Redeem Me (Kin #6)(3)
Author: Jennifer Foor

So, no. I never got that pipe, jacket, or hat.

My childhood wasn’t all work and no play. The maids and my nanny would sneak in fun time, with tag, or hide and go seek, albeit that’s as far as it went.

When I was ten my father opened his own firm, and spent lots of time away from the house. My mother, who is also a lawyer, had to be at his side. They sent me to boarding school in New York. At first I was petrified. You can imagine how reluctant I was to leave the only place I’d ever called home. Much to my displeasure, the conditions were far from what I was used to. I’d never been around so many girls my age before and honestly didn’t grasp how to act. I’d studied etiquette from a bunch of adults, and couldn’t comprehend that I’d seem stuck up to all the other children. They loathed me immediately, eschewing me from their little clicks. I supposed it was an effective consequence. It enabled me to remain focused on my goals. One day I knew I’d be a lawyer, who would take possession of the family firm.

I didn’t return home permanently until I reached the age of seventeen. For my senior year I was sent to an all girls catholic school locally in Pennsylvania. Just like my first year at boarding school, I was the outcast. My GPA was well above normal, and with little effort I breezed through their curriculum.

One of the books that were on the syllabus I’d read when I was around nine. I liked it so much that I perused through it until the spine started to wither away. In my honest opinion I believe that I knew more about it than the teacher herself.

By the time I graduated in the top of my class with honors I’d already been accepted to several colleges. My plans were obvious – prelaw, and then on to Harvard. I knew the drill, as it had been the topic of many dinner conversations at home.

That was all altered when my mother was diagnosed with lymphoma. They immediately started a vigorous treatment, making her extremely ill. With the firm doing so well it was incomprehensible for my father to be at home often.

As reluctant as I was to offer, I’d settled to make the decision to stay local until she was recovered. My father was not contented with my deferring our plans, but he loved my mother enough to know that it was the appropriate resolve.

Even with my abnormal upbringing, one thing remained in my family. We loved each other, and this was something that could rip us all apart.

My mother had treatment once a week at the local hospital near the campus during my freshman year. I made sure not to have classes on that particular day. Her driver would bring her, and I’d sit with her the entire time.

As opposed to telling her about my new boyfriend, we’d run out of conversations quickly. It was enlightening to see a spark in my mom’s eyes as I explained my relationship with Parker. For the first time in my life I could convey that perhaps her beliefs weren’t all the same as my father’s.

With IV’s stuck in her hand, she reached over and put her palm over mine. Through her pain, she smiled, speaking softly. “If I’m going to die from this, I want to see my daughter happy.”

Right away I knew I had to be optimistic. “Mom, please don’t say that. You’re going to be fine. You’ve got the best oncologist in the state. He studied at Hopkins.”

Her eyes were painstaking. “The odds are against me, Cameron. We all know it. This strain is too advanced.”

I had to turn away as my eyes filled with warm fluid. It burned as I fought for it to go away. The idea of losing this woman, especially when she was so acceptant to it happening was beyond heart wrenching. This was my mother; the one who I’d missed out on so many years with. I needed her.

She went into remission in the beginning of my sophomore year, exactly around the time when I’d been with Parker for a whole three hundred and sixty five days. We celebrated our anniversary in Boston, watching the Phillies take on the Red Sox. It wasn’t exactly romantic until afterwards, when Parker took me to Salem, giving me a tour that included the purchase of a magic wand. Since Harry Potter were the only books Parker had ever enjoyed, I was inclined to read them all, this beginning my love for magic. He’d gone into a store while I waited outside. When he came out, he dropped down on his knee, and presented me with a fancy leather box, in which he opened up revealing the wand. Knowing about my lack of childhood, he knew how much I’d love it. “I present to you, my love, your first wand. Now, this particular wand is very powerful. It inhibits many magical qualities. Use caution when operatin’ it, unless of course you want to influence my grades positively this semester.” There it was…the sense of humor that made me crazy for him.

I knew it was just a silly magic wand, but it meant everything to me. I’d gotten plenty of jewelry and fancy gifts growing up, but nothing so sentimental. Parker knew what I needed, and the fact that he was giving it to me only reminded me how much I’d fallen in love with him.

Just imagining that brought me back to our current conversation.

“Parker, what am I going to do with you?”

“As long as you still love me, we’ll figure it out.” His southern drawl sometimes gave me chills.

“Of course I love you. I just wish you’d grow up a little and be more responsible. I can’t keep watching you make such juvenile mistakes.” I knew I sounded like a nag, but looking at him from my point of view only made it obvious he was barking up the wrong tree for friends. I suppose it was easier for me since I never had any myself. Parker was an overachiever in that department. He had more friends than he could probably count. Where I excelled in being educated, he outrivaled me with social skills. I think together that’s one of the reasons we meshed so well together. Parker was everything that I’d never been.

It seemed like everything in our lives was the exact opposite. Parker wanted to get done with college and become a famous football player, while I would be working my ass off in a courtroom. He had a slew of friends. I felt all right with being a loner. I had an admirable relationship with my parents, as Parker struggled with his. We’d been together now for over two years, and I’d watched his relationship with his family crumble, while mine prospered. Even though he wouldn’t speak about it much, I could sense that it was difficult for him. Since family was all I ever had, it was important for me to help him see that he needed them. I didn’t know how I was going to approach it, but my determination would enable it to happen. When I put my mind to it, there was nothing that I couldn’t resolve. That’s why I knew that I’d be a great attorney one day. My ambition to succeed was my drive. No matter what obstacles came my way I’d face them head on and seek out the best resolution.