“I knew about the social gatherings,” I said proudly.
“I bet you did, Xari.”
“Shit,” I muttered. “They do have an overdue notice here.” Just as I skimmed over it on the app, I plucked an envelope from the mile-high stack of crap on the coffee table. It was bright pink and even I knew that wasn’t good.
“So how long before you get kicked out?”
“Um…” I skimmed the lines of text and my eyes widened. “The end of the month.” I dropped the letter and swallowed a hot and sticky lump in my throat. “Let me call you back, Navy.” Something wasn’t right. How the hell could all this pile up in just a month? I had to call my mother. I didn’t want to sit through her lectures but at this point, maybe I needed to.
“I figured you’d be calling soon after your father told me about the car getting repossessed. Let me guess, Navy bailed you out.”
“Of course she did. She didn’t want to see me fall flat on my face, Mom.” My voice was ripe with indignation.
“Watch your tone, little girl. I’ve been taking care of you and funding your carefree lifestyle for years.”
“I wonder how I got that lifestyle.” I folded my arms tightly across my chest and pressed the phone to my ear with my shoulder.
“Oh, you got it honestly. However, we had an agreement once you accepted that scholarship. We sat down and talked about it. This wasn’t something we did in passing.”
I felt the lecture coming and I rubbed my temples, bracing for impact.
“We sat down over the course of weeks and mapped out this plan. You were supposed to go to school and get good grades, which you did. Once you graduated, you were to apply for a seat in the orchestra of your choice. If principal wasn’t available, you were supposed to find a job that would support you until the seat opened up. You had three months, Xari.” Annoyance creased her voice turning it sharp.
“If you at least tried to find a job, your father and I would have continued to support you but you didn’t. In three months, you went to Aruba and racked up thousands of dollars of charges in clothes and shoes.” Memories of Aruba’s sweet humid air and lush beaches flashed against my mindscape. “You ordered food every night, you stocked your bar every weekend, and you had several spa retreats.”
I cringed hearing everything laid out. Was I that spoiled?
“See, when you say it like that it sounds bad but I was just celebrating being done with school.”
“That’s not what you were supposed to be doing though. We offered to help you find a job but you turned us down time and time again.”
I heard myself telling my parents to back off and let me find a job on my own. Again…cringe.
“Wait…wait you cut me off three months ago?!” My words squeaked out louder than I expected.
“That was the deal. Three months and you didn’t even try to find a job. You’re only noticing now because things are finally catching up with you.”
“Wow, you could have told me you were going to cut me off. I’ve seen you countless times in the past three months.”
“Yup, and you never once asked what the state of finances was. Maybe it’s abrupt, Xari but you needed it. Me and your father have always coddled you because you were so gifted. This will teach you to pay attention and to honor the agreements you make…especially with your parents.”
“Mom, where am I supposed to live? I have until the end of this month to come up with the rent and it’s…” I looked down at the letter from the rental office and gagged on the price. “Nine thousand dollars.”
“Wow. That’s a lot, baby. You know how to sit down and budget though. We’ve shown you.”
“Yeah but I’ve never had to actually…do it.”
“No time like the present. Listen, I have to go. Me and your father are having dinner at our favorite restaurant.”
“The one with the cream puffs and blackberry tea?” I asked, pouting.
“That’s the one.”
“Can I have an order of cream puffs?”
“Do you have cream puff money, Xari?” I looked at the phone like I was speaking to a stranger. Who was this woman?
“No, Mom. I can’t even afford to live in this apartment. Oh my god, why did y’all let me rent this place? It’s so expensive. How was I ever supposed to afford it?”
“Your father mentioned that to you but you told him you’d find a way or did you forget about that?”
“Okay, thanks for rubbing that in my face. Have fun at dinner.”
“Thanks, sweetie.”
She really hung up. Just like that.
Everything crashed down around my ears and I felt helpless. It wasn’t like all of this hadn’t been staring me in the face ever since I was offered the Julliard scholarship though.
Even though I was fifteen at the time, Mom and Dad sat down and told me by the time I graduated with my bachelor's degree, I’d be a grown woman and they’d have higher expectations even though I was still their little girl.
I should have taken their warnings seriously. Navy told me to look for a solid job while I was still in school but I brushed her off. Evidently, I’d brushed everyone off that ever made even a lick of damn sense.
I was living high off my accomplishments in school though. Nobody did what I’d done at such a young age. I played the French horn, the piano, the violin, and a multitude of other instruments but the harp was my true love. I’d been on so many talk shows and morning news spots that I’d lost
