S2/01. Trash Talk
1.5 Linda West
Spring 1998, Linda's house, Windenburg
Linda watched her cup of tea. The afternoon sun drew golden circles on the clear amber surface and below it danced a few stray black tea flakes. How easy it must be to be one of them, dancing and not having to worry ever. Of course they could not, they had no brains and no consciousness that would let them. But what if they had, Linda wondered, would they worry about being poured out in the drain once the cup was empty and rinsed? Or would they dance even wilder, if they were aware that their life soon would change so drastically – well, not life, certainly, they did not meet the six criteria to be classified as such, however –
"– right, Linda?"
Hearing her name pulled her out of her mellow musings. "Oh – I suppose so," she hoped she had picked the right reply, but agreeing was usually never a bad choice.
"Education is the most important thing for a child," Delilah continued, "Madeleine, you'll absolutely have to insist on sending Brandon to a private school if you can afford it. Leroy and I will certainly be doing our best to get Mikey in somewhere once he's old enough."
She gently rocked the baby's bassinet.
Madeleine Sanford nodded with grim determination.
Oh, so they had finished discussing the best techniques for changing diapers, and which formula is the least likely to cause diarrhea, and had arrived at elementary schools. Possibly a natural development.
The other redhead giggled. "Oh – of course you would!" Madeleine's eyes gained a suspicious spark. "Say, if you've thought about it already," – Linda had not until this very moment – "does that mean you have met someone new – and noteworthy?"
Delilah had the same spark, except her eyes sparked maybe even a little more.
"I- uh..." Linda muttered. She certainly could think of a person or two she'd consider noteworthy, but she also understood that the question meant someone noteworthy to have a romantic relationship with. Have children with.
"I have not," Linda replied honestly.
Madeleine's face fell immediately. "Oh well, you will find the right one in due time," she added with notably less interest than before. "I must excuse myself now, my dears, but I have to prepare dinner for the boys and Jesse."
The women exchanged polite pleasantries and Linda and Delilah accompanied Madeleine to the door. As soon as it closed, Delilah sharply inhaled. Her eyes sparked even more than before.
"You have someone in mind, right?" She almost burst from excitement. "I noticed when you were hesitating. Oh – and I understand, you don't want to spill the beans before it's all safe and sound, of course, I'm all for going slow – well, Leroy and I didn't exactly go slow, but it's the better way, right – "
"Dee!" Linda cried out. "I have no idea what you're talking about!" She was completely lost. The last person she had dated was Brian, but he had been gone for a while, and everyone knew it.
Delilah flashed a pitiful smile. "About Frank, of course! You're seeing him! Literally everyone is – oh!" She stopped suddenly, hesitating before she continued. "It's actually quite ugly gossip... Leroy's friends think you and Frank – that's... and that's why he's not on Rosa's side. Oh, of course I told them to stop with that nonsense!" she added fiercely. "But... honestly, I think it's lovely that you two are dating."
Linda's heart felt suddenly heavy. She had not seen Frank, not in the last two weeks, and they had certainly never seen each other romantically.
"You have someone in mind, right?" She almost burst from excitement. "I noticed when you were hesitating. Oh – and I understand, you don't want to spill the beans before it's all safe and sound, of course, I'm all for going slow – well, Leroy and I didn't exactly go slow, but it's the better way, right – "
"Dee!" Linda cried out. "I have no idea what you're talking about!" She was completely lost. The last person she had dated was Brian, but he had been gone for a while, and everyone knew it.
Delilah flashed a pitiful smile. "About Frank, of course! You're seeing him! Literally everyone is – oh!" She stopped suddenly, hesitating before she continued. "It's actually quite ugly gossip... Leroy's friends think you and Frank – that's... and that's why he's not on Rosa's side. Oh, of course I told them to stop with that nonsense!" she added fiercely. "But... honestly, I think it's lovely that you two are dating."
Linda's heart felt suddenly heavy. She had not seen Frank, not in the last two weeks, and they had certainly never seen each other romantically.
"You are mistaken," she said, "we have never dated."
