And Yet I Still Smile

Chapter 3 - Carnival

"Who are you meeting here again?" Mom asks as I put her monster of a Trailblazer in park. Having a driving permit is a new-age form of torture I can not wait to escape. I'm so close to freedom and yet so far away. The seven weeks until I can take my final driving test and get my license can't come fast enough.

I huff out an annoyed breath, "Faith, Matt, and Andrew. I'll text you when we're almost ready to leave." Before I exit the car, an idea comes to mind. "Unless you're tired from working all day. Andrew could bring me home so you don't have to come back out," I suggest.

Mom glares at me across the car. "Nice try, Soph. You know your Father's rule. No car rides with that boy."

"Ugh, I wish you'd stop calling him that like you don't know him. I don't know what else he can do to prove to you he's a good guy. He loves God and he treats me well. What more could you possibly want?"

Mom's face softens. I can see the war raging inside her; one side wants to hate Andrew out of principle, but the other knows there is no good reason to dislike him.

The closer Andrew and I get, the farther apart Mom and I drift. She must hate that as much as I do, right? There's no way she doesn't feel it. I don't understand why she can't accept our relationship and be happy for me.

"You're right, Sis. Maybe your Dad and I have been too hard on Andrew. Why don't you invite him to dinner on Thursday? It'll give us a chance to get to know him better."

"Really? You mean it? Oh, thanks, Mom! That means a lot!" I reach over across the center console to hug her.

I say goodbye to Mom before she takes her place in the driver's seat and leaves. Andrew, Matt, and Faith are waiting for me by the traveling carnival entrance. Running into Andrew's arms, I beam up at him. "Guess what, guess what, guess what?"

"What?" Everyone asks in unison.

"Mom wants you to come to dinner at our house on Thursday! And she admitted she's been hard on you and wants to get to know you better! Isn't that amazing?"

Andrew and Matt share a quick glance before Andrew kisses me softly on the lips. "Yeah, Angel. That's great news," he smiles, but it looks forced. Does Andrew not want to have dinner with my parents? This is huge progress for them.

Without much more thought on the matter, my friends and I purchase our carnival wristbands, which will allow us unlimited access to all the rides for the evening. The carnival music and chatter of the crowd make for a noisy wait in line. Thankfully, the commotion dies down the further onto the fairgrounds we walk.

"Omgosh! Sophie, we should totally get a Henna tattoo! They are so pretty! You wanna?" Faith shrieks.

"Sure!"

"You girls go on. Andrew and I will meet you by the Ferris wheel," Matt chimes in.

"What are you guys going to do?" I ask.

"Probably play a few games. If I win a prize, do you want a bear or a monkey?" Andrew winks at me.

My mind goes back to my first date with Josh almost a year ago. We were on the boardwalk when he won me a stuffed monkey. I loved that monkey so much. I slept with it every night for over a month until Josh showed his true colors at my birthday party. The stupid thing is still sitting in the back of my closet, completely forgotten about until this moment.

"Definitely not a monkey. Anything, but that."

Matt, who has warmed up to me in recent months, frowns in mock disgust, "What do you have against monkeys? Monkeys are adorable."