Birthday Girls (1/1)
Title: Birthday Girls (1/1)
Author: WibbleyWobbley
Characters: Nora, Sarah, Kitty, with passing references to and appearances by other characters
Rating: PG
Summary: The Walker women through the years.
Spoilers: Nothing in particular
Word Count: ~2,315
Disclaimer: Not mine
A/N: So, last year, you got smut. No such luck this year.
On her 17th birthday, Nora lost her virginity. It was uncomfortable, although not in the way Nora imagined it was for other people. Well, yes, in that way, too. But mostly because he was tall and she was short and there simply was not enough room to maneuver in the backseat.
But Dylan had been amazing, and Roy Orbison was singing on the radio, and Nora thought Stan was brilliant and passionate and rebellious.
Mostly he was just selfish, as it turned out. Nora received a short letter mere days after that night, full of apologies and excuses that simply amounted to the fact that she wasn’t enough to keep him there. And while Nora never would say she supported the war, she did realize that she supported the men who fought in it, because at least they honored their country and their commitments, and they didn’t abandon the people they claimed to love to protect their own skin. Not that she was bitter or anything.
She would have trouble seeing it that way later in life, though, when her baby decided to enlist.
*
Sarah’s 23rd birthday was her first birthday in an entirely different state. What’s worse was it was a school break, and all her friends had gone away while she stayed behind to work on a class project as well as make some money. She tried not to feel sorry for herself as the evening went on, but all she could really think about was her mother’s secret cake recipe, and Kitty teasing her about boyfriends and still-burning candles, and her father’s birthday toast, and the boys competing with each other to see who could sing the loudest and most obnoxious version of Happy Birthday.
Sarah sighed and turned back to the desk, picking up her pen and starting to write again. There was a knock on her door, and she stared at it in surprise. That surprise only grew when she opened it and saw her mother.
“Happy birthday!” Nora said.
“Mom!”
Nora reached out and pulled her into a hug. “You just sounded so sad on the phone last week, I had to come. The others are all in school, of course, and Daddy had to work, but I have presents from them all.”
“Mom!” Sarah said again, trying not to cry.
*
On her 12th birthday, Kitty announced at dinner she was a Republican, and she wasn’t going to sit quietly during political discussions anymore. William smiled proudly at her, ignoring Sarah’s snorts of derision and Nora’s annoyed anger. Kitty went onto say she was volunteering for Reagan's campaign, at which point Nora threw her napkin on the table, stood, and disappeared into the kitchen and eventually the pantry.
They would never see eye-to-eye on it, but Nora listened to the radio show every day (and later she watched the TV show every day), and she limited herself to calling in and arguing with Kitty’s rhetoric only once a week.
*
By Nora’s 19th birthday, she was a married woman. It was something of a whirlwind romance. Saul didn’t understand why she couldn’t wait, of course, and begged her to give it a few more months. Her mother disapproved of William, called him a slick charmer. But Nora knew she loved him. And so she buried any doubts she might have had, and told herself she would compromise, give up on some things she might have wanted in her life to find happiness with other things. No one could have it all, after all.
She had lunch with Emily Craft that day, and when she got back to the little two-bedroom apartment that was their first home, she was surprised to find William there.
“Why aren’t you at work?” she called out.
“Took off,” came a muffled voice from the kitchen.
Nora raised her eyebrows in shock. William never took off work. She walked into the kitchen and immediately burst into laughter. There was flour and sugar and other ingredients over every surface of the room, and over William as well. He was staring in defeated anger at a burnt, flat…cake, Nora assumed.
“I wanted to make you a birthday cake,” he said.
Nora stood on her tiptoes, straining up to kiss William’s cheek. He tasted good and sweet. She then reached for his hand and began to lead him in the direction of the bathroom.
“Let’s get you cleaned up.”
The kitchen wasn’t scrubbed until the next day. There never was any birthday cake. But Nora aided William in a very thorough shower, and they ran to the bedroom still dripping wet, and Sarah was born nine months later.
