Family

Paige had spent the next couple of days thinking about Nathan's proposal. It did sound too good to be true, but he already told her that it was real.

She made a mental calculation of all the things she could do with some of that money and at the end of the day, she realized that she desperately needed the money more than anything she could think of.

So, that was the only thing required for her to arrive at a decision. She had to take the job, since it was just for three months, she was going to be done in no time.

With the decision made, two days later, she drove down to her family home to see her step-mother and sister, the only family she had left, and possibly let them know of her intending absence with no plan of telling them the exact purpose of her absence.

"We heard about the new job offer." Veronica told Paige, dashing the poor girl's hope of keeping the reason for her upcoming absence a secret. She had sent for Paige on hearing about the temporary job offer from Paige's boyfriend.

"What offer?" Paige asked.

Veronica has never asked her stepdaughter to come to the house for nothing.

It has always been to ask for money or to discuss pressing matters which would be summarized with a request for money. So Paige suspected the older woman wanted money but the problem was she didn't have more money on her. She was barely surviving and her stepmother and sister have refused to do anything to support the family financially. Since the death of her father, Paige had practically been the only one catering for the family and the upkeep of the home even though she was not living with them.

Her step-mother would always threaten to sell off their family home if she failed to sort their bills and the house was the only remaining property out of two her father left for them.

The house held lots of beautiful memories of her childhood and reminds her of her dear father and mother. Hence she just couldn't afford to let go.

"The job offer you got at Yardstin." Veronica replied, adjusting her position on the sofa.

"Who.... who told you about that?" Paige asked, frowning.

"That lousy, loquacious boyfriend of yours of course." Came the nonchalant reply from Veronica. Fernanda chuckled uncontrollably at her mother's description of Paige's boyfriend.

"And what's so funny Fe?" Paige shot at her stepsister angrily. "Maybe you should laugh some more since we're having a free concert." She added, and for the first time in a while Fernanda didn't talk back at her but kept mute and a straight face.

Of course Paige's anger was quite understood. She had only told Stefan, her boyfriend, about her discussion with Nathan just the night before. So she felt angered and visibly shocked to discover that he had spilled the whole beans to Veronica in such a short period of time.

The most annoying part was Stefan has never been a fan of her step-family, he literally detest the very ground Veronica walks on and he makes it obvious enough for all of them. So, Paige was surprised that he could tell them about something she confided in him, making her doubt her usual display of distaste to her family.

'Does this mean he's been telling on me all this while?' Paige thought to herself

"Anyway," Veronica continued cutting through her thoughts. "We've made a complete list of our needs. They were quite a lot but we are able to summarize them in a page. Your boyfriend told me that you'll be paid three thousand dollars each month. So we were able to curtail our needs to just six thousand dollars for the three months you won't be around." Veronica told her while handing over a sheet of paper.

A tear dropped from Paige's eyes. The tear wasn't because of the long ridiculous list she was given, but for her boyfriend. He told Veronica everything single thing she told him, word to word.

She hid the real amount she was going to get paid from Stefan for obvious reasons and she was really thankful to her stars that she followed her instincts.

"Fine, is that all? She finally asked, getting a hold of herself."

"Not really," Veronica continued, unbothered. "Your sister decided to start up another business since getting into the university hasn't worked in her favor yet. She wants to start up a fashion business and she shared the idea with me yesterday. I must tell you, it is such a good one. So she needs capital to start up." Veronica blurted out shamelessly.

"Ma!" Paige teared up. "I gave her almost two months of my salary just a month ago when she said she wanted to start a beauty store. What the fuck happened to my money and the bloody beauty store?"

"Watch your language Paige. Do not mess up my daughter's head with those foul words of yours." Veronica cautioned.

"Oh please!" Paige blurted out.

"If you really, you must know, the beauty store didn't work out and we ended up using the money which was not much by the way for the upkeep of the home. Did you forget that you gave us just a few Pennies for upkeep during that period?" She asked.

"Please, how is that any of my business? I don't have any money, not even a penny to spare. God!! I'm barely surviving for God's sake. Look how comfortably seated you are, dishing out orders for another person's sweat. Money that none of you know how hard I work to earn it." Paige lamented.

"But what about the remaining money from your three months job?" Fernanda asked immediately and got an angry glare in return.

"Fe, are you being serious right now? So you expect me to work for three months and give you everything I got? You are already taking more than half of my total income with your freaking list and now you want to take all of it, seriously? You want me to slave for you?" She asked, almost heartbroken.

"Now that's enough Paige! You will help your sister. You went to school under my roof and I supported you the best way any mother would. Even though you choose to always say otherwise. Everything that I ought to do for my own child, I did it for you. So, you must help your sister." Veronica maintained not giving a care to Paige's feelings.

"To set the records straight ma, I went to school under my father's roof and I literally worked my ass off to pay for my education. You never gave me a dime. In fact, you frustrated my efforts when you have the time so don't cajole me into spending my sweat and money on your daughter who has refused to go out there and look for a job to sustain herself. I've had enough of all of this." Said Paige angrily.

"Oh wow!" Veronica exclaimed. "The Sheep finally bleats."

"I wonder who the Sheep is." Paige murmured, fighting the urge to talk back.

"Well, there is not an issue at all. I've arranged and kept the documents of the house aside. I guess we'll need to sell it of then cause Fernanda cannot keep staying at home." Veronica threatened, smiling mischievously as she knew this was the favorite line she uses to get her whatever she wants at all times.

"You know what? Do whatever pleases you Ma. Let's see who turns homeless in a couple of months when you must have squandered all that money. Like I said before, I have no money." She said to Veronica's surprise and stormed out of the house.

As she made her way to her car, she heaved a deep sigh of relief. Finally, she was able to speak her mind. She seriously needed to talk to Stefan then start packing her belongings. There was no need asking, it was obvious she was going to take the offer.

She needed the money badly. Not just to offset her stepmother's bills but she was thinking of buying the house from them. She wasn't sure how to go about it yet, but she knew that having the money was a start.

'Hopefully they don't sell the house off before I get back.' She murmured as she stepped into her portable Kia.

Although not one of the best or greatest cars ever, Paige was grateful that the car always served its purpose of conveying her from one place to another.

"And that is exactly what cars are meant for anyway." She said out loud as she drove out of her home.