When the Evening Comes (1/1)
Title: When the Evening Comes (1/1)
Author: WibbleyWobbley
Characters: Nora
Rating: G, I guess
Prompt: Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding (Prompt #4, Challenge #1) (And maybe prompt #2, if you squint at it sideways)
Summary: Life is just a series of new days.
Spoilers: All in the Family (1.17) - so you’re probably OK!
Word Count: ~2,140
Disclaimer: Not Mine
Nora had never been much of a morning person. She supposed that was typical for most young people, however. But for the last several weeks, she had been dragging herself out of bed at some awful hour before the sun was even up. She would shower, dress, race to catch the bus at the corner of the street, and twenty minutes later, she would arrive at work. Work.
Sure, she was an executive secretary, which really still meant just secretary more than anything else. She made coffee, and she made appointments. But other times, she’d sit in Stanley Elliot’s office, listening to his ideas, offering opinions, helping - in her own small way - to make the decisions of the company. It was...exciting.
And that day - just one average morning, seemingly nothing special - it became more so. There had been a traffic accident, which delayed her bus. She was now running around the office, trying to get things ready for the first appointment of the day. Coffee was brewing, and she was now pulling the appropriate files from the cabinet. Arms loaded with folders, she pushed the drawer closed with her shoulder and turned around. In a scene straight out of a movie, she abruptly ran into someone, dropping the files in the process.
“Oh no!” Nora exclaimed, quickly dropping to the floor. She reached around, grabbing different pieces of paper, trying to bring some semblance of order to the chaos.
“I am so sorry!” the man said sincerely. He joined her on the floor, trying to help, handing her different sheets and causing even more confusion in the process.
“It’s OK,” Nora said, perhaps a little more harshly than she had intended. She held a hand out, trying to stop the man from “helping” even more. “I have it. Don’t worry.”
The man cleared his throat, somewhat awkwardly. “I’m here for a 9:00 appointment.”
Nora looked up at him, really for the first time. “You’re William Walker?”
***
“What a horribly Republican thing to say!” Nora said casually, reaching out for the container of cream.
She had only a short break in the late mornings, just barely enough time for a cup at the small café on the corner. William had a slightly longer break, which was fortunate because he also had a slightly longer distance to travel. It had been several months since his meeting with Mr. Elliot, and Nora could still remember the hesitant way he had offered to buy her dinner in an apology. She had been more flustered than she could ever remember being, but she had accepted. That one dinner turned into quite a few more, a matinee or two, some rather passionate kisses in the front seat of William’s car, and, lately, coffee two or three times a week where they discussed the upcoming election. And by discussed, Nora meant argued.
“Well, that’s because I’m a Republican,” William replied laughing.
“I know. But nobody’s perfect.”
William smiled at her oddly.
“What?” Nora asked.
He shook his head. “Nothing, nothing.” He took a deep breath. “I just love fighting with you.”
Nora laughed.
“I think I could do it the rest of my life,” William added softly.
And Nora immediately stopped laughing, looking at him in slight confusion as he held out a small box. She reached out, took it and opened it. The ring was small but beautiful, and it took Nora’s breath away.
***
Truthfully, she had more responsibility and work as an unpaid volunteer at Ojai Foods - she just loved saying that - than she ever did with her old job. She helped place orders for supplies and equipment; she helped hire the first few employees; she read carefully through documents looking for confusing clauses in contracts and simple typos in memos. She helped build this company, and it was one of the things she was proudest of in her whole life.
And today, they officially opened. A truck was en route carrying produce to vendors. William and Nora were celebrating, eating a late lunch on the floor of his office.
“This is just the beginning, my darling,” William said. “We’re going to expand. Vineyards, maybe. International markets.”
Nora laughed. “Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
William grinned. He climbed to his knees and shuffled over to the small refrigerator in the corner. “I know it’s still early, but we need to truly celebrate.”
He pulled out a chilled bottle of champagne and held it up invitingly at Nora.
“Hmm, perhaps not.”
“Oh, don’t be so - ”
“It’s just,” Nora interrupted. “I’m working on a little venture of my own.”
