Family Matters
The room is furnished with austerity: bed, table, dresser, a full-lenght mirror seeming to be the only luxury. Curtains obscure the view out the window. A full dress uniform is laid out on the bed, shoes on the floor. A clock radio spews forth the news, trumpeting the victories of the Allied Forces and downplaying the threat of the Red Army.
Oberleutnant Tanya Adams, just out of shower, still wrapped in a towel, turns it off. She knows better than anyone how the war effort is going and knows that unless a new breakthrough is reached, Stalin will be ready by next spring to smash the armies opposing him and take control of continental Europe.
But of course, the people need to be kept believing victory is possible.
Someone able to see into the room would get flashes and glimpses of skin, partial nudity, as Tanya gets dressed. Underwear, socks and an undershirt, then the formal shirt, pants... shoes; then stand up before the mirror.
She is still adjusting the tie around the shirt collar when there is a knock on the door...
"Lieutenant, you have visitors." Calls the company's aide from outside.
Tanya muses who might be... maybe more reporters, maybe one of the officers? "Come in." She is slipping on the uniform's jacket when the door opens and reveals two people she never imagined seeing again.
Mom. Dad.
"I'll be outside" the aide informs them before stepping out of the room and closing the door behind them.
Tanya stiffens and narrows eyes seeing them. A hand on each hip, she grimly realizes she was looking for her guns. Just seeing them reminds her of that day, her father backhanding her, kicking and dragging her out, tossing her into the front yard...
"Darling." her mother approaches arms open. Her father stands behind watching the reunion surely about to happen with his daughter crying in shame at her previous behavior and begging them forgiveness... "We are so proud of you" his deep voice announces.
"Thank you sir. It is an honor to serve my country." There is an icy glare to both. They really think she forgot the humiliation? Picking up her things from the ground, with the neighbors staring?
"Yes it is." her mother said, not as oblivious as she pretends to be.
"My dear, the past is the past. This is the now. And we are proud of you. Proud that you have come to your senses." her father offered graciously.
"Yes my dear. I always knew you would." adds her mother.
"Come to my senses? I am really sorry to disappoint you, daddy..." her voice drips with sarcasm. "But I did not. You did not change me by kicking and throwing me out, and the war did not change me either."
"Yes yes. You are your own woman." his worlds drip with his own sarcasm.
"Yes, my girlfriend says that too, when we are cuddling after noisy lesbian sex." Okay, she did that with Lucy, but no way she is mentioning not having a girlfriend anymore.
Her mother gives a soft laugh, "Yes, yes we know my dear." it doesn't sounds as though her mother believes her. "Now come home my dear."
"I am at home. As I was at home in Berlin, and where I will be at home, after we beat back the Soviets." No, she is not taking their 'generous offer'.
"Come now my dear" her mother pleads, "You belong at home... with us. You've done your part."
"Yes you are more valuable as a symbol of hope." her father 'suggests'.
"Marrying a 'good man' and giving you grandchildren?" Tanya smirks. "Sorry, I have my own plans, and they do not include any man in my life."
"Young lady, you have responsibilities to attend to." her father begins to fume. "You don't mean that." her mother begs, not wanting to accept the truth.
"I meant it when you two acted like if I were a monster and kicked me out. You called the police on me while I was gathering my things in the yard, saying I was trespassing!"
Her mother starts to cry. Her father sneers "Apparently I was too easy on you. You are still acting like a spoiled child. I thought that with everything you have been through you would have grown up."
Tanya cried enough, sleeping on the floor, working two jobs to keep herself in college... "Yeah, daddy, you should have been harder on me. Maybe even killed me, would spare me of being here seeing how pathetic you two are."
"We aren't the ones that are pathetic." he yells back at her, "You are the one that turned your back on what is all natural and good in this world." he spat at her.
"With all we gave you growing up. You have shown us nothing but disrespect."
"So, why are you here? You decided I spent the winter whoring myself to the resistance, and so I was 'obviously' 'cured' from being a dyke?" She makes a face of utter disgust at them. "God, you two make me sick."
"We make you sick? What about us. Having to live with the shame of our only daughter being so....so...." her mother can't bring herself to finish the sentence.
"We came here to take you back. But you would slap our generous hand?" Her father is furious, his hands shaking with fury.
"You have no daughter, remember? You said that, no, you yelled that for everyone to hear, how you had no daughter. Well, I have no parents. I owe you nothing, and your offer can go up into your self-important ass for all I care."
Her fathers closed fist hits the wall next to him. "It seems that I was right back then. I don't have a daughter." he turns his back to her. Tanya's mother is turning between the two. "You have no idea all that you have given up." turning her back again. Leaving.
Tanya's father held the door open for his wife. Turning back to his former daughter. "This shall be the last time we meet."
"Good. You have no idea how much of a relief is that." Freedom. As much as she hates them right now... freedom!
He slams the door behind them, and Tanya stands there, shaking with rage, before reaching for her gun belt and strapping it on.
