I'll be writing a bunch of different one-shots for ROA, whether it's before, after, or during the show. Should be fun, right? :P
ROA
Sherrie
It was probably the way she'd announced it that had made the situation a whole lot worse than it should have been.
Oh, who was she kidding? Sherrie knew the idea was doomed from the start.
She and her parents were at dinner. It was the same as always; her mother remaining quiet throughout the whole meal, only nibbling on whatever was on her plate (she claimed she'd eaten enough during the day while patching up Mrs. Langsteeds clothes), while her father polished off everything in front of him, famished after a long day at the Ford plant. He was never content until his stomach was full and he had a beer in hand.
Harold's fork clattered loudly when he dropped it onto his plate, and then tipped back his chair, stifling a burb behind his hand. "Pie was a little dry, Marta." he grumbled, shooting his wife a stormy glance.
Marta smiled indulgently at her husband, his face the perfect mask, hiding what she really felt. "Well, you had two pieces Harold, so it must not have been that bad."
Sensing that the mood was quickly turning stale, Sherrie jumped to her feet and hurriedly cleared the table. She brought her father a beer from the fridge, quickly planting a kiss on his cheek while handing him the bottle.
His disgruntled expression cleared, "Thanks Princess," he said with a smile. He adored his little girl to no end; she was perfect and could do no wrong in his eyes.
Sherrie bit down on her lower lip and blurted out, "I'm moving to L.A!"
Her announcement was greeted by silence. Her father looked as though he had heard nothing.
"Sherrie, what are you saying?" her mother demanded, her hands fluttering anxiously around her heart. She was very beautiful once, but now she looked worn out. Her fair-hair was threaded with grey, and hung in strands around her face, while the rest was pulled back in a sloppy bun. She stared at her daughter in confusion, her eyes flicking from Sherrie to Harold, and then back again.
Sherrie lifted her chin, while her hands played nervously with a loose thread on her denim jacket. "I'm moving to LA; I want to be an actress!" she forced a happy giggle, "I've already saved up all my money, and booked a train ticket, so you guys wont have to do anything except fly out when it's my first movie premiere!" Her face was flushed and eager.
She then stole a quick glance at her father.
Words could not describe the emotions that twisted his face. Rage and bitterness fought for dominance against his undying love for his daughter, his little girl, his Princess... who had promised him a long time ago that she would never leave him.
"I'm leaving tomorrow." Sherrie added in a small voice. Her father stared at her in a strange way, as if he had never seen her before in his life, while her mother buried her face into her hands with a small groan.
"Why can't you both be happy for me? I'm following my dream!"
"Happy?" Her father said, pronouncing the word as if it were the strangest one he'd ever heard, "Happy." he repeated, and then extended his right arm stiffly, pointing out of the kitchen. "Go to your room and think about what you've just said."
"Daddy, I'm nineteen! You can't ground me for doing what I want to do!" Sherrie cried, her chin quivering. But she would not let them see her cry.
Harold's fist slammed down on the table, causing Sherrie and Marta to flinch. "Sherrie Christian, don't you ever talk back to me like that again!" he thundered, "Now you will do as your told and go to your room, and only come out when I tell you!"
"Sherrie, listen to your father and do as he says!" Marta pleaded.
"Fine!" Sherrie shouted, bolting out of the kitchen and racing up the stairs to her room, where the slammed the door and flung herself face-down onto her bed. Angry tears sprung to her eyes. Why didn't they believe in her?
She both understood and had no idea why her parents were so upset. They wanted her to be happy, but that meant staying in Paola her entire life and marrying their nextdoor neighbors' oldest son. Becoming an actress meant throwing her life away for a barely achievable dream.
But Sherrie wasn't about to give up her lifelong dream to please her parents. She knew she was talented, and soon the world would know it too. She lifted her head and forced down the huge lump in her throat, her eyes shining with determination.
Her bags were already packed for the midnight train.