William glanced up at her, confused. He returned to the bottle, carefully working on the cork. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, just that the Walker family business is already expanding. I expect to see some growth in seven months or so.”
William looked up again quickly. Nora patted her stomach lightly, and he nearly dropped the bottle as he hurried back over to her.
***
Over time, Nora grew into a morning person. Screaming babies certainly helped with that transition, but at the same time, she was in her element. Helping Sarah get dressed and tie her shoes, trying to catch Kitty as she ran giggling around the house, rocking a wailing Tommy. And even more, Nora loved the mornings because that was when William was home. He always stayed with her a little bit longer than he used to, which was nice because he always stayed at work a little longer than she would have liked.
It was their anniversary, and she had gone all out. The kids were already asleep, and candles were slowly burning on the table. The food looked delicious, and the wine was chilling nicely. Now all she needed was a husband. She looked at the clock. Well after 7:30. Nora sighed, trying to decide if she should call him, break him out of work mode, remind him he had a family to come home to.
Just then, the door opened. She stood and walked into the foyer. William was hanging up his coat, and he had set a bouquet of roses on the corner table. He turned as she entered the room, and he smiled apologetically.
“So sorry,” he said, walking up to her. He pulled her into a kiss. “Lost track of time. Happy anniversary.”
Nora smiled up at him.
***
She had tried to ignore the aches and pains throughout the day. William was away on business, after all, and so now would be horrible timing. But, at around 12:45 that night - early morning, whatever - she could no longer deny what was happening. The aches had long since turned into waves of pain, and then her water broke. Business trip or not, this baby wasn’t waiting. It was two, almost three, weeks early, but he or she was coming - now.
Nora slowly and carefully walked downstairs and into the office, wondering yet again why they hadn’t put in an extension upstairs by now. She picked up the phone and dialed a number from memory. The other end rang several times before a sleep-filled voice answered.
“Hello?”
“Saul?”
“What is it?”
“The baby.”
Saul was now wide awake, asking her questions. She could hear him move around his room, dressing quickly. She agreed to hang up and wait for him, to call for an ambulance if things happened too fast before he got there. She returned the phone to the hook and was about to go back upstairs and get dressed. A contraction hit her unexpectedly and she moaned, leaning her weight on the surface of the desk.
“Mom?” came a small voice from the doorway. A very tired, but very scared, Sarah stared back at Nora. “Mommy, are you OK?”
“Yes,” Nora said, trying to sound confident and natural even as another contraction hit her. “Yes, honey, everything’s fine. I’m having the baby!”
Sarah continued to look at her, not quite convinced that everything was as happy and exciting as Nora tried to make it sound.
Nora took a deep breath, relaxing and standing straighter. She walked over to Sarah and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Honey, I need you to be strong and brave, OK? Since Daddy’s not home, Uncle Saul is coming over and we’ll all go over to the hospital together. Will you help me out?”
Sarah nodded, waking up more and more. “Yes, mama.”
“OK, I need you to go upstairs and wake up Kitty. Tell her to get some clothes on and put on her shoes. Then get Tommy. Try not to wake him, but it’s OK if you do. Bring them both downstairs, and we’ll wait for Uncle Saul.”
Sarah broke away from Nora, hurrying upstairs. Nora started to follow her, but before she could step on the bottom stair, another contraction started. In the end, Saul arrived just in time to welcome his new nephew. Later that night, the doctor gave baby and mother the all-clear. And William arrived home by the next night to hold his son.
But Nora couldn’t shake the feeling that the pattern was already set. Kevin would always be impatient, and frankly, he would always know how to make an entrance. And William would always be distant. They were destined to be, metaphorically at least, on opposite sides of the country.
***
Even though now she was grown with her children (mostly) out of the house and nothing demanding her attention, Nora still didn’t sleep in most days. There was something therapeutic about slowly drinking a cup of coffee on the patio, letting the morning sun warm everything around her as the rest of the neighborhood woke up.
That day, she had the first session of her writing class. The idea of putting her thoughts on paper, constructing something full of art and meaning, was simultaneously exhilarating and terrifying. It had been so long since she had allowed the creative part of herself to really step out and shine. She almost had forgotten what it was like to do something for herself, because she enjoyed it. Nora couldn’t wait, but she also couldn’t shake an uneasy sense of impending...badness that came with exploring your feelings and sharing them with complete strangers.
