Feeling
like she needed a change, Sephora takes her braids down and styles her hair
into an afro. She stares into the
mirror, noticing little signs of aging that she never noticed before.
Meanwhile,
Miles arrives home from earning tips. He
spots Zawadi sitting at the table.
The
whole boy thing has been on Miles’ mind a lot.
He wants to make sure that he’s spending enough time with Zawadi so she
doesn’t feel the need to fall for any of the tricks that teenage boys sometimes
use.
He
approaches her, “Do you still want that driving lesson I promised you?” He asks
hoping that Zawadi goes for it.
“What! In the new car? Of course!” Zawadi answers excitedly.
Her
excitement dwindles once she’s actually behind the wheel of the car and the nervousness kicks in.
“OK Zawadi, take your foot off the brakes and give the car a little gas,” Miles instructs.
“OK Zawadi, take your foot off the brakes and give the car a little gas,” Miles instructs.
Zawadi
gives the car gas, but neglects to remove her other foot from the brakes. The car lurches forward and stops
violently. “No! You have to take your other foot off the
brakes!” Miles says attempting to conceal the nervousness in his voice.
“But
what do I do with my foot?” Zawadi asks.
“Your
other foot just rests
on the
side, off of the pedals.”
“But
what if I need to hit the brakes again?” Zawadi asks sounding slightly
exasperated at the thought of not having her foot ready to hit the brakes.
“You
use the same foot that you use for the gas pedal,” Miles answers calmly to
counteract Zawadi’s nervousness.
The
car glides down the hill picking up speed.
Nervous that the car is going too fast, Zawadi slams on the brakes,
causing the car to lurch to a stop.
“Zawadi!” Miles says a little too anxiously. He takes a moment to calm himself, before
continuing. “Just ease on the brake
gently. You don’t have to push very hard.”
As
the car approaches the Owen’s house, Zawadi’s nervousness increases. What if Mitchell is watching me? She asks herself.
The
thought of having Mitchell witness her poor attempt at driving combined with
his father, Mr. Owens standing outside the house, is too much for Zawadi. She gets confused and once again attempts to
drive with one foot on the gas and one on the brake.
The
car jerks forward as Zawadi continuously hits gas then brakes, then gas then
brakes. Miles notices the change in her
demeanor and takes a close look at the Owens house. So this is where the boy lives, he notes to
himself.
“Zawadi,
take your other foot off the brakes,” he instructs again.
“I
can’t! I’m scared to,” Zawadi says
raising her voice a little more than she intended. She swears that she can see Mitchell looking
out the window.
Back
at home, Sephora uses her time to finish up a new sculpture that’s sure to
bring in a lot of money for the family.
She
decides to soak in the tub awhile to wash off the dirt and grime caused by the
discarded stone pieces.
“OK,
Zawadi, I need you to slow down and make a u-turn here,” Miles says in a
careful calm voice.
“I
can’t! Oh no, there’s a car!” Zawadi shouts, voice filled with nervous
tension.
Miles
is able to carefully instruct Zawadi to turn the car and head back home. He tries to remain calm, so that Zawadi won’t
worry, but inside, he is a nervous wreck over Zawadi’s driving. He prays that the breaks on the car are not
damaged by her insistence on driving with both feet.
Despite
her father’s efforts, Zawadi is still anxious about driving. She heads out to her easel in an attempt to
calm her nerves.
Painting
outside under the stars has a soothing effect on her. Before long, her stress is alleviated.
She
spends a few moments with Dazzle, then prepares for bed.
Miles
enjoys a rare moment relaxing and watching TV, while Sephora studies up on a
new recipe.
After
learning to prepare organic cookies, Sephora finishes up some last minute
housework.
Exhausted,
Zawadi is on her way to bed.
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