Accepting the Welcome, a story of the Aunt Family for the Mini-Giraffe-CAll
For 
kelkyag's prompt.
The Aunt Family has a landing page here on DW and here on LJ. This story falls after Welcome to the Family ( LJ)
Janelle had to admit, most of the time she spent around her husband's family left her feeling lost and overwhelmed, as well as out-classed and relegated to the kid's table for no reason she really understood. Owen never really tired to explain as much as he shrugged and said, "that's how things are in my family." Janelle, who came from a single mother who hardly talked to her parents, was as lost about that as everything else, but Owen had made it clear early on that one accepted his family or one moved on. The last bitch had moved on. Janelle had been determined to stay.
And here she was, sitting in Owen's mother's house, as the dozens of in-laws slowly trickled away, holding her daughter, her tiny Anna-Marie, the two of them so mounded in by presents that she wasn't sure she could move if she wanted to. Anna, too young to have any idea what was going on, or to know that she had been blessed, in apparent sincerity, with everything from perfect hair to a skill with astrophysics, as well as heirlooms so old they should be in a museum.
"What am I supposed to do with this stuff?" she whispered to Evangaline, who was carefully packing everything into shopping bags.
Her sister-in-law smiled at her. Eva had always been the easiest to talk to of any of Owen's family, and she seemed sympathetic now. On the other hand, she'd been as sincere as anyone else about the crazy ritual. And she said, with no irony Janelle could see, "use it."
"Use it? Eva, some of this stuff is over a hundred years old!"
"And it's been used by every generation of our family. We make stuff sturdy, Janelle, it won't fall apart on you."
"And what if it does?"
"Well," she smiled, looking a little playful, "then I'll have to teach you to knit, or sew, or tat, to make a new one. Or carve wood. It's one of our more benign family traditions, after all."
She gulped. She'd heard rumors... She cradled her daughter tighter to her. "Do I have to worry about the less benign ones?"
"You don't," Eva assured her, and then, more gently, "and Anna Marie never will. The two of you are family now."
"Family." She looked down at her daughter, finally letting herself think about that. It had been obvious all day, hadn't it? She was family because of Anna, not because of Owen. "I think I can live with that." For Owen's sake, she hoped she could.
This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/259771.html. You can comment here or there.
kelkyag's prompt.
The Aunt Family has a landing page here on DW and here on LJ. This story falls after Welcome to the Family ( LJ)
Janelle had to admit, most of the time she spent around her husband's family left her feeling lost and overwhelmed, as well as out-classed and relegated to the kid's table for no reason she really understood. Owen never really tired to explain as much as he shrugged and said, "that's how things are in my family." Janelle, who came from a single mother who hardly talked to her parents, was as lost about that as everything else, but Owen had made it clear early on that one accepted his family or one moved on. The last bitch had moved on. Janelle had been determined to stay.
And here she was, sitting in Owen's mother's house, as the dozens of in-laws slowly trickled away, holding her daughter, her tiny Anna-Marie, the two of them so mounded in by presents that she wasn't sure she could move if she wanted to. Anna, too young to have any idea what was going on, or to know that she had been blessed, in apparent sincerity, with everything from perfect hair to a skill with astrophysics, as well as heirlooms so old they should be in a museum.
"What am I supposed to do with this stuff?" she whispered to Evangaline, who was carefully packing everything into shopping bags.
Her sister-in-law smiled at her. Eva had always been the easiest to talk to of any of Owen's family, and she seemed sympathetic now. On the other hand, she'd been as sincere as anyone else about the crazy ritual. And she said, with no irony Janelle could see, "use it."
"Use it? Eva, some of this stuff is over a hundred years old!"
"And it's been used by every generation of our family. We make stuff sturdy, Janelle, it won't fall apart on you."
"And what if it does?"
"Well," she smiled, looking a little playful, "then I'll have to teach you to knit, or sew, or tat, to make a new one. Or carve wood. It's one of our more benign family traditions, after all."
She gulped. She'd heard rumors... She cradled her daughter tighter to her. "Do I have to worry about the less benign ones?"
"You don't," Eva assured her, and then, more gently, "and Anna Marie never will. The two of you are family now."
"Family." She looked down at her daughter, finally letting herself think about that. It had been obvious all day, hadn't it? She was family because of Anna, not because of Owen. "I think I can live with that." For Owen's sake, she hoped she could.
This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/259771.html. You can comment here or there.