***
It was almost like she had been possessed as she drove to the beach and walked towards the dock. The ring burned straight through the envelope to the skin of her hands as it reminded her not only of the joy and the love she had felt throughout her life, but also of the betrayal and the hurt. For months, she had mourned William and the end of her marriage. At the same time, she mourned the loss of her belief of what that marriage had been. She had felt so angry, so hurt, and in some ways, so guilty and responsible for her own part in it. Then came numbness, and now there was mostly acceptance. A need to draw a line. Dot the last sentence in that chapter of her life and move on.
As she stepped onto the dock, the out-of-body sensation left her and she resolutely walked to the end. Stopping near the railing, she stared out at the ocean. Then she opened the envelope and removed the ring, holding it by the very tips of her fingers as she fought tears. She clutched the ring tightly for a moment, took a deep breath and then threw it as far as she could. As soon as it left her hand, there was a brief flash of gut-level panic, a “what did I just do?” reaction that almost knocked her flat. But that didn’t last long, and she was back to feeling strangely resigned and relieved. The hold William had on her since that morning in Mr. Elliot’s office was now broken. She doubted there was anything she could find out now that would be any more difficult or even any easier to reconcile with the man she thought she knew.
After several minutes, she slowly sat down, dangling her legs over the edge of the dock, kicking them back and forth. And she smiled. She had loved William with all her heart, and she could never completely hate him now. He had given her a mostly happy life and five beautiful children. But now, in her heart and in her mind if not on paper, she could go back to being Nora Holden, ready and willing to start her new life. She couldn’t wait to see who she would grow into.
Nora sighed. She hadn’t really noticed the passing time, but now she realized it was starting to get cooler and quite late. The sun sank lower until it slipped beneath the water as gracefully and soundlessly as the ring had. Nora took a deep breath, stood up and went home.
Sitting in the morning sun,
I’ll be sitting when the evening comes...
The End
Author: WibbleyWobbley
Characters: Nora
Rating: G, I guess
Prompt: Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding (Prompt #4, Challenge #1) (And maybe prompt #2, if you squint at it sideways)
Summary: Life is just a series of new days.
Spoilers: All in the Family (1.17) - so you’re probably OK!
Word Count: ~2,140
Disclaimer: Not Mine
Nora had never been much of a morning person. She supposed that was typical for most young people, however. But for the last several weeks, she had been dragging herself out of bed at some awful hour before the sun was even up. She would shower, dress, race to catch the bus at the corner of the street, and twenty minutes later, she would arrive at work. Work.
Sure, she was an executive secretary, which really still meant just secretary more than anything else. She made coffee, and she made appointments. But other times, she’d sit in Stanley Elliot’s office, listening to his ideas, offering opinions, helping - in her own small way - to make the decisions of the company. It was...exciting.
And that day - just one average morning, seemingly nothing special - it became more so. There had been a traffic accident, which delayed her bus. She was now running around the office, trying to get things ready for the first appointment of the day. Coffee was brewing, and she was now pulling the appropriate files from the cabinet. Arms loaded with folders, she pushed the drawer closed with her shoulder and turned around. In a scene straight out of a movie, she abruptly ran into someone, dropping the files in the process.
“Oh no!” Nora exclaimed, quickly dropping to the floor. She reached around, grabbing different pieces of paper, trying to bring some semblance of order to the chaos.
“I am so sorry!” the man said sincerely. He joined her on the floor, trying to help, handing her different sheets and causing even more confusion in the process.
“It’s OK,” Nora said, perhaps a little more harshly than she had intended. She held a hand out, trying to stop the man from “helping” even more. “I have it. Don’t worry.”
The man cleared his throat, somewhat awkwardly. “I’m here for a 9:00 appointment.”
Nora looked up at him, really for the first time. “You’re William Walker?”
***
“What a horribly Republican thing to say!” Nora said casually, reaching out for the container of cream.
