LJIdol, Week 6: Heel Turn
"You voted for who?"
She put down her glass, staring into the wine, trying to collect herself. It's finally come out, she thought. You knew it would come to this. You were just hoping you could at least get through dessert. And now that wasn't going to happen.
She looked up, glancing at the several pairs of eyes now directed at her, all gathered around mother's table. Each pair looked different, and she could imagine the thoughts behind them.
From her brother, brows furrowed in exasperation and annoyance. I thought we agreed not to bring this up over the holidays...
From Uncle Jack, a veteran, proudly wearing a flag pin on his lapel, a look that said I received a Purple Heart fighting those bastards, and now a lover of those people is sitting at our Christmas table...
Jack's son Warren's thoughts were plain on his face: These smug, liberal idiots...if it weren't for them, our country wouldn't be in this mess... Next to him, his wife took a sip of her wine, her pleasure at a relief from the usual boredom of her husband's family all too obvious: Well! Maybe something interesting will happen for a change...
She turned to her mother, and the shock was all to evident: No, not my baby...please don't tell me they've gotten to her.... Her father, beside his mother, shook his head slightly: ...knew that school was a bad idea, kids there would put ideas in her head...
And her fiance beside her. His look mixed dismay, pride and trust in those eyes she'd come to study so much in the last three months. I was hoping we wouldn't have to do this, but...if this is what it comes to...
She looked back at her wine. She picked up the glass and took a drink. She knew this would happen. She had spent the whole week thinking about it, thinking about how her family would react, dreading having to discuss it, wishing there was anything else she could do, wishing she could just keep it a secret.
And she wasn't sorry. She wasn't sorry for the choice she had made. She wasn't sorry for the reasons she'd made it. She wasn't sorry about telling everyone. Something is wrong in this country. Something needed to be done. And I'm not going to let people think something other of me than who I'm becoming.
She set down her wineglass and met their gazes again. "Yes, I voted for them. And I'll tell you why..."
She put down her glass, staring into the wine, trying to collect herself. It's finally come out, she thought. You knew it would come to this. You were just hoping you could at least get through dessert. And now that wasn't going to happen.
She looked up, glancing at the several pairs of eyes now directed at her, all gathered around mother's table. Each pair looked different, and she could imagine the thoughts behind them.
From her brother, brows furrowed in exasperation and annoyance. I thought we agreed not to bring this up over the holidays...
From Uncle Jack, a veteran, proudly wearing a flag pin on his lapel, a look that said I received a Purple Heart fighting those bastards, and now a lover of those people is sitting at our Christmas table...
Jack's son Warren's thoughts were plain on his face: These smug, liberal idiots...if it weren't for them, our country wouldn't be in this mess... Next to him, his wife took a sip of her wine, her pleasure at a relief from the usual boredom of her husband's family all too obvious: Well! Maybe something interesting will happen for a change...
She turned to her mother, and the shock was all to evident: No, not my baby...please don't tell me they've gotten to her.... Her father, beside his mother, shook his head slightly: ...knew that school was a bad idea, kids there would put ideas in her head...
And her fiance beside her. His look mixed dismay, pride and trust in those eyes she'd come to study so much in the last three months. I was hoping we wouldn't have to do this, but...if this is what it comes to...
She looked back at her wine. She picked up the glass and took a drink. She knew this would happen. She had spent the whole week thinking about it, thinking about how her family would react, dreading having to discuss it, wishing there was anything else she could do, wishing she could just keep it a secret.
And she wasn't sorry. She wasn't sorry for the choice she had made. She wasn't sorry for the reasons she'd made it. She wasn't sorry about telling everyone. Something is wrong in this country. Something needed to be done. And I'm not going to let people think something other of me than who I'm becoming.
She set down her wineglass and met their gazes again. "Yes, I voted for them. And I'll tell you why..."