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 Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2014 9:51 pm
In her silence, Anita resumed looking out the window. She chewed her lip, tapped her fingers, all idle motions and distractions from the lack of conversation. Considering the circumstances, she didn't mind it. That made Johan's question feel all the more abrupt. Anita glanced over, looking momentarily lost, then went back to facing forward.
”I don't know,” Anita shrugged. That didn't seem like a fair statement outright when she really didn't know the guy. ”I think some things you've said were harsh.”
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2014 9:51 pm
The car began moving along a little faster the closer they got to the collision site. Even while focusing on the road, though, it was easy enough for him to gauge Anita's expression. At her response, Johan frowned.
"They weren't harsh. Not in the context it operated under." There was another slow gap in the road-- once they came to a stop, he glanced over at Anita. "You admit you don't know if I'm harsh. I'm guessing it's because you don't know me well enough to make that judgment call. I suggest you practice the same behavior for my brother."
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2014 9:52 pm
As Johan explained his stance, Anita kept her eyes glued between the traffic and the dashboard. Her nails scratched at some loose denim threads on her knee, remnants of a clumsy fall some time ago.
She frowned in return. After a few seconds that felt inexorably long, she nodded.
”You're right, I don't know either of you well.” Anita turned away to look out the window. She pulled her hood down when the heat of the car, and being put on the spot, caught up with her. ”I just know that he was trying to do something nice for Duncan.”
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2014 9:53 pm
"I know he was. That was fine and good," he glanced over at Anita again, "But it doesn't warrant not talking about his mistakes and issues when Duncan wasn't at home. It doesn't warrant you, someone he doesn't know well, having to babysit him."
Traffic was moving quicker than he expected, which was a fortunate turn of events. He didn't pay much mind as they neared the collision site as they neared it-- three cars were piled around each other, covered in snow. It wasn't a kind sight to behold, but none of the victims seemed to be present.
"I suppose anyone might feel the need to after they saw what you saw, but it's a poor choice trying to empathize with someone because they attempted suicide."
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2014 9:54 pm
Anita grimaced when the accident came into view. She sighed when she reached the same conclusion, no sign of victims or injured, any paramedics that might have been called were no longer on the scene. This was just clean up.
Her expression remained, then twisted into more of a cringe as Johan continued to speak. She turned her head closer to the window, hiding her face in her hair while she listened. At least, that was the plan. Anita abruptly turned to stare at Johan, wide eyed at his callous mention of the event. She was quick to return her gaze to the road but losing the expression was a more difficult task.
”I think that's unfair,” she started firmly. It didn't take long for her resolve to waver. ”He seemed pretty aware of his mistakes. Trying to keep things positive and on task doesn't really constitute 'babysitting', does it?”
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2014 9:54 pm
Johan caught sight of Anita's wide-eyed stare, but paid it little mind. There was no other reason he saw for Anita to care enough about Mordekai to play nicely along with him, especially given his slew of mistakes. He continued on with the same minute frown, nonchalant but firm.
"You distracted him from what you thought were harsh topics. Wasn't that you trying to protect him from any potential harm?" His frown deepened, "That's babysitting for adults. He doesn't need that kind of help anymore. He's had plenty of scapegoats in the past."
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2014 9:55 pm
She sighed and ran a hand over her face. This conversation was making her eyes feel tired, or maybe it was the cold weather. Anita pinched the bridge of her nose, the tip of which was still tinted red.
”I wasn't trying to--” she stopped herself there. Her hand fell back in her lap and she straightened up in the passenger seat. With a slow breath, Anita tried again. ”Given that we were all there for Duncan, we were trying to get things ready for him, I didn't think it was necessary for me to harp on things that he already noticed were going wrong, or that you pointed out to him. Making him feel crappy didn't strike me as ideal before Duncan got back.”
Or, really, ever. Maybe if it seemed at all constructive to her, but each time Johan made a comment earlier it just sounded petty. Anita didn't know them, that was true. She didn't know their experiences prior, she didn't know anything about them except what was right in front of her face, but that didn't make it appear any less pointless to jab at the man when he already had a rough time just trying to do something nice.
