Sophie put her arm out the car window. She liked the wind pushing her hand and made it go up and down. Other cars had air conditioning. Silver had windows. Sophie preferred windows. Lilith sighed heavily. She was in a mood and driving didn’t help any. She didn’t like to drive. This was a long drive. The cars all seemed to annoy Lilith. Sophie didn’t know why.
“Get your hand in the window.” Lilith growled tensely. Sophie turned her head to look at Lilith. Of all her aunts she liked Lilith best. Lilith had long dark shiny hair and wore scruffy jeans, and could make smoke rings. Lilith had silver rings on all of her fingers, some fingers had two rings. One was of two fish chasing each other. They were gripped to the steering wheel at the moment.
“Why?” Sophie asked curiously allowing her arm to dangle and ride the wind a little longer.
It was always this was with Sophie. She never just did anything. She wasn’t trying to provoke people to anger, she just needed to know. Lilith understood more than the other “Aunties” but at times it was annoying.
“I don’t suppose because I said so would work?” Lilith asked with a little smile in her voice now. Sophie thought about it letting her hand rise and fall, and then because she liked Lilith she pulled her arm inside the car for a moment.
“Why though? Why can’t I fly my arm?”
Lilith relaxed and smiled wider. How long had it been since Lilith let herself “fly?”
“Its not safe.” Lilith told her.
“Why?” Sophie turned now to gaze at Liliths profile. She could see the little lizard tattoo poking out of Lilith's embroidered tunic style earthy green shirt sleeve. She wanted a tattoo.
“Well, if I swerve your hand could get squashed.” Lilith said she now fumbling one handedly into her purse. She was getting another cigarette. This was apparently a 3 cigarette day. Lilith was trying to quit. Sophie could have reached in the denim purse and pulled out the cigarette box and lighter, but she was trying to help Lilith quit. She watched Lilith's hand root around, flashes of neon orange nail polish dancing among the purse silt, then rising triumphantly with lighter and cigarette.
“Your an excellent driver.” Sophie stated.
“Why, thank you.” Lilith said with half her mouth while the other half held her cigarette in place. She kept driving one handed and lit her cigarette as Sophie stuck her hand out the window.
“Soph!” Lilith snapped. “I told you to keep your hand in the car.”
“Well, Im trying to quit.” Sophie said looking up at the cigarette, “But it seems to be a one arm out the window kind of day.”
That made Lilith turn her head and look at the little girl. Sophie was barely seven. Her sandy brown hair was brushed up into pig tails. She was tall for her age, but had a very innocent of face so that when she took the worldly tone, Lilith always ended up laughing. She laughed now.
“This is the last cigarette of the day.” Lilith promised.
“You're the grown up.” Sophie said looking back out the window. “I just want you to be an old grown up one day.”
Lilith took one last drag of the newly lit cigarette and ground it out. She wanted to be an old grown up one day herself. It was a new thought but one that was growing inside her. Growing old used to something to laugh at and now...since Sophie really, things were different. She needed to get Grandmary to see this. She needed to get the other “Aunties” to listen. It made her want to light up another. Instead she cleared her throat.
“Ok Kiddo, you win. Now arm in.” Sophie obediently pulled her arm back in and beamed at Lilith then shifted. “Lilith?”
“What hun?”
“Im bored.” Sophie confessed. Long car rides were hard. She couldn’t read or she’d get sick and there was nothing else to do.
“Wanna play a game?” Lilith offered and Sophie wondered what kind of game Lilith could play while driving.
“ok.” the little girl sat up.
“Using only signs and licence plates, spell your name, where you live where you are going and who you are going to see.”
“I can do that.” Sophie said excited pulling against her seatbelt to get a better look outside.
“Bet you can’t finish before we get to Granmarys.” Lilith challenged.
“Oh an S. An S right there and an O. Oh,I like this game!” Sophie said delighted. Lilith stole another peek at her neice. She listened to the name being excitedly spelled out and sighed heavily again. The had to understand how special Sophie was. The had to understand that she belonged to Lilith now. Somehow Lilith had to get Granmary to agree. She badly wanted another cigarette but instead pointed out an exit sign.
“P for ‘pensylvania!’ P for sophie.” the little girl said. The world was spelling her name. Suddenly the car ride was not so bad after all.
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