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31_days2013-11-01 08:44 am
insaneladybug.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2013-11-01 08:44 am
[November 1st] [The Rockford Files-related] Chronicles of a Friendship, 1
Title: Chronicles of a Friendship, scene 1
Day/Theme: November 1st - Humble beginnings, great expectations
Series: The Rockford Files (using characters from The Queen of Peru episode airing on MeTV this Sunday)
Character/Pairing: Ginger Townsend, Lou Trevino, mentions of Michael Trevino
Rating: K+/PG
So I've decided to attempt a month-long project and write for each theme this round, mainly because the themes give me plunnies and I can't get enough of writing for these characters. Sometimes it really amazes me how much love I lavish on oneshot episode characters.
The scenes will range from quiet and peaceful to dark and angsty, with all exploring facets of Ginger and Lou's friendship. First piece is a quieter one to establish the characters.
By Lucky_Ladybug
Ginger had to admit, the last thing he had ever thought he would be doing as an adult was watching someone work in the kitchen, making food. He would have thought he had had enough of that as a child. But here he was, sitting at the kitchen table and observing as Lou put together the ingredients to make lasagna. Every now and then, when Lou requested his help, Ginger sliced the cheese or got more tomato paste, but mostly he watched.
Of course, there were definitely differences now as compared to when he had been a child observing his mother in a poverty-stricken neighborhood of London. He was no longer poor. Both he and Lou had as much money as they needed. It was a nice feeling, to know that they would never have to starve or freeze or share their home with unwelcome rodents.
As a child, Ginger had vowed to one day rise above his family’s poverty and never look back. And he hadn’t. Oh, sometimes he took the memories out and glanced over them, but that was all.
The closest he had come to being poor as an adult had been the stretch of time he had served in prison for jewel theft and other assorted grievances that had come because of that offense. He abhorred that place and never intended to go back. Even though his eye for jewels had never fully been quelled, he felt that, at least for the time being, it was much wiser to walk the strait and narrow path.
Lou fully agreed.
Lou was something else vastly different from Ginger’s childhood. Ginger had been a loner growing up, often picked on and tormented. The people who weren’t doing that seemed to largely be idiots, so Ginger had been quite content to not associate with any of them unless he had to. And once Ginger had learned how to threaten and intimidate anyone who bullied him or otherwise got on his bad side, most people were content to not associate with him, either.
Once he had grown up and joined the company for which he still worked, he had mostly put on a façade of being polite and charming. It was better for business, and he was determined to succeed at what he did. But some people, mostly underlings, still saw hints of what could happen when he was pushed too far.
Lou didn’t like some of Ginger’s moods, but he wasn’t afraid and he wasn’t a bully. A tough guy from New York City, Lou was actually, surprisingly, both gentle and bold. He had met Ginger when he had been 21 and Ginger, 27. To Ginger’s surprise, they had hit it off quite well and he had swiftly realized that he liked Lou. They had developed a partnership in the company that had eventually spun off into a partnership in extracurricular, illegal activities (culminating in that blasted prison stretch) and, more importantly, a friendship that had lasted for twenty years. They had purchased this house upon their release from prison and had been living in relative peace since then.
Ginger’s parents had died some years back. Lou’s were still alive, but with Lou and Ginger having relocated to Los Angeles, there wasn’t a great deal of contact between them other than occasional letters and phone calls. Still, they seemed happy that Lou was happy. And before their deaths, Ginger’s parents had hoped in particular that Lou would be a good influence and keep Ginger from turning to crime again.
Lou did a good job of that, too. Lou had no desire to return to jail either, but unlike Ginger, he also had no real longing for the days of crafting jewel heists and finding buyers for the gems. He wanted to go straight and felt guilty for having involved his younger brother Michael in crime.
Ginger and Mike didn’t really get along, especially after Mike had betrayed both Lou and Ginger along with another man. They had taken the Borland Diamond for themselves, effectively cutting Ginger and Lou out of the profits they had hoped to gain. When Ginger and Lou had caught up with them and they had fled, Ginger had fired an intimidation shot and had ended up hitting Mike. Even though Lou had been hurt by the double-cross, he hadn’t wanted Mike hurt, and he had been furious.
