All the Wrong Reasons

2. Cimarrón

2

Cimarrón

Spanish.  Meaning Wild or Untamed.

“Hi Adrienne, it’s Mom.”  Her Mom said on the other end of the line.

“Hi Mom.  How are you?”  She asked cheerfully.  Every time she gets a call from her mother, she tries her best to sound most cheerful.  It was a defense mechanism probably, because she always feel glum after she puts the phone down.

“Wonderful, Darling!  Wonderful!  Kimmy just got into Massachusetts General.  And you know it isn’t easy.  You have to be very smart and very good to be accepted there.  She got in!  I am so proud of your sister.”  She said.

“That’s great.  That will be a nice credential for her.”  She agreed.

“Yes.  But I am worried about you, Adrienne.  Kimmy I know I didn’t have to worry much about.  She’s got everything going for her.  I know she will be successful wherever she goes.  But what about you?  Are you not rethinking the career path you took?  I mean, you can write anywhere, anytime, but to make a career out of it… it’s not really a cash cow.”

She sighed.  She has been in this conversation before.  In fact, she has always been in this conversation whenever she talked to her mother.

“Just because Kimmy is the smart one in the family doesn’t mean you have to give up your hopes of making it big in the future too.  You could start as a secretary of a big firm.  Or you could look into broadcasting.”

Again Adrienne fell silent.

“Everytime my friends ask me what you do, I can’t tell them that you were scouting around New York for restaurants and bars, and making an essay, being paid per word for it.”

“Mom, I’m doing fine.  And I am not being paid per word in my job.  In fact, I think I’m earning well enough.”  She defended.  She loves what she does and she has always been proud of her job.  However, her parents never saw that.  For them, writing for a magazine is not a career.  If it is, then it isn’t a good one to start with.

“You have just bought yourself a fancy apartment you said?  Your career is not stable.  You might not be able to afford that next month if your subscription went down.  I am not saying that you’re not good at what you do.  But I can’t just help thinking what you are going to be in ten years.  You are not even working for a newspaper.  It’s a magazine!  You have to pray that there will be enough vain and brainless women in Manhattan so you can keep your job.  And I can’t particularly be proud of that in front of Troy’s parents.  I mean, if you had something going for you like Kimmy does, I wouldn’t be embarrassed towards my future in-laws.”

“Mom, I need to go.  I am running late for a… meeting.”  She almost chocked on her words.  She reminded herself that it’s her mother she’s talking to.

“Alright, dear.  It was nice talking to you.  Call Kimmy one of these days.  Congratulate her.  And I’m sure Troy will get a into a good hospital as well since he is spending time with Kimberly a lot.  Kimmy will give him a lot of pointers.  Alright.  Goodbye.”