Post by Amélie Grey on Jan 20, 2007 11:32:31 GMT -5
Amélie unlocked the door to her house and ran upstairs.
She went into the bathroom and scrubbed at her hands with the lavender scented anti-bacterial handwash at the sink.
Of course, she'd already washed her hands many times throughout the day at the hospital. But she had to wash her hands as soon as she came in, it was like washing the day off her.
She dried her hands on the fluffy cream towel, and went downstairs.
She opened the door to the living room.
Jack, her Westie jumped up at her, barking excitedly.
Her room mate, Katalina, obviously wasn't back yet.
"Salut," she said, smiling and resorting to her habit to speaking French to her dog.
She picked him up and cuddled him. He was so small and fluffy, like a teddy.
A teddy with a loud bark.
"Okay, okay, I'll feed you!" she laughed, setting him back down on the ground.
She went to the kitchen and poured some dry dog food into his bowl and put some chicken on it.
"Here you go," she said, setting the bowl down on the ground. She looked at the clock.
It was time.
She went to the house phone and dialed the familiar number.
Coralie picked up on the third ring. "Allô?"
"Bonjour Mama," she said.
"Amélie! How are you?" her mother said in French.
"I'm fine, and you?"
"Oh, I'm fine," her mother's soft voice said.
On hearing her mother's voice, Amélie always felt a mixture of pleasure and heartbreak. Not only because she was so far away from her, though that was a given; but also because she remember how her mother had been before her dad left. Her mother had been a bright, cheerful extroverted woman, but when Christopher had left, she'd been left a shell, a shadow of her former self.
As always, Amélie's eyes flicked to the picture of her mother, her father and her when she was thirteen that she kept on the mantelpiece. They looked so happy, just like a pretty normal family. But that was when the trouble was just starting...
"How is Lucas?" Coralie asked in rapid French.
Amélie smiled in the way she always did when she thought about Lucas. "He's great."
"And how is your training going?"
Amélie started to talk about the highs and lows of her internship at St. Meredith's, leaving no details spared. Her internship was going very well, she was seven months into a five year course, and then a one years residency. She was also the only intern left who hadn't had a "kill" yet. She knew that would come, but it was hard not to be optimistic about it. She made Coralie laugh with telling her about Maddox, her "brat".
She then asked about her mother's life, but as usual, Coralie gave nothing away. She was well, Madeline was well, her work was going fine, 12-year old students were the same as usual, but other than that, Amélie learnt nothing.
Then her mother changed the subject back to Lucas.
"I would like to meet this guy," she was saying.
Amélie grinned. "I would like you to meet him too. You need to come over Mama, I've been here for seven months and you still haven't seen the place yet."
"I know, I just can't seem to find the time."
Lie. Amélie knew exactly why her mum didn't want to come out to the States. She didn't want to see the place where she used to go with Christopher. And she didn't want to be reminded of Seattle Airport, where she and Christopher had landed on their honeymoon; she didn't want the memories of them being happy to resurface.
Coralie had never been in a serious relationship since that. Sure, she tried dating, but she still wasn't over Christopher, and until that happened, she wouldn't be ready.
"I know, but it would be nice," Amélie said, feeling guilty for pressuring her.
"I will come over one day, don't worry," she said. "I do want to meet Lucas. I was worried that America would be full of sexual hooligans- are you alright?"
"Nothing," Amélie choked, laughing.
Her mother's tone changed to suspicion. "Are you laughing?"
"No, Mama," she said, trying to sober up. Her Mama was a devout Christian, and didn't believe in pre-marital sex. Amélie was Christian, but she believed in it, and the fact that she and Lucas were having sex was a secret that she was guarding with her life from her mother. Even Madeline, her mum's younger sister, agreed with her on that one.
"Well, as I was saying, I was worried, but Lucas seems like a perfect gentleman," her mother said warmly. "He's always perfectly charming when I speak to him on the phone."
