Who Do You Think You Are

Chapter 29b - I keep playing inside my head...

Stacy’s P.O.V.

I was sitting next to Zayn, explaining why I didn't have a family ‘back home’. We actually got on quite well. I guess it’s because he’s sort of pensive and well, contemplative, kinda like me.

“My parents are dead,” I said.

“Ah Stace, I…I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

“No, it’s okay, really. It happened a few years ago; motor-vehicle accident. My parents were heading to the airport. They were supposed to be leaving on a business trip, but they never made it to the airport. My dad was certified dead on the spot. Mom survived for a few days, but her injuries were too severe. She lasted a whole week before she died.” I hadn’t noticed until now how much it actually hurt. I wasn’t emotional about it at first, but by the last line I was choking on my words. Zayn put an arm around me. It was a gesture that meant more than any number of words could have. The truth was, I hadn’t spoken much about it in a long time. And telling him about it had raised feelings that I didn’t even know were there. I swallowed hard, fighting back the tears, and continued.

“I stayed with my uncle and aunt and cousins until I turned eighteen. My parents had left everything to me in their will. The house, the company, all their money, would be mine when I turned eighteen. I decided that I wanted to give a large percentage of the profit from the business to charity. Of course, my uncle and aunt didn’t agree with my decisions. They said that I was being foolish and that I am too young to understand the value of money. One day I over-heard my aunt say that my parents should have left the business to them, instead of some spoilt little brat who wanted to give everything away.” I paused; the words were still fresh in my mind. I looked up at Zayn’s face, which showed a mixture of sympathy and concern.

“They’re wonderful people, really. But I knew that I had over-stayed my welcome at that stage. I wasn’t going to convince them to support my decisions, and hanging around any longer would only result in a feud. It was time for me to leave. That didn’t sit well with them, but it was something I had to do. So now you know how I ended up here.”

... I snapped out of the memory to the sound of a different voice.