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Betty
When I first found out that my parents wanted to move out of Los Angeles, I was taken off-guard. We had lived here for most of my life, and I didn't want to move to Montana or anywhere really. I know that I was born in Montana and everything, but that did not mean I wanted to live in one of the least populated states in the country. It was cold and I couldn't even imagine going back there. How many years had it been since we even visited?
Something was going on in the family, and even though I was twenty-one years old, no one decided that it was important for me to know what was going on. I was just left in the dark and told to get my affairs in order, because in a week we were all moving.
Since I am old enough, there was a huge part of me that wanted to stay in L.A. I could find a place; my parents would help with all of that. When I suggested it, though, my mother in particular, told me that it was impossible. I felt like she wanted to tell me something else, but instead, she looked to my father quickly and then turned away. What I wouldn't have given to ask her more. There was something that I was missing. There had to be some kind of reason for all of this.
It felt like I didn't have much of a choice, so I did what they said, and I started packing up my life, and even though I had just finished college, it didn't mean that I was ready to start my life. I was still having too much fun and now that I was going to be moving to Montana, that fun was immediately going to come to a screeching halt. Montana. Out of all the places in the country, why did it have to be there?
The dayof moving was quickly upon us, and I left my bedroom for the last time, looking back at all the boxes that I had carefully packed. We had movers for that, of course, but I didn't like the idea of strangers pawing through my things. Now, it was going to be days before I would see any of it again. We were going to be flying out in a couple of hours to Montana and then checking out our new house. There was a bit of excitement; however, most of it was nervousness. There was obviously something going on that I was not privy to, something that had changed my life drastically. Was it really the right choice to stay with my family, instead of living on my own in L.A?
Mom was in the plane with me, but that was it. Dad was taking care of business, something that I was rather used to. My father was a billionaire, so I really didn’t get to see him all that much. Money was traded for time, and he gave up a lot of his for that green paper. I'm not going to say that I don't mind spending it, but I certainly didn’t understand spending one’s whole life in pursuit of it. You could only spend so much.
“Are you nervous?”
I told her that I wasn’t. It wasn’t confusion that I was feeling. It was something else. Maybe I just didn’t understand.
“Why in the world are we moving to a place that has more cows than people? I just don’t get it. I thought we moved away when I was young, so that we would have a better life?”
Anna smiled and nodded her head without really answering for a moment. “Oh, honey, I'm pretty sure that it won’t be that bad. It’s not like it used to be. There are more people now.”
“So, you haven’t been in a while either?”
My mom smiled and then shrugged. “You know that I don't have much say in this. Your father said that we needed to move here, so that's what we're doing. I'm just along for the ride, just the same as you. It’s been a bit of time since I’ve been home, but not too long. I am sure that this is all going to work out, you’ll see. Your father is usually right about the big moves.”
That was a perfect example of how my mother and I were different. She was more of a coaster, letting things happen, and I was not. I wanted to force my will on the world, hoping for a better result. I almost never got one, but the will-forcing I was getting pretty good at.
“I don't know if I'm going to stay. I will really give it a try for a few weeks, but if it's as bad as I think it's going to be, I'm going to move back to L.A. Maybe this is just the bump I need to get my life started.”
Mom was alarmed and she pushed her blonde hair back away from her face. Her being upset was not a good look for her because it caused wrinkles, so she was quickly back to a placid smile that was giving me the creeps at the moment. Anna seemed like plastic, void of feeling on many occasions.
“Now, honey, you know that you're not going to do that.”
“And why not? You know that I am not going to be happy here.”
She smiled sweetly. “Because your father would cut you off, and we both know that you like to shop too much to let that happen. He wants us here for a little while, Betty. Does it have to be a bad thing? Maybe we can find a way to make it work.”
“I did get a college degree for a reason. I'm going to get a job, and I don’t know what kind of prospects I am going to have in such a place.”
That made Anna laugh out loud. It was the tinkling sound that made me so upset. Why was that so funny? I wasn’t going to have a problem getting a job.
“You don't think that I'll be able to get one?”
“No, Betty, I know that you will get one. I also know that you don't have to get one, because you are a Simmons. Your father has more money than he'll ever be able to spend. Why in the world would you get a job? Have you ever seen me with a job? It’s not natural.”
I told her that I hadn’t, and then she smiled like it was all settled. I don't think it was though. Even though my parents were ridiculously rich, that didn't mean that I just wanted to cruise on through life. I wanted to make a difference, take companies to the next level, and one day soon, when my father saw how good I could do with that, I knew that he was going to bring me on to do the same with his. That was the only way that I was going to get into the company, considering that my brother was being groomed to take over. Like my mom, dad didn’t think that women should work.
That’s what I was working against.
The plane ride was about as depressing as the conversation on it. It was just me and mom and someone was running around getting us things. My mom liked to order people around. I watched the flight attendant walk back and forth at least twenty times, before I finally said something to mom. I got a dirty look from my comment because it was unheard of. They were the help and to her, they shouldn’t be thought of any other way.
“Why don't you just give her a break?”
Anna looked at me. “I swear, Betty, you're acting completely strange today. First you want to get a job, and now you expect me to apologize to a flight attendant? It's like you don't even know me at all.”
I sat back in the seat. I definitely knew that feeling.