"But..." Delilah's face fell, "you two get along so well! I'm sure he admires you, he's always looking for you when there is a gathering," Delilah explained. "And you're always smiling when he's around. You seem to perfectly understand each other. It's just – perfect. If you haven't dated yet, you should definitely start to – "
"Delilah!" Linda had to stop her friend's enthusiasm. Delilah was probably right – maybe Frank and Linda could have been a perfect match, but she doubted that it mattered anymore. She wasn't even sure if they were still friends.
"But..." Delilah's face fell, "you two get along so well! I'm sure he admires you, he's always looking for you when there is a gathering," Delilah explained. "And you're always smiling when he's around. You seem to perfectly understand each other. It's just – perfect. If you haven't dated yet, you should definitely start to – "
"Delilah!" Linda had to stop her friend's enthusiasm. Delilah was probably right – maybe Frank and Linda could have been a perfect match, but she doubted that it mattered anymore. She wasn't even sure if they were still friends.
"I don't think he even still likes me." In a few short words she explained what had happened between her and Frank two weeks ago. "I haven't spoken to him since," she finished.
"Wait – why haven't I ever heard about mysterious married guy?!" Apparently that was the only thing Delilah cared about.
"Uhm..." Linda was a little lost, "he wasn't really important? Just a pastime..."
Delilah shot her another pitiful glance. "I'll let it go this one time, because it's been years ago. But next time you have to tell me about your adventures!" She giggled.
"Uhm..." Linda was a little lost, "he wasn't really important? Just a pastime..."
Delilah shot her another pitiful glance. "I'll let it go this one time, because it's been years ago. But next time you have to tell me about your adventures!" She giggled.
"As for Frank," Delilah sighed and took a meaningful break, "he'll come around. My brother-in-law is not an idiot – usually. I'd not be surprised if he weren't just a little disappointed that you may have dated literally everyone but him." She smirked mischievously.
Linda laughed. "I don't think it's that!" But for the moment she felt a little lighter. Delilah was certainly right and her misstep could not have had enough impact on Frank's friendship with her to destroy it.
"You never know what's in a guy's head!" Delilah tsked. "He is a little busy right now, but I know what I see, and that's a lot of chemistry. You'll see, before you know, you'll be married and seriously considering which school you want to send your children to!" She winked.
"Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself here?" Linda giggled. Delilah's prediction sounded horrible and hilarious at the same time. But surprisingly less horrible than Linda would have thought. Maybe even –
"Wouldn't it be nice?" Delilah smiled warmly. "And we'd be real sisters too. Well... by law, but still."
Forgotten were Frank and any potentially horrible predictions. Delilah's last words made Linda wonder if her friend had always felt a bit left out. She'd been an orphan since early childhood, and had no relatives. Of course, the West family had embraced Delilah with open arms once she and Linda became friends, and the blonde girl had spent a lot of time in their house. But it must have felt different to be just a friend, and not a family member.
"You never know what's in a guy's head!" Delilah tsked. "He is a little busy right now, but I know what I see, and that's a lot of chemistry. You'll see, before you know, you'll be married and seriously considering which school you want to send your children to!" She winked.
"Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself here?" Linda giggled. Delilah's prediction sounded horrible and hilarious at the same time. But surprisingly less horrible than Linda would have thought. Maybe even –
"Wouldn't it be nice?" Delilah smiled warmly. "And we'd be real sisters too. Well... by law, but still."
Linda wished she'd been kinder to her when they first met. Delilah only got the chance to attend Linda's prestigious High School by sheer luck of getting a "pity spot". The school let a few very poor teenagers study there as long as they worked hard and behaved well.
Linda took the other woman's hands. "You were always my sister, Delilah, and always will be" she said. "It does not matter who our husbands are. And I know Mae feels the same."
Delilah was visibly touched.
She blinked a few times, then giggled.
"Can't hurt if we're sisters in-law too, right? Make sure you get that man, okay?"
Linda smiled.
Linda smiled.
She was convinced Delilah read too much into Frank's feelings for her, but she actually wasn't entirely opposed to give it a try.
If Delilah was right.
Gawd, Linda's house is stunning 😭
ReplyDeleteAlso I loved her skirt. BASICALLY, I'm just some sort of Linda fangirl.
You know, at first I was sort of annoyed on Linda's behalf (bc fangirl), with her friends sitting in *her* house, drinking *her* tea, and yakking about baby stuff which is irrelevant to Linda bc NO BB.
