Saved By A Knight

Chapter Three: New Life

*Nirvana POV*

Iowa, August 2021

"Nirvana, you just can't make such decisions based off on flimsy feelings!" My mother, Charlie Houston, says hotly. She's standing at the doorway to my room, watching as I move from my closet to my bed, packing my clothes into the open box on the bed.

My mom has been wearing my ear off for the past hour trying to dissuade me from a decision I've already made.

"You've never really supported me in anything I do. Nothing!" I reply, also hotly, my voice breaking a little at the end of the sentence.

"I even thought you would be at least happy that I'm finally doing something significant like moving out and really living, but no, even that is too much for you."

Taking a deep breath, I sit on my bed and continue in a softer voice this time, "Mama, I'm finally happy and doing something with my life. This company thinks I have the brain and talent to be their company's language translator, and you're telling me not to take a bet on myself? Think about it. All the years of wasting away doing menial jobs for Aunt Josie—which you also hate by the way—now I can finally do what I really want."

My mom leaves the doorway to sit beside me on the bed, she faces me and takes my right hand in both of her hands, "Baby, you know this has nothing to do with your job."

I give her a pointed look.

"Okay, maybe a little to do with your job." She smiles as she says it.

"You met this man a couple of months ago, and suddenly he's changing everything about you. Giving you a job that will take you very far away from everyone you know —"

"He didn't give me the job, mom, I earned it! I earned it when I helped Becca out on a business deal they had while I was visiting her in Seattle." I interrupt her.

"And you know Becca also lives in Manhattan. I told you she introduced me to Jamie, and before you say it, I know you don't like Becca much. But Mum, I've been friends with her since college. She's my best friend, and she has been working for Jamie going on to two years now, since we finished college. Look at how much her life has changed. I want that for me too." I say, trying to stop the tears in my eyes from falling.

"And I want it for you too, baby. But I don't know why you can't work from here. You will only be translating for them, which you can do via the phone."

"Mum!" I throw up my hands in exasperation and stand up to continue packing my clothes.

"Well, explain it to me because I don't understand," my mom says.

"I don't know how to explain it to you better than I have been doing for the past two months. This job will require me to travel often. I will be meeting different kinds of clients from different countries that we want to buy from and also sell to. It's a business that deals majorly in human interaction. You can't expect anybody to trust us with goods costing thousands of dollars over the phone.

"I told you Jamie offered me this job because I helped them seal the deal with a client they've been trying to win over for months without any progress, who then came on board with them because the client thought I speak Mandarin like a native.

"You and dad used to tell me I have the knack of making people feel comfortable when I speak with them, and someone else is seeing that and willing to pay me for it. Why can't you see that, Mama?"

As a last attempt, my mother gently says, "I've never met this Jamie character you go on and on about, if he's truly interested in you like you said, won't he want to meet your family?"

"I told you he's a busy man. Aunt Josie had met him, and he's not really a stranger to this family. You just never seem to be around whenever he comes around."

"Josie told me the other day she didn't 'like the look of your man', her words not mine. I asked you to invite him over for my birthday dinner last month. You said he's out of the country. If he can't make time to be with you when it matters when you have just started your relationship, what do you think will happen a few months from now? And over there in Manhattan where you're practically alone!"

Seeing that the conversation is simply getting nowhere with my mother, I finish packing and close my box. My flight is in ninety minutes, and I plan on getting on that plane no matter what she says.

I guess I should be grateful that Aunt Josie is at work, if not… I don't even want to think about it.

Ever since we lost my dad five years ago, my aunt and Mom have been way too over-protective of me because I went into some deep depression when dad died. I was close to him, so losing him finally to cancer when we had hoped he would make a full recovery had hit me hard. It would have been less painful if I had been around when he died, but I was away in college and didn't get to tell him goodbye.

No one ever thought I was going to come out of my loss completely, but I have, and I'm finally ready to live my life instead of withering away cleaning people's houses with my aunt and mom. I am ready to be out there and use my brain.

I just can't understand why they don't seem to get that Jamie makes me feel alive, he sees me, and he doesn't treat me like a kid. I am twenty-three years old, for goodness’ sake!

My phone chime on the bed, alerting me of an incoming message.

"Becca is outside," I tell mom grudgingly, carrying my small leather box outside to the waiting car. I drop the box in the open trunk and move to hug Becca who is standing beside the car.

"Hello Mrs. Houston," Becca calls out happily to my mom, who says nothing back, but continues to look on as I get into the cab with my friend.

She will be fine, I will make so much money, and she will see that this is the right move for me. I thought as the cab left for the airport, on my way to board a flight to Manhattan.