Juliana's Journey by Katie Wyatt & KATIE WYATT

Author:Katie Wyatt & KATIE WYATT [CLEMMONS, BRENDA]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Royce Cardiff Publishing House

Chapter 7

When they pulled up at their parents’ house five minutes later, they found a flashy BMW pulling out of the drive. A smug middle-aged man squatted behind the wheel like a toad. He leaned his arm out of the window and smiled in a ubiquitous way.

“Now, don’t be hasty; think over what we discussed,” he called out of the window.

Their mother stood on the drive, her arms folded and her expression as black as a thundercloud.

“What was he doing here?” Margaret asked as they parked the car and got out.

“Mr. Perkins?” their mother asked, as though she’d had a string of visitors the girls could know about that morning.

“Of course,” Margaret said. “He’s not pressuring you to sell the land on Main Street again, is he?”

“He is,” their mother said as they walked inside. “Margie, I might have to. Dad’s medical bills …”

“I’ll buy it,” Juliana said.

They stopped walking in the hallway and her mother and sister stared at her.

“What was that?” their mother asked.

“I’ll buy the land from you, assuming you’ll sell it for a good price,” Juliana said, a little quieter.

Their mother shot her an incredulous look. “And what would you do with it?”

Juliana suddenly realized that, in the back of her mind, she had been thinking about that piece of land for years. “I’d build a diner,” she said.

“You don’t have money for that!” Margaret said.

“I do,” Juliana said. “I get paid really well when I work, and live well below my means. I’ve been saving my money for the last four years.”

“But how did you pay for your studies?” Margaret asked. “Don’t you have a student loan or something?”

“I got a scholarship that paid for most of it,” Juliana said. “I turned my life around and worked hard. I’ve taken no vacations in six years. I’m still wearing the same sneakers you bought me, so … I guess what I’m saying is …”

“You’re not as much of a screw up as we thought,” Margaret said.

“I am,” Juliana said. “But I’m a screw up with money invested, and the bank loves me. I’m sure I can get a loan. So, if you have to sell to someone, sell to me.”

Their mother stared at her, her light green eyes wide in surprise.

They sat at the dining room table, the three of them, and spoke and drank one of Margaret’s herbal teas. It was something with mint that Juliana had to admit she really liked. Juliana spoke and their mother was listened, although, when Juliana was done outlining her ideas, it was plain their mother didn’t believe Juliana was serious. “But what’s the point? You always leave.”

“I left once,” Juliana said. “Only once, Ma. You make it sound like I came back and left again and again … it was once. And I’m not that person anymore.”

Their mother held her mug in both hands and stared into the dregs of her tea for a long time. Juliana almost wondered if she’d fallen asleep with her eyes open. Eventually, she stirred and shook her head.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.