Sent by Fate

  Carla rubbed her temples harshly. She couldn't remember ever feeling this stumped before. She needed to get this done. Being a lawyer had been her goal since she was 12. Now at the age of 25, she was finally ready to apply for a job at a law firm. She had met all the requirements and answered the questions, but one seemed to hold her back. It read, Why did you choose law? She had made sure to answer all the questions truthfully and still intended on that. It wasn't that she didn't know why she chose law, it was that she didn't want to say why. Carla used to tell herself that she wants to be a lawyer because she thought she is good at arguing and proving her point but eventually stopped lying to herself. She has always been forced to want to be a lawyer because of the good pay, hoping that she would be a good enough lawyer and because her mom had pushed her to. Her mom had always been a part of it. Even before she had gotten sick, she pushed Carla to become something that made lots of money. Of course, everyone considers the paying wage in jobs, but Carla was sure that was the only reason she wanted to be a lawyer. Because her mom wanted her to. She was about to give up and write down, Law is my passion... and cheesy stuff like that when her father called her.

"Carla! Something in the mail came for you!" Carla dropped her pen and stood straight up. Did she even need to write a job application, or did her college professors already put in some good words? Carla's hands were trembling as she pushed out her desk chair. Stop, she thought to herself, don't get your hopes up. When Carla was little she taught herself to never get her hopes up, because the reality of something that she thought was going to happen, not happening often caused Carla a lot of pain. She raced down the stairs almost tripping a couple times. Out of breath, she huffed to her father, "Who is it from?" He had a gleam in his eyes that only succeeded to excite her more. "Puffins Random Home!" He exclaimed.

Carla's eyes widened in surprise. As of this year, Puffins Random Home was the biggest publishing company for writers. She couldn't believe it. She was so excited, but the surprise washed away and a wave of confusion hit her. "Why did Puffins Random Home send a letter to me?" Her father laughed guiltily, "Because you're an excellent writer of course!" Carla raised an eyebrow at him. "Well...I know how hard you are working to become a lawyer and one day I saw you were having trouble answering one of the questions. The question made me wonder why you are so invested in becoming a lawyer when you have so much talent in writing. So I sent the beginning of the story you started writing and they loved it!" He waved the open letter.

Carla snatched it from him mid-wave. She took the paper out of the envelope and read it. It consisted of them complimenting her and asking for her to finish her book and send it to them. Carla looked up at her father, "But I don't have an editor." He grinned, "That's one of the best things! They like your story so much they are willing to lend you one of their editors." Carla said nothing as she walked back up the stairs.

She had written the beginning of the story when she was 12. It was only 60 pages long. She would have a lot of writing to do if she took their offer. Being a lawyer would almost be out of the question. She would be too busy doing both. A hacking cough sounding from outside her door startled her. "Mom? What are you doing out of bed?" Carla's mom once again coughed horribly and Carla cringed. "I'm here to talk to you about that stupid offer." Carla frowned. "If you take that offer to help me I'll die a poor life because my idiot daughter decided to become a writer instead of a lawyer!" Carla hadn't heard her mother speak to her that way since she became sick. "If you become a lawyer maybe we'll have enough money for me to go to the doctor. If you become a writer you'll never make enough money to save me! I'll be doomed!"

"Mom, I think you oughta get to bed," Carla said, her voice cracking. "Yea, yea, just remember who raised you." Her mom spits back as she waddles away feebly. Is mom right? She thought, Will I never make enough money doing the thing I want?

Writing had been out of the question since her mom got terribly sick. Carla had told herself it was just another reason she couldn’t be an author, because she needed the money to save her mom, but growing up some of Carla's idols in the writing industry had been multi-millionaires. Could she be one too? So good at enhancing readers to love her books, as she once loved others’? It seemed impossible, but so had the offer to write again just a few minutes ago.

In her job application, she wrote that her hobbies are reading and writing, but now she realized they were so much more than that. Reading was a place she could escape reality. Writing books could be a place where she helped others do the same. 

She stood up and headed to her mom’s room. She knocked on the door. “What is it?” Her mom called. “I need to talk to you,” Carla replied. Her mom sighed, “Come in.” When she walked inside she coughed and asked, “What is it?” Carla looked at her determined, “I love you, and I want to do what’s best for you,” Her mom smiled and Carla could see her mom thought she was going to get what she wanted, “I have made sacrifices for you my whole life. I have done everything you wanted, where I am today is because of you. So I’m asking you to trust me. To believe in me. To believe that I can make the money to save you, by doing what makes me happy.” She breathed a sigh of relief. She had done it. She had stood up to her mom after 25 years, adult and child life, of being told what to do. 

A small tear rolled down her mother’s cheek. “I will support you if that’s what you really want. I will have faith in you like your father does. And I need to thank you, for always thinking of me after I have been a terrible mother.”

Tears streamed down Carla’s face too and she wished she could hug her mother. 25 years and it was the first time she had shown compassion that she could remember. Carla wanted to do this. She would do this. She wanted to become the biggest writer of all time. For her family and for herself. And so she did.