‘What’s wrong?’ Jenny asked, getting back to her child’s pouty expression. The sight brought to mind a time when Savannah was a toddler herself.Where have the years gone?Jenny wondered with a silent sigh.
‘The job in Bali fell through.’
‘In Bali?’ Jenny’s eyebrows shot up. ‘What job? I didn’t even know you were applying for anything.’
‘Well, I can’t stay here forever, can I?’
‘You can stay as long as you want to,’ Jenny said, searching Savannah’s eyes carefully. ‘I didn’t know you were thinking about heading back overseas.’ It wasn’t that Jenny didn’t want her daughters to follow their dreams and go out and experience life and travel and excitement while they were young, but part of her had been relieved when her middle child had finally returned home and she no longer had to worry about where she was until she got a call or saw a post or Instagram story from some exotic location showing Savannah safe, happy and, most of all … alive!
‘That was always the plan, Mum,’ Savannah said. ‘I just had to save up and find another job first, which we had, but Nael and Juliette have changed their minds and they’re notgoing to Bali now. Which means the caretaker and cleaner job at the resortandthe accommodation that went with it has fallen through because Nael was going to do the maintenance.’
‘Oh. That’s a shame,’ Jenny commiserated.
‘Now I don’t know where that leaves me.’
‘Maybe it’s a chance to go in a different direction. You could always go back to study and get your degree.’
‘How can I go back to that when I’ve beenliving,’ Savannah said dramatically. ‘University will be so … boring.’
‘Most people don’t get to have the experiences you’ve had, but at some point you need to start thinking about a future and a career. It’s all well and good to backpack around the world and work at odd jobs so you can eat,’ Jenny said, ‘but your work visa won’t last forever and by the time you decide to settle down back here, you won’t have any qualifications behind you to get a job.’
‘I’ll have life experience,’ Savannah countered breezily.
‘Life experience is good to have—but unless you’re going to apply it to something, you’ll only be working hospitality and supermarkets for the rest of your life.’
‘Are you saying there’s something wrong with that kind of work?’ Savannah planted a hand on her hip in a way that told Jenny she was settling in for an argument.
‘As you well know,’ Jenny started, refusing to back down, ‘I worked for a long time in a supermarket. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that kind of work. However, if you want to keep living the kind of life you do, then you’re probably not going to be able to do it on a check-out cashier’s wage.’
‘I’m not cut out to study for years on end, stuck in a stifling lecture hall!’
‘Then opt for doing a degree online. Work part time and study at home. But if you don’t do it now, it’s not going to get any easier later. The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll finish.’ Savannah gave a frustrated growl and muttered under her breath as she left the room. The subject wasn’t a new one and it never seemed to get any less frustrating. One of the most annoying things to have to deal with as a parent was being able to see the problem in a situation but unable to make your child take your warnings seriously, until it was too late. Ever since Savannah had deferred her business degree after the first semester to go backpacking, Jenny had been trying unsuccessfully to get her to return to it. She didn’t want any of her daughters to get to where they wanted to go the hard way, like she had—juggling study with small children, a husband and a mortgage. Since Savannah had come back, Jenny knew she’d noticed how many of the kids she’d gone to school with were qualified and working in their chosen fields, some getting married and settling down while others were well on the path to career success. She worried about Savannah; even as a child she’d had a carefree nature that often made getting her to school or getting her to do anything that involved any kind of self-discipline a constant battle. Jenny had hated doing anything that dulled that free spirit, but there were times when even the freest ones had to follow a routine. Over the last few years, it had become increasingly difficult to step back and let her run her own race, knowing full well that if she didn’t commit to something soon, life would only get harder.
‘Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,’ she murmured with a long-suffering sigh. Those words had come in handy more times than she cared to admit over the years. Still didn’t make the situation any less frustrating, but it was her way of counting to ten and letting go of some of the exasperation her daughter had left behind.