She had only a short break in the late mornings, just barely enough time for a cup at the small café on the corner. William had a slightly longer break, which was fortunate because he also had a slightly longer distance to travel. It had been several months since his meeting with Mr. Elliot, and Nora could still remember the hesitant way he had offered to buy her dinner in an apology. She had been more flustered than she could ever remember being, but she had accepted. That one dinner turned into quite a few more, a matinee or two, some rather passionate kisses in the front seat of William’s car, and, lately, coffee two or three times a week where they discussed the upcoming election. And by discussed, Nora meant argued.
“Well, that’s because I’m a Republican,” William replied laughing.
“I know. But nobody’s perfect.”
William smiled at her oddly.
“What?” Nora asked.
He shook his head. “Nothing, nothing.” He took a deep breath. “I just love fighting with you.”
Nora laughed.
“I think I could do it the rest of my life,” William added softly.
And Nora immediately stopped laughing, looking at him in slight confusion as he held out a small box. She reached out, took it and opened it. The ring was small but beautiful, and it took Nora’s breath away.
***
Truthfully, she had more responsibility and work as an unpaid volunteer at Ojai Foods - she just loved saying that - than she ever did with her old job. She helped place orders for supplies and equipment; she helped hire the first few employees; she read carefully through documents looking for confusing clauses in contracts and simple typos in memos. She helped build this company, and it was one of the things she was proudest of in her whole life.
And today, they officially opened. A truck was en route carrying produce to vendors. William and Nora were celebrating, eating a late lunch on the floor of his office.
“This is just the beginning, my darling,” William said. “We’re going to expand. Vineyards, maybe. International markets.”
Nora laughed. “Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
William grinned. He climbed to his knees and shuffled over to the small refrigerator in the corner. “I know it’s still early, but we need to truly celebrate.”
He pulled out a chilled bottle of champagne and held it up invitingly at Nora.
“Hmm, perhaps not.”
“Oh, don’t be so - ”
“It’s just,” Nora interrupted. “I’m working on a little venture of my own.”
William glanced up at her, confused. He returned to the bottle, carefully working on the cork. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, just that the Walker family business is already expanding. I expect to see some growth in seven months or so.”
William looked up again quickly. Nora patted her stomach lightly, and he nearly dropped the bottle as he hurried back over to her.
***
Over time, Nora grew into a morning person. Screaming babies certainly helped with that transition, but at the same time, she was in her element. Helping Sarah get dressed and tie her shoes, trying to catch Kitty as she ran giggling around the house, rocking a wailing Tommy. And even more, Nora loved the mornings because that was when William was home. He always stayed with her a little bit longer than he used to, which was nice because he always stayed at work a little longer than she would have liked.
It was their anniversary, and she had gone all out. The kids were already asleep, and candles were slowly burning on the table. The food looked delicious, and the wine was chilling nicely. Now all she needed was a husband. She looked at the clock. Well after 7:30. Nora sighed, trying to decide if she should call him, break him out of work mode, remind him he had a family to come home to.
Just then, the door opened. She stood and walked into the foyer. William was hanging up his coat, and he had set a bouquet of roses on the corner table. He turned as she entered the room, and he smiled apologetically.
“So sorry,” he said, walking up to her. He pulled her into a kiss. “Lost track of time. Happy anniversary.”
Nora smiled up at him.
***
She had tried to ignore the aches and pains throughout the day. William was away on business, after all, and so now would be horrible timing. But, at around 12:45 that night - early morning, whatever - she could no longer deny what was happening. The aches had long since turned into waves of pain, and then her water broke. Business trip or not, this baby wasn’t waiting. It was two, almost three, weeks early, but he or she was coming - now.
Nora slowly and carefully walked downstairs and into the office, wondering yet again why they hadn’t put in an extension upstairs by now. She picked up the phone and dialed a number from memory. The other end rang several times before a sleep-filled voice answered.
“Hello?”
“Saul?”
“What is it?”
“The baby.”
Saul was now wide awake, asking her questions. She could hear him move around his room, dressing quickly. She agreed to hang up and wait for him, to call for an ambulance if things happened too fast before he got there. She returned the phone to the hook and was about to go back upstairs and get dressed. A contraction hit her unexpectedly and she moaned, leaning her weight on the surface of the desk.
