Scenes From a Soap Opera

An Uncle's Advice

Faith Newman was facing a dilemma of sorts. She had been accepted at the University of Michigan along with her boyfriend, Moses Winters, and she really wanted to go. But recently her life, more importantly her mother's, had been turned upside down. Detective Rey Rosales, her stepfather was killed in a car accident leaving her mother widowed. Selfishly, the young woman was counting on Rey to keep her mother company while she went off to school.

But now, Rey was gone and when she went to school in August, her mother would be all alone. Of course, Noah and Mariah would still be in town, but they had their own lives to live. And her father would drop everything to help Sharon if she needed it, but she would still be in that big house all alone. Faith was worried about her; Sharon had suffered so much, being alone was the last thing she needed right now. Her mother was strong, but even strong people needed support.

The high school senior pulled the acceptance letter from GCU out of her jeans pocket. One quick phone and everything could be rearranged. She would stay here, be her mother's rock, and go to GCU; at least for a year. Sharon had sacrificed so much for her, the very least she could do was stay with her. Right? Then why did she feel so conflicted about it? It was the logical thing to do, and Faith really owed so much to her mother. Not that she didn't love her father, but he had a support system that Sharon didn't have access to.

"Faith? Earth to Faith?" Mariah had been shaking her sister's shoulder for the past few minutes, trying to get her attention.

"Huh?" Faith had been so lost in thought, she didn't even notice that Mariah had sat down next to her on the couch.

"You okay there? You were completely spaced out." Mariah asked concerned. "I'm always here to listen, if you need me"

Faith knew and told her older sister that. Under normal circumstances, she would be spilling her guts to Mariah right now. But Mariah wouldn't get what she was feeling right now. These fears she had over leaving their mother. The Jabot executive had been denied the privilege of being raised by Sharon Collins and therefore couldn't understand how difficult it was to leave her. For the longest time, it had been just the two of them, Sharon and Faith, against the world. Nick was around but pulled in several different directions.

Faith had a bond with her mother that no one would understand, no one except for one person. She didn't know why she didn't think of him before, her Uncle Adam. Like her, Adam had been raised by a strong, independent single mother. If anyone could understand the conflicting emotions she was feeling right now, it was him. He also had to leave his mother behind to go to college, first at Northwestern then Harvard. Both schools were farther away from Kansas than Faith was going to be from Genoa City.

Faith jumped from the couch with the resolve to go visit her favorite uncle immediately. Mariah was startled by this random burst of energy from Faith. Her little sister had been so subdued since Rey's death. The whole family was really, Rey was a wonderful man who made Sharon very happy. He would be greatly missed.

"Faith, where are you going?" Mariah questioned. "Mom's going to be awake soon and I think she'd want to see you." The sisters had tag teamed to guilt their exhausted mother into taking a nap. Faith felt a twinge of guilt at leaving but held her resolve. If she didn't do this now, she might lose the nerve. Or worse Mariah would talk her out of it and then where would she be?

"I need to go see a friend. I won't be gone long." She quickly explained. "Besides you'll be here for Mom. Right Mariah?" Turning some of that guilt back onto her older sister. Resisting the urge to smirk at the guilty look that crossed the Jabot executive's face, Faith waved goodbye as she left the house. Mariah didn't try to stop her a second time, clearly whatever Faith needed to do she needed to do it immediately. 'Well,', the redhead huffed, 'I hope it's important'.