Finding Direction

Chapter Five

Eva Hunt

"Evangeline."

Eva looked up from the computer screen to see her Natalie, her mum, standing in the doorway. Her jet black hair was immaculate, with no strand out of place. Her lips were puckered up with her signature red lipstain and today, pearls hung from her neck.

"It's Eva." she said firmly, correcting her mother came naturally when it came to her name. She hated the name Evangeline. In fact, she despised it so much that once she had gained the right to leave home and live on her own, she had changed her name to Eva. She considered it as her first step to independence. First step of freedom from the iron control of her mother.

Her mum had been furious when she found out the change in name. She said how it was disrespectful of Eva to change the name specifically given to her by her parents and should be kept that way forever. She pointed out how this act was a shameful try of Eva to rebel against her parents. But it was untrue. Eva had done it for herself, to prove to herself that she can do things without her mums inclusion.

"Still on that old thing I see," her mum said, looking down at her with disappointment clearly present in her eyes.

"Mum." Eva sighed. "I don't want to fight today."

"I'm not picking a fight, Evangeline. I'm just merely looking out for my daughter." Her mothers statement was so far from the truth that Eva had to fight back a snort of disbelief. "I still don't understand why you chose to live in this," Natalie looked disdainfully at her surroundings, "pigsty. I gave you everything. Everything that millions of others would kill to have."

"And look at you, picking that good for nothing job as a writer over a respectable job as a lawyer."

"I don't want to be a lawyer!" This time Eva stood up as well, her hands clenched tightly as she stared angrily at her mother.

"You know that! It is not my hearts desire to become one and nor will it ever be. Why can't you just accept that mother?" She pleaded. "I know you want us to do our best but there is more to life than getting the jobs that pay the most money."

"For gods sake! You were in UCL. A University that can guarantee you anywhere in life if you just put your mind to it. But what did you do? You dropped out to pursue for you own selfish dreams. Writing will get you nowhere in life, Evangeline, unless you are one of the talented few."

"So you're saying I'm not talented?" Eva gritted her teeth.

Natalie stared calmly at her daughter and said, "You and I both know that writing is only a hobby of yours. Nothing will be achieved by it."

Eva sharply sucked in a breath. That was a blow to her gut as she processed what her mother said. "Please get out." She tried to say it in the most polite tone she can conjure but failed in the end. It came out as a vicous snarl, reflecting how she felt about her mother right now.

Natalie didn't bother arguing. Most probably because the look on Eva's face showed that she'd had enough. But she will not say sorry, she never did.

Although her mother didn't exactly say it, Eva knew that she was insulting her work as a journalist. Wait till she knows about my Wattpad account, Eva thought.

Eva sighed as she watched her mum make her way out. She knew where their argument had headed for they had had this conversation far too many times. Each one with the same outcome; someone ends up crying.

Last time it had been her mum who ended up in tears. Crying in fake anguish at how terrible Eva was turning out to be. The burden of the family, that's who she was.