A Woman's Flight Chapter 21

Her mother was against the idea from the start. After Richard has passed away they had actually become closer. At first Rebecca's resentment got in the way, but over time she started to understand why her mother behaved the way she did toward her father when he would start to attack her and Rebecca.

They had even gotten to a really open space with each other and had grown stronger together in a lot of ways . She tried to plead with Rebecca to stay, but Rebecca knew that the town was never meant for her. She was a different person than the people that lived there. Rebecca knew she would never be happy there.

She wanted to get as far away as possible. She had applied for some colleges in Texas, but something told her to put in some applications for colleges in California as well. Rebecca knew that she would probably end up having to pay higher out of state fees but something told her to apply anyway. One of the applications she sent in was to Stanford. She never expected to actually hear back. Within a month she had gotten back an acceptance letter from Stanford University in California.

She took it as a sign. She was almost so elated by the news that she could hardly contain herself. She knew her mother wouldn’t like the fact that she was going so far, but at the same time she knew that she could get a new start there. She could get the great education she had always wanted and she could commit herself to growing away from the stifling and almost frustrating conservatism that plagued Texas.

She just about yelled in excitement. She didn’t really know how to take the news. She had convinced herself that she was probably never going to leave Texas. She was convinced that she would probably spend the rest of her life feeling stifled. That she would probably never even get accepted anywhere.

She had convinced herself that she would probably be living in that God forsaken town until she died. All of a sudden everything had opened up for her. In the first time in Rebecca’s life she actually felt hope. She actually felt like life was opening up for her. She felt like California would be the land of promise, and that nothing would stop her from achieving her goals.

Her mom tried to convince her that she should stay. When Rebecca first told her mom, she had said, “Why do you need to go so far? Isn’t everything you need right here anyway? Why would you want to leave your mother here all by herself? You could just stay right here. I could take care of you. We could take care of each other. Why do you want to leave me?” Tears started to stream down her mother’s face. She could see her mom breaking at the thought of losing her only daughter.

Rebecca gave her mom a hug and said, “I know it’s a far ways away, but you and I both know that I can’t stay here. I have never been happy here. We both know that. And you should know that more than anyone. I can’t stay here. I am not leaving you. I am leaving here. Just think of the opportunities I could have if I moved out to California, especially if I go to Stanford. I could study law mom. I could help other women who are in the same situation that we had to deal with fight against their husbands and spouses so that they don’t have to feel trapped in their situation. I could do so much good mom. And I can always come and visit.”

Rebecca wiped a tear from her mom’s face and gave her mom an extra big hug. Her mom turned to Rebecca and smiled as she said, “When did you get to be so grown?” You really have matured into a beautiful woman. I know you will do well. Just promise to come and visit me ok? Rebecca smiled, “Ok mom. That’s a deal. I don’t think I could stay away from your cooking for too long anyway.”

When Rebecca finally left, she was certain that she was starting a new life for herself, and that she would never let anyone hurt or harm her again. She was convinced that she would be the strong one of the family. She never wanted to allow herself to be dominated or controlled. More importantly she wanted to prove she was better than this town and her father. What she didn't know yet was that she would fall into the same situation her mother had found herself in not so many years ago.

When Rebecca first made it to Stanford University she thought it must have been out of a dream. She had seen the brochures but never did she imagine that she could actually live and learn and grow in a place so beautiful. She fell in love with the campus the moment that she arrived. She felt like her heart was bursting with joy at the new opportunities that this new campus could offer her. She even found herself spinning around and jumping in the air and giggling. She knew that people must have been watching but she didn’t really care.

She just couldn’t wait to meet her new teachers and her dorm mate and to take her first class at a real accredited university. When she had gone through her orientation they had given her a keycard and the room and the dorm she would be staying in. When she actually saw the dorm room she was going to be staying in her jaw almost dropped.

She couldn’t imagine that she would actually be staying in a dorm that looked that beautiful. When she walked into the main courtyard she could see a large open field that was covered with a luscious green lawn with different types of trees surrounding the perimeter. There was a pavement walkway interrupting the path, and the buildings where constructed out of that old spanish style architecture.