Chapter 1 3 years later
"Ella!" Susan exclaimed, smiling, when she opened her front door to reveal Ella Greene. "What a nice surprise, come in." Ella stepped through the door, and followed Susan through to the living room. "So, to what do I owe the privilege of a visit from you?" She sat down on the sofa, and indicated for Ella to do the same.
"I wanted to talk to you about something." Susan nodded at her, meaning for her to continue. "What would you do if your Mum wouldn't let you do something, but you really wanted to do it, and it actually wasn't that bad? Like, she was just being overprotective and silly not allowing you to do it."
"Are we talking about you, Ella?" She laughed slightly, having received a glare from Ella. "Well, if this person that we're talking about were an adult, then her mother couldn't actually stop her. But she should consider the reasons why her mother wasn't allowing her to do this thing."
"Yeah, but what about if she could do it without her Mum knowing, should she?"
"Ella..."
"It's really not bad! She just wants to go shopping with her sister who she hasn't seen in three years!"
"You're meeting up with Rachel?" Ella smiled shyly. "Well, why doesn't your Mum want you to?"
She shrugged. "She's overprotective and stupid. I'm an adult, but I still can't do what I like. She thinks that Rachel will give me drugs, and get me into loads of trouble."
"Did it occur to you that she might be right?" Susan asked, unsure how she should best advise Ella.
"Rachel's changed!" she exclaimed, almost angrily. "She's not 14 anymore, she's not going to give me ecstasy or anything. Anyway, she has a kid of her own, she's responsible now."
"She's got a kid?" Ella nodded. "She married?"
"No. Why?"
"Is she in a long term relationship?" She shook her head. "Do you think it's very responsible to have a child outside of a long term relationship?"
"No, I guess not," she sighed. "But she has to be responsible for Leigh, even if that was forced on her because of something irresponsible."
"How old's Leigh?"
"Nine months. This is part of my point, Susan. I have a niece I've never even met! I want to meet her: Rachel's sent pictures, and she's so lovely."
"Don't you think you should be talking to your mum about this?" Susan queried, wondering what Elizabeth would actually make of all this.
"That's what I've been trying to tell you - I know she won't let me, and I don't know what to do."
"So you're bringing me into this, so that I can get in trouble too?"
"No!" she defended. "I was just asking for advice."
"But now, if you do go, I'll know, and I'll be responsible for not telling your mum."
"I want to go."
"I'm not your mother, I can't tell you what to do." Susan wished she could give better advice, but she really didn't know what to say - she knew that when she was 18 she would have wanted to be treated like an adult, but she also knew that Elizabeth wouldn't want Ella going behind her back.
Ella sat silently for a while, contemplating what to do. "What happens if I go?" she asked quietly after a while. "What will you do?"
"I don't know," she shrugged. "But if I don't know whether you're going or not, I can't do anything about it, can I?" Ella smiled at her widely.
"Really?"
"I wouldn't let slip what you're going to decide, or I might have to tell your mum," she replied, returning the smile. They got up and moved towards the front door, which Susan opened for Ella.
"Thank you Susan," she said, smiling warmly. "That chat helped." She stepped out the door and started down the sidewalk.
"Enjoy yourself!" Susan called after her, a broad, but wary, grin across her face.
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