“ASH! Ashleigh guess what?” screamed Lauren excitedly from the lounge room.
“What?” replied Ashleigh blankly, expecting Lauren to be excited about the latest in-season colours or clothing. “I got in.” Lauren said at the door, smiling with her hands clasped in excitement.
“What are you talking about?” Ashleigh said shaking her head in confusion.
“I. GOT. IN. To university! In the city! I am leaving here finally! I am studying marketing!” She screeched and giggled in unison. Ashleigh’s world came crashing down in an instant. No. This cannot be right. Ashleigh was not allowed to go to university. All she got was a certificate 3 in Agriculture and her father told her she would not need a university education, because she was going to stay and work on the farm for her career.
“Bullshit.” Spat Ashleigh angrily. “Absolute bullshit!” she yelled standing up and leaving the room to track down her father. “Dad!” she yelled.
She found her father sitting outside reading the paper. “What is Lauren talking about?” she asked bitterly.
“She got into university. Isn’t it great?” he said oblivious.
“No, no it is not f*cking great” she said, tears welling up in her eyes. She had a tight feeling in the back of her throat, she tried to contain her vivid anger, but it was welling up inside her stomach. Before she knew it, she was blind with rage. She suddenly did not care about what she was about to say. “Lauren gets the world. I get a ridiculous job here working myself sick. I do not get any more benefits than her. When you die, she still gets half the money which I helped make! She gets to flounce off to a fancy university in a fancy apartment in the city, studying at a high degree. I was not good enough, was I dad? I was not good enough to go to university. A tafe degree will do. Yeah, I love agriculture, but there is so much more I want to be! You supressed my opportunities. It is not the fact I did not go to university, but more the fact you NEVER gave me the option! It should have been my choice. But instead, if I chose to go study something else- I would be disowned from the family. But Lauren? She gets congratulated.”
“But you love agriculture. You love the farm!” he yelled angrily.
“I know I do! But what if I had wanted to study at a higher level and broaden my horizons with ag? I was never allowed to. You said we could not afford it!” Ashleigh said crying now. She rarely cried, but now she let it all out. She turned around and jumped into her ute. She revved the old landcruiser and took off down the road.
6 months had passed since Lauren had gone to university. Ashleigh had enslaved herself to the farm, trying her hardest to make it the best possible. She had not heard a word from her sister, and neither had her father. Ashleigh’s father and she got along better than they did, but there was still the bubbling underlying anger which was within Ashleigh which she would not forget for a long time. Lyall had purchased a unit in the city for Lauren to live in the city, as well as everything else she needed. He supplied her with everything to complete her university degree. What annoyed Ashleigh is that Lauren never rang. Ashleigh and Lyall had not heard from Lauren in ages. The most Lyall heard from Lauren was “Hi, I am busy at the moment but loving it here and loving university. Bye” Ashleigh thought serve the old bastard right. But then, she felt annoyed because Lyall did not think there was anything wrong with it. He said “She must be very busy, it is okay”