Amélie laughed. "Yes he is."
And Lucas was a gentleman... he was just so nice and charming.
"Oh, Madeline's here..." her mother said. "Would you like to speak to her before you go?"
"Of course!" Amélie said. She'd always been really close to Madeline, considering there was only six years between them. Madeline was the youngest of her mother's siblings, her mother was the oldest at 44. There were two brothers and a sister born in the fourteen years between Madeline and Coralie.
"Amé!" Madeline exclaimed. "How are you?"
Amélie grinned. Madeline always spoke English to her. "I'm good, what about you?"
"I'm great! I can't wait until next month," she said.
Madeline was flying out to see Amélie, just on her own. Coralie did have a valid excuse not to go though, she had already accepted an invitation to her goddaughter's wedding.
"Me either!" Amélie exclaimed. "I can't wait for you to meet everyone out here. And we'll go out on the town as well."
"Yes, we will. I'm going to have to go now Amé, but I'll phone you on Monday, okay honey? When are you not working?"
"I'm working Monday night," Amélie groaned. "My shift starts at nine, which is two o'clock your time."
"This time difference thing is a pain in the ass," Madeline remarked. "I'll e-mail you.Okay, I'll put you back on to your mother."
Coralie appeared on the phone. "Okay, darling," she said in her quiet French. "I'll speak to you soon."
"Bye, Mama," she said, hanging up.
Again, she looked at the photo and felt the old pain of resentment and anger. How could you leave her? How could you leave ME?
Almost immediately, her mobile rang. It was Lucas.
"Hey you," he said. "I'm just off my shift. You busy or do you want to go for a drink?"
"No, I'm free," she said, dragging her eyes away from the photo and her mind from her "daddy issues", as the American's put it. "Did you change at the hospital?"
"Yes, did you?"
"Yes. I'll meet you there in..."
"Fifteen minutes?"
"Twenty?" she offered.
"Okay," he said. "I'll meet you there in twenty minutes."
"Bye," she said, smiling and hanging up, before running upstairs to put some fresh make-up on.
She went into the bathroom and scrubbed at her hands with the lavender scented anti-bacterial handwash at the sink.
Of course, she'd already washed her hands many times throughout the day at the hospital. But she had to wash her hands as soon as she came in, it was like washing the day off her.
She dried her hands on the fluffy cream towel, and went downstairs.
She opened the door to the living room.
Jack, her Westie jumped up at her, barking excitedly.
Her room mate, Katalina, obviously wasn't back yet.
"Salut," she said, smiling and resorting to her habit to speaking French to her dog.
She picked him up and cuddled him. He was so small and fluffy, like a teddy.
A teddy with a loud bark.
"Okay, okay, I'll feed you!" she laughed, setting him back down on the ground.
She went to the kitchen and poured some dry dog food into his bowl and put some chicken on it.
"Here you go," she said, setting the bowl down on the ground. She looked at the clock.
It was time.
She went to the house phone and dialed the familiar number.
Coralie picked up on the third ring. "Allô?"
"Bonjour Mama," she said.
"Amélie! How are you?" her mother said in French.
"I'm fine, and you?"
"Oh, I'm fine," her mother's soft voice said.
On hearing her mother's voice, Amélie always felt a mixture of pleasure and heartbreak. Not only because she was so far away from her, though that was a given; but also because she remember how her mother had been before her dad left. Her mother had been a bright, cheerful extroverted woman, but when Christopher had left, she'd been left a shell, a shadow of her former self.
As always, Amélie's eyes flicked to the picture of her mother, her father and her when she was thirteen that she kept on the mantelpiece. They looked so happy, just like a pretty normal family. But that was when the trouble was just starting...
"How is Lucas?" Coralie asked in rapid French.
Amélie smiled in the way she always did when she thought about Lucas. "He's great."
"And how is your training going?"
