Chapter 2: I Am, I Feel
Telephone Call
Rating/Disclaimer: See first chapter.
Author's Notes: Sometimes putting off medieval history revision can be a very good thing. I wrote most of this chapter last night, then the rest this morning when I should have been learning about how Henry VII treated his nobility. Oh well.
For several never-ending moment, it seemed that the phone would never be picked up. After she had finished dialling Kim's number, Trini had remembered that not everyone had the day off work, and she had no idea of knowing whether the telephone number was Kim's home number or her work number.
She didn't even know how her friend had managed to track her down. She and Richard had moved house about five months ago, although the distance between houses was slight they had left no contact details for the new family to pass forward to anyone who happened to call. The days since the move had all passed so quickly, as they tended to when you had two children and a husband to look after.
Trini was jolted out of her excuses to herself by the sound of the other end of the line being picked up, and a breathless, "Hello?"
"Kim? Is that you?"
"Trini? Oh, my god! I wasn't sure that the number I found was the right one, and then Richard answered, and I hadn't heard his voice since the wedding..." Kim's voice trailed off, but she recovered quickly enough to say, "So, how are you and the kids?"
"The kids are fine, Evan's seven now and Charlotte's five. They all keep on asking me when they're going to be visiting California, but this number doesn't have the California state code. Where are you?"
"Just to Seattle."
"Oh, just a few minutes away then," Trini joked. "How long ago? Why?"
"About.... three weeks ago? Tommy's job got transferred up here, and every hospital in existence needs all the help they can get so they weren't exactly turning down extra nurses," Kim explained. "But while we're on the subject of moving... not to badger you or anything, but how come you didn't tell us you were changing addresses?"
Trini sighed. "I did mean to, I meant to tell everyone but it was all so sudden. Richard developed a sudden and strange hatred of the neighbourhood we were in, so we moved across town. It wasn't too far away, and the kids are still in the same school, it's just a little longer bus journey."
"A sudden hatred of the neighbourhood?" Kim asked sceptically. "Hadn't you been living in that house since Charlotte was born?"
Sometimes Kim's good memory was more of a curse than a blessing. "Yes, but..." She fumbled for some excuse that would sound vaguely plausible. "Some new neighbours moved in, and they weren't exactly our type."
The silence on the line told Trini exactly what Kim thought of that one. "Kim, don't start."
"Start? I didn't start anything," Kim pointed out.
"You know what I mean. really, everything's fine. No problems here at all." Searching for a new subject to distract tthem, she grabbed at a stick. "What's your new place like? Is it an apartment or a house?"
"It's a house, it has all its doors and windows, three bedrooms and it's in a great neighbourhood. Don't you dare to try to change the subject," Kim warned. "Trini, things obviously haven't improved if that man has you upping sticks and moving across town just because he thinks the weather might be better on the east side, or wherever it is that you are."
"We diddn't like the neighbours!" Trini protested.
"Whatever. Trini, you have to get out of this marriage, if not for you then think of the kids. Imagine what it must be like for them - remember how bad I was when my mom and dad were arguing all the time?"
"You were older, Kim."
"Just because they divorced when I was sixteen doesn't mean everything was peachy keen before that, and anyway, the effect's still the same! You can't let them grow up in an environment where you and Richard are at each other's throats all the time. If you both fight for all their teenage years until they go off to college, just think of all the therapy they're going to need."
Deep in her heart of hearts, Trini knew that Kim was right. She had seen what effect parents who were at war could have upon their children. hadn't she taken a vow in her early teens, that she would never marry someone who didn't truly love her?
Did Richard truly mean what he said when he assured her that he would always love her?
"If I left him, where would I go?" Trini asked dully - resigning herself to the inevitable? "This question does not mean that I am prepared to leave my husband. Just that I'm wondering about the practicalities."
