RP Moment | The Basement
It's just a room.
It was the most untidy room in the whole house; it looked like it hadn't had the good fortune of meeting a duster in a year or a few. Each wall was hidden by the stacks of games, toys, items and random junk that had long been forgotten. Sitting on the dusty floor with her knees up against her chest, Alex looked around the room and tried to stop the flashbacks to her childhood that were rushing passed her eyes. They weren't really important, and this was just a room - a basement, actually - she didn't want to get swept up in history right now.
Sighing, she glanced over at the man next to her. His white hair was so short that he almost looked bald, but that was the only thing about him that she recognised. His face wore a tight frown and sad eyes. "Dad?" She waited until he at least acknowledged her before she continued. It only came in the form of a grunt but she took it nonetheless. "What are we doing down here?"
Her question was met with silence. She felt her eyes gravitate towards the stairs, she could hear the sounds of distant voices mixed with laughter. "It sounds like we're missing something funny..."
Alex couldn't contain the exasperated sigh when she still didn't get a response out of him. "Dammit, dad, if you don't want visitors then you should use your tongue and say so." He looked over at her, and shook his head.
"That's not it," he finally spoke.
"Then what is it?" It wasn't just curiosity that compelled her to ask, she was also concerned.
"I'm taking a moment to pluck up the courage to act normal."
Alex frowned, "act normal? Why does it have to be an act?"
"Because she isn't."
"...Oh."
They fell back into silence. Alex wasn't sure what to say to him, and that frustrated her because she felt that she should know. In her entire life, he had never been like this with her; they had only ever had an emotional heart-to-heart twice (once when Joe had died, and the other was when she had agreed to be a surrogate mother for her sister), and neither of those conversations had shown him to be this open and vulnerable. Whilst she sat there trying to find the words, he cleared his throat and spoke for her. "I lied to you before."
Her head snapped up and she quickly looked towards him -- surprised and worried, "when?"
"When Joe died," his voice was hoarse and thick with emotion, "I told you that I could understand what you were going through. I was wrong, I didn't... until now."
The deep frown on Alex's face covered up the sadness and the irrational hurt that she felt at hearing Joe's name. "I don't," she paused, having to clear her throat. "I don't see what that has to do with now."
"Because when I look at her now, I don't see her. She's changed that much that it feels like she has-" He couldn't even continue that sentence, but she knew what he was about to say. And for some strange reason, it had made her feel angry.
"She's not, and she needs your help. So snap out of this and stop feeling sorry for yourself." Although she could see the anger flare in his eyes, she didn't regret speaking her mind. She never did. "I'm being serious, everybody is up there and doing this to help you- to help both of you."
"Alex-"
"My whole life, the two of you have never done anything without the other. You don't really want her to go to this family dinner on her own, do you?" Her tone became soft as she spoke to him- the anger had disappeared as quickly as it had turned up. "I hear Eric did the cooking... and mom's gonna need you to taste it first to see if it's any good."
"I have no idea what I'm doing..."
"Neither do I, but I turned up."
He stared at the serious expression on her face. She cracked a small yet supportive smile. "Thanks, Alex." He told her, sincerely.
"You're still gonna stay down here, aren't you?" She felt more than a little defeated.
"...no," he paused, "I'll come up."
Alex pulled herself up off the floor but he didn't move an inch. Standing over him, she crossed her arms, "but you're still gonna put on an act." She could see that fact written all over his face.
Watching as he tried to pull himself up, she held out a hand to help the old man up off the floor. His bones cracking as he stood up. In response to her question, he just nodded.
With a little facial shrug she agreed, "I probably would do the same." In fact, she knew that for the past few weeks that that was what she had been doing with everyone else.
"Then why...?"
"Because I figured the only reason you started talking to me like this was because you knew that I'd verbally kick your ass. If you wanted a hug, then you would have gone to your other daughter," she smirked at him as she turned to leave. Changing her mind, she looked back at him, "you know she's still her, don't you? Just because she's lost her independence doesn't mean she's not in there at all."
"...maybe." He looked so tired.
Alex sighed. "I don't know what you want me to say," she admitted.
"I don't want you to say anything."
"Well, what do you want?"
He took a deep breath and straightened out his shoulders. "Dinner." With that, he walked past her and calmly went up the stairs. She watched him go, suddenly unsure of whether or not she wanted to do this either.