Chapter 12

   It was about 18 years since her father died when she first met her husband. She had gone through a lot of
healing since her father had last passed away. She had started to actually take control of her life and really find
her center and who she was. She had managed to meet some amazing friends that really helped her to get through
a lot of the anger and bitterness that she had felt for her father. She was even able to get rid of a lot of her
negative feelings toward herself, and was starting to come out of her shell and stop blaming herself for everything
that had happened to her. 
 

  She had decided to leave home for college right after she had graduated from high school. It was during
her college years that she was able to grow and change but it was also the time she first met her husband. It was
just before she was about to leave for college that she began to realize that she could never grow and change if
she stayed there and she was better off leaving but at that point in her life she just felt stuck in her situation
without any good way out.  
 

  Her old town just carried too many memories of her father and she knew that she had to leave if she
really wanted to move past a lot of the issues that she was still dealing with. She knew early on that she wanted to
recreate herself into a different person and move past a lot of the small town drama and thinking that had plagued
her most of her life. She loved Texas, but there were some things that she didn't agree with either.  
 She never liked the way that she had seen her mother and even her grandmother treat other people. She
was a strong believer that everyone deserved an equal chance to prove their worth. She also never liked just how
stagnant and close minded the community was as a whole and she knew that if she wanted to better herself; she
would have to move. Not to mention Tyler carried way too many old sores and wounds that she knew she could
never get rid of until she left. Rebecca knew she couldn’t do that if she stayed.

  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.