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intheheartAuthor: Kat
Title: Lemonade
Rating: PG.
Summary: Joy and Acacia discuss Maya.
Date: Spring 2006
Notes: None.
Warnings: discussion of abortion and child abuse.
Her dad took Maya out back to show her the garden, and her mom sat her down at the kitchen table, glasses of lemonade between them and a look in her eye that Joy knew very well. "All right, joyful," Acacia Maserati said, leaning forward. "Explain."
Joy sipped her lemonade and put on her most innocent look. "Explain what?"
"Everything you know about that young lady outside," her mother said, "and leave nothing out."
She thought about protesting that she'd left nothing out when she called, but all she'd said had been 'I have a friend and she needs a place to stay.' She sighed, curled her hands around her glass. "Well, she's fifteen, she got pregnant, and her family kicked her out. What was I supposed to do?"
"Hmm." Acacia leaned back, cupping her own glass against her sternum. "Did you check this out?"
"No." Joy thought about Maya, frozen on the stage at the Velvet Lounge, and added, "I met her at work, Mom. I repeat, she's fifteen."
Acacia's eyebrows flew up, and she set her glass down so hard the table shook. "What on earth was she doing in a strip club?"
Joy grimaced. "Trying to dance. I took her home. What else could I do?"
"I'm not arguing with that." Acacia leaned forward and rubbed her fingers across her forehead. "I just mean... people take advantage, sometimes."
Joy's hands clenched very suddenly into fists. "I was there when she had her abortion, Mom," she said, levelly. "I was holding her hand the whole time. I don't think she was making it up."
"Oh, no, I didn't..." Acacia blew out a breath, and started again. "I didn't mean to imply that she was, Joy. I'm sorry if I did."
Consciously, she relaxed her hands and cupped her glass again, letting the chill slick over her hands. "No, I know, I... I'm just protective of her."
"I can see that." Her mother took up her glass and drank for a moment, then ran the glass across her forehead. "You bonded pretty quickly."
She shrugged. Careful here, careful phrasing so as not to hurt her mother-- "She's like the little sister I never knew I had, you know? I feel like... I was supposed to help her, and bring her to you and Dad. I know it's strange, but there it is."
"Hmm." Acacia studied her for a moment, then looked out the window, where Joy's father was picking a hydrangea and tucking it behind Maya's ear. It shone pink against her soft black hair, like the sky at dawn. "Well, your father is pretty taken with her."
Joy smiled. "Dad always did want lots of little girls."
"He got his private tutor qualifications last week," Acacia said, dryly. "As soon as you called. He never had any doubts."
Joy raised an eyebrow, but decided to let that one go. Her mother was suspicious by nature, and not always wrongly so. "So..."
"So we can educate her here, at least until she's old enough for college. At that point..."
"I'll pay," she said, immediately. "If she doesn't get a scholarship."
Acacia narrowed her eyes. "You said that awfully fast."
Joy shrugged. "I dunno, it's like... look, you and Dad did so much for me. And Maya... she didn't, she so did not, I just want to do something for her. To help her out, the way you guys helped me."
"You're our daughter, joyful," Acacia said, gently. "That's what parents are supposed to do."
"Yeah, well." Joy thought of Maya's frightened eyes, of Maya crying herself sick when she thought Joy was asleep. "Her parents didn't. Can you say she deserves any less than what I got?"
"No," Acacia said, softly. Then she shook her head, and said, "College is some time away, at any rate. You don't need to worry about that yet. Let's just get her settled and stable, and worry about the rest when it comes."
Outside, Maya was bent over a row of string beans, her father demonstrating something. "Okay," Joy said, and resolved to start saving anyway."
Title: Lemonade
Rating: PG.
Summary: Joy and Acacia discuss Maya.
Date: Spring 2006
Notes: None.
Warnings: discussion of abortion and child abuse.
Her dad took Maya out back to show her the garden, and her mom sat her down at the kitchen table, glasses of lemonade between them and a look in her eye that Joy knew very well. "All right, joyful," Acacia Maserati said, leaning forward. "Explain."
Joy sipped her lemonade and put on her most innocent look. "Explain what?"
"Everything you know about that young lady outside," her mother said, "and leave nothing out."
She thought about protesting that she'd left nothing out when she called, but all she'd said had been 'I have a friend and she needs a place to stay.' She sighed, curled her hands around her glass. "Well, she's fifteen, she got pregnant, and her family kicked her out. What was I supposed to do?"
"Hmm." Acacia leaned back, cupping her own glass against her sternum. "Did you check this out?"
"No." Joy thought about Maya, frozen on the stage at the Velvet Lounge, and added, "I met her at work, Mom. I repeat, she's fifteen."
Acacia's eyebrows flew up, and she set her glass down so hard the table shook. "What on earth was she doing in a strip club?"
Joy grimaced. "Trying to dance. I took her home. What else could I do?"
"I'm not arguing with that." Acacia leaned forward and rubbed her fingers across her forehead. "I just mean... people take advantage, sometimes."
Joy's hands clenched very suddenly into fists. "I was there when she had her abortion, Mom," she said, levelly. "I was holding her hand the whole time. I don't think she was making it up."
"Oh, no, I didn't..." Acacia blew out a breath, and started again. "I didn't mean to imply that she was, Joy. I'm sorry if I did."
Consciously, she relaxed her hands and cupped her glass again, letting the chill slick over her hands. "No, I know, I... I'm just protective of her."
"I can see that." Her mother took up her glass and drank for a moment, then ran the glass across her forehead. "You bonded pretty quickly."
She shrugged. Careful here, careful phrasing so as not to hurt her mother-- "She's like the little sister I never knew I had, you know? I feel like... I was supposed to help her, and bring her to you and Dad. I know it's strange, but there it is."
"Hmm." Acacia studied her for a moment, then looked out the window, where Joy's father was picking a hydrangea and tucking it behind Maya's ear. It shone pink against her soft black hair, like the sky at dawn. "Well, your father is pretty taken with her."
Joy smiled. "Dad always did want lots of little girls."
"He got his private tutor qualifications last week," Acacia said, dryly. "As soon as you called. He never had any doubts."
Joy raised an eyebrow, but decided to let that one go. Her mother was suspicious by nature, and not always wrongly so. "So..."
"So we can educate her here, at least until she's old enough for college. At that point..."
"I'll pay," she said, immediately. "If she doesn't get a scholarship."
Acacia narrowed her eyes. "You said that awfully fast."
Joy shrugged. "I dunno, it's like... look, you and Dad did so much for me. And Maya... she didn't, she so did not, I just want to do something for her. To help her out, the way you guys helped me."
"You're our daughter, joyful," Acacia said, gently. "That's what parents are supposed to do."
"Yeah, well." Joy thought of Maya's frightened eyes, of Maya crying herself sick when she thought Joy was asleep. "Her parents didn't. Can you say she deserves any less than what I got?"
"No," Acacia said, softly. Then she shook her head, and said, "College is some time away, at any rate. You don't need to worry about that yet. Let's just get her settled and stable, and worry about the rest when it comes."
Outside, Maya was bent over a row of string beans, her father demonstrating something. "Okay," Joy said, and resolved to start saving anyway."