*
At midnight the night she turned 29, Sarah snuck out of the bedroom and into the living room. Joe was finally asleep, and Sarah couldn’t wait any longer. Curling up on the couch, she bit her nail as she listened to the phone on the other end ring and ring.
“Hello?” someone finally murmured.
“Kitty?” Sarah whispered.
“Sarah? What’s wrong? What is it?”
“I’m sorry. I know it’s early there.”
“Sarah, it’s 3:00 in the morning.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Is everyone OK?”
“Yeah. I just wanted to tell you that I’m engaged. I’m getting married.”
“What?!”
“Joe proposed tonight.”
“Oh my God, Sarah. Oh my God!”
“I know!” Sarah said with a slight squeal.
*
When Kitty turned 23, she had just finished her first week living in the tiniest studio apartment she had ever seen. But she didn’t care, because she was in New York. She had just finished her internship in D.C. and was still feeling sad over the ending of her physical relationship with…well, with someone she would never, ever admit to having been with. But she had received a birthday card from him earlier that week with an amazing letter inside. She already sent one back, and was envisioning a meaningful, intelligent, motivational correspondence. Something that would make history, in a way, as they influenced each other and, by extension, political commentary and discussion.
At the moment, however, she was focused on more playful forms of communication. It was funny, because in the past, she’d have received only a few cards - one from Grandma, one from Uncle Saul, one from Sarah, and one from the rest of the family. But now Tommy was in his own apartment too, and Kevin was away at school. Which meant two more cards. She could start to see the individual touches of everyone that used to be masked by her mother’s simple messages of “Happy Birthday, honey! Love, all of us!”
Now, the home card became “Mom, Daddy and Justin.” Tommy’s had a little joke inside. Kevin included a short message outlining why the latest Republican bill was unconstitutional; Kitty smiled and focused instead on the picture he put in there of him and his group of (really good-looking) friends at school, holding up a banner that read “Happy Birthday Kitty!” And the inside of Sarah’s card was filled with cramped writing as she filled Kitty in on everything going on in California.
Kitty sighed, smiled sadly, and held the cards to her chest since she couldn’t hug the people who sent them.
*
On Nora’s 24th birthday, she sat at the counter in the kitchen and tried not to cry. It had been a very stressful day. Sarah had come home from kindergarten, bawling because her crayon-drawn card didn’t turn out as beautiful as she wanted it. Kitty had a cold. And Tommy wouldn’t stop taking off his clothes, giggling as he ran around the house, buck naked and flashing his little thing all over the place. And the morning sickness was still going strong, all day long, months into the pregnancy.
She hoped it wasn’t another boy. She adored Tommy, but if today was any indication, she didn’t know how to handle boys. And maybe not girls, either. She was a horrible mother.
There was commotion in the room, and Nora quickly sat up, wiping at her eyes. Sarah held Tommy in her arms, his feet barely off the ground, and led a sniffling Kitty behind her.
“Momma? Kitty would like a popsicle,” Sarah said.
Kitty nodded forlornly.
“OK,” Nora said, climbing off the stool. She reached into the freezer and got three popsicles out. They all went into the den, piling into the couch cushion fort. Kitty and Sarah sucked away at their popsicles, while Nora shared the third with Tommy. She sighed and wrapped her arms in a hug around her kids.
*
The day Sarah turned 39-and-a-half was her last day at North Light Coffee. She said goodbye to her coworkers, and tried her hardest not to kiss Noah. She cried in her car and then drove home.
Paige and Cooper had drawn her pictures, and Joe had poured her a glass of wine.
On Monday, she’d start at, or rather, go back to Ojai. She had promised herself, when she left, that she wouldn’t work there again. She wanted to prove she could make it on her own. Ojai had been her life as a child, working there in the summers with Tommy. But she needed the challenge of working somewhere where her father wasn't the boss.
