Chapter 6: The Future Vanessa Invented
Kendra held the phone against her ear as though the admissions officer might somehow see the fear spreading across her face.
"We don't have a family business," she repeated.
"My father works in construction. He has never offered me a position, and neither has anyone else.""
On the other end of the call, the woman spoke in a careful, professional voice.
"Thank you for clarifying that, Kendra. We need to understand who submitted the information and whether you authorized the enrollment withdrawal.""
"I didn't even know I was enrolled.""
"According to our records, someone completed an application in your name six weeks ago. A deposit was paid, and an acceptance was issued. Yesterday, we received a withdrawal request.""
Kendra looked at her mother.
Vanessa stood beside Patricia's car with her arms folded, watching her daughter as if the entire conversation were an act of disobedience.
"Can you tell me who submitted the application?"" Kendra asked.
"We'll need to verify the account information before disclosing every detail. However, the application was submitted using an email address associated with your family.""
"Which email address?""
There was a brief pause.
Then the admissions officer gave it to her.
Kendra closed her eyes.
It was Vanessa's.
"Please don't cancel anything else," Kendra said.
"I need to see every document that was submitted in my name.""
"We can arrange that. We'll also place a temporary hold on the withdrawal while you clarify your intentions.""
"Thank you.""
When she ended the call, Kendra lowered the phone.
Nobody spoke.
Patricia looked from her niece to her sister.
"Vanessa, please tell me there's an explanation.""
Vanessa gave a small, exhausted laugh.
"Of course there is. I applied to a college for Kendra because I wanted her to have options. She was miserable after all those rejections. I thought it would help her to know she had a place somewhere.""
Kendra stared at her.
"You applied without telling me?""
"I was going to tell you.""
"When?""
"When the time was right.""
Kendra let out a bitter laugh.
"You keep using those words. The right time. The right opportunity.
The right decision. When exactly was I supposed to find out that you'd decided my future for me?""
Vanessa's face tightened.
"Don't turn this into another attack on me.""
"I'm asking you a question!""
"And I'm telling you I was trying to help!""
"You withdrew me from a college I never knew I'd been accepted into. You told them I would work in a family business that doesn't exist. You told them I had decided not to study.""
Vanessa pointed toward Zoria.
"Because I couldn't keep watching this family tear itself apart!""
Zoria had been standing silently beside me. She looked tired, but her voice was steady when she finally spoke.
"You keep saying this family was falling apart because of me. But I wasn't the one making decisions for everyone.""
Vanessa turned sharply.
"You have no idea what I was dealing with.""
"Then you should have talked to us.""
"I did talk to you!""
"No," Zoria said.
"You told me what I was allowed to do. That's different.""
For a moment, Vanessa looked genuinely stunned.
Then she turned toward me.
"Daniel, do something. You're letting them speak to me as though I'm some monster.""
I met her eyes.
"They're asking you to explain decisions you made without their consent.""
"I was trying to give Kendra a chance!""
"Then why withdraw her enrollment?""
Vanessa said nothing.
Kendra stepped closer.
"Why did you tell the college I would be working for Dad?""
"Because you could learn practical skills before going to school.""
"Dad doesn't own a construction company!""
"I know what your father does!""
"Then you know he never offered me a job.""
Vanessa's mouth tightened.
"I was going to arrange something.""
"With whom?""
Another silence.
I had spent years watching Vanessa talk her way out of uncomfortable situations. She could make a careless remark sound like concern, a criticism sound like advice, and an unreasonable demand sound like a sacrifice everyone owed her.
But there were no comforting phrases that could explain away two forged decisions.
One daughter had been told she wasn't allowed to leave.
The other had been given an invented future designed by someone who hadn't bothered to ask what she wanted.
And both had been told it was love.
Patricia took Vanessa's arm.
"Come with me for a moment.""
Vanessa pulled away.
"No. I'm not going anywhere until Daniel understands what he's done.""
"What have I done?"" I asked.
"You have destroyed my relationship with the girls.""
I looked at Kendra, whose phone was still trembling in her hand.
"Did I submit your application without your knowledge?""
"No.""
"Did I withdraw you?""
"No.""
"Did I tell Zoria she couldn't attend Bellridge?""
"No.""
Vanessa's expression darkened with each answer.
"That's enough.""
"No," I replied.
"It's enough when you stop blaming everyone else.""
She turned toward the house.
"I need to get my things.""
Patricia followed her inside.
Kendra remained beside the driveway, staring at the screen of her phone.
"I don't understand," she whispered.
I put a hand on her shoulder.
"What don't you understand?""
