The Affair.

02

Lunch with my mother was nice but not so much.

She's too much to handle. She's overbearing and always meddled in other people's business. She's loud and the complete opposite of me, but I knew she cared about me.

I didn't really grow up with her, but we've gotten closer as the years went on.

I went to boarding school in Switzerland, meaning that I never actually lived with either of my parents for a long amount of time. They had divorced when I was little, so any time spent in the States was divided between them.

My father, Josh, lived in Washington, but never made me feel like I was obligated to visit him, which I rarely did. I loved him, but we never had anything to talk about. Now that he's dead, I kind of wish we spent more time together, but I can't change the past so I didn't dwell on it. He left me most of his entire fortune from the software company he created years ago, which was a lot.

I've invested most of the money, but there was still a lot left for me to keep.

Karen, my mother, is more of a free spirit. She's a painter now, and a rather famous one at that. She lives in New York mostly with her art dealer/husband, Nick. I liked him, but didn't care enough to invest myself in their relationship.

I was always so mature for my age, even as a child. Growing up away from my parents only made me more independent, and I loved that about myself. I enjoyed going to school abroad and thought it was a great experience for me, but I sometimes wished I could talk to my mother like other daughters did.

Karen and I are detached, for lack of a better word. We didn't fight, but I never really let her into my life enough for us to have any meaningful conversations.

I could barely spend an hour at lunch with her, so meaningful conversations were a little too much for our relationship.

I drove home from the restaurant, looking at the surrounding Boston skyline.

I chosed this city because it was somewhere I had always wanted to live. Not as big as New York, but still a lot of hustle and bustle. It was eclectic, young and vibrant. I needed that when I moved back here.

I thought about staying in Europe or the West coast, but I wanted to be closer to my family. It just felt like I was missing too much when I was away.

I also thought about going to college, but schooling in Europe was different than it was here. After high school, no one really went off to a university to study right away. They took time off and thought about their lives. They waited to see what they really wanted to do.

I was so confused as to why Josh kept pushing me to come back here for college, until I realized he was raised that way. High school, then college, then grad school, then work...for the rest of your life. One right after the other.

I didn't really want college right now. It wasn't in my immediate future either. I was smart. Really smart, or so my test scores said. Schooling would always be an option, but just not now.

With Josh's inheritance, I purchased a townhouse in the Beacon Hill area. The rich area. It was three floors and had high ceilings.

My neighbors were elderly women who had lived in their houses for years, their husbands dying off decades ago. When I introduced myself, they both told me that the neighborhood was filled with older people who could afford the payments.

They were trying to figure out how a girl of twenty-two, who probably looked younger, could afford a place nicer than theirs.

I didn't tell them that I paid for my house in full and was thinking about buying their properties as well once they died off. I just dropped my baked goods in their hands and told them to call if they needed anything.