Legacy
Hooray, Giovannixseren is back with a post! Woo hoo!
*celebrates* Okay, now I'm done. Here's a post for the Giovanni theme.
Happy birthday, Ket!
Theme: Giovanni
Title: Legacy
POV: Giovanni
Notes: Hooray for my first post in months! ^^
A bit short, but I was going for poignant, and not length. Enjoy!
“Father, why did you name me what you did?” I ask, sitting next to him on the porch swing, nibbling at a spoonful of granita.
“I named you after a good friend of mine growing up.”
I can’t help but frown a little, “he was named Iian?” I can’t believe someone else actually named their kid that.
He laughs heartily, “No, no, little one. His name was Giovanni, just like we call you. I grew up with him in Italy.”
“So what made you name me after him?” I’m still getting used to my new friend having two names, one of everyday use, and one that she can barely pronounce, let alone use. So I can’t help but be curious about different names at the moment.
He smiles, but there’s something different about it. It’s not his normal carefree smile; this one feels sad. “He…was a very good man. A good friend, loyal to the end to both family and his friends…” he stops for a second, as if to compose himself, “he died saving my life.” He strokes my Persian‘s fur in thought, “and I promised myself if I ever had a son, I would give him that name to remember him by, as a legacy. I hoped that the boy who had it would have the same courage and love for his family and friends that he would do anything for them.”
I had heard the one word before, but never understood it, “A legacy?”
My father thinks for a moment before continuing, “Something to be remembered for, once you die, I suppose would be a way to put it. There’s an old belief that if you take someone’s name for yourself, they become a small part of you.” He chuckles, “I’m not sure how much it’s true, but, I’d like to think that passing his name to you, even as the middle name, might help you to become a better person. In some ways, maybe it already is.” I raise an eyebrow, “Seren told me what you’ve done to help her. Even though you’ve only known her for a little while, you’ve shown that you are a loyal friend, and you’ve always been loyal to your mother and I, even after…”
“Mom got sick.” I finish, sighing, “Well…she’s my mom, and she doesn’t mean it when she says mean things to me…right?”
“Right. But your patience with her shows how loyal you are.” He smiles, “Maybe you did inherit a little of his legacy…”
Later, as I lay in bed, I think about what my father has said, and wonder what legacy my name will carry with it.
And now there are three Giovannis here… I can’t help but think as I watch my son play with his little one, our first grandchild, the newborn giggling and hitting his father in the chest with a little rattle. At first, I thought Junior and Domino were kidding when they told Seren and I they were naming the little one after me, but when the name was written down on the birth certificate, I started to wonder what it would mean for the child. After all, both of the Giovannis before him have grown up in Team Rocket, being raised to take over the organization when their predecessor passed or retired. I wish now I had thought about it before I started teaching Junior to take over for me. What sort of legacy would that be for my grandchild? Will he grow up to be overly ambitious, wanting power to the point where he’d do anything for it, even if it was the power to protect the ones he loves? I shudder at the thought. Or will he become a bit more insecure like his father…
I was born to a mother who became controlling, manipulative, hateful, who pushed me to the point I thought I would break, and did break me later. The pressure caused me to rebel, running away to Johto with the girl I would later marry, breaking rules, doing stupid things…things I would later regret (except for running away with my best girl. I‘ve never regretted that one.). I learned from them, but they were painful lessons. And my connections to Team Rocket have always made my family a target for rival organizations. Hell, it’s been a little over a year since Seren was kidnapped because of her tie to me. My name is something my enemies curse at, vowing revenge or justice. Is that something I want to put my grandson through?
And then there’s his dad, the son who carries my name. He is being trained to take over from me, but his heart so far remains in other things. Don’t get me wrong, he can run the organization with Domino, his wife, at his side in small doses, but I can’t help but worry if it will be good for him. As his parents, we have always done our best to teach him family values, tried our best to be supportive no matter what, unlike my own upbringing. His mother has always been there for him, always cared deeply for him, something I didn’t get at that age…hell, I was lucky to be acknowledged by my mother at his age. But at 18, maybe he’s too young to worry about training to take over for me. After all, he has a wife and a newborn child to worry about. I was too busy trying to prove myself to my mother, too busy worrying for Seren when Mother sent her out on missions that could very well kill her, and fighting in a war, to do anything other than a simple ceremony, in case something should happen to us. But even he has a bit of my burden, being put through rescuing his mother last year, and witnessing the pain the power that I tried to use to protect my family can bring, and it has shaped him in ways it should not have had a chance to.
But, even with his parents in Team Rocket, maybe this little Giovanni can create a different world for himself, one where he doesn‘t have to worry for his loved ones like I do, like his father does at times. I sense something different, something fresh in the precious little boy I get to tote around on my shoulders now. There is innocence there, and I feel our family changing to accommodate that innocence, not wanting to taint it. There has always been darkness in our family, but this child feels like a glimmer of light, slowly brightening until it encompasses all.
Perhaps this child is the change we need…
Perhaps my legacy won’t taint the boy after all.
