In Another Life

12 - "Tethered to another and you're worried all the time"

12 - "Tethered to another and you're worried all the time"

Ava left for her road trip two weeks later. It was all sponsored which was great because uni had ended up being more costly than she'd thought. Her parents had helped out as much as they could but with five kids, there was only so much they could. It was a huge part of the reason that she signed on to remain at their rented house. The savings were too much to pass up just for a little more privacy. It was like a little sorority without all the crazy rules.

One of the aspects that made her little travel blog so popular was that despite the sponsorship, she made sure to keep everything fresh-out-of-high-school budget friendly. That was how she had started and she didn't intend to change anything just because she had funding now.

Bella had been going crazy at home and had ignored her for two days straight on hearing that she was leaving again. This had prompted a suggestion that she tag along with Ava until she got bored or it became too much and after much discussion and deliberation, the sponsors and followers had agreed that it would bring a fresh perspective to the blog to have a kid travelling with.

It was different for sure. Ava couldn't go to any clubs or pubs either way because she was below the drinking age in her own country. It was weird because those same rules hadn't applied in Europe and her parents had been more than horrified when they'd read some of her posts about the secret hotspots to visit. She'd had to spin a story about how they had been suggestions and the experiences hadn't been her own. Hispanic parents were not the most lenient people to live.

Having Bella tag along also meant that she had someone else to look after so choosing safer and more comfortable camping spots, organising good sleeping arrangements and finding safe-but-still-fun things to do became a priority. It was a challenge but she'd enjoyed the research and it was always good to do something different. The upside had been that she'd gained a family-friendly following this time round which meant more sponsors, and really, she couldn't complain.

By the end of the trip, she knew that she wouldn't be bringing Bella, or any child for that matter, along with her again. She was exhausted and almost too ready to go home. Complaining to Adam and Nina had been her only solace and even then, Adam had been so occupied with work that she'd hardly spoken to him.

The day before she left for SCU, her phone rang. She almost whined on hearing it because she was so behind on packing, her mother was spitting mad and everyone was on edge. She didn't have time to make conversation. Also, it was interrupting her music.

But then she saw Adam's name flash on the screen and she had never tapped her buds to answer as hard as she did then.

"Hey, hi, hello," she answered, breathlessly, then closed her eyes in mortifiction. What. The. Actual. F**k. Couldn't she behave like a normal human around him for once in her godforsaken life?

His deep laugh filtered through. "Hello to you too. I won't even ask if you're busy because from that greeting, I can hear that you're running around like a headless chicken."

She groaned. "Yeah, thank you. You're right though. Things are a mess here."

"Aunt Jordi still angry?"

"Yes! Oh my god, I don't know what's wrong with her. She's not going to see me for two months but she insists on treating me like a pariah." She didn't mention how she'd fought so badly with her mother that morning it had left both of them in tears. Just thinking about it made her anger swell again. And her tears. She didn't want to leave home like this.

Adam must have noticed her silence because he said, consolingly, "Hey, hey, it's okay. She's probably acting like that because she's going to miss you. Everyone reacts differently."