Another Day in the Life 4
Hours after the house became quiet and the lights were extinguished for the night, Lin lay awake on her bed staring blankly at the dark ceiling of her bedroom lost in thought. As she attempted to sort through her emotions and the events of the day, she felt paralyzed in that planked position, knowing that if she moved reality would certainly kick in. Still, she couldn't help but go back and forth in her mind about how she truly felt about the whole situation.
She was angry with her mother and sister for being so difficult, and also upset that they were never able to work things out. The problem was that they never talked. With Toph, it was always less of a discussion and more like a one-sided shouting match.
It was difficult to determine how she really felt about all of this because, unlike Su and Toph, Lin was able to see the whole picture. Suyin was frustrated because she wasn't getting enough attention, so she lashed out because she knew it was the only thing that might work. Toph, on the other hand, was overworked, tired, and unavailable to spend actual time with her family. Lin often felt like she was being a better mother than her own mother; she always tried to help with the cleaning, she cooked for everyone, and took on the demanding task of monitoring Suyin. Lin felt that it should not be her responsibility to be a parent, but understood why the burden fell on her.
The most depressing part was when Su uttered the words that Lin had been pushing away for a long while. She. Doesn't. Care. For someone like Su, who craves attention, it was a hard truth to come to…
Lin felt a lump in her throat and that twinge in your eyes right before you are about to cry. She shut her eyes tight and whispered forcefully to herself "Stop it, stop it, stop it! Don't cry – don't cry…"
She took a few deep breaths and was thankfully able to calm down before anything escalated. Unfortunately, Lin was very sentimental which did not go over well in the Beifong house. Toph was always telling her to keep her emotions in check – to be steady – to be strong. Not doing so was a sign of weakness. More often than not, she suppressed her feelings because of these ideals.
Lin had just covered her face with her hands when she heard a soft rapping at her window. She jumped, and sat up with an audible gasp before she was able to look.
Perched on the windowsill with one hand gripping the roof and the other clutching his glider was Tenzin.
Confused, and yet happily surprised, Lin moved over toward the window and opened it as quietly as possible.
"What are you doing here?" Lin inquired with an amused smirk on her face as she crossed her arms.
"Well, I was curious to know how things went tonight. You seemed pretty worried, so I thought I would drop by and make sure everything was okay."
"You couldn't wait till tomorrow? You know – at the front door?" She said with a chuckle.
'No, I knew the look on your face would be completely worth it." He replied with a smile, which faded as his thought changed. "So – are you – you know – okay?"
Lin stared at him for a moment and then laughed again.
"Sorry, I know you're trying to be serious and everything, but I still can't believe that you snuck out and flew all the way over here. You must really care, airhead." She teased.
"Yeah, well – don't change the subject." Tenzin retorted, knowing that was a terrible comeback.
"Fine. Are you planning on hanging out there all night or are you going to come in?"
Tenzin hesitated and peered inside. "What about Su and your mom?"
"They've been asleep for hours. Mom probably wouldn't care anyway…" She said and moved over to the bedside table to light her lamp.
Tenzin climbed into her bedroom upon hearing these words and set his staff up against the wall near the exit in case he had to make a hasty escape.
"So, judging by your reaction, tonight went poorly?"
"Yeah…" Lin said and crossed her arms again. "Mom basically told us that she doesn't care what we do as long as we stay out of trouble."
"You kind of knew that already though, didn't you?" He said and took a seat on the edge of her bed. "You're always talking about how much freedom she gives you."
"It's different. She never really – said that to us before." Lin answered, remembering the argument and her sister's response. Lin couldn't help but feel sad as she relived it. When she actually looked back at Tenzin, she realized it had been a few moments and spoke quickly to recover the conversation. "Su was – really hurt by it."
Tenzin knew what that meant. If it wasn't clear enough in her words, her eyes exuded the inner pain that she would never allow herself to express in front of others. "Lin…"
"Tenzin…?"
"You're allowed to be upset about this, you know. It's completely justified."
"Just – drop it, okay?"
Tenzin was reluctant, but he nodded anyway, knowing from the tone in her voice that he would get nowhere with this issue tonight.
"So, uh – how was your big fancy dinner?" Lin asked, trying to divert some of the attention away from herself as she sat down next to him.
"Very informative actually. You would have hated it. Just a bunch of adults debating politics all night."
"Just wait. You'll be exactly like them in about 20 years."
"I don't doubt it."
"Well, I'm sure Uncle Sokka brought some life to the party."
Tenzin laughed and laid back on her pillows as he recalled a particular anecdote from that night involving Katara's wedding china, a sword, and a bowl full of shrimp. Lin wasn't surprised – she had seen many of his party tricks over the years – but she did not expect that he would actually succeed in messing up such an important meal.
Lin followed her friend's lead and crawled over to the other side of her bed to lay down.
"Mom was furious. She hid it pretty well, but there was definitely a death stare."
"I love that stare. Modeled mine after it – watch." Lin propped herself up on her elbow and glared at him using the Mama Katara method.
"Oooh. That's good. Very frightening."
Lin rested her head on the pillows again and got comfortable next to her friend.
"I thought so. Used it on Su today a little."
"Did it work?"
"No… Katara is, and forever will be, the master." She said through a yawn and leaned her head on his shoulder.
Tenzin tensed up a little and then took in a slow careful breath to relax again. This turned into a yawn as well. "Maybe I – uh – I should probably get going." He said stiffly, though he was reluctant to leave.
"Aw, come now. You aren't tired, are you?" She asked with a mocking air and tilted her head up so she could see his face.
"No more than you." He countered, feeling like he could actually win this battle. They regarded each other for a moment and then Lin's smile faded, her disappointment surfacing at the thought of being alone.
"Go ahead then." She said in a small, unconvincing and almost vulnerable voice as she looked away.
Tenzin's heart sank. Of course he didn't want to leave. He was comfortable, engaged in conversation and most importantly felt that it was his duty as a friend to be an empathetic ear during this time. The thought of getting caught by their parents crossed his mind briefly, but it was chased away by Lin readjusting her head on his shoulder. Tenzin smiled and sighed, sensing that she wanted him to stay there too. In an instant he made the decision to stay and scooted down on the bed so his head was resting flat on the pillow next to Lin's.
"So, what are your plans for the weekend?" Tenzin asked as he rested the side of his head on hers for comfort.