RP: Spending Time with Mum
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tutistempus_rpgDate: 8. May, 2002
Characters: Alicia and Helena Spinnet [NPC]
Setting: Helena’s home, late morning.
Content: PG
Status: Open: Private, Complete
Except from the plants in the windows, the house looked exactly like it used to. Standing in the path in front of the house she had lived in when they had first arrived here – before she had moved in with Viktor – it felt almost as if she was coming home, except, it didn’t. Inside her mother was waiting for her and that made it feel both very, very wrong yet at the same time incredibly right and familiar.
Alicia looked down at the envelope in her hand. It had her name on it, along with instructions for it to be opened on her first birthday here, written in her mum’s handwriting. She had found it by their door this morning, and knew that Sam had been by before they had gotten up. It was still unopened, since she hadn’t been sure she wanted to read her mum’s birthday card, a card that had been written with the certainty that Alicia would be alone on her birthday, especially since she was about to have brunch with her mum.
It was all very confusing right now, so Alicia shook her head and drew in a deep breath before she went up the steps to the deck and then made the very familiar way past the outdoor furniture to the door.
She had only raised her hand to knock before the door was flung open and her mother’s smiling face greeted her from the inside. It made her smile too, and barely a moment later, was Alicia enveloped in her mum’s arms.
“Happy birthday, sweetheart,” Helena gushed as Alicia buried her face against her shoulder. She tightened her hold and relished the feeling of just being a daughter, with no real responsibilities and a morning of being celebrated ahead of her. “Where’s Viktor?”
With a chuckle, Alicia pulled back and shook her head. “He’s working, mum,” she informed her and went inside with her mum, closing the door behind them. “I told you that already.”
“He’s working?” There was no mistaking the disapproval in the maternal Spinnet’s voice as she gave her daughter a look that had Alicia stand just a little straighter, raising her chin ever so slightly as if to prove that she was standing her ground. “But it’s your birthday, Lish!”
“I know it’s my birthday,” she sighed, barely keeping herself from rolling her eyes. “So does he. But right now he’s working, so we’re celebrating tonight.”
“How?”
Alicia quirked an eyebrow at her mum. “How would I know?” she smirked. “He said it was a surprise. Generally that entails me not knowing the specifics and just be prepared for anything.”
Seemingly that appeased her mother, though Alicia still eyed her before she went along to take a seat by the table. She really had no idea what they were doing tonight, and maybe her mum was part of it. If she was, she was playing the part perfectly… or overplaying it… or… No, trying to figure that out would just be a waste of energy, too much cause of confusion, and it’d ruin any surprise Viktor might have for her.
The brunch was everything Alicia could have hoped for. Her mum was really settling in, as was evident in the way she had managed to cook up all of Alicia’s favorites using local ingredients, without messing up once. Nursing the mug of gourmet coffee her mum had presented her with, Alicia turned to sit sideways in the sofa so she could look at her.
“Sam left your birthday card on my door this morning,” she said, and put the unopened envelope on the cushion between them.
“You didn’t open it?” the furrow between her eyes and the way her lips puckered slightly made her think that her mum wasn’t thrilled about that. When Alicia just shook her head, Helena sighed in acceptance.
“Why not?”
Alicia shrugged and looked down at her fingers, at the cup and the brown liquid in it.
“Are you angry with me?”
Alicia looked up into the eyes that were the same shade of dark brown as her own. Eyes that she had looked at her entire life and had been able to read without any doubts. Was she angry with her mum?
Finally she shook her head. “I was,” she told her, “now I’m not. Just… why?”
“Why?” her mum tried gently. “Why… did I stay? Why did I come here? Why did it take so long?”
Alicia nodded. She wanted to know all of that. Then she shook her head. “Well, I know why you stayed…”
“…but not why I didn’t go with you and Sam?” Helena finished the sentence when Alicia’s voice faded.
For a long moment, Helena was quiet. “That is without a doubt the biggest mistake I’ve ever made,” she said firmly, looking directly into Alicia’s eyes as she spoke. “Seeing you two leave was worse than being told about your dad and Nigel.”
Alicia’s eyebrows furrowed together, but her mum continued.
“I didn’t even leave for the cemetery, before a representative from the Ministry showed up at the door, wanting to ensure that I didn’t spread the word about the portal,” she said, her eyes going distant for a moment as she was remembering how things had played out. “Remember dad’s friend Roger?” she suddenly asked.
“Mr. Freedle?” Alicia asked, raising her head, curious as for where this could lead.
“Yes, Mr. Freedle,” her mother confirmed. “He was the one to show up and he brought me to one of the shelters that were beginning to be set up around the country.”
