may have played out another way.
As it was, three days later Jennifer and Aidan boarded a plane to Australia and, although she was experiencing an underlying sense of panic as to whether or not it was definitely what she really wanted, the fact she was proving a point to her parents had become enough to prevent her from changing her mind.
If relations had been bad at that point theyâd taken an even worse turn once sheâd phoned them again from Sydney, where theyâd stayed for the first few weeks before heading to Queensland, at which point her furious dad had demanded to speak to her boyfriend. At first Aidan had refused, which had made Jennifer feel very uneasy. Eventually however, sensing that if he didnât Jennifer was going to freak out, heâd eventually acquiesced, albeit reluctantly, at which point her dad had given him very short shrift, venting all his frustrations and feelings of helplessness at the person he held responsible for his daughterâs unfamiliar behaviour.
Aidan hadnât appreciated being shouted at though. Rather than taking the reprimanding on the chin, heâd retaliated with a few barbed insults of his own which hadnât helped matters in any way. Now, a few months on, things had calmed down a bit but no matter how much Jennifer tried to explain that Aidan had only been stickingup for her, her parents wouldnât budge on their opinion of him. Meanwhile, Aidan refused to understand that perhaps they were only feeling protective and worried about their daughter.
So here she was having yet another awkward conversation with them while Aidan glowered and sulked next to her.
âSo why didnât you go to Surfers Paradise then?â her mum asked now, in a way that sounded to Jennifer somehow accusatory.
âBecause we decided to go another time,â she lied. In reality they couldnât afford to hire a car or go at all but she certainly wasnât going to tell them that.
âHmm, well it seems a shame since you are there not to be doing anything, or seeing anything other than Brisbane,â remarked her mother pointedly.
Jennifer swallowed, determined not to have another row.
âHowâs dad?â
âHeâs right here, do you want a word?â
âPlease.â
âHello, love,â said her dad and Jennifer blinked back a tear. She didnât half miss them.
âYouâll never guess what happened to Martin at work the other day.â
It was true, she never would, so Jennifer let her dad witter away, filling her in on the day-to-day minutiae of his life in a way that made her feel closer to home.
Afterwards her mother came back on the phone. âI saw Karenâs mum the other day.â
âOh yeah,â said Jennifer, rolling her eyes and wishing Aidan would stop staring and listening, while simultaneously preparing herself for the next dig.
âYes. Karenâs loving university apparently. Sheâs got loads of new friends and is really enjoying the course.â
âGood for Karen,â huffed Jennifer.
âOh donât be like that Jen, Iâm just saying. Thereâs no need to be so defensive.â
âYouâre not just saying though are you? Youâre having another go at me for coming here, only I donât know how many times I have to tell you that I can go next year.â
â
If
they agree to you deferring your place. Weâve still not heard yet have we?â
âNo, not yet,â she agreed.
Minutes later as she finally put down the phone she swallowed hard.
âHey you, you OK?â said Aidan. âDonât let them make you feel like shit.â
But Jenniferâs previous good mood had dissolved entirely. Every time she spoke to them it was the same. It stirred up so many mixed emotions, doubt, fear and anger at both their handling of the situation and her own.
âListen, fuck âem. Just forget about them, babe. Now letâs get up
As it was, three days later Jennifer and Aidan boarded a plane to Australia and, although she was experiencing an underlying sense of panic as to whether or not it was definitely what she really wanted, the fact she was proving a point to her parents had become enough to prevent her from changing her mind.
If relations had been bad at that point theyâd taken an even worse turn once sheâd phoned them again from Sydney, where theyâd stayed for the first few weeks before heading to Queensland, at which point her furious dad had demanded to speak to her boyfriend. At first Aidan had refused, which had made Jennifer feel very uneasy. Eventually however, sensing that if he didnât Jennifer was going to freak out, heâd eventually acquiesced, albeit reluctantly, at which point her dad had given him very short shrift, venting all his frustrations and feelings of helplessness at the person he held responsible for his daughterâs unfamiliar behaviour.
Aidan hadnât appreciated being shouted at though. Rather than taking the reprimanding on the chin, heâd retaliated with a few barbed insults of his own which hadnât helped matters in any way. Now, a few months on, things had calmed down a bit but no matter how much Jennifer tried to explain that Aidan had only been stickingup for her, her parents wouldnât budge on their opinion of him. Meanwhile, Aidan refused to understand that perhaps they were only feeling protective and worried about their daughter.
So here she was having yet another awkward conversation with them while Aidan glowered and sulked next to her.
âSo why didnât you go to Surfers Paradise then?â her mum asked now, in a way that sounded to Jennifer somehow accusatory.
âBecause we decided to go another time,â she lied. In reality they couldnât afford to hire a car or go at all but she certainly wasnât going to tell them that.
âHmm, well it seems a shame since you are there not to be doing anything, or seeing anything other than Brisbane,â remarked her mother pointedly.
Jennifer swallowed, determined not to have another row.
âHowâs dad?â
âHeâs right here, do you want a word?â
âPlease.â
âHello, love,â said her dad and Jennifer blinked back a tear. She didnât half miss them.
âYouâll never guess what happened to Martin at work the other day.â
It was true, she never would, so Jennifer let her dad witter away, filling her in on the day-to-day minutiae of his life in a way that made her feel closer to home.
Afterwards her mother came back on the phone. âI saw Karenâs mum the other day.â
âOh yeah,â said Jennifer, rolling her eyes and wishing Aidan would stop staring and listening, while simultaneously preparing herself for the next dig.
âYes. Karenâs loving university apparently. Sheâs got loads of new friends and is really enjoying the course.â
âGood for Karen,â huffed Jennifer.
âOh donât be like that Jen, Iâm just saying. Thereâs no need to be so defensive.â
âYouâre not just saying though are you? Youâre having another go at me for coming here, only I donât know how many times I have to tell you that I can go next year.â
â
If
they agree to you deferring your place. Weâve still not heard yet have we?â
âNo, not yet,â she agreed.
Minutes later as she finally put down the phone she swallowed hard.
âHey you, you OK?â said Aidan. âDonât let them make you feel like shit.â
But Jenniferâs previous good mood had dissolved entirely. Every time she spoke to them it was the same. It stirred up so many mixed emotions, doubt, fear and anger at both their handling of the situation and her own.
âListen, fuck âem. Just forget about them, babe. Now letâs get up
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