Rainbow Sherbet 4: One
Title: One
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors and Toppings: Rainbow sherbet 4 (green), malt (PFAH: Jake, Clara : The evil of the world is made possible by nothing but the sanction you give it.), fresh strawberries (Lucy Merriam).
Word Count: 1251
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Something is bothering Jake, and Ivy is not prepared to let it go.
Notes: Yay summer challenge! Have some more Jake.
"Okay," Ivy said, as soon as Olivia walked away, weaving her way through the knots of talking people. "Spill."
Jake, who'd been envying his wife's ability to keep their squirming toddler on her hip without apparent effort, blinked, and looked at Ivy. "Huh? Spill what?"
Ivy gave him a look. "Something's been bugging you all night," she said, raising her voice a little over a burst of laughter from Danny's corner of the room. "I can tell. So spill."
He thought about it, and honestly could not figure out what she meant, which meant-- "You're nuts," he said. "There's nothing bothering me."
"That's half true. I am nuts," Ivy said, and smiled beatifically at him. "But there is something bothering you. Did you know you squinch up your face when you're upset by something? It looks like this." She made an extremely unflattering face, and Jake hoped she was exaggerating.
"I do not squinch up my face," he said, and stepped back to avoid Lars, making his way towards the drinks table with three bottles of something unlabeled and neon green.
"Definitely not going to drink that," Ivy said, nodding after Lars.
He snorted. "Wise decision."
She grinned. "I thought so. PS, you do so squinch your face."
For a woman in her early thirties, she could be impossibly childish sometimes. Jake, who could foresee this conversation going nowhere good, changed the subject. "All right, when do I make this mythical face?"
Ivy sobered abruptly, gave him a long, silent look, then glanced around the room and drew him back against the wall before she answered. "Whenever you look at Clara," she said. "Since they made the announcement."
At Clara? What... oh.
That.
"It's nothing," he said, and wished he had a drink to sip or a snack to eat, something to keep his mouth busy. Anything would do.
Well, anything except that green stuff.
"Mmhmm," Ivy said, eyebrow arching. "You know, you're a really bad liar for such a good politician."
Jake rolled his eyes, and said, "Ivy, you philistine. Politics is not about lying, it's about diplomacy."
"Fair enough," Ivy said, "although in that case I would like to know how my mother got so far."
He raised his own eyebrow at her, grateful for the distraction. Ivy's conversational ADD could work in one's favor, when one knew how to use it. "Your mother is an excellent diplomat. She used to be a kindergarten teacher, for heaven's sake. Lots of valuable job experience there."
Ivy snorted. "You know she told me once that the kindergartners were easier to deal with than New York City politics?"
He'd heard that too, and believed it at the time, although now that he had his own child he was no longer quite so sure. "Yes, well, the kindergartners she ruled by love," he said. "With the politicians she had to settle for fear. It's not always as effective."
"I don't know," Ivy said. "She certainly put the fear of God into me enough times when I was a kid. I'm not letting you off the hook about that Clara thing, by the way. This is just an interesting tangent."
Damn it. Jake tried to conceal his annoyance. "I don't want to talk about it."
"Too damn bad," Ivy said. "Clara's my sister-in-law and you're my..." She trailed off.
"Mother's protégé?" Jake suggested. "Fiancée's best friend's husband? Favorite prank target? What?"
"No, no, that's Aaron," she said, apparently in reference to the last. "Mother's protégé will do. Anyway, you're family. That means I can harass you if I want to."
"I would take it as a kindness," Jake said, between his teeth, "if you didn't."
Ivy tilted her head to the side, clearly thinking about it, then said, "Nnnno. No. I don't think I will."
He had one more tack to try before he gave up and just tried to flee. "If I promise it's nothing important..." he started, and could tell, just from Ivy's expression, that it wasn't going to fly. Well, fan-fucking-tastic.
"You might as well tell me," Ivy said. "I'll just keep annoying you until you do. And don't even try to run away. Remember that your wife's best friend is my fiancée."
Jake honestly had no idea what Olivia's friendship with Gina had to do with Ivy's ability to harass him, since she'd managed that perfectly well long before Gina had come into Ivy's life-- before Olivia had come into his, for that matter-- but he did believe the rest of it. Ivy was her mother's daughter, in that respect as well as many others, and if there was one thing Ms. Hirschfeld was good at, it was getting you to tell her things you'd never wanted to say.