Alicia could feel her eyes begin to sting. A mixed emotion of disappointment and anger began simmering as she shook her head and looked away. “Why…” she started, clearing her throat when her voice broke. “Why didn’t he take you to the Ministry? If you’d changed your mind, why didn’t you go to the Ministry to tell them that?”
“Oh, honey,” in an instant Alicia was back in her mother’s arms, her lips quivering as she tried to get a hold of everything that was going on in her head. “I did, baby. I did. I begged and I pleaded and I tried to bargain to get them to let me go after you, but…” she leaned back so they could look at each other. The regret and sorrow in her mother’s eyes was threatening to overwhelm her. “They wouldn’t let me, because they couldn’t let someone who’d proved suicidal take the place of someone who was ready and willing to go.”
In that instance, everything changed. Any anger Alicia had felt at her mum staying behind disappeared as she tried to see it from an objective and reasonable point of view.
“So I had Mr. Freedle take me to the shelter, and I spent all my time an energy on preparing it, for me and for everybody else, wanting to show that I wanted nothing but to live. I went to meetings with psychiatrists and all sorts of doctors and Healers and human resources people, until there was no doubt that I wanted this and that I could be of use here.”
For a long time, Alicia just sat, resting her head against Helena’s shoulder and allowed herself to simply be held. She had held on to so many different feelings for so long, until the time had come when she had had to come clean with Viktor. And now? Now everything was beginning to unfurl, the pieces were falling into place and it felt as if a huge burden had been lifted.
“And now you’re here,” she whispered.
“And now I’m here,” her mum agreed. “My son’s a teacher, my daughter’s a Healer. She’s getting married to a man that any mother would be proud to see their daughter with…”
Alicia swallowed down, her lips curling up into a warm smile at the mere thought of Viktor. “And the house?”
She could feel her mum chuckling. “I love this house. I love this place. It’s the first place in years I’ve felt like I can truly breathe,” she admitted, “but if me being your neighbor is really what you want, then I’d love to move wherever you find a house.”
Wrapping her arms tightly around her mum’s neck and shoulder, Alicia gave her a tight hug. “Thank you, mum. I’ll let Viktor know tonight.”
“Oh, he already knows,” Helena muttered, and at Alicia’s inquiring look, she simply gestured to the piano. “Have you kept practicing like you promised me?”
Characters: Alicia and Helena Spinnet [NPC]
Setting: Helena’s home, late morning.
Content: PG
Status: Open: Private, Complete
Except from the plants in the windows, the house looked exactly like it used to. Standing in the path in front of the house she had lived in when they had first arrived here – before she had moved in with Viktor – it felt almost as if she was coming home, except, it didn’t. Inside her mother was waiting for her and that made it feel both very, very wrong yet at the same time incredibly right and familiar.
Alicia looked down at the envelope in her hand. It had her name on it, along with instructions for it to be opened on her first birthday here, written in her mum’s handwriting. She had found it by their door this morning, and knew that Sam had been by before they had gotten up. It was still unopened, since she hadn’t been sure she wanted to read her mum’s birthday card, a card that had been written with the certainty that Alicia would be alone on her birthday, especially since she was about to have brunch with her mum.
It was all very confusing right now, so Alicia shook her head and drew in a deep breath before she went up the steps to the deck and then made the very familiar way past the outdoor furniture to the door.
She had only raised her hand to knock before the door was flung open and her mother’s smiling face greeted her from the inside. It made her smile too, and barely a moment later, was Alicia enveloped in her mum’s arms.
“Happy birthday, sweetheart,” Helena gushed as Alicia buried her face against her shoulder. She tightened her hold and relished the feeling of just being a daughter, with no real responsibilities and a morning of being celebrated ahead of her. “Where’s Viktor?”
With a chuckle, Alicia pulled back and shook her head. “He’s working, mum,” she informed her and went inside with her mum, closing the door behind them. “I told you that already.”
“He’s working?” There was no mistaking the disapproval in the maternal Spinnet’s voice as she gave her daughter a look that had Alicia stand just a little straighter, raising her chin ever so slightly as if to prove that she was standing her ground. “But it’s your birthday, Lish!”
“I know it’s my birthday,” she sighed, barely keeping herself from rolling her eyes. “So does he. But right now he’s working, so we’re celebrating tonight.”
“How?”
Alicia quirked an eyebrow at her mum. “How would I know?” she smirked. “He said it was a surprise. Generally that entails me not knowing the specifics and just be prepared for anything.”
