Arc One [9]
Author: Homer
Title: Untitled
Rating: G
Word Count: 885
"Nora's going to visit you soon."
She hadn’t. Eva had been wrong in that respect. Nora had called and asked to meet, nice safe neutral space. Open to everything.
She was restlessly stirring a cup of coffee when he walked up. Ten minutes early and she had still beaten him here. Nora had always been punctual. It allowed her to prepare herself mentally. He knew her habits, even after the short time they had been married. Nora had said it was a nervous hold over from her years as an intern.
“Nora?”
“Peter. You’re early.” She tried to smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
He laughed softly, seating himself across from her. “How long have you been waiting?”
The blush was a rare thing, one of the little things he had enjoyed teasing out of her during their marriage. “Not long, just a few minutes.”
He glanced down at the half finished bagel on the table and raised an eyebrow. “Really, you must have been hungry.”
She smiled, a real one this time. “Caught me. I got here about an hour ago. I was nervous and couldn’t decide how long it would take to get here with the construction.”
He smiled back, missing her suddenly with a keenness he hadn’t felt since those first few days in the valley. Even knowing it was a lie, he missed how easy the conversation flowed between them. She was so very different from Eva. They had enjoyed a very different marriage than he and Eva had had. It was wrong of him to miss a lie that had hurt her, had hurt Eva, but he still did. Even as selfish as that made him. “It’s good to see you, Nora.” The waitress wondered over to take his order, but he didn’t miss the quiet look she gave him from under her hair.
“You probably won’t think that in a moment.” The words were soft, directed to the coffee cup.
He finished giving his order and waited with her in silence while the coffee came. “How have you been?”
She smiled quietly, stirring her coffee. “Busy. Always busy, it seems like every day something new is happening. My students are doing well though, it’s rewarding work. I don’t think I’d trade it for anything. You?” Ah, he knew that emotion. He knew that look, he’d gotten it from Eva often enough. Regret. So she would trade it for something, then. What could she possibly want?
“Busy. In a different way - Eva and Marco keep me jumping across the country fairly regularly. Either for press conferences or meetings with some upper muckity muck, either from our government or the Andalite home world. Andalites are exhausting taken in large doses. And smug, they have no respect for our intelligence. Everything we’ve managed to accomplish, including the Animorphs’ accomplishments. It’s rather annoying to have them all looked at with their version of a sneer. You wouldn’t think that something could sneer without a mouth, but they manage it somehow.”
“It sounds exhausting; I’m glad I’m just a simple school teacher.”
“Well, your work is just as important if not more so. I don’t envy you. I don’t know many people who could do it.” Eva couldn’t. Marco couldn’t.
She smiled at him, stirring her coffee again. “Peter…”
The waitress returned, setting his coffee on the table and chatting with him briefly before she let herself be ushered away.
Marco’s fame was frighteningly contagious sometimes.
“Why did we wait so long to meet up, anyway? It seems impractical. You and I were friends before…” He made a half hearted gesture at his head and winced at her flinch.
“Yes…I... We were both busy. Marco and Eva needed you. Your wife needed you.” There was something pained in her smile, something just on the edge of breaking. “My students and daughter needed me. “
“But still, everything that happened…”
“It’s done now, Peter. I know. I…there’s no easy way to tell you this, Peter. So I’ll just come right out and say it.”
“Tell me what, Nora?”
“My daughter, Rachel May, she’s yours.”
For the fourth time in his life, the bottom dropped out of his world.
“I’m sorry; I know you’ll probably hate me now. I’ll let you decide, if you want to be a part of her life. If you don’t…that’s okay.” She was speaking directly to the coffee cup, face intent and voice flat.
“Nora…I…I.” What was he supposed to say? The white knuckled grip he currently had on the spoon was distorting the cheap metal.
Why had he noticed that?
“Just…just, it’s your decision. Let me know what you decide?”
He didn’t remember paying the waitress, or leaving the coffee shop, or ending up in this bar with a glass of cheap scotch in his hand.
He didn’t want to remember. Anything.
Didn’t want to think about Eva knowing. Or Marco knowing. Didn’t want to think about not being told because they wanted to protect him.
Just wanted to forget.
“I’m a father.”
The barkeep looked at him, misinterpreting the statement offered to the scotch as being directed to him. “Congratulations, then.”
Congratulations. That’s what you were supposed to hear when you had a baby.
He laughed, a hollow, broken thing, and downed the glass. “Don’t stop pouring.”
