Chances Are

Chapter 5 The Affluent Only Child

Kristina Marie Ramos-Rodriguez was born to affluent parents Jeremy John Rodriguez and Genevieve Ann Ramos. Genevieve came from a wealthy family who owned the Ramos Wineries and Restaurants that monopolized the market for good food in the city. Meanwhile Jeremy was a hardworking businessman who struck big when his Car Dealership gained traction and notoriety and became the most successful car dealership in the city. When the two met, the relationship started with a lot of dissension as Jeremy wasn't what Genevieve's parents were looking for. But in time he was able to win them over and the couple soon welcomed their little princess Kristina Marie.

Even though Jeremy was already a successful business man, he felt that he needed to prove himself over and over to his wife who was the much more successful of the two. So he worked tirelessly to build his Car Dealership Empire until it became the only car dealership in the city. Meanwhile Genevieve was working to maintain her family name as well, as she inherited the full business from her parents and she had the pressure of transforming the business to compete in the 21st century. As a result, both parents became so busy with their businesses that they left baby Kristina in the care of nannies or babysitters.

As she was growing up, she saw her parents less and less and she became closer to her babysitter. Of course she would have all the latest and best toys a young girl could ever ask for, but still she missed the moments when she was with her parents. As a result she became very timid as a young child and would often lock herself in her room. Even when her parents decided that she was ready for pre-school, she would just sit in one corner and played with her dolls. Every time her parents pushed for her to be more sociable, she would just further retreat in her shell and push everyone away. Her parents were beginning to worry about her growing lack of social empathy when they finally decided that one of them needed to stay home and properly care for their baby girl. It was a big argument as to who should stay home for the child as both parents had very important businesses to take care of. Finally after a long back and forth that drained both parents emotionally, it was finally agreed upon that Jeremy would stay home and allow his partners to manage the business while young Kristina was growing up.

At first both father and daughter had a difficult time adjusting to their new situations. But eventually both were able to help one another be better people. Jeremy became more patient and appreciate what life gave him. Meanwhile Kristina slowly grew out of her shell and became more and more honest with her feelings. In the beginning she was a very cautious and quiet little girl, but thanks to her father, she became a beautiful butterfly who gained real friends and learned to be more open about the world. As the relationship of Jeremy and Kristina blossomed, Jeremy realized that him leaving his work had become a huge blessing in disguise. When Jeremy focused all his attention on work, he was miserable and unhappy. Outwardly he was very renowned and successful, but in reality he was unhappy because he felt empty inside. When he decided to relinquish responsibility of his business to other partners to remain home for his child, he learned that there was more to life other than success and power.

As young Kristina was growing up, her mother provided her with material love, giving her everything she could ever ask. Growing up, she had all the designer labels, from Gucci to Prada and everything else in between. Meanwhile her father learned how to cook, learned to be more artistic and creative in how to keep the attention of her young and impressionable little girl. The father and daughter would often play games and he would make some of the toys that they played with. They also played educational games like scrabble and chess and taught her all that he knew about its strategies until she became better than him. He also taught her to be more grateful for life's blessings. The family would travel around the world annually allowing Kristina to be much worldlier and to appreciate the finer things in life.

Kristina Marie grew up to be a beautiful princess. Her gold locks took the heart of every male in the school and her beautiful blue eyes mesmerized unsuspecting boys into submission. She was a slim 5'7 beauty and she accentuated her body by wearing form-fitting dresses and wore high-heeled shoes to show off her slender legs even more. She knew she was beautiful and she knew how to show-off her good looks anytime she wanted to. What was even more mesmerizing about her was the trickle of freckles that littered her rosy dimpled cheeks. She was the epitome of perfect in the eyes of every boy in the school and she was the ire of most girls who was jealous of her stature and beauty.

The juxtaposition between her two personalities shown in the forefront when she reached her teen years as it was also in this time when she became friends with Jean Carmichael. She became the typical rich girl who was all about her looks and popularity. She began wearing makeup and became so superficial that her dad forced her to volunteer at certain causes each year. One year she would volunteer on a dog shelter inviting other people to adopt stray dogs and the next year she would go to the orphanage and read stories to young children. Volunteering allowed her to see past her world into the tough and difficult reality of the everyday. But as time went on, her growing popularity and fame in the school made her take things for granted and she lost the value of volunteering and only did it to appease her parents.