Kim sighed. "You know any one of us would take you in, but we could tie this in with the real reason I called. There's going to be a 10 year reunion at Anegl Grove High on March 29th. One of the ex-Angel Club groupies called the other day to say they couldn't find an adress to send your invitation to, so would I pass the invitation on. If Richard doesn't want to come, you could make a trip of it, and come back to Seattle for a while with us. If you were so inclined, you could always start searching for jobs, houses, good schooling, et cetera. If he did want to come, well, the invite still stands, although I feel I have to warn you that my darling husband has promised to punch him if he makes any derogatory comments towards any of us."
Trini couldn't help laughing. Trust Tommy to still be the gallant protector. "Are things still going okay between you two? I can't believe I'll ahve to buy you a first anniversary present soon."
Kimberly and Tommy's wedding last April had been the last time Trini had seen any of her old friends from schooldays. It had been a genuinely joyful occasion... or at least, it would have been more so had her silent husband stuck out like a sore thumb amidst her happy friends.
It hadn't been as though they had excluded him from the conversation. Richard had been in a foul mood, and nothing had been able to pull him out of it. No-one had said anything openly in front of her, but Trini felt that her marriage had been the topic of conversation amongst many of her friends for some weeks afterwards.
"I know, I can't even believe that we've been married for almost a year either. Yeah, everything's going great, even though he does complain incessantly about the amount of rain that we get up here. And when I say incessantly, I mean he's started talking in his sleep about missing the sun."
Trini grinned at the mental image. "A trip back to the old educational establishment out to cheer him up, March weather was always pretty good."
"I hope so. Although if he carries on at this rate, we'll be holidaying somewhere warm, which I certainly wouldn't say no to."
"No sign of any little Oliver-ettes ready to start scampering around the new abode yet? I'll presume it's not for the want of trying." Trini asked casually.
Kim spluttered down the phone. "Trini! How could you say such a scandalous thing about two of your oldest and dearest friends in the entire galaxy?"
"I bet it's true though," Trini pointed out.
"Well, that's beside the point. It doesn't mean you have to say things in such a demeaning manner!"
They laughed down the telephone line, before Kim finally quieted down and said in a more sombre tone, "I guess I'll have to content myself with being Charlotte's godmother for now, even though I hardly see her. I'm surprised she even remembers coming out to California for the wedding."
"Oh, she remembers. Speaking of remembering, you do know that it's Evan's birthday on the 16th?"
"You must be mistaking me for my husband. I already have his card ready to write, even though I have no idea where to send it. If I just put 'Evan Williamson' on the envelope I'm not so sure it'll make it there on time," Kim said.
"Pen and paper ready? 2086 Southern Street, Albany, Connecticut."
She could hear the sound of pencil scratching against paper for a few moments, before Kim pronounced, "Got it. Don't worry, the card will be there on time."
"I was just checking Tommy's bad habit wasn't taking its toll on you."
"It's because I've steered clear of incurable forgetfulness that I'm going to have to go. My shift starts in an hour and a half, and traffic is never good."
"So this is your home number?" Trini asked, looking around her for the address book she always kept nearby.
"Of course. I never give anyone my work number now - the last place I worked, people had the tendency to answer the phone, if they found the call wasn't for them they'd just leave the receiver by the phone til the caller hung up. Not exactly what you'd call reliable."
"Interesting telephone habits," Trini decided. "I'll definitely give you a call in the next couple of weeks. Just give me a chance to ask Richard whether he wants to come to the reunion on not. Evan and Charlotte will have to stay with their aunt, I don't really want them out of school."
"That's fine, just as long as one of us calls the other and you think about what I said."
"What did you say?" Trini asked, faux-innocently. She could picture Kim rolling her eyes at the response.
"I get enough of that from Tommy. You will think about coming to stay with us, won't you? Anytime, for as long as you like. The kids too, we'd love to have you, and if it's not convenient for us, then Zack's got space abundant in his house. You could move in without him even noticing."
Trini smiled in relief. Even though she could never leave her husband, it was always nice to know that she had an escape route. Just in case, you know, she ever needed it. "Of course I'll think about it. And even if I never take you up on it, I'm grateful for the offer."
