The family caught Marilyn up on the progress in Los Angeles and reassured her that everything was still on schedule. The furniture would be removed next week and a housekeeping up crew would be in to clean up. By Friday, the apartment would be in Marilyn’s possession.

Marilyn revealed that she was to have the apartment painted and they would not start until the following Monday after Labor Day. She hoped to be in residence by the end of September. She then reminded Angie that if she wanted to come for a weekend away, just give her a call. She also reminded her that she was free to come and use the apartment if she happened to be out of town. And she was free to bring someone with her if she liked.

Mary was somewhat surprised by the open invitation. She later questioned Bette about it. And it was Tina who explained. Angie was an adult and was free to make her own decisions about her life. And Angie could get into as much mischief in New Haven as she could in New York City. If she was going to have sex, party with alcohol or drugs or do whatever, her parents were powerless to do anything about it. Tina went on to say that they had done all they could to instill the right values in Angie to be her guiding principles. However, every child or new budding adult has a tendency to experiment with life and are bound to do things which we (her parents) will not approve. If it is mistake, she will pay the consequences or she would have the experience and then put it behind her. She is bound to make mistakes and no parent could prevent that. We can just hope that the mistakes can be corrected and not have long term effects. Our job is to support her and give advice and hope for the best. So having a weekend trip to Marilyn’s may be something she needs. Marilyn loves her and will give her the same things we would give her; advice, support and love. She will also give her the space to be the person she wants to be. Marilyn has been an important person in our lives and if Angie needs an adult whom she trusts, I can’t think of anyone better than Marilyn. And Marilyn is only a 2-hour train ride away.