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31_days2007-03-07 09:25 pm
sassafras28.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2007-03-07 09:25 pm
[March 7][Original Fiction]:Thursday At Home
Title: Thursday At Home
Day/Theme: March 7: you imitate a person better than a zombie should
Series: Original
Characters: Original
Rating: PG
“Jesus God, woman, what are you doing to that child?” the tendons in the Joanie’s neck stood out, raised and reddened as she bellowed to make herself heard. Across the street, the window curtain fluttered and briefly a wrathful woman’s face appeared. She slammed the window down with an audible thock. The baby’s cries were slightly muffled, but continued otherwise unabated.
“Is it like this all the time?” Joanie rifled in her purse, unearthing an empty package of cigarettes. “Dammit,” she muttered, and turned the bag upside down, a rush of papers and combs, lip paint and little bottles of perfume cascaded over the kitchen table.
“Most of the time,” Marian answered, rubbing her forehead, it was slick with sweat and hurting as usual. It felt like all the time there was a thin, tight band around the inside of her head being pulled smaller, and smaller and smaller.
God,” Joanie breathed and smiled, having found a single, slightly bent cigarette in the bottom of her purse. She lit it and tucked it securely in her mouth while she gathered up the contents of her purse and awkwardly stuffed them back in. “And just think, that’ll be you in six months, friend of my heart!” she smiled and gusted smoke out over the table.
Marian tucked her hair behind her ears and said nothing. Joanie’s smile faltered a little, she picked at the table, the discolorations and rough spots. Her nails were short and very red. Marian pointed to them and cleared her throat, “when’d you get that done?” she asked, a little surprised at how quiet her voice had grown.
“Oh, I have a place that I go to downtown, there’s a girl there who’s fantastic, it’s where I had my wave done as well,” her red hands fluttered up about her hair. Marian nodded and smiled approvingly at the loose half-curls that hung over her ears. Joanie smiled again, and crossed her legs. Silence fell between the two women again, Marian clasped and re-clasped her tea mug. “But I didn’t come her to talk about my silly old hair, how are you doing, darlin’?” she reached out and took Marian’s hand in her own soft, red-tipped one.
Marian tilted her head to one side, a familiar sort of half-shrug motion that Joanie remembered from their childhood. “Oh…you know…the usual sort of thing. Setting up house, getting things ready for the baby.”
“Jake still working for his daddy over at the store?”
Marian nodded, white faced, “Mmm-hmm, they’re thinking about expanding, maybe later this year.”
“Yeah?” Joanie smiled, “that’d be…very exciting. You know, you’re lucky your boy has a solid job like that. They are laying people off left and right over at the plant. Marie, you remember Marie?”
Marian laughed lightly, “how could I forget?” Joanie chuckled right along with her.
“I know! We all used to say that girl had nothing but a blouse full of Kleenex and head full of dust. Well, her boyfriend, you know, the one that everyone said was way too old for her? That Chris Maxfield that worked out to the plant? Well, as of two weeks ago, he doesn’t any more. And you know that girl was going on and on about that engagement ring of hers-”
Together they chorused, imitating Marie’s affected little-girl lisp “two sapphires stars and a little bitty diamond right in the center!”
Joanie leaned back, sly as a housecat on a sunlit windowsill, “well, apparently, he asked for that ring back because he couldn’t pay for it.” Marian pressed her fingers to her unpainted mouth.
“What’d she do?” Marian leaned forward eagerly.
“She got mad and broke it off with him in a big huff, and I’ll bet she’s regretting that now.”
Marian shook her head, her hands fluttering around her face in gleeful disbelief, “what’s she going to do now?”
Joanie waved one hand airily, “she’s working out to the telephone office, taking some classes at night.”
“That’s…” Marian began, her mouth drying up. She left her chair and moved to the counter to refresh their tea. “We’re thinking we’re going to name the baby Sarah Kathrine, if it’s a girl,” she said, watching intently the slow swirl of the water around the teabag as she gently oscillated it.
“After your mama?” Joanie asked, turning to look at her. Marian nodded.
“It’s something she would have liked,” Marian set down the refilled teacups on the table and wiped her hands clean on her apron. Joanie smiled hugely at her, and she returned the gesture.
“Well, I think that has a real pretty ring to it.”