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2014 9:56 pm
Anita was displeased. That much was clear. Still, he felt very much the same, though he kept his tone even-keeled and focused. He wasn't often the kind of person to give physical cues of botherance or agitation, anyway.
"You didn't have to harp on him. You only had to let me speak to him." Fortunately for them both, they neared the head of the collision site. From there, traffic popped almost instantly, and Johan ramped up the speed to get moving along.
"Time has passed between when you rescued him and now. He's a grown man. If talking about what we had to back home made him feel like crap, and he couldn't bounce back from that, then he needs to focus on getting his s**t together before throwing haphazard parties for people." What good was there in telling Anita all this, unless he wanted to make her all the more irate? He wasn't sure, but he continued nonetheless. He supposed he was irritated at the situation as well. He grew tired of practical strangers defending Mordekai long ago.
"Until he has that figured out, nothing he can do can make Duncan happy, anyways."
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2014 9:58 pm
The conversation was going nowhere, two oppositely charged points bouncing off one another almost aimlessly. Was this talk just to fill the silence, or did either of them really hope to change the other's mind? Anita was growing assured that her stance would continue to be pushed aside while being very aware that Johan's wasn't gaining any favor with her, either.
There was a time and a place for that talk. As far as Anita could see, the time was wrong to remind Mordekai of the fact he lost his car while they were preparing for a birthday party. The place was wrong to tell Mordekai he should consider moving out in front of her, the relative stranger.
Anita's expression soured as she stared at the floor. Her fingers picked more aggressively at the frayed denim threads. Before she knew it, there was a small hole.
For the rest of the trip to the bakery, she fell silent. Her head rested against the window and she didn't turn to look Johan's way or mess with the radio. If she were more familiar with him and the car she would have propped her heels up on the seat and put her head on her knees, but she wasn't even comfortable enough to remove her shoes to compromise that. So she sat, awkwardly curled against the door to stare at the passing traffic.
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2014 9:58 pm
The two failed to make any conversation for the rest of the trip. Johan figured Anita didn't wish to hear him speak just as he felt the same, especially when their sentiments stood at opposing ends from one another.
Retrieving the cake was simple enough, and the traffic getting back to Duncan's house was less congested. Johan paid little mind to the idle sounds Anita made while picking at her jeans the rest of the trip through, and the only reaction he made was raising the volume on the radio to the music neither of them seemed to pay any particular attention to.
Johan didn't anticipate on staying much longer for the party. They pulled into the driveway, and his movements were as succinct as they were before. He pulled the cake out from the back seat-- for all intents and purposes, the cake was enormous-- and locked up the car before going to the front door. He knew from previous years that Duncan's door remained unlocked most times, and so held it open for Anita to enter first. There was quiet laughter from the kitchen.
Mordekai leaned back in his stool to see who it was, brows raised. "You two are back quick," he noted, as Johan closed the door behind him; he sobered at his brother's expression, nonchalant as always, "Everything go fine?"
"Yes," Johan walked to the kitchen and dropped the cake off at the counter, "I should be off, though."
Duncan blinked at Johan, clearly confused, "Oh! Already...?"
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2014 9:59 pm
After the cake was in tow, Anita stayed quiet. She felt a bit useless in terms of the retrieval; Johan picked it up, Johan took it to the car, Johan put it in the backseat. She hadn't actually contributed to anything about it, but the reason he asked her to go with wasn't actually to help and she knew that before even agreeing. Even when they got back, it was Johan that brought the cake inside. Anita kept her hands tucked in her pockets and tried not to pout.
Laughter.
Anita closed her eyes and sighed. A small smile pulled at one corner of her mouth and she was able to ease into a more positive demeanor by the time Mordekai and Duncan came into view. Maybe not quite like nothing happened, but she certainly didn't want to bring either of them down.
”Mhm,” Anita added loosely when Johan responded. It probably just felt quick to them. To her it had been like an eternity.
Johan's sudden mention of departure made her double take. She followed the cake's destination and stood by it, out of the way. Anita quirked a brow at the confection and asked, a bit more sarcastically than she intended, ”You don't want a piece?” She didn't look up at any of them.
