1

Brea looked up from her tea. She was contemplating how to tell her parents. She couldn't think of any specific way to do it. Every time she thought about it, it just seemed like such a surprise. She knew her parents would feel at a loss, but she was really delighted.

Earlier that day, Brea had received an acceptance letter from Rosewood Academy. She loved the idea of a boarding school. She liked the idea of being with the same people everyday and being able to escape from her family. However, she didn't like the fact that the school was in England and she was in America. She was quite sure that her parents wouldn't like that either.

Her parents always laughed that their daughter wanted to go to a boarding school. They always disregarded it as a joke. They knew that she had received information about Rosewood, but she never told them that she had sent in an application.

She lifted the porcelain teacup up to her pink-tinted lips. The tea was sweet and warm, the same kind she had when she was facing a problem. She found such comfort in it. Her mother had always told her that it was never a good idea to find comfort in food, but she couldn't help it. When she drank the tea, she just felt so prim and proper. She loved the tea and the way it made her feel. It always helped her think.

She had made up her mind by the time her mother walked into her room. She was frightened to death, but she knew it had to be done. She knew that her mother was the more accepting of her two parents, and she only thought it right to share it with her first.

"What have you got there?" Her mother implored.

Brea looked up from the letter with a worrisome look on her face. "Well I've got good news," she said with an unsure smile.

Her mother sat down on the bed, preparing herself for the worst. "Ok, what is it?"

She handed her the letter. "I got in."

"Got into what?" She asked as she reached for her glasses. She silently read over the acceptance letter, trying to decipher her feelings. Finally, she looked up from the letter beaming. "That's great, Sweetie!" she said as she got up and hugged her daughter, "Why were you so worried? You had me scared to death over what you were going to say."

"Well, um, it's kind of in England."

"Kind of?"

"Actually, it's all in England."

"Oh, I see." Her smile faded.

"Yeah. But I really want to go, and I promise that I'll work hard. And you know that I've been working hard for this so far."

"Well, you know I'll have to discuss this with your father."

"I suppose you would. After all, the decision doesn't affect only me."

"I know. It affects our budget."

"It also means the fact that you wouldn't see me as often," she retorted, a little upset that her mother would put finances ahead of her own daughter.

"Now I didn't mean it like that, and you know it."

"Yes, I know. I'm sorry. Care for the rest of my tea?" She said hopefully.

"Don't change the subject. We still have to talk about this."

"I know. So, how are we going to tell Daddy?"

"Well, we, and when I say we, I mean you, are going to tell him at dinner. Just hand him the letter like you did me. He and I will discuss it after dessert."

"Oh, we get dessert tonight! What's the occasion?"

"I thought you knew. We have to celebrate your acceptance."

Brea pecked her mother on the cheek and pranced downstairs, leaving her mother alone in her room. Her mother lay down on Brea's bed and grabbed a stuffed bear named Selma. "I don't know what I'm going to do with that girl." She curled up in a ball with the bear and took a nap.