After several failed attempts at resisting, Olivia had finally found her resolve. She pressed her eyes shut tightly and kept them that way, no matter how many "Oh wow, Mom, there's a street magician with a dancing monkey over there!" comments Kafka threw at her.
She felt proud of herself...For once, she wasn't falling for his tricks.
Going against her son's will had always been hard for her, Kafka had this way of slipping under her guard without even trying.
She trusted him so easily, almost blindly, and every word he uttered seemed to slip straight past her reason and root itself in her heart.
Every time he spoke, no matter how ridiculous, it lit a spark of curiosity in her chest. Without thinking, she'd peek.
But not this time.
Now she sat stiffly on the front seat, lips pursed in quiet victory, refusing to crack no matter what he said. Even her curiosity about the town, usually so hard to suppress, was dimmed by her determination.