It felt like a surrender, going back. Like giving up. But it was the best way she could think of to save her marriage.
*
On Kitty’s 38th birthday, her father died.
*
Nora’s 60th birthday was her first as a widow.
Her children surprised her. Her mother annoyed her. Her brother supported her. There were plenty of serfs and virtually no alcohol. Despite that, it was a good birthday.
But at the end of the night, she crawled into the big, empty bed. And, try as she might to remind herself how much she hated William, she couldn’t think of anything except: this was the first time in more than 40 years he hadn’t kissed her on her birthday.
*
Joe had the kids on Sarah’s 41st birthday, and so they had planned the family party for the next weekend. That left Sarah all alone, and she was seriously depressed.
Kitty was somewhere in the U.S. with Robert, running for president. And she couldn’t really deal with the thought of her mother hovering that night; besides, Justin needed Nora more. Tommy and Julia had a little baby. That left Kevin.
“Hello?”
“Kev!”
“Sarah, happy birthday.”
“Wanna come over? I already have a bottle open. I figure a little wine, order in some food, maybe a movie with lots of good-looking shirtless guys.”
“I - thought we were celebrating next weekend.”
“Well, yeah, but…”
There was a pause. “No, it’s just…I have plans tonight.”
“With who? Your boyfriend’s in another country, and you don’t have any friends.”
“Um. With Scotty. Wandell.”
“Scotty, your ex?”
“Yeah. I helped him out with some…anyway, we’re having dinner.”
“Why, Kevin Walker. If I didn’t know better - ”
“Oh, stop it. It’s not like that.”
“Uh-huh,” Sarah responded, the teasing making her feel better (as it always did).
There was another long pause. “I can cancel,” Kevin said.
“No, no. Go. I gotta get used to being alone, right?”
“I’ll cancel.”
“No! I’m just joking. Go. Have fun. But don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“There’s not a lot on the list of things you wouldn’t do.”
“Hush.”
“I’ll call you when we’re done, if it’s early.”
“OK. Bye.”
Sarah hung up, staring at the phone screen for a while. She looked around the empty, quiet house. And she poured herself another glass of wine. Her phone beeped again, and she looked down at it, smiling as she read the text from Kitty.
Happy birthday, big sis! I’m having a piece of cake for dessert in honor of you! They make damn good cake in...oh God, wherever we are now.
*
Kitty nodded to herself as she read over the letter to any potential birth mothers. She wrote of her hopes and dreams, of her desire to be as good a mother as her own or her sister. Of the pain she had felt at the loss of a baby she hadn’t realized she wanted, and the attempts to get pregnant again. Of the fear that she’d never have the chance to be a mom.
She sighed, removing her glasses and adding the sheet to the packet she would mail to the agency in the morning. It was hard to believe that she may have a child before the year was out. Before her next birthday.
She kept forgetting it was her birthday. Or kept trying to forget, rather. The last couple years had been bad ones, with her father dying and Justin getting injured. This year didn’t look much better, as her husband was in D.C., trying to finish up some work so he could be back for the meeting with the social worker next week.
Kitty stretched, standing and walking towards the bedroom. Before she had gone two steps, however, the door opened. Kitty turned in surprise.
“Robert?!”
“Hi, sweetie.”
“What are you doing here?” she asked, startled as she returned his quick kiss.
Robert handed her the flowers in his hand. “I pushed up the return flight. I wanted to get here early enough for dinner, but there was a delay.”
“Oh, Robert.”
“I couldn’t let you spend your birthday alone.”
Kitty smiled. Then she watched in confusion as Robert patted his pockets, clearly looking for something.
“Aha!” Robert said, removing an envelope. “Here you go.”
Kitty furrowed her brow, opening the card. Childish writing wished her a happy birthday and the inside was signed by Sophia and Jack.
“They made you a present too, but that’s in my suitcase.”
Kitty sniffed and tried to stop her lip from quivering.
“Kitty? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It’s just…it’s just this is my first birthday as a mother.”