Besides, if he didn't tell her, she might well bring her mother into the discussion, and then he'd be really fucked.
"Fine," he said. "It was that thing Clara said, when she was talking about the baby. About how she went through all this because she didn't want to adopt."
Ivy blinked at him for a moment, then it visibly dawned on her. "Ah," she said. "I wondered if that might rankle."
"It doesn't," Jake said. "Not exactly. Lots of people don't want to adopt, and I have no problem with that. It's just..." he closed his eyes, and pressed the bridge of his nose. "She's a social worker. This is what she does. How can she even think..." He shook his head, lost for words. "I don't know. I don't know what she thinks. It sounded to me like she was saying that adopted children aren't really your own, and that pissed me off."
"Speaking as the only adopted child in this conversation," Ivy said, "I'm pretty sure that's not what she meant."
He smiled, a little smile for a little amusement. "I guess. I should've known you'd have been up in arms if you even thought she did. But Ivy... look, okay, yes, you're the only adopted one in this conversation. But I'm the only one in this conversation who's ever been in the system, and let me tell you, once you're in, there is nothing you would rather do than get out."
They were quiet together for a little while, then Ivy asked, her voice rather tentative, "Are you upset? That you never got adopted?"
Jake let out a startled little laugh. "What? No. I had parents. I had good parents. I didn't want replacements for them. But a lot of the kids I fostered with, they'd been in the system their whole lives. You could see it in their eyes, that desperate hope. Maybe this time." He sighed, rubbed a hand across his face again. "I know I'm not walking the walk here, and I probably don't have any right to call Clara out on this, but I just wish... well. I wish she hadn't said it."
"Fair enough," Ivy said, surprising him. "She does walk the walk, though. I mean, she doesn't adopt them herself, but..." She stopped, then added, "If it helps, Gina and I are planning on adopting, as soon as we can get married. Any time you can get that fixed would be nice, by the way."
"Working on it," Jake said. "I have a good feeling about this next bill."
She gave him a rather sad smile. "We've heard that before. We're not getting our hopes up. But anyway, we're planning on it. One kid at least."
"One kid," Jake said. "It's a start."
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors and Toppings: Rainbow sherbet 4 (green), malt (PFAH: Jake, Clara : The evil of the world is made possible by nothing but the sanction you give it.), fresh strawberries (Lucy Merriam).
Word Count: 1251
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Something is bothering Jake, and Ivy is not prepared to let it go.
Notes: Yay summer challenge! Have some more Jake.
"Okay," Ivy said, as soon as Olivia walked away, weaving her way through the knots of talking people. "Spill."
Jake, who'd been envying his wife's ability to keep their squirming toddler on her hip without apparent effort, blinked, and looked at Ivy. "Huh? Spill what?"
Ivy gave him a look. "Something's been bugging you all night," she said, raising her voice a little over a burst of laughter from Danny's corner of the room. "I can tell. So spill."
He thought about it, and honestly could not figure out what she meant, which meant-- "You're nuts," he said. "There's nothing bothering me."
"That's half true. I am nuts," Ivy said, and smiled beatifically at him. "But there is something bothering you. Did you know you squinch up your face when you're upset by something? It looks like this." She made an extremely unflattering face, and Jake hoped she was exaggerating.
"I do not squinch up my face," he said, and stepped back to avoid Lars, making his way towards the drinks table with three bottles of something unlabeled and neon green.
"Definitely not going to drink that," Ivy said, nodding after Lars.
He snorted. "Wise decision."
She grinned. "I thought so. PS, you do so squinch your face."
For a woman in her early thirties, she could be impossibly childish sometimes. Jake, who could foresee this conversation going nowhere good, changed the subject. "All right, when do I make this mythical face?"
Ivy sobered abruptly, gave him a long, silent look, then glanced around the room and drew him back against the wall before she answered. "Whenever you look at Clara," she said. "Since they made the announcement."
At Clara? What... oh.
That.
"It's nothing," he said, and wished he had a drink to sip or a snack to eat, something to keep his mouth busy. Anything would do.
Well, anything except that green stuff.
"Mmhmm," Ivy said, eyebrow arching. "You know, you're a really bad liar for such a good politician."
Jake rolled his eyes, and said, "Ivy, you philistine. Politics is not about lying, it's about diplomacy."
