snarls. “And he left me. And now we have nothing. The feds have frozen our bank accounts. They are going to take the house. The cars are already gone. Do you understand, Stella? We have nothing.”
Tears fill my eyes as I retrieve my phone and dial my father. But I get the shock of my life when the message on the other end tells me the number is no longer in service. I try three more times before my mother finally pries the phone from my hands and turns it off.
“You won’t even have that much longer.” She nods at the phone she tossed into the console. “It’s only paid until the end of the month, and then I don’t know.”
Tears splash down my cheeks as I come to accept what she’s telling me. My father abandoned me. The same man who brought me here and told me he put everything on the line for me. And that’s when something else occurs to me.
“What about my tuition?”
Mom looks away again, and I know it’s going to be bad. “Your father sent them a check before he left, but it didn’t go through since the last of our funds have been frozen. Honestly, Stella, I don’t know what you’re going to do.”
“What I’m going to do?” I repeat numbly.
“Well, you’re almost eighteen,” she says. “Maybe you could explain the situation to the school and ask to work something out.”
Oh my God. Why would I ever expect anything else? Of course, she’s not going to help me.
“So I’m just on my own then?” I ask in disbelief.
“Stella, I can hardly take care of myself,” she huffs. “You know I haven’t worked since I got pregnant with you.”
Even now, she chooses to throw that in my face. She’s always been quick to remind me that I ruined her career, but at a time like this, when I need her the most, she tries to make me feel guilty for my existence.
“What are you going to do then?” I ask.
“I’m going to stay in New York for a while until I figure that out.”
“With Luis?” I narrow my eyes.
“It’s none of your concern who I’ll be with.”