RP: Family is a funny thing.
Date: May 30, 2011
Characters: Gigi Campbell, Monica Campbell (NPC)
Location: Kathryn and Neil Arend’s home in Houston
Status: Private
Summary: Gigi and her sister-in-law have a conversation.
Completion: Complete
Gigi was up before the rest of the house. She was sure they were all taking the opportunity to sleep in, since they didn’t usually have the luxury; and the family reunion the day before had been exhausting. Good, but exhausting.
She made her way quietly through the darkened rooms easily, having spent years in this house. She slipped into the family room; the farthest room from the rest of the occupants of the house, and also where Kathryn kept her upright piano. Gigi had missed playing.
Sliding onto the bench, she gently flipped up the cover revealing the keys. Ghosting her fingers over them, playing a few notes experimentally. She had never considered herself a serious pianist; most of her skill was average at best. But she could play well enough to please her own expectations, and there was nobody else she needed to impress.
She played the beginning to Bluebird by Sara Bareilles, humming softly to herself. Her fingers stumbling a few times, out of practice, but by the third time through she had it mostly under control. She sang the words softly to herself, enjoying the solitude.
Though it didn’t last for long. But she hadn’t really expected it to, much as she wanted it. She caught Monica standing in the doorway out of the corner of her eye; Joel’s wife was an early riser.
“That was pretty.” Monica said once Gigi had finished, sliding onto the bench beside her, careful to not get in the way.
“Thank you.” Gigi responded, absently tapping out some song Kathryn had taught her years ago that she couldn’t remember the name of. She could feel Monica just looking at her, like she was trying to read the things that Gigi wasn’t saying. It made her squirm. “Are you happy?” Her sister-in-law finally asked, her expression earnest.
“Why would you think I’m not?” Gigi stopped playing, automatically bristling at the question.
“You don’t seem happy.” Monica said, and Gigi could tell how carefully she was choosing her words. Careful not to offend. To make Gigi hear it as judgment. A reminder that much as she liked to be her own person and act like she was invincible there were people that knew all the weaknesses she kept hidden so carefully.
“You’ve only seen me for a day.” She deflected, and she knew it wasn’t fair to Monica to not be honest, but it was easier.
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?” Now she was just being obtuse, but she hadn’t made the fucking drive down to Houston to be chastised for how she behaved. No matter how well meaning it was.
“Act like I don’t know you. You can’t fool me, hon.”
“Not trying to.” Which was a little white lie; it was too automatic for her not to try. She hit the wrong key and paused, starting the song over again, never once looking at Monica.
“Gigi.” And she flinched when Monica reached over to still her hands, pulling them away from the keys and closing the lid.
“Mo.” She snapped back, letting her arms drop to her sides. She just didn’t have the energy to do this. Not right now. “Wherever you’re going with this, just don’t.”
“I was just curious.” Monica replied quietly, reaching out hesitantly to brush Gigi’s hair over her shoulder. And why was it that that simple gesture made her feel like she was ten years old again, sitting in her flower girl dress in the back of a church and worrying about whether or not she would trip down the aisle and ruin her brother’s wedding. “Kathryn mentioned you don’t have many friends in Fort Worth.”
“Don’t really want them.” Gigi answered, letting all the attitude slide away. “Don’t need to worry about getting hurt if I don’t have people around me to do the hurting.” And the look on Monica’s face was almost too much to handle. This was why she hated admitting shit like that. Always made her feel like somehow she was broken, that she should have been able to figure out a better way to cope with her insecurities than to act like she didn’t care and purposely keep people away.
“I have a few though.” She continued lamely, shrugging. She wasn’t going to admit to the fact that most of those friendships were shallow; that Soli was really the only one that had been stubborn enough to try to get to know Gigi and be her friend.
She allowed Monica to pull her across the bench and wrap her in a hug. “Baby girl,” the older woman whispered into her hair, “Someday you will.”
“Maybe.” She conceded quietly.
Monica pressed a kiss against her temple. “Play something for me?” She asked softly, changing the subject.
“Okay.” Gigi opened the lid and began to play At Last, knowing that the Etta James song would make Monica smile. It had been the first song her sister-in-law and brother had danced to at their wedding.
