Free Somewhere Between Black and White by Rosa Sophia, Shelly Hickman Page B

then
he paused. “And of course, you know what’s best for her,” he said amiably. 
    Sophie sat up straight in her seat. “I’m
not saying that, exactly.”
    “What are you saying then?”
    “Dude! Aren’t you supposed to be on my
side? I mean, she’s my sister,” she said, putting her hand to her heart.
    “Sophie, I’m not on anyone’s side here.”
He brushed his hands on his jeans, lit a match, and threw it into the pit. The
result was only a faint glow, so he took the fire iron and nudged the wood to
ignite the flame. “Do you know for a fact he’s cheating on her?”
    “Well, no.”
    “Does she love him?”
    “Oddly, yes,” she replied.
    He shook his head and smiled. “Nah, I
can’t see why she would feel like you’re judging her or anything.” He dropped a
couple more matches into the fire that was slow to start.
    Sophie was about to argue the point,
then stopped herself. She put her hand to her mouth.  “Oh my God!” she said,
recognizing it for the first time.
    “I get it.” Sam joined her on the swing.
“Like you said, she’s your sister, and you want to protect her.”
    “I do!” she agreed emphatically.
    “I know it’s hard, but things will be a
lot easier on you when you just realize and accept that it’s her life,
and she’s gonna live it the way she wants. Never mind how you feel about it.”
    “Apparently you haven’t had a loved one
making choices that aren’t good for them.”
    “Yeah.” He grunted as he sat his coffee
cup on the table next to him. “Oh, that’s right. You haven’t met my mom yet.”
    The thought of meeting his mother someday
suddenly made her feel anxious. What if she didn’t like Sophie? “Why? What’s
the deal with your mom?”
    “Nothing, except that she’s the
stereotypical elderly person attached to an oxygen tank, still puffing on a
cigarette.”
    “Ohhh.” Sophie crinkled up her face and
gave him a grimace of sympathy, before taking a sip from her cup.
    “Doctors told her five years ago that
she had emphysema, but she still wouldn’t quit. Now she can barely walk across
a room, in and out of the hospitals. Whatever.” He sighed. “What’re you gonna
do? I’m done being pissed off about it.”
    Sophie put her hand on his leg. “Funny,
but you don’t really sound like you’re done being pissed.”
    “Honestly, I am. I came to the
realization that, for whatever reason, she just can’t do it. She can’t quit.
I’m not gonna lie and say it’s easy to watch her do it to herself.” He put up
his hands. “Maybe there’s some reason she has to go through it. Who am I to
say, anyway?”
    “So you think we’re predestined.”
    He shrugged. “Sometimes it’s the only
thing that makes sense. You see so many people who get stuck, can’t seem to get
themselves out of bad situations, even when they know they’re bad.”
    “I don’t really get that,” Sophie said.
“Seems pretty ridiculous to me. You always have a choice.”
    “I’m sure that even you, Miss Responsible-Got-it-Together
chick. . . .” He chucked her under the chin before pausing to kiss her, “can
think of at least one time that you were a part something, however brief, that
you knew wasn’t in your best interest. But you did it anyway because you felt
compelled.”
    “Not really,” she said flatly. “I’m too
cautious. Too sensible. I know that’s probably pretty boring.”
    “I’m not talking about doing something
bad. Your sister is not doing anything bad. She’s just choosing to stay in a
situation that’s maybe bad for her. But then again, maybe it isn’t.” He affectionately
tapped a finger to her chest as he made his point.
    “Boy, you’re just all over the map on
this one!” she said. It occurred to her that if anyone else had said these
things, she would be somewhat insulted, as if she were a child who needed to be
enlightened, but he had a way of speaking to her that was calming without being
the least bit condescending, even when