That was the only time Ginger had ever really apologized for something he had done.
At least he and Mike had come to the agreement that since Lou meant the world to both of them, they would try their hardest to get along. Their truce had finally resulted in each gaining a bit of respect for the other, and Lou didn’t have to worry so badly whenever they were in the same room.
Although sometimes Ginger and Lou went out for dinner at fancy restaurants, many other times they stayed home and Lou prepared dinner. He enjoyed it and Ginger was quite willing to let him do it. Lou was a good cook and Ginger had very little interest in taking up cooking as a hobby.
“There,” Lou said in satisfaction when the lasagna was ready for the oven. He placed the pan inside and set the timer.
“Is your whole family as fascinated by food as you are?” Ginger wondered, curiously.
“Well . . .” Lou sat down at the table, across from Ginger. “There’s a reason why Italians get stereotyped as loving food so much. Of course, it’s not always that way, but in my family, yeah, it’s usually been pretty important. We spend a lot of time making new recipes and bonding over making and eating them. You know, it’s really sharing time with the people that’s the most important, not the food itself.” He smiled a bit and shook his head. “My mother still has an elaborate Sunday dinner every week and invites all the family still in the area.”
He had to chuckle at Ginger’s expression. After so many years, he knew exactly what his buddy was thinking. So many people in one place sounds like an absolute, torturous madhouse. Ginger was not a people person by any stretch of the imagination. But Lou liked to say that most people were not Ginger people, either.
“This situation must be very different from what you’re used to,” Ginger remarked at last. “Just the two of us. And even though your brother lives in the city, he rarely joins us for meals.”
“It’s pretty different,” Lou admitted. “But I think Mike’s just as happy to go out on the town and have dinner with some girl. And meanwhile, one thing hasn’t changed.” He smiled. “I’m still sharing dinner with family.”
Ginger considered that and nodded, pleased.
It was strange how relaxing an evening like tonight was. Instead of being monotonous at all, it was peaceful and enjoyable and for a few minutes at least, made it seem that all was right with the world.
Or at least, their own little world.
And as long as everything was fine with it, Ginger cared very little for what was happening outside of it.
Day/Theme: November 1st - Humble beginnings, great expectations
Series: The Rockford Files (using characters from The Queen of Peru episode airing on MeTV this Sunday)
Character/Pairing: Ginger Townsend, Lou Trevino, mentions of Michael Trevino
Rating: K+/PG
So I've decided to attempt a month-long project and write for each theme this round, mainly because the themes give me plunnies and I can't get enough of writing for these characters. Sometimes it really amazes me how much love I lavish on oneshot episode characters.
The scenes will range from quiet and peaceful to dark and angsty, with all exploring facets of Ginger and Lou's friendship. First piece is a quieter one to establish the characters.
Ginger had to admit, the last thing he had ever thought he would be doing as an adult was watching someone work in the kitchen, making food. He would have thought he had had enough of that as a child. But here he was, sitting at the kitchen table and observing as Lou put together the ingredients to make lasagna. Every now and then, when Lou requested his help, Ginger sliced the cheese or got more tomato paste, but mostly he watched.
Of course, there were definitely differences now as compared to when he had been a child observing his mother in a poverty-stricken neighborhood of London. He was no longer poor. Both he and Lou had as much money as they needed. It was a nice feeling, to know that they would never have to starve or freeze or share their home with unwelcome rodents.
As a child, Ginger had vowed to one day rise above his family’s poverty and never look back. And he hadn’t. Oh, sometimes he took the memories out and glanced over them, but that was all.
The closest he had come to being poor as an adult had been the stretch of time he had served in prison for jewel theft and other assorted grievances that had come because of that offense. He abhorred that place and never intended to go back. Even though his eye for jewels had never fully been quelled, he felt that, at least for the time being, it was much wiser to walk the strait and narrow path.
Lou fully agreed.
Lou was something else vastly different from Ginger’s childhood. Ginger had been a loner growing up, often picked on and tormented. The people who weren’t doing that seemed to largely be idiots, so Ginger had been quite content to not associate with any of them unless he had to. And once Ginger had learned how to threaten and intimidate anyone who bullied him or otherwise got on his bad side, most people were content to not associate with him, either.
