FOTD, Rainbow Sherbet 12: Sunlight
Title: Sunlight
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: FOTD (halcyon: calm; quiet; peaceful; happy), rainbow sherbet 12 (gold), malt (PFAH: Joanna in love), whipped cream (Olivia is sixteen), chopped nuts (Sunny AU), fresh peaches (get ready to go with the flow as you encounter moment-by-moment, unexpected changes today.).
Word Count: 1000
Rating: PG.
Summary: Joanna's life changes.
Notes: I felt the need for some happy after all the depressing lately. So have some Sunny AU.
Dr. Marhenke's daughter tap-danced in one bright afternoon, spinning and humming, sending the dust motes dancing in the sun and transforming Joanna's life forever.
Joanna didn't know that she was Dr. Marhenke's daughter at the time, of course, nor did she know that her life had just changed irrevocably. She only thought that she'd never in her time working here seen a child so happy to have a doctor's appointment. Generally the young ones sitting on their parents' laps in the waiting room were trying to escape, loudly afraid of shots, or too sick to care. This girl seemed downright joyful.
She pirouetted up to the desk, a few strands of curly hair escaping from her ponytail to flutter around her ears in gold-touched spirals, and beamed at Joanna. "Hello!" she said, brightly. "You must be new."
Maybe she was just used to doctor's appointments, if she came here often enough to know all the receptionists and nurses. "Just filling in for Cindy," she said. "I'm Joanna Amala."
The girl made a face. "Ouch," she said. "I forgot. She's having back surgery again, isn't she? Any news yet?"
Rather startled, Joanna shrugged. "I'm afraid I wouldn't know," she said. "Do you have an appointment, miss?"
It was the girl's turn to look startled, then she laughed. "No, no. I'm sorry, I keep forgetting that not everybody here knows me. I'm just waiting for my dad. I'm Olivia Marhenke," she added, apparantly by way of explanation.
"Oh," Joanna said, blankly. She'd known, of course, that Dr. Marhenke had a daughter-- he hardly stopped talking about her, when he wasn't talking about work-- but somehow she'd always pictured a younger girl. Dr. Marhenke didn't seem nearly old enough to have a daughter in her teens.
Somehow, without her approval, the words popped out. "You don't look young enough... oh!" She covered her mouth, felt the heat in her cheeks that meant a blush fit to burst.
Olivia didn't seem to take it too badly. Instead, she giggled. "Yes, well, I was born when Daddy was still in medical school," she replied. "He keeps telling me what a pain I was during his residency. Financially, I mean, although I missed him too. He says I kept asking where was da-da. I was really glad when he set up his own practice finally 'cause the hours are so much better." She leaned on the desk and smiled at Joanna. "He's nice, isn't he?"
It seemed that Olivia adored her father as much as her father adored her. Joanna smiled. "Very nice," she agreed, partly because he was, and partly because she had a tiny crush on him, but mostly because she would no sooner damage that mutual adoration than she would destroy her mother's gold necklace. "I like working here."
"Everybody likes working here," Olivia said. "They always tell me so. Are you a temp or permanent?"
"Temp," Joanna said, amused at the girl's innocent bluntness. "I'm in graduate school at UCLA."
Olivia's eyes went wide. "Ooh," she said, with gratifying awe. "That's so cool. Daddy says UCLA is like impossible to get into. What are you studying?"
"Library science," Joanna said. "And it is very difficult, but worth it, I think."
Olivia wrinkled her nose. "I don't want to go to UCLA. It's too close. I mean, I love Daddy, but I want to go somewhere different for college."
"I can understand that. I was born here, but I actually grew up in Virginia. I went to college in Massachusetts, and now I'm out here." She shrugged, hands spread.
"Whoa," Olivia said, her eyes gone wide again. "That's a long way. I was thinking, like, San Francisco or something, not that far."
