Once Upon a Dream

One day I was in the public library doing some research. I met this handsome college guy. He came up to my table and introduced himself. He was taking basic classes and wanted to be a doctor someday.

He was six feet tall with flaxen blond hair and cerulean blue eyes. His name was Darren. He took me out to an Italian restaurant and we talked for hours. He only knew I moved to live with my father. He was so smart that in one year he would have his B.A at 20.

We dated steadily for a month when I told him about my mother, the stardom-seeking waitress. He frowned when I mentioned she had an unemployed boyfriend who was going to connect her to the great life.

"How did you get those bruises on your arm? Did he do that?"

"I bruise easily and they take a month or two to heal." I told him about Alex Williams, my old boyfriend. We only dated a few months because my mother called his mother a stuck up, rich bitch so Mrs. Williams decided I wasn't good enough for her son.

Darren's dad used to dance Ballet. His mom was once a Home based nurse. That's how they met because his dad was disabled. He had a twin sister named Deirdre. She's taking registered nursing classes in California and she danced too.

"There has been a Ballet dancer in my family for 15 generations now. My sister is it this time. She likes it, but she doesn't want to consider it for a career. She could though, she's very good. I bet you two would like each other. I'll introduce you when she comes home for Christmas, if you want me to."

Of course I wanted him to. I was excited to meet someone who loved Ballet as much as I did.

I suspected, correctly, that things were too good to be true. And I was right. As soon as my father tried to seek custody of me my dearest loving mother decided she needed money. She had expenses. She needed a house and car, makeup, a new wardrobe and enough money to move to Beverly Hills.

I thought it would be simple but Momma wasn't going to pass up a good deal. She wanted money for raising me. She wanted 20% of his income for 16 years. It was the most she was entitled to by law. But if my father didn't sweeten the deal she wouldn't sign away her rights. When my father threatened to have her declared inept she decided she wanted full custody of me. The judge decided to grant temporary physical custody to my father.

I talked to Darren everyday and he was very supportive. He still didn't know where I lived or what my fathers last name was. All he wanted to know about was me.

My father had to travel again and was constantly in India trying to close a big land deal. My stepmother was my main companion when I was home. It was easy enough to see why my father loved her. She was kind, generous and beautiful. I thought she looked like Grace Kelly.

Corrina continued to be surly and became even more so when she learned I would be attending Emerson Peabody beginning in the Spring Semester. I had had to wait for the semester to start because the school would not accept anyone during the year.

I had been living there for two months but she still wouldn't accept me.