"She made me feel worthless because I didn't get into the colleges I wanted. Then she applied to one without telling me. She made up a job for me. She accepted a place for me, and then she took it away.""
Kendra's eyes filled.
"Was she trying to help me or punish me?""
I had no answer that could make sense of what had happened.
"Sometimes people convince themselves that controlling someone is the same as protecting them," I said.
"But that doesn't make it right.""
Kendra wiped her face.
"She kept telling me Zoria was going to leave me behind.""
Zoria approached slowly.
"I never wanted to leave you behind.""
"I know.""
"No, you know it now. You didn't know it when you stood at the party and let everyone think I had thrown my scholarship away.""
Kendra lowered her eyes.
"I know.""
"I need you to stop saying that unless you're ready to do something about it.""
Kendra nodded.
"You're right.""
For a few seconds, the sisters stood facing each other, both too hurt to reach for the other.
Then Kendra said, "Will you let me help you with Bellridge?""
Zoria studied her.
"What do you mean?""
"I can help you look for housing, scholarships, anything. I can call the counseling office with you. If you need me to tell people what actually happened, I will.""
Zoria's shoulders relaxed a fraction.
"Maybe.""
Kendra accepted the answer.
"Okay.""
That afternoon, we went to Patricia's house to collect the documents Vanessa had brought. Patricia insisted that someone should be present while we looked through them, and I agreed.
Vanessa sat at the dining table with a glass of water. She had changed out of her party clothes but still wore the same expression of injured dignity.
"You can look at the paperwork," she said.
"But I won't sit here while everyone assumes I committed some terrible crime.""
"We're trying to understand what happened," I answered.
"Then stop treating me like a defendant.""
I opened the envelope.
The papers included copies of Zoria's scholarship withdrawal, the request to halt her financial aid correspondence, and the information Vanessa had submitted to the private college on Kendra's behalf.
Then I found something I hadn't expected.
A printed financial statement.
It listed the private college's enrollment deposit and the account from which it had been paid. The account was in Vanessa's name.
I placed it on the table.
"You paid the deposit.""
"Yes.""
"Why?""
"Because I wanted Kendra to have an opportunity.""
"You paid for an opportunity you then withdrew her from.""
Vanessa rubbed her forehead.
"I didn't know what else to do.""
Kendra leaned over the papers.
"What did you tell the college about me?""
Vanessa didn't answer.
Kendra picked up the application summary.
Her eyes moved down the page until she reached a section marked Applicant's Personal Statement.
"What is this?""
She began reading silently.
Then her face changed.
"Mom, you wrote that I wanted to attend college because I needed to get away from a family where I was constantly compared to an academically superior stepsister.""
Zoria flinched.
Kendra looked up, horrified.
"I never said that.""
Vanessa reached for the page.
"That was simply background information. I was explaining your circumstances.""
"You wrote that my relationship with Zoria was strained and that I needed a fresh start away from her.""
"I was trying to help the admissions committee understand your situation.""
Kendra pulled the paper out of her reach.
"You made it sound like I hated my sister.""
"I didn't say you hated her.""
"You made me sound like someone I don't want to be!""
Vanessa stood.
"Everything I've done has been for you!""
Kendra rose too.
"Then why didn't you ask what I wanted?""
Vanessa stared at her daughter.
For the first time, she seemed unable to find a sentence that would put her back in control.
Kendra gathered the documents, her hands shaking.
"I'm sending these to the college. All of them. I'm going to tell them which parts are true and which parts you invented.""
Vanessa's eyes widened.
"You wouldn't do that to your own mother.""
Kendra's voice broke, but she didn't look away.
"You did this to your own daughters.""
Vanessa sat down.
Nobody moved.
I thought the argument was over when Patricia's phone rang. She stepped into the hall to answer it, then returned with a troubled expression.
"Vanessa, the school counselor's office called me.""
Vanessa lifted her head.
"Why?""
"They couldn't reach you, so they contacted the emergency family number you listed for Kendra.""
"That number is private.""
"They were trying to clarify a document submitted under your name.""
Vanessa went pale.
Patricia looked at me.
"They found another message. It was sent the same night Zoria's scholarship withdrawal went through.""
I felt my pulse quicken.
"What message?""
Patricia swallowed.
"The counselor says Vanessa asked the school to stop contacting both girls about college. And she included one sentence explaining why.""
She looked toward my wife.
"It says, 'Neither daughter is prepared to leave home, and both parents agree they need additional supervision.''"
I stared at Vanessa.
"Both parents?""
She didn't answer.
May you like
Then Patricia added one final detail.
"The message was sent from your home computer, Daniel.""