The End
Author: WibbleyWobbley
Characters: Nora, Sarah, Kitty, with passing references to and appearances by other characters
Rating: PG
Summary: The Walker women through the years.
Spoilers: Nothing in particular
Word Count: ~2,315
Disclaimer: Not mine
A/N: So, last year, you got smut. No such luck this year.
On her 17th birthday, Nora lost her virginity. It was uncomfortable, although not in the way Nora imagined it was for other people. Well, yes, in that way, too. But mostly because he was tall and she was short and there simply was not enough room to maneuver in the backseat.
But Dylan had been amazing, and Roy Orbison was singing on the radio, and Nora thought Stan was brilliant and passionate and rebellious.
Mostly he was just selfish, as it turned out. Nora received a short letter mere days after that night, full of apologies and excuses that simply amounted to the fact that she wasn’t enough to keep him there. And while Nora never would say she supported the war, she did realize that she supported the men who fought in it, because at least they honored their country and their commitments, and they didn’t abandon the people they claimed to love to protect their own skin. Not that she was bitter or anything.
She would have trouble seeing it that way later in life, though, when her baby decided to enlist.
*
Sarah’s 23rd birthday was her first birthday in an entirely different state. What’s worse was it was a school break, and all her friends had gone away while she stayed behind to work on a class project as well as make some money. She tried not to feel sorry for herself as the evening went on, but all she could really think about was her mother’s secret cake recipe, and Kitty teasing her about boyfriends and still-burning candles, and her father’s birthday toast, and the boys competing with each other to see who could sing the loudest and most obnoxious version of Happy Birthday.
Sarah sighed and turned back to the desk, picking up her pen and starting to write again. There was a knock on her door, and she stared at it in surprise. That surprise only grew when she opened it and saw her mother.
“Happy birthday!” Nora said.
“Mom!”
Nora reached out and pulled her into a hug. “You just sounded so sad on the phone last week, I had to come. The others are all in school, of course, and Daddy had to work, but I have presents from them all.”
“Mom!” Sarah said again, trying not to cry.
*
On her 12th birthday, Kitty announced at dinner she was a Republican, and she wasn’t going to sit quietly during political discussions anymore. William smiled proudly at her, ignoring Sarah’s snorts of derision and Nora’s annoyed anger. Kitty went onto say she was volunteering for Reagan's campaign, at which point Nora threw her napkin on the table, stood, and disappeared into the kitchen and eventually the pantry.
They would never see eye-to-eye on it, but Nora listened to the radio show every day (and later she watched the TV show every day), and she limited herself to calling in and arguing with Kitty’s rhetoric only once a week.
*
By Nora’s 19th birthday, she was a married woman. It was something of a whirlwind romance. Saul didn’t understand why she couldn’t wait, of course, and begged her to give it a few more months. Her mother disapproved of William, called him a slick charmer. But Nora knew she loved him. And so she buried any doubts she might have had, and told herself she would compromise, give up on some things she might have wanted in her life to find happiness with other things. No one could have it all, after all.
She had lunch with Emily Craft that day, and when she got back to the little two-bedroom apartment that was their first home, she was surprised to find William there.
“Why aren’t you at work?” she called out.
“Took off,” came a muffled voice from the kitchen.
Nora raised her eyebrows in shock. William never took off work. She walked into the kitchen and immediately burst into laughter. There was flour and sugar and other ingredients over every surface of the room, and over William as well. He was staring in defeated anger at a burnt, flat…cake, Nora assumed.
“I wanted to make you a birthday cake,” he said.
Nora stood on her tiptoes, straining up to kiss William’s cheek. He tasted good and sweet. She then reached for his hand and began to lead him in the direction of the bathroom.
“Let’s get you cleaned up.”
The kitchen wasn’t scrubbed until the next day. There never was any birthday cake. But Nora aided William in a very thorough shower, and they ran to the bedroom still dripping wet, and Sarah was born nine months later.
