Feb. 15th, 2006 09:01 pmFor
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catc22girl: Angela Ficlet
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tree_talkingTitle: Visitation
Fandom: 24
Summary: Angela meets her biological mother.
Angela Dawn Edmunds, six years old, sat in the back of her parents' car. She had her teddy bear with her. It was old and battered, but today she needed her teddy bear. She was very nervous.
She was going to see her biological mother.
She didn't really remember her, as Angela had been only a tiny baby when Dad had begun taking care of her. And her mother and father had kept her away from the places where they argued about who would get to take care of her, until that last day, when she came into the big room where she'd looked across at two men who asked her if she would like to know her mother.
Angie had been confused. She thought Kim was her mother. Not that she hadn't known that there was another 'mother' out there, but Angie had thought that taking care of her had just been too much for that other mother. And that's why Daddy had taken care of her, and that's why Kim was there too, to stay with Daddy and help take care of her.
Angie had played with the ribbon on her skirt as she thought about it. She didn't want to hurt Daddy's feelings and she wouldnt' stop calling Kim "Mommy". But she was also curious. And she had often wondered if her mother had loved her. She wondered if she looked like her other mother.
And if she did, wouldn't her other mother's feelings be hurt if Angie said she didn't want to know her?
So she had said "yes", then gone to her Mommy and said 'sorry'. Angie had climbed up into her lap and clung to her. She had such soft, pretty blonde hair and she always smelled nice. And Mommy had told her it was okay, that they still loved her and Angie had said she loved them too.
Now they were going to meet her mother. Angie wore her favorite purple dress, and Mommy had braided her hair in two braids, tied with purple ribbons. Baxter Bear had a purple ribbon too. Baxter had been washed especially for this event, and his brown fur smelled of fabric softner.
They were going to meet Stephanie (that was her mother) at Angela's favorite fast-food restraunt, and they'd all get to sit down together and talk. Angie had a funny sort of feeling in her stomach, like tickly things were in there and squirming around. Mommy called them "butterflies", but Angie didn't think they were butterflies.
She wasn't sure, but it wasn't anything as pretty as butterflies.
Mommy and Daddy sat in the front of the car. Mommy looked out of the window and Daddy's face was tense, concentrating on driving. He looked angry. Angela hoped he wasn't angry at her.
Angela didn't know what she would call Stephanie when she met her. She was afraid to ask.
They pulled into the parking lot and Angela clutched her bear tightly. She was so scared, but she had to be brave.
Mommy got out of the car and opened the door for Angie, looking anxiously into her face, then smiling. "It's going to be okay, Angela. Your Daddy and I will be right there with you."
Angela nodded and managed a smile. Daddy's face had relaxed and he didn't look so angry anymore. He took Angie's little hand into his big one. "Come on, Angie," he said, and they went inside together.
They got Angie some food and took a table. Mommy sipped on a diet soda and Daddy drank his coffee. Angela munches on fries and they waited.
Then a tall, thin woman with hair just like Angela's came in. Angela knew it was her instantly. She had a tired face and tired eyes. Angie could see that her expression was hard and she looked as if she had no windows in her mind. "Hi," she said.
"Hi, Stephanie," Daddy said. "This is Angela," he continued, looking over at Angela with a smile. Angela could tell he was proud of her by the tone in his voice.
"Hi, Angela," Stephanie said. "You've grown up so nicely...look how pretty you are." She sat down.
Angie can smell stale cigarette smoke, but she is as polite as she knows how to be and doesn't wrinkle her nose. "Hi," she said, shyly.
"Can you come over and sit next to me?" she asked.
Angela looked up at Mommy, and she looked at Daddy, then he nodded at her. She slides off of her seat and goes to sit next to Stephanie.
"You got your Daddy's nose. And his eyes, lucky you. But you got my hair." She looked Angela over, head to toe. She wasn't exactly smiling. Angie wondered why not. "What grade are you in now?"
"First grade. My teacher is Miss Evelyn Stellar." Angela lisped because she's missing a front tooth.
But her mother had touched her earlobes, at the tiny birthstone earrings in them. "She's got pierced ears already?"
"She wanted them so much," Mommy explained softly. "We got them just before she started first grade. She takes very good care of her ears and her earrings."
Stephanie just looked vaguely disapproving, and dropped her hand.
Angela was confused. Did Stephanie like her at all?
"I made a picture for you," she said shyly.
"Really, dear? Let me see?" Her voice is dull, though she sounds like she's trying to be enthusiastic.
"It's our house and that's me, Mommy and Daddy."
Stephanie's lips thin for a moment as she pressed them together. "You have a nice family, Angela." There was a subtle emphasis on 'you' that made Angela feel bad, though she didn't quite know why.
Stephanie looked up at Angela's Daddy. "How often do I get to see her?"
"When do you want to see her?" Daddy's voice was even. Very even. Even Angela knew that meant he was not very happy.
She waved her hand carelessly. "Whenever. I just want to see her."
"Two Saturdays a month, then. Angela can decide when she's older if she want to...visit more."
"I work some Saturdays. I'll let you know which ones are good."
"Fine." Daddy's face was careful. Mommy was looking off to the side.
Angela just wanted to go home now. She didn't know how to ask.
As it turned out, she didn't have to say anything.
Stephanie stood up. "I really can't stay. I gotta work, sorry." She looked down at Angela. "I'll see you in a couple weeks. We'll go to the playground, doesn't that sound fun?"
Angela mustered up a small smile. "Yeah." And she stood up to hug her. It seemed like that's what she was supposed to do.
The hug is brief and cold. Not like Mommy's hugs. "See ya later then."
Angela watched Stephanie leave the restraunt, then looked down at the table.