Seemingly that appeased her mother, though Alicia still eyed her before she went along to take a seat by the table. She really had no idea what they were doing tonight, and maybe her mum was part of it. If she was, she was playing the part perfectly… or overplaying it… or… No, trying to figure that out would just be a waste of energy, too much cause of confusion, and it’d ruin any surprise Viktor might have for her.
The brunch was everything Alicia could have hoped for. Her mum was really settling in, as was evident in the way she had managed to cook up all of Alicia’s favorites using local ingredients, without messing up once. Nursing the mug of gourmet coffee her mum had presented her with, Alicia turned to sit sideways in the sofa so she could look at her.
“Sam left your birthday card on my door this morning,” she said, and put the unopened envelope on the cushion between them.
“You didn’t open it?” the furrow between her eyes and the way her lips puckered slightly made her think that her mum wasn’t thrilled about that. When Alicia just shook her head, Helena sighed in acceptance.
“Why not?”
Alicia shrugged and looked down at her fingers, at the cup and the brown liquid in it.
“Are you angry with me?”
Alicia looked up into the eyes that were the same shade of dark brown as her own. Eyes that she had looked at her entire life and had been able to read without any doubts. Was she angry with her mum?
Finally she shook her head. “I was,” she told her, “now I’m not. Just… why?”
“Why?” her mum tried gently. “Why… did I stay? Why did I come here? Why did it take so long?”
Alicia nodded. She wanted to know all of that. Then she shook her head. “Well, I know why you stayed…”
“…but not why I didn’t go with you and Sam?” Helena finished the sentence when Alicia’s voice faded.
For a long moment, Helena was quiet. “That is without a doubt the biggest mistake I’ve ever made,” she said firmly, looking directly into Alicia’s eyes as she spoke. “Seeing you two leave was worse than being told about your dad and Nigel.”
Alicia’s eyebrows furrowed together, but her mum continued.
“I didn’t even leave for the cemetery, before a representative from the Ministry showed up at the door, wanting to ensure that I didn’t spread the word about the portal,” she said, her eyes going distant for a moment as she was remembering how things had played out. “Remember dad’s friend Roger?” she suddenly asked.
“Mr. Freedle?” Alicia asked, raising her head, curious as for where this could lead.
“Yes, Mr. Freedle,” her mother confirmed. “He was the one to show up and he brought me to one of the shelters that were beginning to be set up around the country.”
Alicia could feel her eyes begin to sting. A mixed emotion of disappointment and anger began simmering as she shook her head and looked away. “Why…” she started, clearing her throat when her voice broke. “Why didn’t he take you to the Ministry? If you’d changed your mind, why didn’t you go to the Ministry to tell them that?”
“Oh, honey,” in an instant Alicia was back in her mother’s arms, her lips quivering as she tried to get a hold of everything that was going on in her head. “I did, baby. I did. I begged and I pleaded and I tried to bargain to get them to let me go after you, but…” she leaned back so they could look at each other. The regret and sorrow in her mother’s eyes was threatening to overwhelm her. “They wouldn’t let me, because they couldn’t let someone who’d proved suicidal take the place of someone who was ready and willing to go.”
In that instance, everything changed. Any anger Alicia had felt at her mum staying behind disappeared as she tried to see it from an objective and reasonable point of view.
“So I had Mr. Freedle take me to the shelter, and I spent all my time an energy on preparing it, for me and for everybody else, wanting to show that I wanted nothing but to live. I went to meetings with psychiatrists and all sorts of doctors and Healers and human resources people, until there was no doubt that I wanted this and that I could be of use here.”
For a long time, Alicia just sat, resting her head against Helena’s shoulder and allowed herself to simply be held. She had held on to so many different feelings for so long, until the time had come when she had had to come clean with Viktor. And now? Now everything was beginning to unfurl, the pieces were falling into place and it felt as if a huge burden had been lifted.
“And now you’re here,” she whispered.
“And now I’m here,” her mum agreed. “My son’s a teacher, my daughter’s a Healer. She’s getting married to a man that any mother would be proud to see their daughter with…”
Alicia swallowed down, her lips curling up into a warm smile at the mere thought of Viktor. “And the house?”
She could feel her mum chuckling. “I love this house. I love this place. It’s the first place in years I’ve felt like I can truly breathe,” she admitted, “but if me being your neighbor is really what you want, then I’d love to move wherever you find a house.”
Wrapping her arms tightly around her mum’s neck and shoulder, Alicia gave her a tight hug. “Thank you, mum. I’ll let Viktor know tonight.”
“Oh, he already knows,” Helena muttered, and at Alicia’s inquiring look, she simply gestured to the piano. “Have you kept practicing like you promised me?”
