“Stop that, you’re annoying me”

For her mother to say that she was annoyed was a big deal so Sofia forced her leg to stay still and not jiggle like it had been doing all day. She couldn’t help it as it was exactly a week since the day she wrote the scholarship exam for the private school. According to the information she was given at registration and then, accreditation at the school when she went there in person to write the exam, their results were going to be out in a week. So, there was no way she could sit still like nothing was happening.

“I’m sorry, mama. I’m just so nervous”

Her mother left the lemons she was juicing to make some lemonade for them as the weather was getting hotter and hotter by the day and turned towards her.

“Didn’t you say you wrote excellently and that you’re confident in what you submitted to them?”

Yes, she did say that but she couldn’t help the nerves that she was feeling.

“Yes, mama. I said all that”

When she had gotten home after the exam, she had been a ball of differing emotions. She was happy that she wrote well but had been fearful for what was going to happen if she got in. She already had a crazy girl on her radar and she noticed that when she finally got out of the school building all thanks to the guy who helped her, the crazy girl had been staring at her from the first floor with a smile on her face. Without anyone telling her, she knew that the smile didn’t bode well for her.

“Then, you shouldn’t be so nervous”

Her mothers words redirected her thoughts away from the crazy bully to the exam that she wrote. When she instead of being calm like her mother wanted, started to chew on her nails, her mother dropped the lemons on the tray and got to her feet.

“Let’s go”

She looked up at her mother and frowned a little.

“Where are we going to?”

Her mother poured the lemon juice she had been able to extract into a bottle and left it on the counter top for her to return to later.

“Since you have a lot of energy that you can’t sit still for even a minute, we’re going to put that energy to good use”

When Sofia still didn’t move, her mother gestured for her to get to her feet.

“Up, up, up; up you go, miss”

Pouting, she got to her feet and followed her mother to where she was taking her to. It was no surprise to Sofia that they ended up in their farm.

“Really, mama?”

Her mother shrugged innocently and handed her a basket.

“Please, get me some ripe apples. I think it’s been way too long we had some apple pie”

Rolling her eyes a bit because she knew that it wasn’t apple pie her mother wanted but just needed her to stop dwelling in her thoughts, she eventually got to work plucking and shining the apples before setting them in the basket she held in her elbow.

“So tell me, do you know who that boy is?”

Focused on what she was doing, she didn’t immediately understand what her mother was talking about.

“Sofia”

She turned towards her mother.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about”

She made to come off flippant but her body betrayed her in more ways than one.

“Really? And you’re blushing? Suddenly, you don’t know where my face is? You can’t even look at me?”

The teasing tone in her mothers voice only made her blush more and hide her face.

“Leave me alone”

Chuckling, her mother smiled at her.

“He only helped me up and out of the school building. It didn’t mean anything. He could have helped anyone else that was in need. I’m sure he’s just a nice person”

Sofia rambled on and on about Nate and how he helped her when Sonia pushed her down.

“Did I say anything? All I did was smile and I didn’t even call your name while doing it which means that you may or may not like him”

Startled at her mothers insinuation, Sofia turned towards her.

“Mama!”

“What?”

She shrugged.

“It’s not like there’s anything wrong with you having a crush or a boyfriend. All you have to remember is to be safe with your body and…”

Before her mother could finish talking, Sofia was redder than the colour red and immediately interrupted her.

“Not the birds and bees talk, mama”

Her mother was about to respond to her when they heard the Sofia’s name being called loudly.

“It seems like your father is back from town”

Eager to see her dad and get away from her mum’s probing talks, Sofia dropped her basket of apples at her mum’s feet and dashed towards the house where her father was standing and belting her name out.

Running into his arms, she hugged him tightly like they hadn’t seen each other only a few hours before.

“I have something for you”

Excited at what it could be as she was catapulted to her younger years when things were easier and every day, she got a new present from her dad. They ranged from new flavours of snacks and chocolates to toys, scarves and so on. The list was really endless.

“I’m not a kid anymore, papa”

He shook his head at her and rubbed the top of her head.

“No matter how big you grow, you’ll always be my little girl”

He stretched an envelope towards her and when she saw the seal on it, she grew cold.

“Is that what I think it is?”

Her dad nodded and pressed it into her hands.

“Open it”

Sofia swallowed hard as she tore the seal on the envelope, not even realising that her mother had joined them on the patio. Her eyes went over the result of the scholarship exam and it wasn’t long before the paper fell to the ground as she looked up at her parents who were already going sick with anticipation.