[MW] Harvey quote
[Set in breakcityheart. Everyone else is an NPC.]
“That's envy my dear, there's a little bit of envy in the best of us.”
“What the hell d’ya mean you ain’t-”
“Aren’t, Momma. Aren’t.”
There was a bit of a pause and she could tell by her mother’s tone when she started speaking again that she wasn’t really giving two shits about her grammar at the moment. “Kayla Joanne Van Buren would you turn off that big brain o’ yours and let me speak for two damn minutes.” Laura Van Buren usually took it with a side of grace when her daughter corrected the way she spoke, but when she was pissed, she really tended not to care. Kayla shut her mouth at that, and patiently waited for her mother to continue. “Now. What the hell d’ya mean you ain’t comin’ home for Thanksgiving?”
Kayla took a breath slowly and was grateful that she didn’t have to fake the disappointment in her voice. Because as much as she loved going home to Thedford for Thanksgiving this year. “I’m sorry, Momma. I am. I just had to spend more than I thought on books this semester, so I can’t afford it. I won’t be able to come back home till the semester’s over.”
There was another long silence, full of several starts and stops on her mother’s part, before: “I can’t have this conversation with her. Talk to your sister.” Her voice was distant, as though she had pulled the phone away from her ear, and a few minutes later, she heard the voice of her oldest sister on the other end of the line.
“You are about waist deep in shit, m’dear,” Josie said with a sigh. From the way she was breathing she had a feeling that her baby boy was probably sitting on her hip, listening to the conversation. “Didn’t think to keep a better eye on your finances? I thought things like this was what that credit card was for.”
“I can only make so much money over the summer, Josie. I can’t spend money I don’t have. And that card is for emergencies. I’m not going to put myself in debt this early in the game for something that’s not an emergency.”
There was a slight tch noise from the other end of the line and Kayla could hear the parts of the phone rattle as Josie started to bounce the baby on her hip. “You know, this is why Momma didn’t want you goin’ away so far to go to that damn school.”
“Yeah, well, I happen to love this school,” she sighed softly. “I needed to get away. I needed to be somewhere where people didn’t look at me funny when I corrected their goddamn grammar.”
“You watch that tone, girl, or you’re gonna find yourself in a whole other mess of trouble. Momma worked so damn hard to get you where you are, she doesn’t need any of that high and mighty bullshit from you.”
Kayla took a breath before rolling her eyes. “I wasn’t saying anything about Momma. I was talking about everyone else.”
“Sure, y’were.”
“Whatever.” She could roll her eyes into the next state if she wanted to, at least when her sisters were only on the phone. Doing that at home would get her a beating she’d never forget from all four of her sisters plus her mother, but that was something she could do when she was alone. “Look, tell Momma I’m very sorry and I’ll be home for Christmas, alright?”
“Yeah, alright. Be safe.”
“I will,” she sighed, before they said their goodbyes and hung up, collapsing back against her bed with a sigh. For all her conflict with her family, she still loved them and was totally bummed she wasn’t going home for Thanksgiving.
Well, at least she had the Connors.
622 words
“That's envy my dear, there's a little bit of envy in the best of us.”
“What the hell d’ya mean you ain’t-”
“Aren’t, Momma. Aren’t.”
There was a bit of a pause and she could tell by her mother’s tone when she started speaking again that she wasn’t really giving two shits about her grammar at the moment. “Kayla Joanne Van Buren would you turn off that big brain o’ yours and let me speak for two damn minutes.” Laura Van Buren usually took it with a side of grace when her daughter corrected the way she spoke, but when she was pissed, she really tended not to care. Kayla shut her mouth at that, and patiently waited for her mother to continue. “Now. What the hell d’ya mean you ain’t comin’ home for Thanksgiving?”
Kayla took a breath slowly and was grateful that she didn’t have to fake the disappointment in her voice. Because as much as she loved going home to Thedford for Thanksgiving this year. “I’m sorry, Momma. I am. I just had to spend more than I thought on books this semester, so I can’t afford it. I won’t be able to come back home till the semester’s over.”
There was another long silence, full of several starts and stops on her mother’s part, before: “I can’t have this conversation with her. Talk to your sister.” Her voice was distant, as though she had pulled the phone away from her ear, and a few minutes later, she heard the voice of her oldest sister on the other end of the line.
“You are about waist deep in shit, m’dear,” Josie said with a sigh. From the way she was breathing she had a feeling that her baby boy was probably sitting on her hip, listening to the conversation. “Didn’t think to keep a better eye on your finances? I thought things like this was what that credit card was for.”
“I can only make so much money over the summer, Josie. I can’t spend money I don’t have. And that card is for emergencies. I’m not going to put myself in debt this early in the game for something that’s not an emergency.”
There was a slight tch noise from the other end of the line and Kayla could hear the parts of the phone rattle as Josie started to bounce the baby on her hip. “You know, this is why Momma didn’t want you goin’ away so far to go to that damn school.”
“Yeah, well, I happen to love this school,” she sighed softly. “I needed to get away. I needed to be somewhere where people didn’t look at me funny when I corrected their goddamn grammar.”
“You watch that tone, girl, or you’re gonna find yourself in a whole other mess of trouble. Momma worked so damn hard to get you where you are, she doesn’t need any of that high and mighty bullshit from you.”
Kayla took a breath before rolling her eyes. “I wasn’t saying anything about Momma. I was talking about everyone else.”
“Sure, y’were.”
“Whatever.” She could roll her eyes into the next state if she wanted to, at least when her sisters were only on the phone. Doing that at home would get her a beating she’d never forget from all four of her sisters plus her mother, but that was something she could do when she was alone. “Look, tell Momma I’m very sorry and I’ll be home for Christmas, alright?”
“Yeah, alright. Be safe.”
“I will,” she sighed, before they said their goodbyes and hung up, collapsing back against her bed with a sigh. For all her conflict with her family, she still loved them and was totally bummed she wasn’t going home for Thanksgiving.
Well, at least she had the Connors.
622 words