Country Mile

TO TEST HER WINGS

"Well? What's it gonna be, young lady?"

"Honestly, I think you're blowin' this way outta proportion. And I.." Delilah took a breath to gain momentum. "I am done discussin' this with you," her words tumbled out quickly, and then she braced for his response.

Adam stared intently at her. He brought a hand up to rub the stubble on his chin while he eyed his growing-up-too-fast, not-so-little-anymore, girl sitting before him.

She squirmed beneath his gaze, unsure if he would relent or retaliate.

"You're done, huh?"

His voice held no contempt. It was more so the sound of a man filled with resignation. Delilah nodded her head in affirmation.

"Yep."

Adam noted the flippancy in her answer. She was not only refusing to accept his chastisement, but she was no longer addressing him with simple endearments of respect. Inwardly, he wanted nothing more than to jerk the haughty teen over his knee and give her the thrashing of her life for scaring the life out of him when police called his home in the early morning hours prior. Outwardly, he remained calm. He thought about his last interaction with Genna and had an inkling that the brazen girl was wearing off on his normally demure Lilah.

"Alright then. I s'pose we're done."

Without another word, Adam rose from the chair and exited the room. Delilah sat on her bed in shock. She remained seated waiting for Adam to come barging back in and give her an earful about respect and authority, but it never came. She eventually stood and went to her closet to get dressed for the day, all the while wondering how she managed to get away scot-free. Maybe all this time, she just needed to voice her opinion. Voice that she can own up to her mistakes on her own terms without having somebody else make her. Maybe Genna was on to something long before she ever knew how. Or maybe for once in his life, Adam was the one who broke.

Delilah pulled a flowy, white floral spaghetti strap tank off a hanger, picked a pair of denim cut off shorts from her dresser drawer, and slid on her favorite brown Blowfish strappy sandals. She took her hair down and ran her fingers through it absentmindedly when her door suddenly swung open.

Her heart lurched into her throat, thinking Adam had come to his senses and was back to end her life before it had begun, but a much smaller body stood in the doorway.

"Jesus!" Delilah sighed, her hand going to her now heaving chest.

"Not Jesus, just Genna," the brunette smirked. She came fully in the room and shut the door behind her. She skipped to Delilah's bed and sat down on the edge of the mattress.

"I didn't hear you get up. You were mouth breathin' and droolin' the last time I checked on you," Delilah smirked.

"Awww, you checked on me?" Genna asked sweetly while throwing Delilah's own pillow at her.

"Yes," Delilah said, catching the pillow before it connected with her head. "I wanted to make sure Daddy didn't kill you. I still can't believe last night happened."

Genna's smile faded and she stared off reminiscing. "I know," she sighed. "I just don't know whether to chalk that up to a win or loss."

Delilah threw the pillow back at her. "What do you mean? You do realize you are currently sittin' on my bed, right? I've already talked with Daddy and look," she gestured to herself, "I'm alive and well. Better than well, actually."

"What happened? I didn't hear any yelling."

"Or pleadin' for my life," Delilah pointed out sarcastically. "I just told him he needs to back off. Reel it in. I told him that we understand he's our father and that he has a responsibility to raise us right or whatever, but damn. Let us breathe."

Genna gave Delilah a sardonic look. "You said that."

"Verbatim."

The girls kept a straight face for mere seconds before bursting into laughter.

"No," Delilah admited. "I didn't say it quite like that, but he got the gist."

"I bet."

Delilah immediately began talking about the outfit she was going to wear, what she was going to say to Logan the next time they spoke, where she wanted their first date to be, and more, but Genna wasn't hearing all of it. She gave the occasional nod and smile, but her thoughts were far from the farm. They were back in Boston. They were testing for her GED. They were sending out resumés so she could get a job. They were signing for her first one bedroom apartment. Her mind was so gone, it was the semi painful pinch to her thigh that brought her back.

"Ouch! What the hell, Lilah?"

"I asked you five times if you were okay. I thought you were havin' a seizure or somethin'."

"I wasn't dancing like you," Genna jabbed, "I was thinking. And why the hell would you pinch someone if they were having a seizure? What kind of sadist are you?"

"Okay first of all, there ain't nothin' wrong with my dancin' so," she gave Genna the middle finger, "and second of all, you were really spaced out and I recently saw a video on Facebook about seizures. That's how some people look when they have 'em."

"Okay but you don't pinch them! Jesus!"

"Not Jesus, just Delilah," she stuck her tongue out at the squinting girl. "Are you gonna tell me what you were thinkin' about at least?"

Genna contemplated it for a long moment before finally deciding to tell Delilah about her plans. She felt like the younger girl had the right to know, but also she secretly hoped she would run away with her. Two incomes and someone to lean on wouldn't be a bad thing.

"I'm leaving," Genna whispered.

Delilah's face fell, but Genna was surprised to see no traces of shock. It was as if she already knew, but was sad to hear it confirmed.

"You don't look surprised," Genna stated as she took Delilah's hand and tugged her down to sit on the bed.

"That's 'cause I'm not. I remember you said you'd do this when you first moved here. I had hoped that since we grew close, you'd change your mind. But I guess we just ain't as close as I thought."

"No, no, no, we are! Girl, I love you like a sister," Genna pulled her into a hug.

Delilah rolled her eyes but hugged her back. "We are sisters."

"Yeah, but I'm not leaving because I'm not close with you. I would love it if you'd come with me! I just.. I don't belong here and it isn't fair to Adam. I'm not the daughter he thought I'd be. I don't fit in, I'm just not right for the way things are here."

"Genna that's not true, of course you fit in here and you're an even better daughter and sister than Daddy and I could have ever dreamed of. So what if you and him butt heads every once in a while, you two are basically the same. That's why you get on each other's nerves."

"Last night, this morning, it seemed like the last straw. Like he's giving up. Which part of me is glad because there really isn't much I hate more than having someone on my case about things, but it seemed like he's given up on more than just how he handles us. Honestly Lilah, I feel like I broke him."

"Wasn't that your intention all along?" Delilah smirked knowingly.

Genna couldn't help but smile back. "Shut up," she bumped her shoulder into Delilah's. "Okay fine, yes. But now I think I regret it."

"Then go tell him you're sorry and that you'll accept any punishment he deems fit to give you."

"No way!"

"Then leave."

Genna's smile faded. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. But just know that you will regret it. Even if he doesn't track you down and tan you for it, you'll regret leavin' 'cause this is your home now, Genna. Home is the one place a girl's heart always misses even when she's been dyin' to test her wings."