Page 3 of Dear Glory

“You said you wish you could get away and I asked why don’t you?”

“B… but Mom… you know Dad,” I stammer. “He’s not going to let that happen… he’s liable to show up a?—”

“Glorinda, you’re twenty-five, sweetheart. You’ve got to stop worrying so much about what your daddy is going to do and start living,” she huffs matter-of-factly. “You are a smart girl. You have good sense, and you have your own money. Nothing and nobody can stop you from doing what you want to do but you,” she reassures me.

“Well…”She’s not wrong…

“Go and explore the world! Go meet a fine man! Go be you! It’s the nineties! The world has changed so much, and there are so many fun things to do!”

“That’s the problem, Mom. I don’t even know who I am at this point. I’ve lived such a sheltered life under Dad that I feel like I’m only a reflection of what he wants me to be,” I admit, saddened by this fact.

“Then go break that mirror, hunny. No, in fact… shatter it and piece it together in a way that even your daddy won’t be able to deny,” I groan at her words, deflating because she makes it sound so easy.

“I—”

“Oh!” my mom gasps. “Whilst conveniently looking at this French travel brochure, I see that France is simply gorgeous around this time…” she clears her throat and trails off, making me chuckle.

“You know Dad is going to blow a gasket when he finds out, right?” I giggle.

“Find out what?” she feigns ignorance and I laugh again.

“Fine, I hear you loud and clear, Mrs. Cross,” I joke.

“Good. Now you have a good night, baby, and don’t worry about your dad. I’ll handle him.”

“Thanks, Mom. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Okay, hunny,” she hangs up and the beeping blares in my ear before I can place my thumb on the switch hook to end the annoying noise.

My mom’s words float around in my head, and I feel like I can’t move fast enough to the kitchen drawer where I keep all my travel brochures. I scavenge and find the French pamphlet that I’m sure my mother was talking about and read it over.France is indeed stunning around this time…

Quickly, I call a private jet operator, making sure it’s different from the one my dad uses, followed by the grandest hotel of them all myself, not even bothering to wait for my travel agent’s operating hours tomorrow.I’m going all out!

By the time the night is over, I’m booked, packed and headed to my private jet.

I will not live under his thumb a second longer… I’m going to go find me.

Chapter 2

Glorious Landing

GLORY

“Glorinda!” I hear my dad’s boisterous voice through the car phone.

“Yes, Dad?” I sit up, turning down the cassette tape I just handed the driver even though one of my favorite songs, “Motownphilly” by Boys II Men is playing.

“Are you paying attention to me? Now is not the time for you to have your head in the clouds!” he snaps as I close my eyes and massage my temples, doing my best to remain calm. “You mu?—”

“I must remain vigilant… yes, I know, but must you yell? Your blood pressure wi?—”

“Damn my blood pressure, this is important! You’re not going to be in America, Glorinda! I won’t be able to come help you immediately if you get into trouble!” he grunts, and I roll my eyes.That’s what I’m hoping for… in addition, I have no idea why he thinks I’m prone to trouble in the first place!

No, forget that! How did he even find out I was going to France?! I thought I was being so sneaky and I made sure not to use any of the family connections or his credit card when booking, yet he still somehow found out! This is ridiculous…

“And pray tell Dad, what kind of trouble do you expect me to get into while I’m here?” I ask, and when he doesn’t respond, Ipurse my lips, point proven. “Exactly! I’m simply here to relax and unwind. I need a break from your constant pestering, and I’m not trying to do anything irresponsible. You didn’t raise me to do such things anyway,” I tell him truthfully.

“Even if you don’t look for trouble, that doesn’t mean trouble won’t find you. You need to stay on your toes so you don’t get mixed in with anyone unsavory,” he states and I throw my hands in the air, giving up on the idea of explaining anything to my dad. Anything I say will go in one ear and out the other.

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