*celebrates* Okay, now I'm done. Here's a post for the Giovanni theme.
Happy birthday, Ket!
Theme: Giovanni
Title: Legacy
POV: Giovanni
Notes: Hooray for my first post in months! ^^
A bit short, but I was going for poignant, and not length. Enjoy!
“Father, why did you name me what you did?” I ask, sitting next to him on the porch swing, nibbling at a spoonful of granita.
“I named you after a good friend of mine growing up.”
I can’t help but frown a little, “he was named Iian?” I can’t believe someone else actually named their kid that.
He laughs heartily, “No, no, little one. His name was Giovanni, just like we call you. I grew up with him in Italy.”
“So what made you name me after him?” I’m still getting used to my new friend having two names, one of everyday use, and one that she can barely pronounce, let alone use. So I can’t help but be curious about different names at the moment.
He smiles, but there’s something different about it. It’s not his normal carefree smile; this one feels sad. “He…was a very good man. A good friend, loyal to the end to both family and his friends…” he stops for a second, as if to compose himself, “he died saving my life.” He strokes my Persian‘s fur in thought, “and I promised myself if I ever had a son, I would give him that name to remember him by, as a legacy. I hoped that the boy who had it would have the same courage and love for his family and friends that he would do anything for them.”
I had heard the one word before, but never understood it, “A legacy?”
My father thinks for a moment before continuing, “Something to be remembered for, once you die, I suppose would be a way to put it. There’s an old belief that if you take someone’s name for yourself, they become a small part of you.” He chuckles, “I’m not sure how much it’s true, but, I’d like to think that passing his name to you, even as the middle name, might help you to become a better person. In some ways, maybe it already is.” I raise an eyebrow, “Seren told me what you’ve done to help her. Even though you’ve only known her for a little while, you’ve shown that you are a loyal friend, and you’ve always been loyal to your mother and I, even after…”
“Mom got sick.” I finish, sighing, “Well…she’s my mom, and she doesn’t mean it when she says mean things to me…right?”
“Right. But your patience with her shows how loyal you are.” He smiles, “Maybe you did inherit a little of his legacy…”
Later, as I lay in bed, I think about what my father has said, and wonder what legacy my name will carry with it.
And now there are three Giovannis here… I can’t help but think as I watch my son play with his little one, our first grandchild, the newborn giggling and hitting his father in the chest with a little rattle. At first, I thought Junior and Domino were kidding when they told Seren and I they were naming the little one after me, but when the name was written down on the birth certificate, I started to wonder what it would mean for the child. After all, both of the Giovannis before him have grown up in Team Rocket, being raised to take over the organization when their predecessor passed or retired. I wish now I had thought about it before I started teaching Junior to take over for me. What sort of legacy would that be for my grandchild? Will he grow up to be overly ambitious, wanting power to the point where he’d do anything for it, even if it was the power to protect the ones he loves? I shudder at the thought. Or will he become a bit more insecure like his father…
I was born to a mother who became controlling, manipulative, hateful, who pushed me to the point I thought I would break, and did break me later. The pressure caused me to rebel, running away to Johto with the girl I would later marry, breaking rules, doing stupid things…things I would later regret (except for running away with my best girl. I‘ve never regretted that one.). I learned from them, but they were painful lessons. And my connections to Team Rocket have always made my family a target for rival organizations. Hell, it’s been a little over a year since Seren was kidnapped because of her tie to me. My name is something my enemies curse at, vowing revenge or justice. Is that something I want to put my grandson through?
And then there’s his dad, the son who carries my name. He is being trained to take over from me, but his heart so far remains in other things. Don’t get me wrong, he can run the organization with Domino, his wife, at his side in small doses, but I can’t help but worry if it will be good for him. As his parents, we have always done our best to teach him family values, tried our best to be supportive no matter what, unlike my own upbringing. His mother has always been there for him, always cared deeply for him, something I didn’t get at that age…hell, I was lucky to be acknowledged by my mother at his age. But at 18, maybe he’s too young to worry about training to take over for me. After all, he has a wife and a newborn child to worry about. I was too busy trying to prove myself to my mother, too busy worrying for Seren when Mother sent her out on missions that could very well kill her, and fighting in a war, to do anything other than a simple ceremony, in case something should happen to us. But even he has a bit of my burden, being put through rescuing his mother last year, and witnessing the pain the power that I tried to use to protect my family can bring, and it has shaped him in ways it should not have had a chance to.
But, even with his parents in Team Rocket, maybe this little Giovanni can create a different world for himself, one where he doesn‘t have to worry for his loved ones like I do, like his father does at times. I sense something different, something fresh in the precious little boy I get to tote around on my shoulders now. There is innocence there, and I feel our family changing to accommodate that innocence, not wanting to taint it. There has always been darkness in our family, but this child feels like a glimmer of light, slowly brightening until it encompasses all.
Perhaps this child is the change we need…
Perhaps my legacy won’t taint the boy after all.