"Anything for a friend..."
Telephone Call
Rating/Disclaimer: See first chapter.
Author's Notes: Sometimes putting off medieval history revision can be a very good thing. I wrote most of this chapter last night, then the rest this morning when I should have been learning about how Henry VII treated his nobility. Oh well.
For several never-ending moment, it seemed that the phone would never be picked up. After she had finished dialling Kim's number, Trini had remembered that not everyone had the day off work, and she had no idea of knowing whether the telephone number was Kim's home number or her work number.
She didn't even know how her friend had managed to track her down. She and Richard had moved house about five months ago, although the distance between houses was slight they had left no contact details for the new family to pass forward to anyone who happened to call. The days since the move had all passed so quickly, as they tended to when you had two children and a husband to look after.
Trini was jolted out of her excuses to herself by the sound of the other end of the line being picked up, and a breathless, "Hello?"
"Kim? Is that you?"
"Trini? Oh, my god! I wasn't sure that the number I found was the right one, and then Richard answered, and I hadn't heard his voice since the wedding..." Kim's voice trailed off, but she recovered quickly enough to say, "So, how are you and the kids?"
"The kids are fine, Evan's seven now and Charlotte's five. They all keep on asking me when they're going to be visiting California, but this number doesn't have the California state code. Where are you?"
"Just to Seattle."
"Oh, just a few minutes away then," Trini joked. "How long ago? Why?"
"About.... three weeks ago? Tommy's job got transferred up here, and every hospital in existence needs all the help they can get so they weren't exactly turning down extra nurses," Kim explained. "But while we're on the subject of moving... not to badger you or anything, but how come you didn't tell us you were changing addresses?"
Trini sighed. "I did mean to, I meant to tell everyone but it was all so sudden. Richard developed a sudden and strange hatred of the neighbourhood we were in, so we moved across town. It wasn't too far away, and the kids are still in the same school, it's just a little longer bus journey."
"A sudden hatred of the neighbourhood?" Kim asked sceptically. "Hadn't you been living in that house since Charlotte was born?"
Sometimes Kim's good memory was more of a curse than a blessing. "Yes, but..." She fumbled for some excuse that would sound vaguely plausible. "Some new neighbours moved in, and they weren't exactly our type."
The silence on the line told Trini exactly what Kim thought of that one. "Kim, don't start."
"Start? I didn't start anything," Kim pointed out.
"You know what I mean. really, everything's fine. No problems here at all." Searching for a new subject to distract tthem, she grabbed at a stick. "What's your new place like? Is it an apartment or a house?"
"It's a house, it has all its doors and windows, three bedrooms and it's in a great neighbourhood. Don't you dare to try to change the subject," Kim warned. "Trini, things obviously haven't improved if that man has you upping sticks and moving across town just because he thinks the weather might be better on the east side, or wherever it is that you are."
"We diddn't like the neighbours!" Trini protested.
"Whatever. Trini, you have to get out of this marriage, if not for you then think of the kids. Imagine what it must be like for them - remember how bad I was when my mom and dad were arguing all the time?"
"You were older, Kim."
"Just because they divorced when I was sixteen doesn't mean everything was peachy keen before that, and anyway, the effect's still the same! You can't let them grow up in an environment where you and Richard are at each other's throats all the time. If you both fight for all their teenage years until they go off to college, just think of all the therapy they're going to need."
Deep in her heart of hearts, Trini knew that Kim was right. She had seen what effect parents who were at war could have upon their children. hadn't she taken a vow in her early teens, that she would never marry someone who didn't truly love her?
Did Richard truly mean what he said when he assured her that he would always love her?
"If I left him, where would I go?" Trini asked dully - resigning herself to the inevitable? "This question does not mean that I am prepared to leave my husband. Just that I'm wondering about the practicalities."