Deep breaths, and she moves to the door, out into the hallway.
[[ Credits go for the mun of not_immortalyet, for the invaluable help in creating this OOM ]]
Oberleutnant Tanya Adams, just out of shower, still wrapped in a towel, turns it off. She knows better than anyone how the war effort is going and knows that unless a new breakthrough is reached, Stalin will be ready by next spring to smash the armies opposing him and take control of continental Europe.
But of course, the people need to be kept believing victory is possible.
Someone able to see into the room would get flashes and glimpses of skin, partial nudity, as Tanya gets dressed. Underwear, socks and an undershirt, then the formal shirt, pants... shoes; then stand up before the mirror.
She is still adjusting the tie around the shirt collar when there is a knock on the door...
"Lieutenant, you have visitors." Calls the company's aide from outside.
Tanya muses who might be... maybe more reporters, maybe one of the officers? "Come in." She is slipping on the uniform's jacket when the door opens and reveals two people she never imagined seeing again.
Mom. Dad.
"I'll be outside" the aide informs them before stepping out of the room and closing the door behind them.
Tanya stiffens and narrows eyes seeing them. A hand on each hip, she grimly realizes she was looking for her guns. Just seeing them reminds her of that day, her father backhanding her, kicking and dragging her out, tossing her into the front yard...
"Darling." her mother approaches arms open. Her father stands behind watching the reunion surely about to happen with his daughter crying in shame at her previous behavior and begging them forgiveness... "We are so proud of you" his deep voice announces.
"Thank you sir. It is an honor to serve my country." There is an icy glare to both. They really think she forgot the humiliation? Picking up her things from the ground, with the neighbors staring?
"Yes it is." her mother said, not as oblivious as she pretends to be.
"My dear, the past is the past. This is the now. And we are proud of you. Proud that you have come to your senses." her father offered graciously.
"Yes my dear. I always knew you would." adds her mother.
"Come to my senses? I am really sorry to disappoint you, daddy..." her voice drips with sarcasm. "But I did not. You did not change me by kicking and throwing me out, and the war did not change me either."
"Yes yes. You are your own woman." his worlds drip with his own sarcasm.
"Yes, my girlfriend says that too, when we are cuddling after noisy lesbian sex." Okay, she did that with Lucy, but no way she is mentioning not having a girlfriend anymore.
Her mother gives a soft laugh, "Yes, yes we know my dear." it doesn't sounds as though her mother believes her. "Now come home my dear."
"I am at home. As I was at home in Berlin, and where I will be at home, after we beat back the Soviets." No, she is not taking their 'generous offer'.
"Come now my dear" her mother pleads, "You belong at home... with us. You've done your part."
"Yes you are more valuable as a symbol of hope." her father 'suggests'.
"Marrying a 'good man' and giving you grandchildren?" Tanya smirks. "Sorry, I have my own plans, and they do not include any man in my life."
"Young lady, you have responsibilities to attend to." her father begins to fume. "You don't mean that." her mother begs, not wanting to accept the truth.
"I meant it when you two acted like if I were a monster and kicked me out. You called the police on me while I was gathering my things in the yard, saying I was trespassing!"
Her mother starts to cry. Her father sneers "Apparently I was too easy on you. You are still acting like a spoiled child. I thought that with everything you have been through you would have grown up."
Tanya cried enough, sleeping on the floor, working two jobs to keep herself in college... "Yeah, daddy, you should have been harder on me. Maybe even killed me, would spare me of being here seeing how pathetic you two are."
"We aren't the ones that are pathetic." he yells back at her, "You are the one that turned your back on what is all natural and good in this world." he spat at her.
"With all we gave you growing up. You have shown us nothing but disrespect."
"So, why are you here? You decided I spent the winter whoring myself to the resistance, and so I was 'obviously' 'cured' from being a dyke?" She makes a face of utter disgust at them. "God, you two make me sick."
"We make you sick? What about us. Having to live with the shame of our only daughter being so....so...." her mother can't bring herself to finish the sentence.
"We came here to take you back. But you would slap our generous hand?" Her father is furious, his hands shaking with fury.
"You have no daughter, remember? You said that, no, you yelled that for everyone to hear, how you had no daughter. Well, I have no parents. I owe you nothing, and your offer can go up into your self-important ass for all I care."
Her fathers closed fist hits the wall next to him. "It seems that I was right back then. I don't have a daughter." he turns his back to her. Tanya's mother is turning between the two. "You have no idea all that you have given up." turning her back again. Leaving.
Tanya's father held the door open for his wife. Turning back to his former daughter. "This shall be the last time we meet."
"Good. You have no idea how much of a relief is that." Freedom. As much as she hates them right now... freedom!
He slams the door behind them, and Tanya stands there, shaking with rage, before reaching for her gun belt and strapping it on.
Deep breaths, and she moves to the door, out into the hallway.
[[ Credits go for the mun of not_immortalyet, for the invaluable help in creating this OOM ]]