18. Subway
"I never really liked using the trains," Becky admitted.
"Why's that?" asked Dave as they took a seat.
She looked at him and shook her head.
"Let me see," she replied, "I've gotten mugged down here, and there was an undead sorcerer who decided it would be fun to try and crash our train on Halloween. Any of this sound familiar?"
Dave gave a nervous grin. The doors to the subway closed and the train lurched ahead. He didn't like the subways very much either, for a very similar reason. If she knew half the monsters he hunted down here she'd just get all the more nervous. No reason to tell her about the incident with the metal eagle either.
"A little, yeah," said Dave.
"They're still the best way to get around though," she said.
"Not to mention one of the cheapest," said Dave, "The college is still considering that proposition to give students discounted subway cards though. They're dithering about it though so I don't think it'll happen any time soon."
"No rush," said Becky, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "They're very much within my budget so…"
Her voice trailed off. Dave watched as Becky folded her hands in her lap, twisting them a few times.
"Becky?" he asked, "Something wrong?"
"Not really…but…it's just that…" said Becky, "it's been around a year since my grandmother died."
"Oh," said Dave, remembering the emotional turmoil she had been in when Lacy had first died, "I know."
Truthfully he had. The date was approaching fast and he knew that this would be hard for Becky to deal with. To her surprise she shook her head.
"It's not that," she said, "Well, it's partially that. It's just that in a few months I'm going to be starting my major classes."
He inclined his head, listening intently. If there was one thing he prided himself on it was that he was a good listener.
"And you know that my mother picked my major for me," she said, "I didn't want to take Law but I didn't want to estrange myself from her."
The train stopped and opened its doors. Since it wasn't their stop Dave didn't even look up. He was familiar with this story, ever since Becky had told him her major. It didn't make sense either way. Becky watched as a few more people came in. When the doors closed she sighed and continued.
"My grandmother always told me that I should go my own way. She didn't think much of my mother you know."
"I know," said Dave, remembering the way that neither Becky nor Lacy would mention her mother, "I know that they don't get on."
"She isn't much of a mother Dave, but she's still my mother," said Becky, "In her own way she just wants what's best for me. What parent doesn't? But the fact of the matter is that her ideas of what's best for my and my ideas differ greatly."
Dave had seen this firsthand when he'd met her mother. At first he'd thought she was a college student, but he'd learned later it was just from all the plastic surgery. That was probably why he didn't recognize her as Becky's mother right off. All of that surgery had left her looking almost nothing like her daughter.
Her original aloofness had convinced him that she was a friend of Becky's roommate. He couldn't fathom Becky being around someone so heartless. As soon as he found out that she was her mother his heart sank. She had said things that he'd never even heard during his worst days as a perceived nutcase at his school. They had just been children back then. This was an adult observing that he wasn't good enough.
Later Becky had hunted him down and explained. He had shrugged it off and never seen her mother since. She hadn't come to Lacy's funeral, and neither of them had expected her to. Since the death of Becky's father the two of them had started their great dislike of each other. Becky's mother probably couldn't care less if the woman who raised her daughter in her stead was dead or not.
"I got that," he said.
"You also know that I don't want to be a Law student."
"You've told me."
Becky gave him a wry smile.
"Dave, a little after the funeral my grandmother's will was read," she said quietly, "The thing is…Bianca and I are her only real living relatives."
The way that she said 'real' gave him the feeling that her mother hadn't been included in her will.
"She gave Bianca some jewelry with sentimental value," continued Becky, "Something about a long time ago."
Her eyes were misting now and Dave wrapped an arm around her. She leaned into the contact gratefully.
"She was involved in a lot of charities, on the board of many committees," she said, "She left some money to them and all of her father's magical artifacts to the Chrysler building. I can only say that that seems appropriate to me."
"Yeah," Dave said, finally figuring out where some of the new décor in the building had come from.
"But she left me…Dave," said Becky, "She left me everything else."
He blinked.
"Everything else?"
"Yes," said Becky, "My childhood home, all the rest of her money, and three sealed envelopes with dates on them. Just like Balthazar and Veronica."
She closed her eyes. He briefly remembered the three visions that Becky's seer grandmother had left the couple.
"For the first time in my life I'm financially independent Dave," said Becky, "I can do anything I want. I can quit college and go yachting for the rest of my life. It doesn't matter that much anymore."
Dave swallowed.
"I thought you said that you get seasick."
"I do," she said, smiling a little, "but that's not the point. My grandmother came from extremely old money Dave. Her father was rich, his father was, all the way back to the revolution I think. There's a lot of it Dave."
"So what have you been doing with it?" he asked, trying to be tactful.
"Nothing," said Becky, "I put it in my bank account and it's just there right now."
She sighed.
"I'm signing up for my law classes this week," she said, "My mother's been paying for my college. It's just…I woke up this morning and I realized that I didn't have to. I don't have to worry about money for college and I can sign up for a different major."
Suddenly Dave understood. The train stopped again, but this time he continued the conversation heedless.
"You want to do something with music?" he asked.
"I was thinking fine arts," she said, "I'm not that far behind, I took most of those classes as electives after all. But, I'm not so sure."
He pulled her a little closer. Now he knew what the problem was.
"Your mother."
"Just because she left me doesn't mean that I have to leave her," she said, a little defensively, "And just because I can doesn't mean I should either."
Dave sighed.
"I'm not sure I understand that," he said, "But it's your life. You have to lead it no matter what happens."
"Dave, she's all I've got for a mother."
"And I never had a father," he said, trying to keep his voice steady, "But things work out sometimes."
"You don't understand."
"Not really. I just said I was having trouble wrapping my head around it," he said, "I'm not going to try and give you advice that I can't give. I'm being honest with you. Here's the thing though…"
He kept his face serious as he looked her in the eyes.
"I think your grandmother left you that money because she wanted you to have options. I'm not saying it specifically because she wanted you to change your major or anything," Dave said, "But she might've been thinking it. Like I said, I think that she wanted you to have options with your life."
Becky looked away.
"What is it that you want?" he asked, "What is it that you really want from your life? Do you want to be a lawyer?"
"You know I don't."
"Then I think you've answered your question," he said, "I think you have to live your life for yourself, not based on what other people want."
"I can't just…"
"If she doesn't understand than it's her fault," Dave said, "That's the truth. Try all you can to keep things good between the two of you, but don't let her control you."
The train stopped at their stop. Becky didn't say anything as she got up. He grasped her hand and she held it as they went through the doors. She remained silent on their way to her apartment, only whispering goodnight when they got there. Dave could only hope that he'd given her good advice.