“Mom?” came a small voice from the doorway. A very tired, but very scared, Sarah stared back at Nora. “Mommy, are you OK?”
“Yes,” Nora said, trying to sound confident and natural even as another contraction hit her. “Yes, honey, everything’s fine. I’m having the baby!”
Sarah continued to look at her, not quite convinced that everything was as happy and exciting as Nora tried to make it sound.
Nora took a deep breath, relaxing and standing straighter. She walked over to Sarah and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Honey, I need you to be strong and brave, OK? Since Daddy’s not home, Uncle Saul is coming over and we’ll all go over to the hospital together. Will you help me out?”
Sarah nodded, waking up more and more. “Yes, mama.”
“OK, I need you to go upstairs and wake up Kitty. Tell her to get some clothes on and put on her shoes. Then get Tommy. Try not to wake him, but it’s OK if you do. Bring them both downstairs, and we’ll wait for Uncle Saul.”
Sarah broke away from Nora, hurrying upstairs. Nora started to follow her, but before she could step on the bottom stair, another contraction started. In the end, Saul arrived just in time to welcome his new nephew. Later that night, the doctor gave baby and mother the all-clear. And William arrived home by the next night to hold his son.
But Nora couldn’t shake the feeling that the pattern was already set. Kevin would always be impatient, and frankly, he would always know how to make an entrance. And William would always be distant. They were destined to be, metaphorically at least, on opposite sides of the country.
***
Even though now she was grown with her children (mostly) out of the house and nothing demanding her attention, Nora still didn’t sleep in most days. There was something therapeutic about slowly drinking a cup of coffee on the patio, letting the morning sun warm everything around her as the rest of the neighborhood woke up.
That day, she had the first session of her writing class. The idea of putting her thoughts on paper, constructing something full of art and meaning, was simultaneously exhilarating and terrifying. It had been so long since she had allowed the creative part of herself to really step out and shine. She almost had forgotten what it was like to do something for herself, because she enjoyed it. Nora couldn’t wait, but she also couldn’t shake an uneasy sense of impending...badness that came with exploring your feelings and sharing them with complete strangers.
***
It was almost like she had been possessed as she drove to the beach and walked towards the dock. The ring burned straight through the envelope to the skin of her hands as it reminded her not only of the joy and the love she had felt throughout her life, but also of the betrayal and the hurt. For months, she had mourned William and the end of her marriage. At the same time, she mourned the loss of her belief of what that marriage had been. She had felt so angry, so hurt, and in some ways, so guilty and responsible for her own part in it. Then came numbness, and now there was mostly acceptance. A need to draw a line. Dot the last sentence in that chapter of her life and move on.
As she stepped onto the dock, the out-of-body sensation left her and she resolutely walked to the end. Stopping near the railing, she stared out at the ocean. Then she opened the envelope and removed the ring, holding it by the very tips of her fingers as she fought tears. She clutched the ring tightly for a moment, took a deep breath and then threw it as far as she could. As soon as it left her hand, there was a brief flash of gut-level panic, a “what did I just do?” reaction that almost knocked her flat. But that didn’t last long, and she was back to feeling strangely resigned and relieved. The hold William had on her since that morning in Mr. Elliot’s office was now broken. She doubted there was anything she could find out now that would be any more difficult or even any easier to reconcile with the man she thought she knew.
After several minutes, she slowly sat down, dangling her legs over the edge of the dock, kicking them back and forth. And she smiled. She had loved William with all her heart, and she could never completely hate him now. He had given her a mostly happy life and five beautiful children. But now, in her heart and in her mind if not on paper, she could go back to being Nora Holden, ready and willing to start her new life. She couldn’t wait to see who she would grow into.
Nora sighed. She hadn’t really noticed the passing time, but now she realized it was starting to get cooler and quite late. The sun sank lower until it slipped beneath the water as gracefully and soundlessly as the ring had. Nora took a deep breath, stood up and went home.
Sitting in the morning sun,
I’ll be sitting when the evening comes...
The End