BUT THEN, I find out that Delilah is a Linda/Frank shipper also, and now she's one of my favourite side chars of all time 😁
I like where your mind is at, Delilah; I like it very much.
Linda was so cute here, all relieved that maybe MAYBE she hadn't mucked up her friendship with Frank after all.
And that little hint at the end that she might be amenable to something more? Beautiful! I love that, it's like she never considered the possibility, but by golly, isn't THAT an interesting idea...
YES IT IS LINDA, YES IT IS.
/pushes towards Frank
Linda ❤ her home is as classy as her wardrobe 😁
Deletelol yeah, one can absolutely get lost in tea-leaf philosophy over all that irrelevant chatter 😤
Ehehe Delilah is certainly going a little ahead of herself, but eh, who minds if it just pushes Linda to think in the right direction, right?? 😏
Let's hope Delilah is right!!
Yes! Think hard about what she said Linda. Frank and you would be perfect together! Babies or no babies. :)
ReplyDeleteThey're absolutely a good match ❤
DeleteDelilah definitely managed to convince me to board the Frank-Linda ship once again. She'd manage to convince ME to marry Frank too. When someone wants you so bad to be their family, how can you possibly resist that? I'm happy for Linda to have Delilah on her side in the middle of the whole Mae-Rosa mess.
ReplyDeleteI stared at all the screenshots for sooo long. Such an awesome job with them you did. Again.
LOL right? XD I'm glad you're back on the ship, it's gonna be a nice ride kekeke
Deleteohhh, and do I sense some competition for Nico? 😏 Probably not, lol but I'm happy you enjoyed this chapter.
Delilah is a sweet girl, she'd def always stick to Linda's side!
+ ty 😘
Delilah is an audience stand-in except for the baby talk (if this was in the present day she'd 100% be sharing details about baby poop online) but Linda's being stubborn and needs that. :P
ReplyDeleteDelilah would def have a frequently updated mommy blog! XD
DeleteLinda does need some serious talk, even if it concerns who she'd consider a good partner for herself ! She probs wouldn't have got the idea all by herself lol
Ah.. motherhood topics. I would be as clueless as Linda about it and find tea leaves interesting too.. xDI have to agree with the title of this chapter though. Madeleine and Delilah’s interest in Linda’s romantic life gives me a lot of icky memories of relatives prying. And in a big family like mine, that is a lot of intrusive questions and awkward topics. *shudders* At least, Linda and Delilah seems like good friends. They have a long history together too! Aw… I have a soft spot for friendships that stay on since highschool years. Really like this snippet into Delilah and Linda’s history.
ReplyDeleteDelilah jumps to conclusions so quickly. And Frank is her brother-in-law! I’m really intrigued by how closely linked everyone is. Though also a bit apprehensive. Eek.
Linda’s home is so pretty! So is her dresswear. And I can’t help but wonder that you chose that specific bookshelf for her now because she’s the non-fiction type and collects volumes and volumes of encyclopedias and journals than storybooks. ALSO, I look at that amount of detail, your cups after washing are put upside down! Mad. O_o
Yep, ME TOO and also I'd be bored to death 😏
DeleteEhehe I was originally planning to let the girls, esp Madeleine pry on Linda even a bit more, I mean Linda hits her 26 this year too, shouldn't she hurry to find a good man?? EH?
But then I dropped it bc I was too icked out myself 😏😂 Sorry you had to go through that!
Delilah, despite all her prying and over-excitement about getting her bestie as sister-in-law, is actually a good and supportive friend nevertheless ❤
I should make that relationship chart 😂
Thank you ! 😊 I love decorating the homes according to the characters.
The bookshelf + books are picked exactly bc Linda has mostly non-fiction and that a lot :D she did do her PhD not long ago!
The cups!! Ah I'm happy you noticed them 😁 that was TOOL! can't live without this anymore hehehe
I haven't even started to read but already want to join their coffee party so badly! D: It looks so delicious and homey
ReplyDeleteOooh, goodness, Madeleine! Ofc someone would find a way to ask Linda if there's a certain somebody in her life :/
Even though Delilah has jumped to conclusions, it's just so good to see someone being on Linda's side after all the hate she got last chapter.
