Categories > Theatre > Rent > Someone to Live For
Someone to Live For
Finding Answers
------
In which Mark's niece asks a lot of questions. Directly on the heels of Mark's graduation from college.
DISCLAIMER: Not mine; just borrowing. Will return when finished. (Rebecca, Esther, and John are sort of co-authorial property, though, as they have no canon basis.)
------
On the subway back to the loft, so Mark can drop his graduation stuff off before dinner, Esther says, "Okay, so explain."
Mark eyes his niece, with more than a little trepidation. "Explain what?"
"Why Grandma and Grandpa were acting like the snobby girls at school do when they have to work in groups with the less popular kids. And why Grandpa barely talked to you and didn't talk to Angel at all."
Angel sighs. "Sorry, Mark. She asked during the ceremony and I couldn't exactly explain then. It's... they have problems with the fact that I'm not a girl, despite dressing like one half the time."
"Among other things."
Esther tilts her head to one side. "Why?"
"I don't really know. They've got this idea that what I do reflects on them, somehow, and me doing what I love doesn't involve having a 'real' job or having kids of my own, so. Dad and I haven't really talked since... probably before I graduated high school."
"But you're happy. Shouldn't that be the important thing?"
"One would think."
"It should," Angel says, "but people are awfully silly sometimes, and this is one of them."
Esther goes quiet, which Mark takes as a sign that she's letting the subject drop, at least for now. He hopes she'll wait and barrage Rebecca with questions instead; his oldest sister is still on fairly good terms with their parents, so she might be better equipped to explain their position, for all she doesn't agree.
Unfortunately, his luck doesn't hold entirely, and in the middle of dinner, Esther stops eating and says, "Grandpa, why are you so upset with Mark?"
Mark wants to hide. His parents are just as surprised as he is, if their facial expressions are any indication, Rebecca and Angel are trying not to laugh, and John looks rather like he's been meaning to ask the same question.
"...Well, he's not going to have any children of his own."
"So? You've got me and John, and Aunt Cindy's kids." She keeps going at it, effectively backing her grandfather into a corner the way she keeps shooting down his arguments. It would be entertaining, if Mark didn't feel like he'd be better off not witnessing this at all. He really had enough of being the center of attention with the graduation ceremony.
The waitress delivers their checks during a break in the argument; Mark's parents pay and get out as quickly as they can without making themselves look bad. Once they're gone, Angel actually does laugh.
"That was interesting."
Mark's positive he's bright red, by now. "If by interesting you mean humiliating."
"What, that someone leapt to your defense like that?"
"Not just anyone," Rebecca says. "Your ten-year-old niece."
"I think we've got a reporter on our hands here, really. The way she kept asking questions."
Esther grins. "I could do that. I like finding answers."
"But did you have to do it here?"
"Well, when else were you both gonna be in the same place? Wanted you to see that. Your family's not all crazy."
"I'm really starting to wonder about that."
Angel rolls her eyes. "Oh, relax, honey. You know how she means. Come on, let's all get out of here. We're hogging the table, at this point."
Finding Answers
------
In which Mark's niece asks a lot of questions. Directly on the heels of Mark's graduation from college.
DISCLAIMER: Not mine; just borrowing. Will return when finished. (Rebecca, Esther, and John are sort of co-authorial property, though, as they have no canon basis.)
------
On the subway back to the loft, so Mark can drop his graduation stuff off before dinner, Esther says, "Okay, so explain."
Mark eyes his niece, with more than a little trepidation. "Explain what?"
"Why Grandma and Grandpa were acting like the snobby girls at school do when they have to work in groups with the less popular kids. And why Grandpa barely talked to you and didn't talk to Angel at all."
Angel sighs. "Sorry, Mark. She asked during the ceremony and I couldn't exactly explain then. It's... they have problems with the fact that I'm not a girl, despite dressing like one half the time."
"Among other things."
Esther tilts her head to one side. "Why?"
"I don't really know. They've got this idea that what I do reflects on them, somehow, and me doing what I love doesn't involve having a 'real' job or having kids of my own, so. Dad and I haven't really talked since... probably before I graduated high school."
"But you're happy. Shouldn't that be the important thing?"
"One would think."
"It should," Angel says, "but people are awfully silly sometimes, and this is one of them."
Esther goes quiet, which Mark takes as a sign that she's letting the subject drop, at least for now. He hopes she'll wait and barrage Rebecca with questions instead; his oldest sister is still on fairly good terms with their parents, so she might be better equipped to explain their position, for all she doesn't agree.
Unfortunately, his luck doesn't hold entirely, and in the middle of dinner, Esther stops eating and says, "Grandpa, why are you so upset with Mark?"
Mark wants to hide. His parents are just as surprised as he is, if their facial expressions are any indication, Rebecca and Angel are trying not to laugh, and John looks rather like he's been meaning to ask the same question.
"...Well, he's not going to have any children of his own."
"So? You've got me and John, and Aunt Cindy's kids." She keeps going at it, effectively backing her grandfather into a corner the way she keeps shooting down his arguments. It would be entertaining, if Mark didn't feel like he'd be better off not witnessing this at all. He really had enough of being the center of attention with the graduation ceremony.
The waitress delivers their checks during a break in the argument; Mark's parents pay and get out as quickly as they can without making themselves look bad. Once they're gone, Angel actually does laugh.
"That was interesting."
Mark's positive he's bright red, by now. "If by interesting you mean humiliating."
"What, that someone leapt to your defense like that?"
"Not just anyone," Rebecca says. "Your ten-year-old niece."
"I think we've got a reporter on our hands here, really. The way she kept asking questions."
Esther grins. "I could do that. I like finding answers."
"But did you have to do it here?"
"Well, when else were you both gonna be in the same place? Wanted you to see that. Your family's not all crazy."
"I'm really starting to wonder about that."
Angel rolls her eyes. "Oh, relax, honey. You know how she means. Come on, let's all get out of here. We're hogging the table, at this point."
Sign up to rate and review this story