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Title: Untitled
Rating: G
Word Count: 885
"Nora's going to visit you soon."
She hadn’t. Eva had been wrong in that respect. Nora had called and asked to meet, nice safe neutral space. Open to everything.
She was restlessly stirring a cup of coffee when he walked up. Ten minutes early and she had still beaten him here. Nora had always been punctual. It allowed her to prepare herself mentally. He knew her habits, even after the short time they had been married. Nora had said it was a nervous hold over from her years as an intern.
“Nora?”
“Peter. You’re early.” She tried to smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
He laughed softly, seating himself across from her. “How long have you been waiting?”
The blush was a rare thing, one of the little things he had enjoyed teasing out of her during their marriage. “Not long, just a few minutes.”
He glanced down at the half finished bagel on the table and raised an eyebrow. “Really, you must have been hungry.”
She smiled, a real one this time. “Caught me. I got here about an hour ago. I was nervous and couldn’t decide how long it would take to get here with the construction.”
He smiled back, missing her suddenly with a keenness he hadn’t felt since those first few days in the valley. Even knowing it was a lie, he missed how easy the conversation flowed between them. She was so very different from Eva. They had enjoyed a very different marriage than he and Eva had had. It was wrong of him to miss a lie that had hurt her, had hurt Eva, but he still did. Even as selfish as that made him. “It’s good to see you, Nora.” The waitress wondered over to take his order, but he didn’t miss the quiet look she gave him from under her hair.
“You probably won’t think that in a moment.” The words were soft, directed to the coffee cup.
He finished giving his order and waited with her in silence while the coffee came. “How have you been?”
She smiled quietly, stirring her coffee. “Busy. Always busy, it seems like every day something new is happening. My students are doing well though, it’s rewarding work. I don’t think I’d trade it for anything. You?” Ah, he knew that emotion. He knew that look, he’d gotten it from Eva often enough. Regret. So she would trade it for something, then. What could she possibly want?
“Busy. In a different way - Eva and Marco keep me jumping across the country fairly regularly. Either for press conferences or meetings with some upper muckity muck, either from our government or the Andalite home world. Andalites are exhausting taken in large doses. And smug, they have no respect for our intelligence. Everything we’ve managed to accomplish, including the Animorphs’ accomplishments. It’s rather annoying to have them all looked at with their version of a sneer. You wouldn’t think that something could sneer without a mouth, but they manage it somehow.”
“It sounds exhausting; I’m glad I’m just a simple school teacher.”
“Well, your work is just as important if not more so. I don’t envy you. I don’t know many people who could do it.” Eva couldn’t. Marco couldn’t.
She smiled at him, stirring her coffee again. “Peter…”
The waitress returned, setting his coffee on the table and chatting with him briefly before she let herself be ushered away.
Marco’s fame was frighteningly contagious sometimes.
“Why did we wait so long to meet up, anyway? It seems impractical. You and I were friends before…” He made a half hearted gesture at his head and winced at her flinch.
“Yes…I... We were both busy. Marco and Eva needed you. Your wife needed you.” There was something pained in her smile, something just on the edge of breaking. “My students and daughter needed me. “
“But still, everything that happened…”
“It’s done now, Peter. I know. I…there’s no easy way to tell you this, Peter. So I’ll just come right out and say it.”
“Tell me what, Nora?”
“My daughter, Rachel May, she’s yours.”
For the fourth time in his life, the bottom dropped out of his world.
“I’m sorry; I know you’ll probably hate me now. I’ll let you decide, if you want to be a part of her life. If you don’t…that’s okay.” She was speaking directly to the coffee cup, face intent and voice flat.
“Nora…I…I.” What was he supposed to say? The white knuckled grip he currently had on the spoon was distorting the cheap metal.
Why had he noticed that?
“Just…just, it’s your decision. Let me know what you decide?”
He didn’t remember paying the waitress, or leaving the coffee shop, or ending up in this bar with a glass of cheap scotch in his hand.
He didn’t want to remember. Anything.
Didn’t want to think about Eva knowing. Or Marco knowing. Didn’t want to think about not being told because they wanted to protect him.
Just wanted to forget.
“I’m a father.”
The barkeep looked at him, misinterpreting the statement offered to the scotch as being directed to him. “Congratulations, then.”
Congratulations. That’s what you were supposed to hear when you had a baby.
He laughed, a hollow, broken thing, and downed the glass. “Don’t stop pouring.”
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