Breaking The Chain Of Control

The Weight of Expectations

CHAPTER 2

Jenny continued to pursue her passion for music and made a name for herself in the industry. Her parents eventually came to admire her success, but they could never fully understand the joy that music brought her. They remained distant from her passion, never fully supporting her shows or listening to her music.

One day, after a particularly successful show, Jenny was approached by a woman backstage.

"Excuse me," the woman said, "I'm a reporter at Rolling Stone Magazine. I loved your performance tonight and I was wondering if you'd be interested in doing an interview with us."

Jenny was ecstatic. This was a huge opportunity for her to gain exposure and potentially reach even more people with her music.

"That would be amazing. Thank you so much for the offer," Jenny replied.

As she walked away from the woman, her phone buzzed with a call from her mother. She hesitated before answering, knowing that her mother wouldn't be interested in hearing about the interview.

"Hello?" she said tentatively.

"Jenny, have you seen the news? It's all over the television. There's been a shooting at Central Park," her mother said in a panic.

Jenny's heart dropped. Central Park was her favorite place in the city and she often went there to escape the chaos of her life. She quickly turned on the television to see the live coverage of the event.

"I can't believe this is happening," she muttered to herself.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed again. It was the reporter from Rolling Stone Magazine.

"Hey, Jenny, we've got to reschedule that interview. We just got word that one of our journalists was at Central Park and was shot. It's all very tragic," the woman said.

Jenny's heart sank even further. She couldn't believe that something so horrific could happen to someone who was simply enjoying nature like she often did. She felt powerless, unable to do anything to help.

When she hung up the phone, she noticed her parents had called several more times. She called her mother back and could hear the relief in her mother's voice.

"Jenny, are you okay? We've been trying to get a hold of you. We knew you loved Central Park and we were worried something might have happened to you," her mother said, her voice thick with emotion.

"I'm okay, Mom. I wasn't in the park at the time," Jenny replied, feeling overwhelmed.

"Thank God," her mother said, sighing heavily.

As she hung up the phone, Jenny realized that she couldn't keep living her life only to please others. She needed to start making her own choices, no matter how difficult they may be.

"Life is short and fragile. I need to make the most of it, on my own terms," she said, feeling a newfound sense of determination.