"I think you get along with your family much better than I get along with mine," Joanna replied, thinking of the often fraught silence between her parents, of the constant rifts and squabblings between her siblings. "For me the distance was a relief."
Olivia shrugged, one-shouldered. "It's just me and Daddy," she said. "I don't have anybody to fight with."
Joanna raised her eyebrows at that. "You don't fight with your father?"
"Of course I fight with him," Olivia said. "Just not much. And not very badly." She fell silent for a moment, then added, "I don't like fighting with him. I don't want that to be the last thing I say to him."
Which was an extremely peculiar thing for a young girl to say, and Joanna almost said so, but was saved from a potential faux pas by Dr. Marhenke's entrance into the lobby. "Sunny!" he exclaimed, and held out his arms. "Hello, love. You're early."
"Hi Daddy!" she sang out, pivoting away from Joanna and into his arms. "I'm not early, you're late. Did you have a good day?"
"Good enough," he replied, and leaned down to kiss the crown of her head. They had the same hair, Joanna saw; a deep brown with just a hint of gold in the sunlight. "You're in a good mood."
"I had a good day," she said, just a hint of smugness in her voice.
He smiled, and let go of her. "You can tell me about it at dinner. Let's go."
"Okay," she said, then, to Joanna's surprise, turned back to her and waved. "Bye, Miss Amala! Nice meeting you!"
Joanna waved back, even more amused than before. "Nice meeting you too, Miss Marhenke."
Dr. Marhenke looked up at her and smiled; quite unexpectedly, her heart skipped a beat. "Thank you for indulging my Sunny," he said, ruffling his daughter's hair. "I know she can be a bit difficult at times."
"Daddy," Olivia said, faking annoyance.
"It's true and you know it."
Joanna smiled, and dropped her eyes, lest she blush. "Well, she was lovely company."
"See?" Olivia asked her father. "Miss Amala likes me."
He laughed. "Everyone likes you, Sunny. Come on now, or we'll be late."
"Okay." She waved again, and Joanna, without noticing, fell in love.
Twice.
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: FOTD (halcyon: calm; quiet; peaceful; happy), rainbow sherbet 12 (gold), malt (PFAH: Joanna in love), whipped cream (Olivia is sixteen), chopped nuts (Sunny AU), fresh peaches (get ready to go with the flow as you encounter moment-by-moment, unexpected changes today.).
Word Count: 1000
Rating: PG.
Summary: Joanna's life changes.
Notes: I felt the need for some happy after all the depressing lately. So have some Sunny AU.
Dr. Marhenke's daughter tap-danced in one bright afternoon, spinning and humming, sending the dust motes dancing in the sun and transforming Joanna's life forever.
Joanna didn't know that she was Dr. Marhenke's daughter at the time, of course, nor did she know that her life had just changed irrevocably. She only thought that she'd never in her time working here seen a child so happy to have a doctor's appointment. Generally the young ones sitting on their parents' laps in the waiting room were trying to escape, loudly afraid of shots, or too sick to care. This girl seemed downright joyful.
She pirouetted up to the desk, a few strands of curly hair escaping from her ponytail to flutter around her ears in gold-touched spirals, and beamed at Joanna. "Hello!" she said, brightly. "You must be new."
Maybe she was just used to doctor's appointments, if she came here often enough to know all the receptionists and nurses. "Just filling in for Cindy," she said. "I'm Joanna Amala."
The girl made a face. "Ouch," she said. "I forgot. She's having back surgery again, isn't she? Any news yet?"
Rather startled, Joanna shrugged. "I'm afraid I wouldn't know," she said. "Do you have an appointment, miss?"
It was the girl's turn to look startled, then she laughed. "No, no. I'm sorry, I keep forgetting that not everybody here knows me. I'm just waiting for my dad. I'm Olivia Marhenke," she added, apparantly by way of explanation.
