Chapter 5

• "No matter how hard the past is, you can always begin again." - Buddha.
• In the morning, just after breakfast, a silver Mercedes drove up to the Spencer house. Madeline greeted her friend Anita and her sister Caroline. Then she introduced them to Rita, announcing that she would go shopping with them. They both agreed to it eagerly, clearly interested in the newcomer.
• Rita hesitated for a moment whether to get in the car. She hadn't driven a car since the accident, since was so scared. Ultimately, however, Rita decided to break her fear this time.
• Not even half an hour had passed and they were already in the mall. Shopping with Madeline was very successful. She really knew quite a lot about fashion even though she was only 11 years old. By some strange coincidence, Rita's step-sister knew very well what would suit her. Madeline's friend Anita and her older sister, Caroline, who was 18, were also able to give some great advice well. After about 3 hours in the mall and eating lunch in one of the fast-food restaurants, they returned home.
• Thanks to Madeline, Rita acclimatized to this completely new environment faster than she thought. Ruth and George also made great efforts to make her feel comfortable in their home. As Rita joined the Spencer family at the end of the school year, they signed her up for another year. According to her wishes, they chose the public school, but the best one in the city. It was attended by the children of bankers, stock brokers, business and corporation owners, lawyers... Also, due to her phobia of cars, Rita was supposed to cycle to school, so her new parents bought her a very good, fairly expensive bike. For the next 4 years of primary school, this was her everyday life, and Rita, once she was deeply involved in a new, more normal way of life, was doing much better at school, returning to her pre-accident grades. The teachers were of course made aware of Rita's hard experiences, so everyone was a little bit careful around her. The other kids didn't tease Rita much, mostly because each of them knew the Spencer family all too well and didn't want to get into trouble, after all, George Spencer was a lawyer and messing with his family could mean serious legal problems. As a result, Rita had a very calm life not only at home, but also outside.
• During the summer holidays, the Spencers usually went to Europe: Italy, France, Spain, Great Britain, or to Africa: Morocco, South Africa, or Egypt. Rita was delighted to finally be able to see other parts of the world. Long time ago, before the accident, she could only dream about such journeys, and with her new family, these dreams came true. Sometimes Rita couldn't believe that her life was really looking like that now - it was all too beautiful and must have been a dream. However, it was all so realistic, and she would wake up every day in the same huge house in New York, surrounded by loving parents and a wonderful little sister.
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• When Rita turned 16, she went to one of the best high schools in New York, where, too, she did well with her studies, giving Mr. and Mrs. Spencer plenty to be proud of. It was then that she also overcame her fear of driving a car, with the huge help of the best psychologist in New York, with whom the new parents signed her up for therapy. The therapy sessions cost a lot, but of course the Spencer family could afford it, and as George Spencer said, he was not planning to save money on his daughter's health. Not too long after completing the therapy, Rita got a driver's license and the Spencers bought her an Opel. Ruth proposed a Porsche, but Rita preferred something ordinary, because she still couldn't completely get used to the change in financial and social status. She was also given a separate room - it was located in the attic, and was once part of it. The Spencers did not want to give her the guest room, which was tiny and could still be useful, so they reduced the already huge attic, making space for a room and a bathroom.
• In the bedroom, there was a large bed, wardrobe, desk, chair and chest of drawers. There was a bookshelf above the desk, a laptop, a bedside lamp and a couple of books and notebooks on it. Near the wardrobe there was a door to a beautifully decorated bathroom with a washbasin, a bathtub, a shower cubicle, a separate and closed toilet, a cupboard and a mirror. Rita was speechless when she saw the room, because it was much more beautiful than she had expected. Yes, Rita had a part in designing it, because mentioned to her parents what she liked, what furniture or wallpapers, but still did not expect such a wonderful end result. George Spencer was not exaggerating when he said that the renovation team hired for this task can work miracles. Rita felt wonderful enough sharing a room with Madeline, but now her happiness reached the sky.
• As for her younger sister, Madeline, who was already 14 years old, she had grown into a beautiful teenage girl during this time. It was hard to see any signs of rebellion, which was surprising not only for her parents but also for Rita. Also, she was very popular with the opposite sex. Madeline took advantage of it, but for now she would rather be friends with the boys adoring her than pick one to go out with. Due to the fact that was always surrounded by a lot of admirers, she always had a man's hand to help her, and female friends gathered around her as well, hoping that one of the guys around would pay attention to them too. Besides, Madeline won over girls with her kind nature and the fact that, unlike other girls from wealthy homes, she was not overly proud and never acted like a spoiled princess, unless it was for joking around.
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• In high school, Rita met Sylvia, a lovable but shy girl whose father was the president of a computer company and her mother was a fashion designer. They liked each other right away, trying to have as many lessons together as possible. After school, it was also hard for them to part, they went shopping, walking or going to the cinema together. They also often learned together, especially that Sylvia was an excellent student, much better than Rita, who was doing very well, but Sylvia could be described as a bit of a nerd. Rita, on the other hand, tried to take her out of the house, so that apart from studying, she also took a little slack. Often, Rita also took Madeline and her friends on these outings, for she knew her step-sister knew better than anyone how to have a lot fun.
• The first year of studies ended well for both Rita and Madeline. In July, their parents took them to California, specifically Los Angeles. The luxurious hotel the Spencer's were staying in was located near the beautiful, clear sea, and the apartment they had rented overlooked the beach, there were high cliffs in the distance and a huge forest beyond. Rita immediately noticed this landscape and liked it very much, it was really beautiful, so without hesitation decided that whenever there would be the opportunity she would definitely go there.