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2014 9:59 pm
Johan spared Anita a brief glance. "No," he responded, in brief, before turning his attention back toward Duncan, "I have an appointment with a client early tomorrow. I still have some work to do before then."
"Ah, I see... well!" Duncan carefully hopped down from his stool and offered Johan another handshake, "It was nice seeing you again, son. I hope to see you soon."
"I'm sure we will. Is everything alright now?" Johan glanced briefly at the kitchen counter-- he noticed that the papers were now out of sight, and the cardboard box was resting next to Anita's gift. Duncan looked back at the counter with him, then offered a small smile.
"Everything's quite alright. It's a celebration, after all; I shall not be wont to sadness in the face of such giving people." Duncan grinned then pat Johan on the back, leading him to the foyer, "Anyways, please be sure to call every now and then, Johan. I can't stand the thought of losing you, too."
"...I know. I will."
Between Duncan and Johan walking to the front, the Kantor brothers glanced at each other and said their good-byes with a simple wave and strained smile. Mordekai allowed for the two men to talk at the front-- he tapped the surface of the counter once and offered Anita as good a smile as he could, however tired he felt. "Guess we're gonna be the Happy Birthday singin' duo, then..." he stood up from the stool, then walked toward the kitchen, "Thank you for goin' and gettin' the cake with Johan... you hungry?"
At the doorway, a gust from the door, and Johan issued an audible enough farewell: "Bye, you two. Enjoy the cake." With that, he left.
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2014 10:00 pm
Anita's brow furrowed slightly at the explanation but she nodded, keeping her eyes on the cake. With Duncan's assurance, Anita managed to smile again. Their voices tapered until she couldn't hear any of it as they walked toward the front door.
The tap on the counter drew her eyes and Anita was quick to offer Mordekai a smile in return. ”Guess so,” she laughed a little, voice more of a whisper in light of the distant conversation. She shrugged and glanced down at her feet, pausing to stare at the at the hole she made in her jeans. It was small but, if left unpatched, it would spread over her entire kneecap in a few short weeks.
Her stomach didn't react at all to the mention of food like it normally would. ”Starving,” Anita grinned anyway.
Johan, intentionally or otherwise, seemed to leave Anita out of his goodbye. Despite this, she called out a 'bye' of her own. There was no use dwelling on it if he was heading out. With that, she clasped her hands together and turned on her heel to face Mordekai and the rest of the kitchen with a more natural smile than she'd had in the last hour and a half.
”Cake time or did you guys not eat yet?”
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2014 10:01 pm
"Great!" Mordekai laughed while opening up the lids to the chili pot and one that stowed away cornbread, which was loaded to the brim, "You gotta a lotta eating to do ahead of you. Want me to serve you?"
He paused when Anita said goodbye, then glanced over at the direction of the foyer again. Mordekai frowned without necessarily meaning to-- he knew that there was no reason for Johan to duck out early like this, even on a busy day. Still, he didn't know if Anita would be particularly happy if she was asked what was wrong, so he left it at that. He owed the both of them more than an apology for causing a scene.
"Never got around to eatin' yet, since we didn't want to do that without you two." Mordekai fished a ladle out of the counter cabinet, along with a few bowls.
Duncan walked back from the front room and sat at his stool. "I wish he could've stayed for a meal, at least," he looked to Anita with an apologetic smile, "But he must be busy, as always. Thank you so much for plowing through that winter traffic with him, Anita." As soon as Duncan faced away from Anita, Mordekai plopped a bowl of chili in front of him, and he laughed sheepishly.
The rest of the celebration was quiet, but pleasant, even if all three of them had something to hang onto from earlier. As promised, after everyone ate, Mordekai turned off all of the lights around the house-- even a few stray ones from upstairs-- and they lit 14 candles in all, six for every decade, eight for every other year. As promised, they sang. Duncan chuckled the whole way through-- he hadn't been sung a happy birthday song in two years-- and made his wish to cherish for the next 12 months to follow. He wished to see his sons grow with others again.
Duncan smiled at Anita and Mordekai both. He blew out his candles in one go.
END
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