*
At midnight the night she turned 29, Sarah snuck out of the bedroom and into the living room. Joe was finally asleep, and Sarah couldn’t wait any longer. Curling up on the couch, she bit her nail as she listened to the phone on the other end ring and ring.
“Hello?” someone finally murmured.
“Kitty?” Sarah whispered.
“Sarah? What’s wrong? What is it?”
“I’m sorry. I know it’s early there.”
“Sarah, it’s 3:00 in the morning.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Is everyone OK?”
“Yeah. I just wanted to tell you that I’m engaged. I’m getting married.”
“What?!”
“Joe proposed tonight.”
“Oh my God, Sarah. Oh my God!”
“I know!” Sarah said with a slight squeal.
*
When Kitty turned 23, she had just finished her first week living in the tiniest studio apartment she had ever seen. But she didn’t care, because she was in New York. She had just finished her internship in D.C. and was still feeling sad over the ending of her physical relationship with…well, with someone she would never, ever admit to having been with. But she had received a birthday card from him earlier that week with an amazing letter inside. She already sent one back, and was envisioning a meaningful, intelligent, motivational correspondence. Something that would make history, in a way, as they influenced each other and, by extension, political commentary and discussion.
At the moment, however, she was focused on more playful forms of communication. It was funny, because in the past, she’d have received only a few cards - one from Grandma, one from Uncle Saul, one from Sarah, and one from the rest of the family. But now Tommy was in his own apartment too, and Kevin was away at school. Which meant two more cards. She could start to see the individual touches of everyone that used to be masked by her mother’s simple messages of “Happy Birthday, honey! Love, all of us!”
Now, the home card became “Mom, Daddy and Justin.” Tommy’s had a little joke inside. Kevin included a short message outlining why the latest Republican bill was unconstitutional; Kitty smiled and focused instead on the picture he put in there of him and his group of (really good-looking) friends at school, holding up a banner that read “Happy Birthday Kitty!” And the inside of Sarah’s card was filled with cramped writing as she filled Kitty in on everything going on in California.
Kitty sighed, smiled sadly, and held the cards to her chest since she couldn’t hug the people who sent them.
*
On Nora’s 24th birthday, she sat at the counter in the kitchen and tried not to cry. It had been a very stressful day. Sarah had come home from kindergarten, bawling because her crayon-drawn card didn’t turn out as beautiful as she wanted it. Kitty had a cold. And Tommy wouldn’t stop taking off his clothes, giggling as he ran around the house, buck naked and flashing his little thing all over the place. And the morning sickness was still going strong, all day long, months into the pregnancy.
She hoped it wasn’t another boy. She adored Tommy, but if today was any indication, she didn’t know how to handle boys. And maybe not girls, either. She was a horrible mother.
There was commotion in the room, and Nora quickly sat up, wiping at her eyes. Sarah held Tommy in her arms, his feet barely off the ground, and led a sniffling Kitty behind her.
“Momma? Kitty would like a popsicle,” Sarah said.
Kitty nodded forlornly.
“OK,” Nora said, climbing off the stool. She reached into the freezer and got three popsicles out. They all went into the den, piling into the couch cushion fort. Kitty and Sarah sucked away at their popsicles, while Nora shared the third with Tommy. She sighed and wrapped her arms in a hug around her kids.
*
The day Sarah turned 39-and-a-half was her last day at North Light Coffee. She said goodbye to her coworkers, and tried her hardest not to kiss Noah. She cried in her car and then drove home.
Paige and Cooper had drawn her pictures, and Joe had poured her a glass of wine.
On Monday, she’d start at, or rather, go back to Ojai. She had promised herself, when she left, that she wouldn’t work there again. She wanted to prove she could make it on her own. Ojai had been her life as a child, working there in the summers with Tommy. But she needed the challenge of working somewhere where her father wasn't the boss.
It felt like a surrender, going back. Like giving up. But it was the best way she could think of to save her marriage.