"Oh," Joanna said, blankly. She'd known, of course, that Dr. Marhenke had a daughter-- he hardly stopped talking about her, when he wasn't talking about work-- but somehow she'd always pictured a younger girl. Dr. Marhenke didn't seem nearly old enough to have a daughter in her teens.
Somehow, without her approval, the words popped out. "You don't look young enough... oh!" She covered her mouth, felt the heat in her cheeks that meant a blush fit to burst.
Olivia didn't seem to take it too badly. Instead, she giggled. "Yes, well, I was born when Daddy was still in medical school," she replied. "He keeps telling me what a pain I was during his residency. Financially, I mean, although I missed him too. He says I kept asking where was da-da. I was really glad when he set up his own practice finally 'cause the hours are so much better." She leaned on the desk and smiled at Joanna. "He's nice, isn't he?"
It seemed that Olivia adored her father as much as her father adored her. Joanna smiled. "Very nice," she agreed, partly because he was, and partly because she had a tiny crush on him, but mostly because she would no sooner damage that mutual adoration than she would destroy her mother's gold necklace. "I like working here."
"Everybody likes working here," Olivia said. "They always tell me so. Are you a temp or permanent?"
"Temp," Joanna said, amused at the girl's innocent bluntness. "I'm in graduate school at UCLA."
Olivia's eyes went wide. "Ooh," she said, with gratifying awe. "That's so cool. Daddy says UCLA is like impossible to get into. What are you studying?"
"Library science," Joanna said. "And it is very difficult, but worth it, I think."
Olivia wrinkled her nose. "I don't want to go to UCLA. It's too close. I mean, I love Daddy, but I want to go somewhere different for college."
"I can understand that. I was born here, but I actually grew up in Virginia. I went to college in Massachusetts, and now I'm out here." She shrugged, hands spread.
"Whoa," Olivia said, her eyes gone wide again. "That's a long way. I was thinking, like, San Francisco or something, not that far."
"I think you get along with your family much better than I get along with mine," Joanna replied, thinking of the often fraught silence between her parents, of the constant rifts and squabblings between her siblings. "For me the distance was a relief."
Olivia shrugged, one-shouldered. "It's just me and Daddy," she said. "I don't have anybody to fight with."
Joanna raised her eyebrows at that. "You don't fight with your father?"
"Of course I fight with him," Olivia said. "Just not much. And not very badly." She fell silent for a moment, then added, "I don't like fighting with him. I don't want that to be the last thing I say to him."
Which was an extremely peculiar thing for a young girl to say, and Joanna almost said so, but was saved from a potential faux pas by Dr. Marhenke's entrance into the lobby. "Sunny!" he exclaimed, and held out his arms. "Hello, love. You're early."
"Hi Daddy!" she sang out, pivoting away from Joanna and into his arms. "I'm not early, you're late. Did you have a good day?"
"Good enough," he replied, and leaned down to kiss the crown of her head. They had the same hair, Joanna saw; a deep brown with just a hint of gold in the sunlight. "You're in a good mood."
"I had a good day," she said, just a hint of smugness in her voice.
He smiled, and let go of her. "You can tell me about it at dinner. Let's go."
"Okay," she said, then, to Joanna's surprise, turned back to her and waved. "Bye, Miss Amala! Nice meeting you!"
Joanna waved back, even more amused than before. "Nice meeting you too, Miss Marhenke."
Dr. Marhenke looked up at her and smiled; quite unexpectedly, her heart skipped a beat. "Thank you for indulging my Sunny," he said, ruffling his daughter's hair. "I know she can be a bit difficult at times."
"Daddy," Olivia said, faking annoyance.
"It's true and you know it."
Joanna smiled, and dropped her eyes, lest she blush. "Well, she was lovely company."
"See?" Olivia asked her father. "Miss Amala likes me."
He laughed. "Everyone likes you, Sunny. Come on now, or we'll be late."
"Okay." She waved again, and Joanna, without noticing, fell in love.
Twice.