Once he had grown up and joined the company for which he still worked, he had mostly put on a façade of being polite and charming. It was better for business, and he was determined to succeed at what he did. But some people, mostly underlings, still saw hints of what could happen when he was pushed too far.
Lou didn’t like some of Ginger’s moods, but he wasn’t afraid and he wasn’t a bully. A tough guy from New York City, Lou was actually, surprisingly, both gentle and bold. He had met Ginger when he had been 21 and Ginger, 27. To Ginger’s surprise, they had hit it off quite well and he had swiftly realized that he liked Lou. They had developed a partnership in the company that had eventually spun off into a partnership in extracurricular, illegal activities (culminating in that blasted prison stretch) and, more importantly, a friendship that had lasted for twenty years. They had purchased this house upon their release from prison and had been living in relative peace since then.
Ginger’s parents had died some years back. Lou’s were still alive, but with Lou and Ginger having relocated to Los Angeles, there wasn’t a great deal of contact between them other than occasional letters and phone calls. Still, they seemed happy that Lou was happy. And before their deaths, Ginger’s parents had hoped in particular that Lou would be a good influence and keep Ginger from turning to crime again.
Lou did a good job of that, too. Lou had no desire to return to jail either, but unlike Ginger, he also had no real longing for the days of crafting jewel heists and finding buyers for the gems. He wanted to go straight and felt guilty for having involved his younger brother Michael in crime.
Ginger and Mike didn’t really get along, especially after Mike had betrayed both Lou and Ginger along with another man. They had taken the Borland Diamond for themselves, effectively cutting Ginger and Lou out of the profits they had hoped to gain. When Ginger and Lou had caught up with them and they had fled, Ginger had fired an intimidation shot and had ended up hitting Mike. Even though Lou had been hurt by the double-cross, he hadn’t wanted Mike hurt, and he had been furious.
That was the only time Ginger had ever really apologized for something he had done.
At least he and Mike had come to the agreement that since Lou meant the world to both of them, they would try their hardest to get along. Their truce had finally resulted in each gaining a bit of respect for the other, and Lou didn’t have to worry so badly whenever they were in the same room.
Although sometimes Ginger and Lou went out for dinner at fancy restaurants, many other times they stayed home and Lou prepared dinner. He enjoyed it and Ginger was quite willing to let him do it. Lou was a good cook and Ginger had very little interest in taking up cooking as a hobby.
“There,” Lou said in satisfaction when the lasagna was ready for the oven. He placed the pan inside and set the timer.
“Is your whole family as fascinated by food as you are?” Ginger wondered, curiously.
“Well . . .” Lou sat down at the table, across from Ginger. “There’s a reason why Italians get stereotyped as loving food so much. Of course, it’s not always that way, but in my family, yeah, it’s usually been pretty important. We spend a lot of time making new recipes and bonding over making and eating them. You know, it’s really sharing time with the people that’s the most important, not the food itself.” He smiled a bit and shook his head. “My mother still has an elaborate Sunday dinner every week and invites all the family still in the area.”
He had to chuckle at Ginger’s expression. After so many years, he knew exactly what his buddy was thinking. So many people in one place sounds like an absolute, torturous madhouse. Ginger was not a people person by any stretch of the imagination. But Lou liked to say that most people were not Ginger people, either.
“This situation must be very different from what you’re used to,” Ginger remarked at last. “Just the two of us. And even though your brother lives in the city, he rarely joins us for meals.”
“It’s pretty different,” Lou admitted. “But I think Mike’s just as happy to go out on the town and have dinner with some girl. And meanwhile, one thing hasn’t changed.” He smiled. “I’m still sharing dinner with family.”
Ginger considered that and nodded, pleased.
It was strange how relaxing an evening like tonight was. Instead of being monotonous at all, it was peaceful and enjoyable and for a few minutes at least, made it seem that all was right with the world.
Or at least, their own little world.
And as long as everything was fine with it, Ginger cared very little for what was happening outside of it.