So-called parents

Despite Jason's initial reservations, the first evening proved that he didn't need any of the codes they had initially prepared and he was loved by everyone. They stayed up all night eating, drinking, playing cards. Her family teaching him new games. Partnered up with Jenny, he battled off against other members of her family. They barely made the last train back to the hotel because of all the fun they were having, setting Jason's mind at ease for the upcoming evenings and nights. He had been a bit worried that the language barrier and their difference in culture would make things difficult for him to leave a good impression, but they were all so welcoming and they told him that in each household there was at least one person who spoke English and could keep him company.

After the second house they visited, he even knew what portions to take to not get himself in trouble later in the evening. Treating it more like an evening of eating tapas than a normal meal. All these visits to her family, made Jenny realize she knew very little and had met very few members of Jason's family. So, when they were on another late-night train ride back to the hotel, Jenny asked Jason in the empty train compartment about it. He was leaning against the seat with his eyes closed when Jenny said "Jace, when will you take me to meet your family? I feel like all I have seen are your mother and father. Even at the engagement I was briefly introduced to a few people, but I don't recall anyone of those people being your family. Except for your grandparents on your mother's side, but even them I haven't seen after that evening. Shouldn't we visit your family as well once we get back to England?"

Jason responded without opening his eyes and said "Don't bother. Other than the bi-annual party at the main house to celebrate my grandfather's and grandmother's birthdays, I never see those people either and I plan on keeping it that way. Those people have very poisonous tongues and hearts. Spending time with them will only create misery." Jenny was taken off guard by Jason's response to say the least. She did not expect such sad and angry words from Jason to describe his own family. Hoping that a lot of it was based on misunderstandings, like had been the case with his parents, she asked "What makes you say that ..?"

Without holding anything back, Jason answered her question. "They are all only out for the shares of Westwood international. If not all, then at least 90%. The remaining 10% is either genuinely not interested or is better at hiding it. Who will risk those odds and interact with people like that voluntarily? It isn't even an all or nothing battle, where they are forced to fight to survive. Yet, these people who I am supposed to consider family, are only busy with hoping they themselves or their kids will become the next in line to inherit it all. Every member of the family is given one share of the company when they are born, making sure they are set for life, but people are greedy. Always looking for more, not thinking about what they will do once they obtain it. They put such pressure on their children, disregarding their happiness and dreams completely, all for the pot of gold they see lying at the end of the road. More than one of my cousins is in an unhappy marriage, having been practically sold to the other party. For what? All because they think if their children add more to the size of the empire like that compared to the others, then they will have a better shot at the throne. This is especially the case for those that aren't talented enough or perform well enough on their own. Some of those who didn't want or didn't get to use marriage as a tool to move ahead, are working over sixty hours a week to compensate for a lack of talent at a job they don't like."

Jenny listened on in silence as Jason told her the saddening story of the great Westwood family. Other than a few sounds expressing her shock, all that could be heard was the sound of the train running on the tracks accompanied by Jason's calm voice. "Despite these so-called parents already having one or more successful companies to their name and obtaining additional shares when they joined these companies with Westwood international, they let greed blind them. They throw their own chance at happiness away as well as that of their children, for their crazy obsession of ruling the entire enterprise. Slowly corrupting the hearts of their children as well. Keeping the cycle going, generation after generation.

Those who can't have children, even adopt. All so that their road to power isn't cut off. Throwing the responsibility for their dreams on an uninvolved individual, all because they showed some potential. Their spirits are lifted for being adopted by such a prestigious family or perhaps a family at all, only to be shot down again. They go from one unhappy home, to another. Telling these poor children that failure is not an option and threatening they will remove them from the family registry if they fail. For someone who is born without a family or has lost their family once, that is the thing they fear the most and is the cruellest thing you can do to them. So, they desperately try to meet their expectations. Erasing all their emotions and working themselves to the bone. I wish I could say that I have only heard of stories like that just once, but sadly that wouldn't be the truth. Of course, I wasn't exempt from their cruelty either."

Jenny could feel her heart breaking with each part that Jason was revealing. Thinking it was amazing that Jason had turned out as well as he had. She too would have lost faith in humanity if those were the people surrounding her while growing up. But the story wasn't over yet, so she swallowed away the lump that had formed in her throat and waited for Jason to continue.