“I don’t want that to happen to her, Josh.”
He nodded. “Sophie, we’ve raised the kids with values and a sense of responsibility. We raised them with faith even though we didn’t attend church every Sunday. We need to trust in them. Heath and Hannah are doing just fine. We have to believe that Ally will too.” His words were positive, but his tone was concerned.
After dinner, Sophie and Josh watched television together. Then went to bed. Ally wasn’t home, and she didn’t answer her phone.
**
Josh kissed Sophie at the door. “Let me know if you hear from her.”
“Let me know if she shows up at work.”
“I’m going to fire her, if she doesn’t show up today,” Josh warned her.
Sophie rolled her eyes at her husband.
“Okay, I’m going to write her up. Give her a warning and show her what it means to be an employee of a company. You can’t just come and go as you please, Sophie.”
Sophie laughed at him. Then she shooed him off to the truck. He waved to her before he backed out the drive and was off down the street.
At ten o’clock Ally rolled in. Sophie met her at the front door. “Where have you been?”
Her daughter wouldn’t meet her gaze.
“At Jagger’s?” Sophie asked.
“For a while but he wouldn’t let me stay.”
“Smart man,” Sophie snapped at Ally.
She huffed at her mother. “Ally, where were you? I was worried sick about you. I don’t need this right now.”
“I’m moving in with Sylvia Smart. Remember her? She has a two-bedroom apartment and is looking for a roommate.”
Sophie took a step back. She chewed on her lower lip while she contemplated what to say. “How will you pay your half?” She asked.
“I have a job at Russack,” Ally stated as if her mother was dumb.
Sophie scratched her bald head. “Ally, you have to go to work to get paid. This is the fourth day that you’ve not been to work this week.”
She stepped around her mom. “I’m changing and heading to work right now.”
Sophie flinched when the door to Ally’s room slammed shut. She dropped in the recliner and sent a message to Josh that Ally was on her way to work in a few minutes. She just had to change.
She’s moving in with Sylvia Smart too.
What the hell?
Just let it go, Josh. Maybe she needs this to grow up and see how hard life can be. We protected the kids so much.
Heath turned out okay.
He went to another state to college for a reason…to grow up. This is her time to learn how to stand on her own two feet. Like you said last night, it’s time to trust that we raised her right. She’ll sink or swim. She can always come back home if she needs to.
Slowly, Ally moved her things to Sylvia’s apartment. Sophie pretended like it didn’t bother her, but it was crushing her. If this was happening now, why didn’t Ally just stay in Columbus at school? She was so confused on how to handle this, but she kept quiet like she and Josh had decided.
Ally didn’t come to dinner on Saturday. She had plans with Sylvia. Jagger finally spilled the beans on what was going on. She and Brian had broken up after she came home. He loved her, he had told her, but football needed to be his focus for now.
She was even more worried about her daughter.