Chapter 27 - Choosing the Future
Senior-year questions hovered just beyond the horizon for Zoe, even though she was only sixteen and still had time. Scholarship prep, campus programs, summer plans—the future no longer felt theoretical.
One evening she sat with David and Alana—together, awkwardly, civilly—in Carmen’s conference room for a practical meeting about the education trust component.
Carmen explained numbers, likely growth, access rules, and responsible planning.
Zoe listened, then asked, “Can part of it wait if I get scholarships? Like, not just be spent because it’s there?”
Carmen smiled. “Absolutely.”
David looked proud.
Alana looked relieved.
Tasha, on speaker because no one could stop her, said, “Look at the child being wiser than the adults who built the fund.”
Zoe rolled her eyes but smiled.
Later that night, David drove her home and said, “Your grandmother wanted the money to buy you choices. You’re already using it that way.”
Zoe looked out the window at the dark streets. “I think choices are what this whole story was actually about.”
He glanced over. “How do you mean?”
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“Monica tried to remove mine. You and Mom tried to manage them for me. Grandma used paperwork to preserve them. Now I get to decide what to do with them.”
David nodded slowly. “That’s exactly right.”
