The Dilemma of Parker

Chapter3

William and Parker had ordered food and were casually chatting. "So little Jones off to uni to become a midwife Huh? When do you start?" William asked. "I don't think I'll accept it. It's in another state" Parker mumbled. She wished she was stronger and could put herself first but she didn't want to appear selfish.

"Wow back up Parks. You can't not accept it. It's a full scholarship, you get a free ride to uni. When are you suppose to check in?" William asked. "Two weeks. But I can't get there anyway so it doesn't matter. I will just have to apply at a local uni and do something else" Parker stated. She really wanted to be a nurse but she had to think logically. Clearly her family weren't going to be helping her and she couldn't afford to relocate.

"This is your future. You need to put yourself first. You worked hard and deserve this Parks. Your family are dipshits for not seeing how important you are. Don't let them dictate your future ok?" William stated firmly. Parker was shocked, no one had given her permission to be selfish as she was always told is was a bad quality, especially in a female. Yes at the ceremony she had said she had to find herself, but she didn't mean by abandoning her family. Parker was so lost in her head going around and around about accepting the offer or not. Yes she actually had accepted but that was when she thought her family would support her. She knew now she was on her own, but could she be on her own in another state?

"Parker Jones, it would be my honour to pay for you to fly there. Let's check the flights Yeh? Where is the uni located?" William asked. "Melbourne" Parker rushed out. She was actually accepted with a full scholarship in Sydney but for some reason she didn't want to tell William that. For some reason she knew William would blurt to her family about where she was if they worked out she wasn't around. She didn't want them to bring her back. If she was going to go, she wanted to be gone for good or until she was ready to come back.

William got his phone out as was searching flights, being close to Christmas he knew it could be a struggle to get last minute flights. He at least wanted to try for Parker's sake. "Shit, the only flight I can get is tomorrow morning. Parker would you be willing to fly out tomorrow?" William asked. Parker was shocked, could she be ready to leave tomorrow? Could she really just walk away from her family? Well technically they pushed her out, but was she ready to be on her own? "I could pay for accommodation until you can get into the dorms" William added.

Parker nodded her head yes. She would leave tomorrow, no point staying where she wasn't wanted anyway. "Well little Jones you better head home and get yourself packed. Do you want me to pre book the accommodation?" William asked. Parker shook her head no, she wasn't going to be staying in Melbourne. She would take a bus or a train from Melbourne to Sydney and find a place to stay until the dorms opened. Maybe she could email the uni to see if she could get early access to the dorms.

"Come on little Jones your flight leaves in 14 hours" William called to Parker who was lost in her head. Parker jumped up and took off after William. She was excited to be starting a new adventure. Yes she was anxious as she would be totally alone in an unknown place. But she was well and truly alone here anyway.

"Eager much?" William chuckled out when he saw Parker racing to catch up to him. "Yep. William do me a favour though? Please don't tell my family where I am, I don't think they will ask but only tell them if you have to" Parker said looking William in the eyes. "Parker" William started. "Will please? If they ask yeh you can say I went off to uni, but if they don't please don't tell them" Parker stated while giving William her best puppy dog eyes. It use to work on him as a kid so she hoped it worked again now. "Ok Parks, only if they ask" William said nodding his head. William assumed they would ask immediately when they saw she wasn't around so didn't really think he was doing anything wrong by keeping it a secret for a day.

Parker flew into the empty house after William dropped her at home promising to be there at 7am to get Parker to the airport. Parker headed straight to her room and got to work packing her clothes. She also grabbed the money she had saved from her little safe box which was in the back of her cupboard. She had a bank account which she opened herself at 16 but prior to that she was paid in cash and had saved everything she could.

It took Parker three hours to have everything packed. She had emailed the uni from her phone asking about early access to the dorms hoping she would get a reply. She also searched for cheap accommodation near Sydney uni just incase the uni didn't allow her into the dorms. She even emailed Matt Smith who was the contact for the Gadigal program at Sydney uni, which is the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander centre at Sydney uni. That's how Parker had gotten a full scholarship.

Parker was a proud Aboriginal woman born and raised in the Northern Territory of Australia. Her mother was Aboriginal but didn't identify as Aboriginal because her husband didn't like it. He was a white man. Parker had spent a lot of time with her Ninny, her mothers mother, on country growing up. Parker was taught by her Ninny and the aunties and uncles on country to be proud of her heritage and her identity. Parker was a proud Gurindji woman. She had asked an elder, prior to applying to the Gadigal program, if she could live on Eora country to study and Aunty Linda said it was her path.

To Parker's surprise Matt had emailed her an hour after she has emailed him. He was looking into getting her into the dorms but had secured her a week at the the YHA opposite central and it would cost $150 for the week. She had immediately accepted the offer. Parker was getting excited, she was finally going to be putting herself first.