Page 98 of Learn Your Lesson

“Why did she hate them?”

“Because the women were dependent on men,” I answered, lifting my gaze to meet his. “Especially theolder movies. It was all about getting married, giving up everything for love. Cinderella was just a poor stepchild until she found a prince. Ariel gave up her voice and mermaid tail to chase Eric on land.” I shrugged. “In my mom’s eyes, the mensavedthem — and the women wanted to be saved. That was the ultimate sin to my mother and went against everything she wanted to teach me.”

“What about Tiana, though?” Will argued. “She was a bad ass.”

I chuckled. “Okay, first of all —lovethat you know this. That movie had just come out, actually, right before our visit here. But my mom wouldn’t know how much of a bad ass Tiana was, or see the badassery inanyof the princesses because she made her mind up about them years ago. I mean, come on — look at Jasmine! She was the ultimate baddie. She stood up to her father, refused to just be married away as a prize… and the way she played Jafar in the end?” I shook my head. “And Mulan? Hello? She literally fought in war. She was a hero!”

I shrugged, watching my toes again as I kicked a rock around.

“Anyway, it didn’t matter. Part of the reason my mom didn’t bring me here was because she was a single mom fighting to make ends meet as it was. Disney is expensive. And me continually begging to be turned into a princess set my mom into a rage. I can’t blame her, not entirely, anyway. She had done so much to bring me here and I was just too young to understand.” I paused. “She dragged me out of the park kicking and screaming. I wanted to stay for the fireworks. We hadn’t even made it to all the rides. But she was done.”

Will let out a soft sigh. “Disneyisexpensive,” heagreed. “I’m sure it was hard on her, being a single mom. But… gotta say. She sounds like a real man hater.”

“Grandma, too,” I said. “But they have their reasons. My grandfather and dad gave them plenty. I think they raised me the way they did out of the goodness of their hearts and a fierce need to protect me. They wanted me to be stronger. And, in a lot of ways, I’m thankful for that. Because Idofeel independent. I feel like I can sit comfortably in my own company. I can be alone without being lonely. I can provide for myself and experience happiness without it being dependent on a partner.”

“You don’t ever think it would be nice to share it all with someone?”

The question knocked me off guard — so much so that any response I might have had got lodged in my throat.

I forced a smile up at him. “What about you? Did you ever come here as a kid?”

I saw in his frown how much he wanted to press me about his previous question, but he respected the nonverbal cue I gave enough to let it go.

“I grew up in Maine,” he offered as way of explanation. “Not as easy to just drive across I-4 and get here.”

“Fair,” I said.

“I came a few times with Jenny once she moved to St. Pete, though.” He seemed contemplative at that, but instead of going into more detail about his late wife, he turned the conversation back to his family. “I do remember Mom wanting to do a family vacation here, but even with both of them working hard, like you said… it was a lot of money to try to save up. And then I got into hockey, which is an expensive sport for even a well-off family.” He paused, swallowing. “And then mom got sick.”

The words hung between us, weighted and painful.

“When she passed, Dad didn’t really know what to do with me, I don’t think. He put all his spare money into making sure I had hockey, though. Looking back, especially as a father myself now, I don’t hold anything against him. He was doing the best he could. He couldn’t give me much in the way of words or affection, but he sacrificed a lot to make sure I had a team, a coach, a sport, a way to spend my time. He was just trying to survive and make sure I was okay.”

“That had to be so hard,” I whispered.

Will shrugged. “Kind of cruel, isn’t it?” His eyes found mine. “I lost my mom, and now Ava has to live without hers. Your mom never had a father, and neither did you.”

“I guess all we can do is make the most of the hand we’re dealt,” I said. “Kind of like what Ava says to you, right?We are doing our best.”

Will’s eyes flicked between mine, a ghost of a smile on his lips. It was like he wanted to laugh it off and nod and agree with me just as much as he wanted to cry and pull me into his arms and feel broken together.

In the end, Ava came barreling toward us, and the conversation ended with words unspoken.

Fairy Godmothers

Will

“Should we grab dinner somewhere before it gets dark?” Chef Patel asked, checking the time on her watch. “Then we could circle back to the rides we haven’t done before the fireworks.”

“Fireworks!” Ava echoed, spinning with her hands up in the air.

“We have a reservation for you at Be Our Guest,” Juan said, eyes on his clipboard. “But it’s not for a couple hours yet.” His eyes flashed to me, and I knew it was because he was unsure of whether he should be the one to reveal our surprise or if it should be me.

I liked Juan. He was a young kid, wide-eyed and bushy-tailed with a view of the world that I envied. He and his family had moved here from Venezuela when he was just a baby, and he had this infectious energy that revolved around making the most of every day. He smiled and told us facts about the park and led us around like this was the best job in the world and he was the happiest man alive.

It made me wonder, for the first time in five years, why the hell I was so grumpy all the goddamn time.

I nodded to him, letting him know I’d take it from here. Clearing my throat, I dropped down to one knee so I was on Ava’s level. “How about we grab a snack, and then… how would you feel about becoming a princess?”