Lower your standards

To celebrate their graduation, Miss Eunice Campbell invited the Smith family, Michael Jones to a dinner and two other friends of her daughter Mia Campbell.

Roselyn and Mia were sitting next to each other, with Michael sitting next to Mia at the Dinner table.

Eunice was having a conversation with her younger sister Beverlly Smith when a sound of a breaking glass disrupted their conversation.

Everybody looked up to where the sound came from and there stood Roselyn with a cold face. Bervelly stood up to pick up the broken glass but was stopped by Michael who ran off to fetch a maid to clean the mess away.

"Roselyn what is wrong?" Mia stood up to tap her cousin on the shoulder.

She also wore a playfully smirk that only Roselyn saw but quickly ignored.

"Nothing is wrong Mia, mom can we go already?" Roselyn glanced at her Beverlly and other people in a table while keeping a straight face.

"Yeah now I remember that I have some unfinished business at home. Please excuse us everybody!" Beverlly kept her apologetic smile and leaned down to hug her sister Eunice.

"Okay the party is over anyway and once again congratulations to my cute niece for being the top student at River University!" Eunice smiled to the mother and daughter who were eager to flee the party.

Bervelly and Roselyn were going to their car when Michael ran to stop them.

Bervelly smiled at her daughter's boyfriend while she went to wait in the car patiently.

"Babe I know what you saw but it's not what you think! Mia was looking for her lipstick back there." Michael explained to Roselyn with pleading eyes, holding her left hand in his hands.

"I know that wasn't intentional but I was surprised to see my cousin touching you underneath the table or maybe I'm missing something, am I?" Roselyn whispered to his ears.

"No babe trust me, that never happened. This is just a misunderstanding but trust me to fix it right away." Michael smiled rubbing Roselyn's hand with his hands.

"Okay I believe you, now stop being so cozy in front of my mom." Roselyn giggled, withdrawing her hand from Michael's hands.

"Good girl, let me fetch my keys and escape too." Michael glanced at the Campbell's mansion sighing while waiting for her reply.

"Go ahead, my mom is waiting so let me not keep you." Roselyn smiled apologetically at her mom who was nodding in the drivers seat ...waiting for her.

"Good bye Love." Michael kissed her right cheek and ran back to fetch the keys.

Roselyn shook her head and went to the car.

"Let us run away from this place mommy!" Roselyn smiled at her mom curiously.

"Exactly my thoughts, now buckle up." Beverlly smiled and drove them away to their quiet house in the surbubs.

The drive took 15 minutes to their house in River town. There were about ten houses in River town surrounded by the beautiful view of the famous River in town. The houses there were not cheap so few people could afford a house there.

The house carried Beverlly's good memories of her happy family before her ex husband David dissapeared for a month and later sent her divorce papers through his lawyer Damon Bridge.

"Do you need a coffee mom?" Roselyn quicly interrupted her mom's sad thoughts.

"Yes honey, I'll wait in the study okay?" Bervelly lowered her head and left Roselyn in the kitchen.

"Well I guess it's coffee then." Roselyn sighed helplessly, boling hot water for the perfect coffee she craved for.

"I know that David dissapeared on you guys but Beverlly you have to figure out something in order to support both yourself and Roselyn." A worried voice came from the face time on Beverlly's screen.

"You are right Eunice so I guess I should be selling the house then but where can I find a perfect buyer?" Beverlly sighed helplessly while looking at her sister in the small screen of her laptop.

"Mia has always dreamt of living in those suburbs of River town so i guess I'll be your temporary buyer until you get back on your feet." Eunice suggested.

"I wish there was another way but I'm happy to hear that sister, my only problem now is to explain everything to Roselyn and make her understand."

"My niece is a big girl now and I am pretty sure she will understand. You have to lower your standards now sister... sometimes a simple life is a solution to an affordable lifestyle." Eunice playfully smiled faking sympathy.

"Thank you big sister, I'll treat you to lunch after all this." Beverlly smiled genuinely to her sister on the screen.

"Okay let me bou..."

"Mom what are you doing!" Roselyn shouted from the door with a tray in her hands.

Beverlly quickly closed her laptop and composed herself in front of her daughter.

"Please come in Rose, mommy wants to talk to you about something." Beverlly pleaded with her big brown eyes.

Roselyn carried the cups on a tray to the study table and sat at the chair across the table, folding her arms.

Bervelly smiled with guilt and took a sip of her hot coffee. Roselyn narrowed her eyes while waiting for Beverlly to speak.

"I'm sorry kid but your father's disappearance has affected our finances really bad! We have to sacrifice our perfect home to keep us going for a little longer so trust me on this one." Bervelly assured her daughter with a smile.

"Mom I'm sure we can find another buyer soon not my aunt please. You heard what she said but chose to dismiss it; so Auntie Eunice is definitely not our solution." Roselyn pleaded with her mom who seemed calm in all of her traumas.

"Okay but i can only wait for three more days until you find a perfect buyer for this house. If not, your aunty will be our perfect solution." Beverlly locked eyes with her daughter who seemed impatient.

"That is a deal mom, well let me go to sleep tommorow is a big day for me, I'm going to the Foster Company to submit my ideas, maybe I'll be your hero."

Roselyn cleared the table and walked out of the study.

Beverlly was happy to see her daughter still smiling in hope to secure her dream job at her dream company.

It was 10pm when Roselyn was tossing and turning in her bed, she couldn't have a peaceful sleep no matter how hard she tried.

She surrendered her sleep when she remembered that she forgot to call Michael before sleeping. It was their daily routine as a couple to call each other before sleeping...it didn't matter who called as long as they keep their spark in line.

"Welcome to voicemail, leave a message after the call." Roselyn clicked her tongue in frustration after six attempts of trying to get Michael on the line.

She curled herself to sleep after accepting her awful reality.