Distant Shores 2: Waves Of Time

I Was On My Own

(Disclaimer: This chapter deals with topics of death that some readers may find upsetting, including drunk driving and car accidents)

Robert has just told you one of the most heartbreaking stories you've ever heard in your life. You definitely understand him better as a person, and some of the animosity you had towards him is now gone.

But still... are you really ready to open up about your past life with him? Only Edward, Charlie, and Oliver know your full background and they know you don't like to talk about it, so they never bring it up. 

Well, you'll never bond with him unless you try.

"Originally I'm from a small town in Arizona called Winslow. My parents met their freshman year of college at the University of Arizona. My mom studied marketing and my dad was a business major. Their goal was to one day own and run an empire chain of deluxe hotels; they loved traveling and thought that would be a great way to combine the two."

"Your parents were ambitious; I can see that trait in you."

You're taken aback by his words because he almost has a hint of pride in them.

"Thanks, they definitely were. However they dropped out of college after freshman year because my mom got pregnant with yours truly. I was an "oops" but they wanted to make it work. They drove out to Vegas and got married in a tacky chapel by an Elvis impersonator."

You chuckle as you look at your engagement ring. Your relationship is untraditional as well, considering you had to time travel to find your soul mate, but you're going to make damn sure you and Edward have a beautiful ceremony; Vegas style isn't really your cup of tea.

"My grandparents on either side never really approved of the relationship and quitting school, and the whole getting pregnant before being married thing. They were very old fashioned and traditional.... I only ended up seeing them around the holidays."

It sucks because you would've liked to have known your grandparents better. I mean, they sent you birthday cards and went to your high school graduation, but you never truly felt loved and accepted by them. Robert surprises you by giving your shoulder a friendly clasp.

"Hey it's their loss, girl."

You give him a sincere smile before you go on.

"Without help from my grandparents, my parents struggled to make ends meet. At first they shielded the financial burdens from me, but when I was fourteen I saw them hunched over the dinner table in our small apartment at two in the morning looking at a stack of incoming bills. It was then I finally realized and understood everything they had sacrificed for me. Mom was a sales associate at a clothing store and dad was a freelance welder. The problem with that was he only got paid when he was working; if there wasn't a job for him to do then he didn't bring home any money. A lot of the time we were relying on my mom's salary to pay the rent and provide food, which wasn't much. A lot of our family heirlooms and mom's fancy jewelry were sold at pawn shops."

"That sounds rough, girl. I'm sorry you went through all that."

"Don't be. It made me stronger and shaped me into who I am today."

"I can see that. So did your big personality make family vacations a nightmare?"

He gives you a teasing smirk and you roll your eyes.

"We obviously couldn't afford to go on any big vacations, but we made our own family outings. We would go have picnics in the park, or we'd walk through the marketplace and the ice cream vendors would always give me a free sample. It may have been a simple life, but it was my life. I felt loved and safe with my parents. I knew I wanted a strong relationship like they had because despite all the years they'd been together, they would still look at each other like it was the first time."