Chapter 8 #2
After introducing Miriam to Carter and her parents, Eliza asked if they could walk around together for a bit, which I obviously said was fine.
It was nice to have the extra help, but I more so wanted them here so they could have the experience.
Miriam needed Pride, and right now, Eliza needed Miriam.
Carter watched the two of them walk away, then gave me a questioning look. I shook my head at her. “Don’t ask. My lips are sealed.”
Carter smiled knowingly. “Noted.”
The rest of the day went by quickly with Eliza going between talking to members of our family to hanging out with Miriam and also helping out with the festival.
It was such a long day that I was happy when the last of the vendors began to pack up. Eliza helped to clean up things that were left behind while Miriam, Ethan, and I did the heavy lifting.
“Coming back to our house after this?” I asked Ethan.
“Of course!” Ethan said. “We wouldn’t miss it. I’m excited to have everyone together. I can’t remember the last time that happened.”
I turned to Miriam. “How ‘bout you? Do you want to come over and hang out for a while?”
“Oh… I don’t know.”
Eliza’s smile dropped. “Are you sure? I’d love it if you came. It’d be nice to have someone my own age there.” She looked over at me and Ethan. “No offense.”
“None taken. I also hate people my age so I totally get it,” I joked. “Ethan and his husband can give you a ride home if you want. They live in town here, so it wouldn’t be any trouble.”
Miriam looked at Ethan. “Would you mind?”
Ethan shook his head. “Not one bit. You worked hard today. You deserve to celebrate with us.”
“Okay.” A relaxed grin surfaced on Miriam’s face. “That sounds great.”
“So, you’re both sixteen but neither of you have your licenses yet?” I asked Eliza and Miriam on the drive back to the house.
“I’m actually not turning sixteen for another two weeks,” Miriam said.
“Well, happy early birthday.” I looked in the rearview mirror at Eliza. “What about you kiddo?”
“I turned sixteen in January. I got my permit the day after my birthday, but I can’t get my license for another month.
” She sighed. “At least, I could if I had any practice. I’ve driven once in the past three months and that was when my friend and I took her parents’ car and took turns driving it around the neighborhood.
Aside from that, I haven’t driven since February, and it even happened sparingly back then because my dad and I would fight every single time he tried to teach me.
” Eliza’s voice cracked when she said the word dad, as if just thinking about him made her want to cry.
Poor thing.
Luckily, I knew just what to do to help lighten the mood. “Want to drive now?”
“Wait, really?” Eliza’s voice was a mixture of shock and excitement.
“You weren’t lying about having your permit, right?” I joked.
“No, ma’am. I have it. Just to warn you though, my driving is probably going to be absolute shit.”
I shrugged. “Isn’t everyone’s in the beginning?” I pulled into a parking lot and got out of the car, then opened Eliza’s door. “Ready to show me just how shitty you drive?”
Eliza snorted. “I would love to.”
As Eliza got into the driver’s seat, I took the spot next to her in the passenger seat.
It took her a bit to get her footing, but for most of the ride, her driving was just north of shitty.
Even though I found myself grabbing onto the dashboard a few times, it was still better than I expected it to be.
“So, one month, huh?” I asked as we pulled in the driveway. “I can work with that.”
“You’ll teach me?” Eliza got so excited by my offer, she slammed on the brakes, causing all three of us to jolt forward.
“As long as you never do that again, then yes. I’m sure Carter would be happy to help too. She’s probably a better teacher than me. She’s better at most things than me.”
“Really?” Eliza tilted her head. “You two seem perfectly balanced to me.”
Her words filled me with pride. That was definitely how I saw my relationship with Carter, but I wasn’t sure if it came across that way to other people. “You’re right. We really do. I just like to joke around that she’s way too good for me. She does the exact same thing.”
“Glad to see what a healthy relationship looks like. Brian always thought he was too good for me and didn’t hesitate to let me know that.
My dad thinks he’s above my mom too, but that has more to do with his beliefs than anything else.
A wife needs to know her place. She should always be submissive to her husband.
” She said the last part in a lower tone, clearly mocking her dad.
I couldn’t believe there were still people who believed that. How had no one learned that women were clearly the superior sex?
“Well, Brian is an idiot,” Miriam said, her tone annoyed. “Your dad is too.”
Eliza reached back and squeezed Miriam’s arm. “Thanks, babe. I don’t want to think about any of them right now though. I just want to focus on having a good time.”
Having a good time sounded great to me. I hopped out of the car and leaned back in to address Eliza and Miriam. “What are we waiting for?”