Characters: Gigi Campbell, Monica Campbell (NPC)
Location: Kathryn and Neil Arend’s home in Houston
Status: Private
Summary: Gigi and her sister-in-law have a conversation.
Completion: Complete
Gigi was up before the rest of the house. She was sure they were all taking the opportunity to sleep in, since they didn’t usually have the luxury; and the family reunion the day before had been exhausting. Good, but exhausting.
She made her way quietly through the darkened rooms easily, having spent years in this house. She slipped into the family room; the farthest room from the rest of the occupants of the house, and also where Kathryn kept her upright piano. Gigi had missed playing.
Sliding onto the bench, she gently flipped up the cover revealing the keys. Ghosting her fingers over them, playing a few notes experimentally. She had never considered herself a serious pianist; most of her skill was average at best. But she could play well enough to please her own expectations, and there was nobody else she needed to impress.
She played the beginning to Bluebird by Sara Bareilles, humming softly to herself. Her fingers stumbling a few times, out of practice, but by the third time through she had it mostly under control. She sang the words softly to herself, enjoying the solitude.
Though it didn’t last for long. But she hadn’t really expected it to, much as she wanted it. She caught Monica standing in the doorway out of the corner of her eye; Joel’s wife was an early riser.
“That was pretty.” Monica said once Gigi had finished, sliding onto the bench beside her, careful to not get in the way.
“Thank you.” Gigi responded, absently tapping out some song Kathryn had taught her years ago that she couldn’t remember the name of. She could feel Monica just looking at her, like she was trying to read the things that Gigi wasn’t saying. It made her squirm. “Are you happy?” Her sister-in-law finally asked, her expression earnest.
“Why would you think I’m not?” Gigi stopped playing, automatically bristling at the question.
“You don’t seem happy.” Monica said, and Gigi could tell how carefully she was choosing her words. Careful not to offend. To make Gigi hear it as judgment. A reminder that much as she liked to be her own person and act like she was invincible there were people that knew all the weaknesses she kept hidden so carefully.
“You’ve only seen me for a day.” She deflected, and she knew it wasn’t fair to Monica to not be honest, but it was easier.
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?” Now she was just being obtuse, but she hadn’t made the fucking drive down to Houston to be chastised for how she behaved. No matter how well meaning it was.
“Act like I don’t know you. You can’t fool me, hon.”
“Not trying to.” Which was a little white lie; it was too automatic for her not to try. She hit the wrong key and paused, starting the song over again, never once looking at Monica.
“Gigi.” And she flinched when Monica reached over to still her hands, pulling them away from the keys and closing the lid.
“Mo.” She snapped back, letting her arms drop to her sides. She just didn’t have the energy to do this. Not right now. “Wherever you’re going with this, just don’t.”
“I was just curious.” Monica replied quietly, reaching out hesitantly to brush Gigi’s hair over her shoulder. And why was it that that simple gesture made her feel like she was ten years old again, sitting in her flower girl dress in the back of a church and worrying about whether or not she would trip down the aisle and ruin her brother’s wedding. “Kathryn mentioned you don’t have many friends in Fort Worth.”
“Don’t really want them.” Gigi answered, letting all the attitude slide away. “Don’t need to worry about getting hurt if I don’t have people around me to do the hurting.” And the look on Monica’s face was almost too much to handle. This was why she hated admitting shit like that. Always made her feel like somehow she was broken, that she should have been able to figure out a better way to cope with her insecurities than to act like she didn’t care and purposely keep people away.
“I have a few though.” She continued lamely, shrugging. She wasn’t going to admit to the fact that most of those friendships were shallow; that Soli was really the only one that had been stubborn enough to try to get to know Gigi and be her friend.
She allowed Monica to pull her across the bench and wrap her in a hug. “Baby girl,” the older woman whispered into her hair, “Someday you will.”
“Maybe.” She conceded quietly.
Monica pressed a kiss against her temple. “Play something for me?” She asked softly, changing the subject.
“Okay.” Gigi opened the lid and began to play At Last, knowing that the Etta James song would make Monica smile. It had been the first song her sister-in-law and brother had danced to at their wedding.