"Fair enough," Ivy said, "although in that case I would like to know how my mother got so far."
He raised his own eyebrow at her, grateful for the distraction. Ivy's conversational ADD could work in one's favor, when one knew how to use it. "Your mother is an excellent diplomat. She used to be a kindergarten teacher, for heaven's sake. Lots of valuable job experience there."
Ivy snorted. "You know she told me once that the kindergartners were easier to deal with than New York City politics?"
He'd heard that too, and believed it at the time, although now that he had his own child he was no longer quite so sure. "Yes, well, the kindergartners she ruled by love," he said. "With the politicians she had to settle for fear. It's not always as effective."
"I don't know," Ivy said. "She certainly put the fear of God into me enough times when I was a kid. I'm not letting you off the hook about that Clara thing, by the way. This is just an interesting tangent."
Damn it. Jake tried to conceal his annoyance. "I don't want to talk about it."
"Too damn bad," Ivy said. "Clara's my sister-in-law and you're my..." She trailed off.
"Mother's protégé?" Jake suggested. "Fiancée's best friend's husband? Favorite prank target? What?"
"No, no, that's Aaron," she said, apparently in reference to the last. "Mother's protégé will do. Anyway, you're family. That means I can harass you if I want to."
"I would take it as a kindness," Jake said, between his teeth, "if you didn't."
Ivy tilted her head to the side, clearly thinking about it, then said, "Nnnno. No. I don't think I will."
He had one more tack to try before he gave up and just tried to flee. "If I promise it's nothing important..." he started, and could tell, just from Ivy's expression, that it wasn't going to fly. Well, fan-fucking-tastic.
"You might as well tell me," Ivy said. "I'll just keep annoying you until you do. And don't even try to run away. Remember that your wife's best friend is my fiancée."
Jake honestly had no idea what Olivia's friendship with Gina had to do with Ivy's ability to harass him, since she'd managed that perfectly well long before Gina had come into Ivy's life-- before Olivia had come into his, for that matter-- but he did believe the rest of it. Ivy was her mother's daughter, in that respect as well as many others, and if there was one thing Ms. Hirschfeld was good at, it was getting you to tell her things you'd never wanted to say.
Besides, if he didn't tell her, she might well bring her mother into the discussion, and then he'd be really fucked.
"Fine," he said. "It was that thing Clara said, when she was talking about the baby. About how she went through all this because she didn't want to adopt."
Ivy blinked at him for a moment, then it visibly dawned on her. "Ah," she said. "I wondered if that might rankle."
"It doesn't," Jake said. "Not exactly. Lots of people don't want to adopt, and I have no problem with that. It's just..." he closed his eyes, and pressed the bridge of his nose. "She's a social worker. This is what she does. How can she even think..." He shook his head, lost for words. "I don't know. I don't know what she thinks. It sounded to me like she was saying that adopted children aren't really your own, and that pissed me off."
"Speaking as the only adopted child in this conversation," Ivy said, "I'm pretty sure that's not what she meant."
He smiled, a little smile for a little amusement. "I guess. I should've known you'd have been up in arms if you even thought she did. But Ivy... look, okay, yes, you're the only adopted one in this conversation. But I'm the only one in this conversation who's ever been in the system, and let me tell you, once you're in, there is nothing you would rather do than get out."
They were quiet together for a little while, then Ivy asked, her voice rather tentative, "Are you upset? That you never got adopted?"
Jake let out a startled little laugh. "What? No. I had parents. I had good parents. I didn't want replacements for them. But a lot of the kids I fostered with, they'd been in the system their whole lives. You could see it in their eyes, that desperate hope. Maybe this time." He sighed, rubbed a hand across his face again. "I know I'm not walking the walk here, and I probably don't have any right to call Clara out on this, but I just wish... well. I wish she hadn't said it."
"Fair enough," Ivy said, surprising him. "She does walk the walk, though. I mean, she doesn't adopt them herself, but..." She stopped, then added, "If it helps, Gina and I are planning on adopting, as soon as we can get married. Any time you can get that fixed would be nice, by the way."
"Working on it," Jake said. "I have a good feeling about this next bill."
She gave him a rather sad smile. "We've heard that before. We're not getting our hopes up. But anyway, we're planning on it. One kid at least."
"One kid," Jake said. "It's a start."