“Give that here for minute,” Marian said, taking the glowing end of the cigarette from Joanie’s fingers, sucking the smoke into her like a plume of clear, pure, desperate air.
Day/Theme: March 7: you imitate a person better than a zombie should
Series: Original
Characters: Original
Rating: PG
“Jesus God, woman, what are you doing to that child?” the tendons in the Joanie’s neck stood out, raised and reddened as she bellowed to make herself heard. Across the street, the window curtain fluttered and briefly a wrathful woman’s face appeared. She slammed the window down with an audible thock. The baby’s cries were slightly muffled, but continued otherwise unabated.
“Is it like this all the time?” Joanie rifled in her purse, unearthing an empty package of cigarettes. “Dammit,” she muttered, and turned the bag upside down, a rush of papers and combs, lip paint and little bottles of perfume cascaded over the kitchen table.
“Most of the time,” Marian answered, rubbing her forehead, it was slick with sweat and hurting as usual. It felt like all the time there was a thin, tight band around the inside of her head being pulled smaller, and smaller and smaller.
God,” Joanie breathed and smiled, having found a single, slightly bent cigarette in the bottom of her purse. She lit it and tucked it securely in her mouth while she gathered up the contents of her purse and awkwardly stuffed them back in. “And just think, that’ll be you in six months, friend of my heart!” she smiled and gusted smoke out over the table.
Marian tucked her hair behind her ears and said nothing. Joanie’s smile faltered a little, she picked at the table, the discolorations and rough spots. Her nails were short and very red. Marian pointed to them and cleared her throat, “when’d you get that done?” she asked, a little surprised at how quiet her voice had grown.
“Oh, I have a place that I go to downtown, there’s a girl there who’s fantastic, it’s where I had my wave done as well,” her red hands fluttered up about her hair. Marian nodded and smiled approvingly at the loose half-curls that hung over her ears. Joanie smiled again, and crossed her legs. Silence fell between the two women again, Marian clasped and re-clasped her tea mug. “But I didn’t come her to talk about my silly old hair, how are you doing, darlin’?” she reached out and took Marian’s hand in her own soft, red-tipped one.
Marian tilted her head to one side, a familiar sort of half-shrug motion that Joanie remembered from their childhood. “Oh…you know…the usual sort of thing. Setting up house, getting things ready for the baby.”
“Jake still working for his daddy over at the store?”
Marian nodded, white faced, “Mmm-hmm, they’re thinking about expanding, maybe later this year.”
“Yeah?” Joanie smiled, “that’d be…very exciting. You know, you’re lucky your boy has a solid job like that. They are laying people off left and right over at the plant. Marie, you remember Marie?”
Marian laughed lightly, “how could I forget?” Joanie chuckled right along with her.
“I know! We all used to say that girl had nothing but a blouse full of Kleenex and head full of dust. Well, her boyfriend, you know, the one that everyone said was way too old for her? That Chris Maxfield that worked out to the plant? Well, as of two weeks ago, he doesn’t any more. And you know that girl was going on and on about that engagement ring of hers-”
Together they chorused, imitating Marie’s affected little-girl lisp “two sapphires stars and a little bitty diamond right in the center!”
Joanie leaned back, sly as a housecat on a sunlit windowsill, “well, apparently, he asked for that ring back because he couldn’t pay for it.” Marian pressed her fingers to her unpainted mouth.
“What’d she do?” Marian leaned forward eagerly.
“She got mad and broke it off with him in a big huff, and I’ll bet she’s regretting that now.”
Marian shook her head, her hands fluttering around her face in gleeful disbelief, “what’s she going to do now?”
Joanie waved one hand airily, “she’s working out to the telephone office, taking some classes at night.”
“That’s…” Marian began, her mouth drying up. She left her chair and moved to the counter to refresh their tea. “We’re thinking we’re going to name the baby Sarah Kathrine, if it’s a girl,” she said, watching intently the slow swirl of the water around the teabag as she gently oscillated it.
“After your mama?” Joanie asked, turning to look at her. Marian nodded.
“It’s something she would have liked,” Marian set down the refilled teacups on the table and wiped her hands clean on her apron. Joanie smiled hugely at her, and she returned the gesture.
“Well, I think that has a real pretty ring to it.”
“Give that here for minute,” Marian said, taking the glowing end of the cigarette from Joanie’s fingers, sucking the smoke into her like a plume of clear, pure, desperate air.