June was no longer a little girl. She was now a teenager.

Charlotte did not feel like June was growing up as she should. Instead of going on dates, or getting into a little mischief, she preferred to hang out with her father, read, or paint. She and her father would paint for hours.

It was like having a little spy in the house. Francis could do no wrong and Charlotte no right. At least it seemed that way to Charlotte.

Charlotte thought a little space and some new experiences would be good for her daughter. She just had to convince Francis.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t too difficult to convince Francis to send June to boarding school. He thought June would receive an excellent education and he worried that she didn’t have enough friends.

June, however, felt differently. Her parents wanted to send her away?

“What did I do wrong?” June asked. “I will behave.”

“It’s not a punishment. It’s a good school and you can make new friends. Think of it as an adventure,” her father said.

“What if I don’t want to go?” cried June.

“Just try it. If you don’t like it you can come home,” her father told her.

Francis hated the thought of her being away, but he worried about her. She spent too much time worrying about him and taking care of him and too little being a child.

June cried herself to sleep. Charlotte would take her to her school. Francis had had a rough night and was unable to join them. Francis was afraid he would give in and let her stay if he had to see her tears at drop off.

“Now your father has paid a lot of money for you to get accepted. It’s a good school and you are a lucky girl to get in. You’re father is in a lot of pain that he tries to keep from you, but you are always pestering him and he needs his rest. I expect you to be on your best behavior and not cry on your first visit home. It will upset your father and we don’t want to endanger his health with unnecessary worry. He needs quiet and he needs to know your happy at school. Wipe your tears and put a smile on your face. Appreciate the wonderful opportunity ahead of you. Maybe if you are lucky you can manage to snag a rich boyfriend.”

June was shy and anxious about being away from home, knowing no one. She would try her best for her father. She didn’t want to make his health any worse.

Her roommate, Irene, looked her up and down. June hoped that they would become friends, but as the weeks passed they grew no closer. Sometimes, Irene would let June join her and her friends at lunch, but mostly she ignored her as they had little in common.

June put on a happy face during breaks and made up stories of adventures she had with imaginary friends. She made the most of summer break, spending time with her father, playing with Tessa, and painting.

June dreaded going back the following year, but Charlotte’s words rang in her ears. “We don’t want to endanger his health with unnecessary worry.” So June said nothing of her unhappiness.

June pretended to be happy, but after a particularly hard day, she broke down and called her father. She tried to hold back tears, but began to sob when she heard her father’s voice. Francis agreed to let her come home once the semester was over. There was only three weeks left.

On the last week of school, June was summoned to the office. There sat her mother and June knew something was terribly wrong. Her mother rarely came to visit.

Charlotte took a deep breath and said,” Your father has died.”

June gasped. Tears flooded her eyes. She wanted to shout, to beat her fists, to run far away.

“Don’t make a scene. Go get your things,” Charlotte ordered.

At home, June walked into her father’s room. She remembered how they would sit together and read to each other. How she would tell him about her day or show him her artwork. Those days were gone. Life would never be the same.