Let's Get Ethan ✔

Chapter 32

Words were just enticing little promises packed up in unopened conversations. As Ethan stared up at his bedroom ceiling he knew that the words he was going to be saying to his parents wouldn't be the ones they wanted to hear, but if he was like an unopened package, they would need to be curious enough to tear him open and see what he contained. Ethan knew that in time they would accept his decision, he knew that secretly, deep down, they were there for him, wherever he ended up in life.

Finally, he was ready, after everything he had been through—it was time. He knew he could let his parents know what his decision about school was.

During dinner, after he had polished off his plate of chicken, he stared at his loving parents. He looked over at his slightly less lovable sisters and gave them a grimace. He didn't want them to be around when their parents were furious at him for what he was about to say. His mother was happy, his father was too, and Ethan was going to ruin that. As always, his mother noticed that something was off about her son, "What's wrong, Ethan?"

Ethan palms shook in his lap, his stomach bubbled up in protest, but he needed the words to come out, "Mom, Dad, I want to change my major," he said, he looked at their eyes, his dad's were hard, unappreciative of his son's sudden clarity, his mom's were like icicles breaking in the sun, her smile dropped, but she didn't seem mad.

"To what, may I ask?" his father asked sternly, his jaw flexing from the push and pull of the words from his mouth.

"I think I want to be an English major, I am really sorry, I'll pay for school, I'll work, I'll get things done, I'll make something of myself. I know I will and—"

His father stopped him, he took a deep breath, "Ethan, we only want what's best for you, I am not pleased with your decision at all, and I am going to have to ask you to pay for a bit more of your tuition, but I can't punish you."

"Yeah, honey, we get it, it's hard out there, maybe you'll reconsider later, but if it's okay with your father, I suppose you do what's right," his mother said bolstering her husband's stance. She gave Ethan a nervous smile.

His sisters across from him were open mouthed and slightly impressed by his courage. A look of admiration almost.

Those were not words Ethan was expecting, for years they had told him, that the first thing that he needed to do in life was choose a good major, then a good career would just follow. Like he had to pick the right thing to do at eighteen and know that in his few years on the planet that it was the right thing to do. Like he knew that, Ethan could barely muster enough courage to ask a girl he didn't even like out, and he didn't even have the courage to tell his parents what he really thought, years and years ago.

"Thank you," Ethan breathed, nearly capsizing from nerves. His entire body felt like a lightning storm had run through it.

"Right, and I hope you do well, I checked your grades this first semester, and they were very poor," his father added, not particularly happy with his son's results.

Though Ethan couldn't fault him for that, his grades were atrocious.

"I will, I am really sorry," Ethan apologized.

"Well, I guess this semester wasn't such a waste, you did take some gen eds, right?" his father asked trying to look on the bright side.

"Yeah I had a Philosophy and Sociology class, so I have some requirements done already," Ethan assured him.

Ethan was proud of himself; for his admission.
Also, he was overjoyed that he would never again have to do another report on Marketing Strategies in the Twenty-First Century.

He swore his professors came up with new vocabulary for marketing classes just to torture him.

The rest of the evening his sisters wouldn't stop babbling about their classes next semester. Ethan had to cringe at the number of classes with AP printed before them. Those two he was definitely worried about, but if they were ready for the work, he certainly wouldn't tell them otherwise.

An important moment was when you just let go of controlling your family members and allow them to follow their own path. Ethan instantly thought of Stephanie and her sister, Christine.

What was she going to do? Was her sister even with their family for the holidays? Feeling drunk with power after confessing to his parents, he called her on the phone again.

She told him that she was doing just fine, predictably her sister wasn't visiting for the holidays. Christine instead opted for a vacation in the Bahamas. Stephanie told Ethan that she didn't feel like talking very long as she had a bad day, but she explained that she's still trying to "find herself."

Which made sense to him, when her identity was so wrapped up in popularity or expectations, things like talking about that sort of thing got murky.

She was fine, in all sense of the word, even in the less obvious way, the way that "fine" masks something more sinister. She told him not to worry though which he appreciated.

It was all Ethan could do to keep his eyes and in focus, in his bed he was dizzy with delight. His face red with embarrassment for being so nervous, but also exhaustion. He was sweaty but too exhausted to shower, too enthusiastic to wait for morning, and everything felt like too much. All day he had prepared to tell his parents about his major change, but that was just beginning to cover the issue, he had waited his whole life to finally stand up to them. He wasn't sidelined at all, now he was so much more.

The next day he would leave for campus and then he would move into his new place. It was move-in day all over again and Ethan couldn't be more excited. So much more excited than when he first moved in. It was like talking to his parents had lit a spark, and now his entire world was a firework display.