Maybe Frank IS disappointed that she'd dated someone else. But I think it's more than that, as I elaborated last chapter. It was his view of the world that was shaken when he found out that oh-so-innocent Linda has dated a married man. However, that will be a lot easier for him to overcome, I think. He will approach Linda differently when he's processed it but I trust that this will only do their relationship good :D
My heart cheered for Delilah when Linda told her they would always be sister. It's always a good idea to tell someone else how much they mean to you :D
would you want to join the discussion over baby poo too? 😂 ehehe but nothing more interesting than gossip over some possible relationships, no?
DeleteDelilah absolutely is jumping to conclusions here, she doesn't know exactly how Frank feels about Linda and just makes assumptions to what she's seen so far. Don't believe that what my characters say is the truth 😈
Linda's & Frank's relationship has def changed, and who knows, MAYBE they'll finally get that it may be a good idea to date each other 😁
aww I'm happy 😊 as much as I love the drama in my story, sisterly relationships are as much as important! ❤
That's a surprisingly poetic thought for Linda! Although it is very much like her to zone out into a world of her own, for sure. I'm pleasantly surprised at the contet of said dreamworld though, I kind of assumed it was more her thinking about sciencey stuff like photons. Which I suppose is kind of what she's doing, haha, but in a more sentimental way than I would have pegged her for. Move on, Plumbob, you're literally only at the first paragraph... You can tell it's going to be one of those "jotting down random brain farts" as I go type of comments haha.
ReplyDeleteOh good lord, her friends. "Better get a move on and breed, Linda, chop chop." Ugh. I thought better of you, Delilah. Though it's mostly Madeleine being obnoxious here.
Ah ok, now we hear from Delilah. Wow, talk about getting ahead of yourself. Delilah is clearly an improvement of Madeliene, but her and Linda are so different, and put value on completelydifferent things. Makes me wonder how they bonded in the first place. It always seems like Linda doesn't really have any people in her life that get her, without the exception of Mae, but even there it's not full understanding. In a way that explains why she's always been so detached in all of her relationships, not caring that the men she was seeing had nothing in common with her and weren't even bothered to really understand her. She has no point of referrence. With the exception of Frank, of course, but a concept of a guy who could actually understand her must have been so alien in her mind by that point that she totally missed what was hiding in plain sight. Until all the hoopla now. Anyway, I'm getting off track here.
Completely random side note - I almost forgot how beautiful Linda's house is. I could just star at it for ages.
There we go again with the "before you know it, you're married." Ugh, Delilah. You did that, and that's perfectly fine and clearly is working out for you, but it's not a formula for everybody's life. Please stop spreading that kind of crap, it was this type of conditioning that landed Mae in an arbitrary marriage with Herbert in the first place.
Oooh, I'm actually getting an answer to my question about what brought Linda and Delilah together in the first place in this very chapter? Nice! Now get out of my brain, Candy :D
Aww, that was a nice touching moment between the two of them. Until Delilah went back to "make sure you get the man" 3 seconds later. No wonder Linda is spaced out half the time, haha.
Eh I love those brain farts okay :D
ReplyDeleteLinda is a scientist, but that doesn't keep her from seeing the poetry in science. Or apply science to poetic thoughts. Or so 😂
Well, consider also this is 1998, where despite all the progress there's still a lot of pressure for women to get married and have children (even today it's quite present occasionally) and then we have already women here that did exactly this, are happy about it and ofc have to convince every other woman that this is the peak of female happiness.
Duh.
And obv Mae fell for the same trap.
You're right that Linda has basically no people in her life that really understand her. So she doesn't even get the idea someone could. It's similar to people that didn't have many that like them, or were really interested in them. Once they find someone that appreciates them, it feels unrealistic.
Delilah is no exception. They weren't very similar from the start, but they became friends because they were both outsiders. Delilah made sure of that xD
Now life has lead both women in complete different directions, and what connects them is their past and happy memories together, but they have so little in common, not even the same homework, same teachers or school mates to talk about.
Unconsciously, Linda calling Delilah her sister is actually a more accurate description of their relationship than friendship :D
Siblings are the people we love and support because we grew up together and they're family, not necessarily because they are people we're getting along so well with or are similar to us, like friends are.
/sigh now I'm kinda melancholic, thinking of fading friendships lol
enough brain farts from me now :D
& Thank you, I love Linda's house too 😊