Kim sighed. "You know any one of us would take you in, but we could tie this in with the real reason I called. There's going to be a 10 year reunion at Anegl Grove High on March 29th. One of the ex-Angel Club groupies called the other day to say they couldn't find an adress to send your invitation to, so would I pass the invitation on. If Richard doesn't want to come, you could make a trip of it, and come back to Seattle for a while with us. If you were so inclined, you could always start searching for jobs, houses, good schooling, et cetera. If he did want to come, well, the invite still stands, although I feel I have to warn you that my darling husband has promised to punch him if he makes any derogatory comments towards any of us."
Trini couldn't help laughing. Trust Tommy to still be the gallant protector. "Are things still going okay between you two? I can't believe I'll ahve to buy you a first anniversary present soon."
Kimberly and Tommy's wedding last April had been the last time Trini had seen any of her old friends from schooldays. It had been a genuinely joyful occasion... or at least, it would have been more so had her silent husband stuck out like a sore thumb amidst her happy friends.
It hadn't been as though they had excluded him from the conversation. Richard had been in a foul mood, and nothing had been able to pull him out of it. No-one had said anything openly in front of her, but Trini felt that her marriage had been the topic of conversation amongst many of her friends for some weeks afterwards.
"I know, I can't even believe that we've been married for almost a year either. Yeah, everything's going great, even though he does complain incessantly about the amount of rain that we get up here. And when I say incessantly, I mean he's started talking in his sleep about missing the sun."
Trini grinned at the mental image. "A trip back to the old educational establishment out to cheer him up, March weather was always pretty good."
"I hope so. Although if he carries on at this rate, we'll be holidaying somewhere warm, which I certainly wouldn't say no to."
"No sign of any little Oliver-ettes ready to start scampering around the new abode yet? I'll presume it's not for the want of trying." Trini asked casually.
Kim spluttered down the phone. "Trini! How could you say such a scandalous thing about two of your oldest and dearest friends in the entire galaxy?"
"I bet it's true though," Trini pointed out.
"Well, that's beside the point. It doesn't mean you have to say things in such a demeaning manner!"
They laughed down the telephone line, before Kim finally quieted down and said in a more sombre tone, "I guess I'll have to content myself with being Charlotte's godmother for now, even though I hardly see her. I'm surprised she even remembers coming out to California for the wedding."
"Oh, she remembers. Speaking of remembering, you do know that it's Evan's birthday on the 16th?"
"You must be mistaking me for my husband. I already have his card ready to write, even though I have no idea where to send it. If I just put 'Evan Williamson' on the envelope I'm not so sure it'll make it there on time," Kim said.
"Pen and paper ready? 2086 Southern Street, Albany, Connecticut."
She could hear the sound of pencil scratching against paper for a few moments, before Kim pronounced, "Got it. Don't worry, the card will be there on time."
"I was just checking Tommy's bad habit wasn't taking its toll on you."
"It's because I've steered clear of incurable forgetfulness that I'm going to have to go. My shift starts in an hour and a half, and traffic is never good."
"So this is your home number?" Trini asked, looking around her for the address book she always kept nearby.
"Of course. I never give anyone my work number now - the last place I worked, people had the tendency to answer the phone, if they found the call wasn't for them they'd just leave the receiver by the phone til the caller hung up. Not exactly what you'd call reliable."
"Interesting telephone habits," Trini decided. "I'll definitely give you a call in the next couple of weeks. Just give me a chance to ask Richard whether he wants to come to the reunion on not. Evan and Charlotte will have to stay with their aunt, I don't really want them out of school."
"That's fine, just as long as one of us calls the other and you think about what I said."
"What did you say?" Trini asked, faux-innocently. She could picture Kim rolling her eyes at the response.
"I get enough of that from Tommy. You will think about coming to stay with us, won't you? Anytime, for as long as you like. The kids too, we'd love to have you, and if it's not convenient for us, then Zack's got space abundant in his house. You could move in without him even noticing."
Trini smiled in relief. Even though she could never leave her husband, it was always nice to know that she had an escape route. Just in case, you know, she ever needed it. "Of course I'll think about it. And even if I never take you up on it, I'm grateful for the offer."
"Anything for a friend..."