Stephanie hadn't taken the picture she'd made.
Fandom: 24
Summary: Angela meets her biological mother.
Angela Dawn Edmunds, six years old, sat in the back of her parents' car. She had her teddy bear with her. It was old and battered, but today she needed her teddy bear. She was very nervous.
She was going to see her biological mother.
She didn't really remember her, as Angela had been only a tiny baby when Dad had begun taking care of her. And her mother and father had kept her away from the places where they argued about who would get to take care of her, until that last day, when she came into the big room where she'd looked across at two men who asked her if she would like to know her mother.
Angie had been confused. She thought Kim was her mother. Not that she hadn't known that there was another 'mother' out there, but Angie had thought that taking care of her had just been too much for that other mother. And that's why Daddy had taken care of her, and that's why Kim was there too, to stay with Daddy and help take care of her.
Angie had played with the ribbon on her skirt as she thought about it. She didn't want to hurt Daddy's feelings and she wouldnt' stop calling Kim "Mommy". But she was also curious. And she had often wondered if her mother had loved her. She wondered if she looked like her other mother.
And if she did, wouldn't her other mother's feelings be hurt if Angie said she didn't want to know her?
So she had said "yes", then gone to her Mommy and said 'sorry'. Angie had climbed up into her lap and clung to her. She had such soft, pretty blonde hair and she always smelled nice. And Mommy had told her it was okay, that they still loved her and Angie had said she loved them too.
Now they were going to meet her mother. Angie wore her favorite purple dress, and Mommy had braided her hair in two braids, tied with purple ribbons. Baxter Bear had a purple ribbon too. Baxter had been washed especially for this event, and his brown fur smelled of fabric softner.
They were going to meet Stephanie (that was her mother) at Angela's favorite fast-food restraunt, and they'd all get to sit down together and talk. Angie had a funny sort of feeling in her stomach, like tickly things were in there and squirming around. Mommy called them "butterflies", but Angie didn't think they were butterflies.
She wasn't sure, but it wasn't anything as pretty as butterflies.
Mommy and Daddy sat in the front of the car. Mommy looked out of the window and Daddy's face was tense, concentrating on driving. He looked angry. Angela hoped he wasn't angry at her.
Angela didn't know what she would call Stephanie when she met her. She was afraid to ask.
They pulled into the parking lot and Angela clutched her bear tightly. She was so scared, but she had to be brave.
Mommy got out of the car and opened the door for Angie, looking anxiously into her face, then smiling. "It's going to be okay, Angela. Your Daddy and I will be right there with you."
Angela nodded and managed a smile. Daddy's face had relaxed and he didn't look so angry anymore. He took Angie's little hand into his big one. "Come on, Angie," he said, and they went inside together.
They got Angie some food and took a table. Mommy sipped on a diet soda and Daddy drank his coffee. Angela munches on fries and they waited.
Then a tall, thin woman with hair just like Angela's came in. Angela knew it was her instantly. She had a tired face and tired eyes. Angie could see that her expression was hard and she looked as if she had no windows in her mind. "Hi," she said.
"Hi, Stephanie," Daddy said. "This is Angela," he continued, looking over at Angela with a smile. Angela could tell he was proud of her by the tone in his voice.
"Hi, Angela," Stephanie said. "You've grown up so nicely...look how pretty you are." She sat down.
Angie can smell stale cigarette smoke, but she is as polite as she knows how to be and doesn't wrinkle her nose. "Hi," she said, shyly.
"Can you come over and sit next to me?" she asked.
Angela looked up at Mommy, and she looked at Daddy, then he nodded at her. She slides off of her seat and goes to sit next to Stephanie.
"You got your Daddy's nose. And his eyes, lucky you. But you got my hair." She looked Angela over, head to toe. She wasn't exactly smiling. Angie wondered why not. "What grade are you in now?"
"First grade. My teacher is Miss Evelyn Stellar." Angela lisped because she's missing a front tooth.
But her mother had touched her earlobes, at the tiny birthstone earrings in them. "She's got pierced ears already?"
"She wanted them so much," Mommy explained softly. "We got them just before she started first grade. She takes very good care of her ears and her earrings."
Stephanie just looked vaguely disapproving, and dropped her hand.
Angela was confused. Did Stephanie like her at all?
"I made a picture for you," she said shyly.
"Really, dear? Let me see?" Her voice is dull, though she sounds like she's trying to be enthusiastic.
"It's our house and that's me, Mommy and Daddy."
Stephanie's lips thin for a moment as she pressed them together. "You have a nice family, Angela." There was a subtle emphasis on 'you' that made Angela feel bad, though she didn't quite know why.
Stephanie looked up at Angela's Daddy. "How often do I get to see her?"
"When do you want to see her?" Daddy's voice was even. Very even. Even Angela knew that meant he was not very happy.
She waved her hand carelessly. "Whenever. I just want to see her."
"Two Saturdays a month, then. Angela can decide when she's older if she want to...visit more."
"I work some Saturdays. I'll let you know which ones are good."
"Fine." Daddy's face was careful. Mommy was looking off to the side.
Angela just wanted to go home now. She didn't know how to ask.
As it turned out, she didn't have to say anything.
Stephanie stood up. "I really can't stay. I gotta work, sorry." She looked down at Angela. "I'll see you in a couple weeks. We'll go to the playground, doesn't that sound fun?"
Angela mustered up a small smile. "Yeah." And she stood up to hug her. It seemed like that's what she was supposed to do.
The hug is brief and cold. Not like Mommy's hugs. "See ya later then."
Angela watched Stephanie leave the restraunt, then looked down at the table.
Stephanie hadn't taken the picture she'd made.
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