*
On Kitty’s 38th birthday, her father died.
*
Nora’s 60th birthday was her first as a widow.
Her children surprised her. Her mother annoyed her. Her brother supported her. There were plenty of serfs and virtually no alcohol. Despite that, it was a good birthday.
But at the end of the night, she crawled into the big, empty bed. And, try as she might to remind herself how much she hated William, she couldn’t think of anything except: this was the first time in more than 40 years he hadn’t kissed her on her birthday.
*
Joe had the kids on Sarah’s 41st birthday, and so they had planned the family party for the next weekend. That left Sarah all alone, and she was seriously depressed.
Kitty was somewhere in the U.S. with Robert, running for president. And she couldn’t really deal with the thought of her mother hovering that night; besides, Justin needed Nora more. Tommy and Julia had a little baby. That left Kevin.
“Hello?”
“Kev!”
“Sarah, happy birthday.”
“Wanna come over? I already have a bottle open. I figure a little wine, order in some food, maybe a movie with lots of good-looking shirtless guys.”
“I - thought we were celebrating next weekend.”
“Well, yeah, but…”
There was a pause. “No, it’s just…I have plans tonight.”
“With who? Your boyfriend’s in another country, and you don’t have any friends.”
“Um. With Scotty. Wandell.”
“Scotty, your ex?”
“Yeah. I helped him out with some…anyway, we’re having dinner.”
“Why, Kevin Walker. If I didn’t know better - ”
“Oh, stop it. It’s not like that.”
“Uh-huh,” Sarah responded, the teasing making her feel better (as it always did).
There was another long pause. “I can cancel,” Kevin said.
“No, no. Go. I gotta get used to being alone, right?”
“I’ll cancel.”
“No! I’m just joking. Go. Have fun. But don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“There’s not a lot on the list of things you wouldn’t do.”
“Hush.”
“I’ll call you when we’re done, if it’s early.”
“OK. Bye.”
Sarah hung up, staring at the phone screen for a while. She looked around the empty, quiet house. And she poured herself another glass of wine. Her phone beeped again, and she looked down at it, smiling as she read the text from Kitty.
Happy birthday, big sis! I’m having a piece of cake for dessert in honor of you! They make damn good cake in...oh God, wherever we are now.
*
Kitty nodded to herself as she read over the letter to any potential birth mothers. She wrote of her hopes and dreams, of her desire to be as good a mother as her own or her sister. Of the pain she had felt at the loss of a baby she hadn’t realized she wanted, and the attempts to get pregnant again. Of the fear that she’d never have the chance to be a mom.
She sighed, removing her glasses and adding the sheet to the packet she would mail to the agency in the morning. It was hard to believe that she may have a child before the year was out. Before her next birthday.
She kept forgetting it was her birthday. Or kept trying to forget, rather. The last couple years had been bad ones, with her father dying and Justin getting injured. This year didn’t look much better, as her husband was in D.C., trying to finish up some work so he could be back for the meeting with the social worker next week.
Kitty stretched, standing and walking towards the bedroom. Before she had gone two steps, however, the door opened. Kitty turned in surprise.
“Robert?!”
“Hi, sweetie.”
“What are you doing here?” she asked, startled as she returned his quick kiss.
Robert handed her the flowers in his hand. “I pushed up the return flight. I wanted to get here early enough for dinner, but there was a delay.”
“Oh, Robert.”
“I couldn’t let you spend your birthday alone.”
Kitty smiled. Then she watched in confusion as Robert patted his pockets, clearly looking for something.
“Aha!” Robert said, removing an envelope. “Here you go.”
Kitty furrowed her brow, opening the card. Childish writing wished her a happy birthday and the inside was signed by Sophia and Jack.
“They made you a present too, but that’s in my suitcase.”
Kitty sniffed and tried to stop her lip from quivering.
“Kitty? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It’s just…it’s just this is my first birthday as a mother.”
The End