Christabel Bloom was fully fit to walk properly after spending a week at the hospital. She was uninterested in talking about the reason behind the slight commotion on the track when she met with some of her friends who had been praying for her to get better.
At home, it took about two hours for her to get a call across the continent to her parents who were presently living in England after their relocation two years ago which Christabel had firmly rejected before coming to the conclusion that she was not going to follow them since they were determined to leave New York City and start all over again.
"Dad, Mum, I had an accident," Christabel told her parents on the phone.
"What kind of accident did you have, sweetie?" Her mother was the first to express her sympathy for her.
Christabel stared at the screen of her phone for a while before informing them that she had fainted during a race.
"How many times will I tell her to quit running and come live with us in England?"
Christabel stopped the call before her father could continue complaining about her attitude to her mother who was more concerned about her welfare than listening to her husband whine about their daughter's stubborn attitude.
"Is that your parents?" Samantha asked as soon as she was back to the kitchen, preparing lunch for herself.
"Yes, it is them," Christabel answered. "You always know it is them once you hear them complaining about my attitude openly. They are always ready to compare me with the children of their friends without actually thinking of getting to know me. I wonder how they live their lives every day, knowing they left their daughter to be on her own in this busy city just because I didn't want to stop what I loved doing all the time."
"You can't blame them," Samantha said as if she was trying to support Christabel's parents for migrating without taking her along. "I understand you deserve to be with them since you are still in a natural stage of growth. I also understand you deserve to see them most of the time since you are at a stage where you need moral support all the time, and the best motivational words a parent can offer to you. But, put all of that aside and consider how they felt. They wanted to start a new life for themselves and you were the one standing in their way."
"I wasn't standing on their way," Christabel said, dropping the pot she was holding in her hand. "I told them to stay because I needed them to be in my life. They had a choice to make in their lives. They either had to stay in New York City and watch me grow into a sprinting star. Or, travel to England, have their wishes granted and don't see me every day in their regular lives. . . They had a choice, Samantha. I didn't. Now, I have to deal with the choices they made and live on my own until whenever they decide to change their minds and migrate back to America."
"You know that is not going to happen any time soon," Samantha said, clearing her throat. "You and I know your parents are not going to change their minds and move to America because you want to. They left you because they felt you were strong enough to handle yourself. And, so far, you have been doing pretty well with me by your side. If I were you, I wouldn't complain much since they still take their time to support you by sending you some money for feeding and rent. Do you know how hard it is to be independent in New York City and take care of all your needs?"
"Believe me, I know," Christabel said, turning to face the pot she had left because of what Samantha had said to her.
There was a brief moment of silence.
"How do you feel now?" Samantha asked, trying to show some level of concern.
"I feel better," Christabel said. "Thank you for asking about the condition of my body. Honestly, I really appreciate the fact you care after spending all my time at the hospital with a stranger whose name is Nicholas Wild."
"Nicholas Wild?" Samantha said in a way that would make someone to assume that her eyes were about to fall out from her eyes as soon as the words left her.
"Such a proud name filled with a lot of secrets," Christabel complimented.
"Of course," Samantha was smiling now. "He deserves to have a proud name if you consider the family he is from. Now, I understand why I found it difficult to visit you on the last day you spent at the hospital. I kept on trying to understand who was so important that two men were willing to tell me to stay outside."
Christabel had a short laughter as she dropped the pot on the sink and turned to stare at Samantha's surprised face. "When are you going to learn to act like a normal girl?" She asked.
"Until I have a man like Nicholas Wild paving way for me," Samantha answered. "I could have sworn to anyone that I feared you were being kidnapped when the two men told me to wait outside your room."
Christabel laughed again. "I don't think the two men you saw were assigned to protect me. After everything that happened between me and Nicholas Wild's parents, I can assure you that his parents sent those two men to make sure their son was in a safe condition. In case you don't know, they care less about my safety and more about the safety of their son who has suddenly grown an interest in me."
"What does he see in you?" Samantha asked, moving forward and watching the chairs that were close to her so she won't hit them.
"He sees the fire to succeed in me I guess," she answered, then continued with a short laughter. "If there is one thing we have in common, it is running, Samantha. He is a sprinter, but I am a better sprinter. Honestly, we both love to run."