Amélie started to talk about the highs and lows of her internship at St. Meredith's, leaving no details spared. Her internship was going very well, she was seven months into a five year course, and then a one years residency. She was also the only intern left who hadn't had a "kill" yet. She knew that would come, but it was hard not to be optimistic about it. She made Coralie laugh with telling her about Maddox, her "brat".
She then asked about her mother's life, but as usual, Coralie gave nothing away. She was well, Madeline was well, her work was going fine, 12-year old students were the same as usual, but other than that, Amélie learnt nothing.
Then her mother changed the subject back to Lucas.
"I would like to meet this guy," she was saying.
Amélie grinned. "I would like you to meet him too. You need to come over Mama, I've been here for seven months and you still haven't seen the place yet."
"I know, I just can't seem to find the time."
Lie. Amélie knew exactly why her mum didn't want to come out to the States. She didn't want to see the place where she used to go with Christopher. And she didn't want to be reminded of Seattle Airport, where she and Christopher had landed on their honeymoon; she didn't want the memories of them being happy to resurface.
Coralie had never been in a serious relationship since that. Sure, she tried dating, but she still wasn't over Christopher, and until that happened, she wouldn't be ready.
"I know, but it would be nice," Amélie said, feeling guilty for pressuring her.
"I will come over one day, don't worry," she said. "I do want to meet Lucas. I was worried that America would be full of sexual hooligans- are you alright?"
"Nothing," Amélie choked, laughing.
Her mother's tone changed to suspicion. "Are you laughing?"
"No, Mama," she said, trying to sober up. Her Mama was a devout Christian, and didn't believe in pre-marital sex. Amélie was Christian, but she believed in it, and the fact that she and Lucas were having sex was a secret that she was guarding with her life from her mother. Even Madeline, her mum's younger sister, agreed with her on that one.
"Well, as I was saying, I was worried, but Lucas seems like a perfect gentleman," her mother said warmly. "He's always perfectly charming when I speak to him on the phone."
Amélie laughed. "Yes he is."
And Lucas was a gentleman... he was just so nice and charming.
"Oh, Madeline's here..." her mother said. "Would you like to speak to her before you go?"
"Of course!" Amélie said. She'd always been really close to Madeline, considering there was only six years between them. Madeline was the youngest of her mother's siblings, her mother was the oldest at 44. There were two brothers and a sister born in the fourteen years between Madeline and Coralie.
"Amé!" Madeline exclaimed. "How are you?"
Amélie grinned. Madeline always spoke English to her. "I'm good, what about you?"
"I'm great! I can't wait until next month," she said.
Madeline was flying out to see Amélie, just on her own. Coralie did have a valid excuse not to go though, she had already accepted an invitation to her goddaughter's wedding.
"Me either!" Amélie exclaimed. "I can't wait for you to meet everyone out here. And we'll go out on the town as well."
"Yes, we will. I'm going to have to go now Amé, but I'll phone you on Monday, okay honey? When are you not working?"
"I'm working Monday night," Amélie groaned. "My shift starts at nine, which is two o'clock your time."
"This time difference thing is a pain in the ass," Madeline remarked. "I'll e-mail you.Okay, I'll put you back on to your mother."
Coralie appeared on the phone. "Okay, darling," she said in her quiet French. "I'll speak to you soon."
"Bye, Mama," she said, hanging up.
Again, she looked at the photo and felt the old pain of resentment and anger. How could you leave her? How could you leave ME?
Almost immediately, her mobile rang. It was Lucas.
"Hey you," he said. "I'm just off my shift. You busy or do you want to go for a drink?"
"No, I'm free," she said, dragging her eyes away from the photo and her mind from her "daddy issues", as the American's put it. "Did you change at the hospital?"
"Yes, did you?"
"Yes. I'll meet you there in..."
"Fifteen minutes?"
"Twenty?" she offered.
"Okay," he said. "I'll meet you there in twenty minutes."
"Bye," she said, smiling and hanging up, before running upstairs to put some fresh make-up on.