14 Dec 2024, 23:16
It's A Wonderful Life
banner by alyssea brown
time- evening
ooc notes- what a wonderful lifeThank God It's Christmas was playing from someone's radio. Personally, Sage didn't much agree. Especially as she was in London that day, not Kent.
Her gray stocking cap flattened her hair while barely managing to keep her ears warm. Her coat, rain resistant, did nothing to keep the December chill off her skin. The person next to her was radiating cold as well.
"Excited to be back home, are you?" Christopher asked her. His heavy boots splashed slush everywhere.
London wasn't her home. "It's cold." She meant Christopher more than anything.
"What does your sister want for the holidays? A doll or something?"
"Kora would probably prefer a book on cooking more than anything. Not that you'd understand why."
Christopher ran his hands over his face. She hadn't seen him do that in so long. "I'm trying to be nice, Sage. That's why I invited you out here to spend some of your holiday with me. Stop snapping for the rest of the day, for the love of God."
Sage looked down at her feet. The pavement was slick with melted snow. It was so busy there, so loud. It was nothing like home. She had grown to hate London just as her distaste for her father had grown.
"If you aren't going to stop and buy anything, then we'll just turn home." Home.
Sage honestly wasn't even sure if he still lived in the same small house he'd lived in before she left. She'd never paid attention to the address on the letter he sent, only the words along with it. That home, what would it be like? Cold, like him? Or just another painful memory?
"What'd you get Cassie for Christmas?" she asked once they sat on the bus to take them home.
He laughed at her and turned his attention to the window, turning his attention away like he always did. "We could stop and see the grave, if you'd like." The words were empty, holding nothing but a father reminding his daughter this was the only place to pay respects to her mum's grave. This was the only place that remembering became the worst.
"Okay," she whispered. "I just need to be back in time to get ready for the train tomorrow."
Christopher turned from the window. "You're always so excited to get out of here. Just can't stand to see your old dad, can you?"
"I'm here because Cassie wouldn't be able to pick me up from the station. I'm here because it would be rude to turn down your invitation."
The bus stopped, and Sage and Christopher exited. The graveyard loomed ahead of them. The gate, iron and rusting, was just as Sage remembered. One foot in front of the other, closer and closer until the gravestone of Autumn Grace Willows was in front of her.
She released a shaky breath and sat on the snow in front of the grave. "Mum, hi."
Christopher was silent as he pulled a flower out of his pocket and gently placed it on the snow. He checked his watch, saying, "We only have five minutes before the next bus, make it quick."
Sage just stared at the smooth gray, the dark letters, and illustration of flowers around her name. Beloved mother, daughter, sister, and friend. Beloved Autumn.
Sage lost track of the time she stared until Christopher was helping her to her feet and leading her towards the bus. How long would it be till the next time she saw her mum's grave? Months? Years?
They settled back on the bus and Christopher began to speak while staring straight ahead. "So I hear you're prefect now?"
"Yeah. Just started in late September, so it's pretty new."
"Well, I'm sure there was no better choice." Compliments from Christopher were rare. Perhaps this was the start of a new era. Perhaps his letter was truthful, maybe he really was going to try.
The bus stopped, and they walked the rest of the way to Christopher's house, the same house Sage spent a majority of her childhood in. But it still wasn't her home now.
She kicked the snow off her shoes and looked around. It hadn't changed. She peeked into her room to find boxes and loads of dust, neither of which she would ask about.
"I didn't get a chance to get you anything for Christmas. Since I was at school and all." She told him once they got to the living room and she saw the little tree he kept in the corner.
"Don't worry about it. I, uh, got you something small. I watched it a lot when I was your age, so I thought...." He handed her a wrapped square. "I don't know if you have any way to watch it at Cassie's. Maybe during dinner we could watch it tonight?"
She unwrapped a DVD copy of It's A Wonderful Life. She met her dad's eyes. "Cassie doesn't have a DVD player."
"Oh, well. We'll just have to watch it tonight."
It really was a wonderful life.
