Sweet Faith

Chapter 4

SAM

I stood in front of Wanda's stall. the stall, the exact same time, just like yesterday.

"Good Morning beautiful," Wanda sent a friendly smile over to me, who blushed easily at peoples antics. Wanda brung over her prize pool from yesterday's event. Today was the day. Where I can finally live my life, and get ahead, too. I rub my hands together and stick my hand in the prize pit, swishing my hand around the papers.

"You gon' when another stuffie Sam?" Mya ran over to me while her mom waved at me. I waved with my free hand before it got tugged down by Mya, who held it while swinging it around turning on her charm.

"If you win another stuffy can i have it?" she asked.

"Sure you can have it, but you have to count down and tell me when to stop on a paper. Oh. and wish me luck," I added.

"Luck on what?" she tilted her head with her round eyes staring in confusion.

"What? You don't know? Our little Sam bear has been trying to leave this place since young," Wanda said exasperated. "He's been using his money he's gotten from his moms grocery store to fund his spendings here. Trying to fly out,"

I scoff at her exaggerations. It's not like I'd leave forever, it's just, I wanna see the world. Being stuck in a tight community is great 'n all. but there is so much out there to know.

"I don't want Sam to go." Mya whispered—her tiny arms trying to wrap around my legs in a tight hug.

She tugged on my heart strings, that's for sure. Compared, freedom tugs me ruthlessly.

"Alright Mya, start the count." I told her. She forgets about her sadness and happily counts down, raising her hands up with each number she says.

"Five!"

please.

"Four!"

please.

"Three!"

please.

"Two!"

Oh my gosh, please.

"One!"

PLEASE.

I yanked my hand out, grabbing just one paper out of the box. Wanda grabbed it from my hand and went back into her shop, coming back out with an envelope in her hands.

"Don't tell me it's another percentage off Helan's Massages?" I groaned. She handed me the paper with a huge chuckle. Both knowing that her massages hurt like hell. She sat next to her old man and watched me rip it open.

"I swear, we better massage her back so she can know what a proper-" my body flinched, rereading again and again the words spelt out on the very special looking ticket to- San francisco.

"What the fu-"

"Congratulations, Sammy," Wanda looked down for a second and looked up again smiling widely. I looked down to see Mya still attached to my legs, waiting for my next words.

"Look Mya, I won! I really won!" I changed my words and detached her hands from my legs. jumped up and down wildly, Mya didn't know what was happening but heard 'won' and saw her bestest friend and babysitter jumping up and down, so she joined in saying congrats over and over.

Yes

Yes

YES.

with a stupid hop skip and a jump i raced back to the house, not bothering with anything in my way.