Good Intentions Joella shivered against the cold night air, the lace sleeves on her dress providing little protection.
“Here,” Chuck removed his jacket and placed it around her shoulders.
“Thanks,” Joella offered him a small smile, although she didn’t really feel in the mood given their current conversation. “I know he’s just trying to help,” she sighed, continuing on from her explanation as to why she wasn’t in the partying mood tonight. “But this is my future and sometimes he’s just got to let me do things my own way, you know?”
“I know,” Chuck nodded. Despite being a bit of a joker most of the time, he knew when to be serious and was a good sympathetic ear. “You mean a lot to him though and it’s only natural that he wants to help. He wants you to have the best you possibly can.”
“It’s my life though,” countered Joella. “I want to work hard, I want to deserve what I get.”
“You do deserve it, Joella, and you have worked hard,” Chuck pointed out with a smile. “Anyone can see that. Nothing’s being handed to you on a plate. Your dad’s just making sure that you get the opportunities you deserve, and you wouldn’t be able to take them if you weren’t good enough. There’s only so much he can do, it still all comes down to you.”
“I guess,” Joella bit her lip. “But people will talk, Chuck. People always talk.”
“Hey,” Chuck stopped walking and took her by the shoulders. “You’re not going anywhere for another year and a half. That’s a whole lot of time for plenty more opportunities to arise. This isn’t the be all and end all, there’s so much out there for you and you can take your time deciding where it is you want to go.”
“Thank you, Chuck,” Joella put her arms around her old friend’s large waist, looking up at him with her chin against his chest. “Thanks for putting up with me.”
“Hey, you know I’m here for you,” Chuck told her. “But don’t forget who else is. You should talk to him, explain how you feel just like you’ve explained to me.”
“It’s no good,” Joella shook her head. “It’s too late.”
“He cares about you,” Chuck reminded her. “He’s got your best interests at heart and if you don’t agree with what he’s doing you need to let him know, calmly.”
Joella nodded. Chuck was right, but she couldn’t help thinking there was someone else she needed to talk to, and it wasn’t her dad. After everything she said, did she really want him to convince her to be more like him? No, she’d never go back there. That chapter was over and she needed to stop worrying about what the new one held in store. A lot could happen in a year and she couldn’t predict any of it.