ANNA SHOULD…

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_Olya

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You should study law.

Anna's stepfather said in her head. She looked at the papers she was holding in her hands and hissed.

Should.

That word irked her to no end. It carried a special bomb that when detonated could kick off her rage and make her pick fights.

Women should cover up.

Girls shouldn't talk that much.

Females should…

Any sentence that came with the word "should" annoyed her.

"Or maybe it's just when it deals with women." She mused. A giggle escaped her lips and she shook her head.

It didn't matter now. Now was the time to choose a path to follow. She checked the time on her phone. "I wonder what career I should go for. I need to choose one fast."

She flipped through the papers and groaned. "Mum is doing the most." She picked up her phone and called Beth, her best friend.

"Anna? What's up? We just spoke like five minutes ago."

"Can you believe Mum?" She spat. The whole thing caused her to rage for the second time that day.

"Okay. Calm down, spitfire." Beth chuckled. Her laughter cooled her anger. This was why she loved Beth the most. She could charm the flames out of an angry person.

"What did your mum do?"

"She sent me papers."

"Oh. Is she disowning you already? It's about time."

"Beth." She whined.

Her friend chuckled. "What? You know I'm right. You're daughter to the owners of Heir Enterprises. Your parents dig gold, you're literally royalty. And you still haven't figured out your life yet."

"Okay. Okay. You're right." She rolled her eyes. "That's probably why she sent me these papers."

"What do they say?" Anna heard a shuffle in the background. Beth was probably getting up.

"She says if I don't decide what I want to do with my life, career-wise, she'll disown me."

"How? Tell me the details."

"She said she'll cut off my allowance and remove my name from their will." Beth laughed. It was a full-blown laugh.

"Does your mother know you? You don't care about that stuff."

"Unfortunately for us, she does know me. She knows me too well."

"What did she say?"

"She said she'll cut me off from the family."

Beth gasped. "Why? She can't do that. That's cruel!"

"I know! She's so terrible." Anna sat on the table close to her desk fuming. Even though she'd never say it out loud, her family meant the world to her.

The whole world.

Her brothers, their wives, her nieces and nephews were the people she couldn't live without and her mother knew that.

Beth didn't say a word for a few minutes but she knew she was mad as well.

"You could be a lawyer." She piped up.

Anna swore under her breath. "That's the same thing my stepfather said. I need you guys to stop saying that."

"Why? You're really good at arguing."

"I am, Beth. But I don't want to jump into a field just because I'm good at arguing, who does that?"

"Umm…my brother? The rest of the world?" Anna stiffened as Beth mentioned her brother. She took a breath and made herself relax.

Don't let Beth notice. Make sure she doesn't notice. She shouldn't…

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned him," Beth said in a low tone.

Shoot.

Anna sighed. "It's fine. Let's just keep talking about my career choices. I've been wondering what to pick for hours and my time is almost up."

"Time?"

"Yes, time. She gave me three hours to respond."

"What?" Beth chortled. "Is it a hostage situation? Your mum is so thorough."

"Yes." Anna sighed. "Maybe I should consider being a lawyer. I won't be waiting tables anymore but I'll have my family."

"No." Beth bit out.

"No? Why?"

"No, you're not going to choose a career to get your mum off your back. You're going to choose to do it because it's something you like. Something you're interested in."

"Okay, I like arguing."

"You mean fighting?" Beth cut in. Anna rolled her eyes.

"But only for women. Only for women's rights. I wouldn't argue for just anything."

"Then you should be a lawyer. A lawyer for women. You could specialize in something you love."

"That's brilliant. I can do that. Thanks, Beth."

"You're welcome. Good luck!" Anna cut the call and dialled her mother.

"Hello, mum. I've made my decision. I'll study law."

The conversation was a short one. When she ended the call, the realization hit her.

Beth's brother was studying law.

His parents and hers were friends.

She might run into him someday.

It made her stagger. His blue eyes popped into her head, against her will. She swallowed.

"I just have to avoid him and I will. At all costs." She swore to herself.

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Here's my entry to the inkwell Fiction prompt week #136

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