The Dawn of Autumn

Growing Up

Chapter 29:

Growing Up

The trip was meant to be two-fold. Emily wanted to see NYU. She wanted to see Alison in her element. She wanted to see the living situation there. At least, that's what she was going to tell her mom and dad. Part of it was true. She did want Alison to understand what she would be missing out on if she rejected New York.

Their main reason for going was to catch a criminal. They already had Wilden on the hook. If they could find who he was working with they could put an end to everything.

Emily asked for the weekend off. Toby was happy to oblige. The boys had really been picking up the slack around the gym since they'd gotten confirmation of her pregnancy. Emily didn't like being treated any differently, but she couldn't exactly argue.

Friday after school let out Emily went home, unprepared for the battle of resistance she would get from her parents about her latest decision. She'd been thinking a lot about New York. Not just because of her current circumstances, but because of the fact that it could potentially be her future.

She told her parents that she was taking Alison north for the weekend so they could get a feel for the city. She mentioned they might look at jobs and housing. She did not mention their plans to go upstate.

"New York?" Her father asked, scratching at the stubble on his chin. "Where is this coming from? This is so out of the blue."

"Not really. It's been in the back of my mind..."

"Since when?" Her mother looked horrified. "God, the crime statistics alone..."

"Crime happens everywhere." Emily frowned, trying to keep it from turning into a full blown argument. "Kind of a planetary epidemic. Utopias don't exist."

"Of course we don't expect you to fear living your life. We just want you to think responsibly, not just for your sake, but for the baby's sake. And New York...it's not the safest place for young women and a newborn." Her mother made a face like she had smelled something sour.

Emily had to hold in a laugh. She'd been in more danger in the sleepy little town of Rosewood than she had been anywhere else in her entire life.

"You don't think there are any babies in New York?" Emily argued.

"Don't be snippy, Emily." Her mother bit back.

"I'm sorry, but you're being unreasonable..."

"Hey..." Her father intervened. Emily peered at him. He sighed. He looked exhausted. The worry wrinkles on his forehead made him look decades older. "Don't disrespect your mother. We're trying to help you."

"It's just a trip. I don't know anything for sure yet. I don't understand why you're freaking out so much. I thought you were going to support me." She felt betrayed. She expected her mother to complain about it, but her dad had told her that he wanted her to follow her heart.

"Of course we are." He reached out to touch Emily's hand, but she pulled it away. He rubbed his brow. The weary expression in his eyes told Emily he'd had a long week at work and he wasn't in the mood for a family blowout. "You're not always going to like what we have to say. You have to understand that we see things a little differently. You're still young, Emmy. There is so much you still don't know about the world..."

"Then let me learn! That's why you were trying to push me out in the first place." Emily felt a heat rising in her chest. "I don't see what difference it makes where I go as long as I'm out of the house. That's the whole point of this, isn't it?"