Description: On a beautiful summer day, Eve waits for the final verdict from Julie and Pops about whether or not she has their permission to join the national Miss Teenager contest.
The Miss Teenager Pageant. PART 8.
A summer day in the Jones backyard consisted of lounging in the sun, drinking ice cold lemonade, lazing on the green carpeted grass, or simply enjoying the afternoon breeze in the shade of tall leafy oaks. Squirrels darted about, chasing each other from one tree to another, or joining the Joneses on the lawn as they nibbled on acorns and tossed the tops. Cottony clouds floated gingerly along in a clear blue sky, as if time itself were completely unimportant.
For Eve, waiting to get the family’s approval of her joining the Miss Teenager contest was like waiting for a summer cloud to make its rotation around the earth and back.
Pops was reclining at the hammock that swayed gently back and forth between two trees. Julie was sitting with her back against the old oak tree, fitting Eve’s photos for the contest back into the envelope.
Eve was lying on her stomach in the plush grass, with crossed legs, kicking her heels back, resting her chin in her hands and watching Julie.
“If you think it’s not – well, dignified,” Eve explained, “I’ll tell the ‘Miss Teenager’ people I can’t go on.”
Although she had practically burst a blood vessel from the stress of her sister’s potential rejection, she still trusted her sister implicitly. Okay, so maybe she was using just a tiny bit of reverse psychology.
Julie finally looked up and sighed heavily. “Eve – anything you do honestly and with dignity is all right with me – not that you need my permission. So… it’s up to you to decide.”
Eve was absolutely dumbstruck. For a second, she thought she was moving, but her body couldn’t catch up with her mind. Did she just hear what she thought she heard? Was Julie throwing reverse psychology right back in her face?
Finding that her feet could still function properly, she stood to face her father. “And, Pops, what’s your decision?”
Desperately awaiting the verdict, she held her breath in anticipation.
Pops answered with a low, tired voice. “Julie said it pretty good for both of us, honey.”
Could this finally be the door of hope that she had been waiting for all this time?
