gabriel l. corner (coverstory) wrote in valesco,
@ 2010-03-29 13:52:00

Entry tags:

Rachel!
Gabriel was still very much learning the ways of being a father, and a husband. It wasn't something that you were able to magically do over night, and even though Michael would be a year old come June (so soon! So fast!), there were still aspects of parenting that Gabriel could not fully comprehend. Even though a marriage was thrown on top of learning how to be a father, Gabriel was quite sure that he was doing a relatively decent job at both. It did help greatly that his wife was a very strong minded woman who didn't mind telling Gabriel what to do. He supposed many men would find that frustrating, but Gabriel was more than happy to have Rachel lead the way, as he was very complacent when it came to most matters.

Most matters, yes. One matter, however, that had completely alluded him during their short courtship and few months of marriage. His mother had dropped the not so subtle hints that it would be so nice to experience another grandchild, after the debacle that was Mary's pregnancy with Michael. Gabriel couldn't help but find himself quite bitter about the topic, but not bitter enough to want to punish his parents, or himself, by not having another child. He'd never thought to himself that no, he would not have more children, but it surely was a subject you had to discuss with your wife! And it was a subject that had been distracting him at work. And at lunches with friends. And at quidditch matches, and---

He didn't want this to feel pressured, like he worried that their engagement had been. Even though things had been working out quite nicely for them, Gabriel was sure that---he just wanted this to be their decision, and he wanted to know Rachel's thoughts on the matter.

Gabriel peered into the bedroom that had been devoted to Amissa's time spent at the house, and smiled at Rachel. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard to talk about.

(Post a new comment)

malengled
2010-03-29 04:26 pm UTC (link)

Motherhood was the only role in her life where Rachel did not have the cool, assured confidence she had for everything else in her life. For having spent three years in the role, Rachel still had not one single clue as to whether or not she was doing a damned thing right.

Being a wife, on the other hand, was much easier than Rachel had been anticipating. She had no intention of changing her forthright, in-charge manner, but she understood that it might take some skillful manipulation to put any future husbands of hers in their proper places. What she had not been expecting by any means was a husband who respected her as her own intelligent being, perfectly capable of determining what was right for herself, and oftentimes, for him as well. For that, she was profoundly relieved that an explosive match had been avoided, but it had left Rachel with quite a bit of fight left in her, unexpended and festering.

It did not help that a certain amount of tenuousness existed in their relationship. They were not well-acquainted. They had many personal matters that required sorting. And Rachel, at the very least, was concerned about how much of a place she had in Gabriel's life. She was his wife, it was true, but was she a mother to his son? Was she mistress of the household? And by the same token, she realized it was easier for her and her relationship with Michael than it had to be for Gabriel and his relationship with Amissa. Michael's mother, flighty and insincere creature that she was, had put a geographical strain on her relationship with her son. Amissa, on the other hand, spent every other week with her real father.

Nor was it helpful that the Corners merely avoided these important discussions.

As it happened, Rachel was painstakingly trying to teach Amissa to write, rather than scribble, with a tiny ostrich plume quill, but the squirrelly girl was too fascinated by the fact that the feather tickled her chin when she moved it a certain way, her high-pitched giggles and scrunched up face was too much even for Rachel's best headmistress glare.

"Imp," she said affectionately, begrudging amusement coloring her tone.

She noticed Gabriel and his smile hovering near the door, and gave him a wry, helpless look, as if to suggest What to do?.

"Did you need something?"

(Reply to this)(Thread)

coverstory
2010-03-29 04:58 pm UTC (link)

"Oh, no," he said, entering and wiggling his fingers in a wave toward Amissa. "I just wanted to check in on you two. See how the lesson is going."

Gabriel took a seat on a chair that was much too small for him, but it would do. He didn't think standing over Rachel while she was working with Amissa would do any good with the conversation he wished to have. Though, now that he was here and he had her attention, he began to wonder if he should bring it up at all. It did seem like a random thought to be having, and if he brought up the fact that his mother was pestering him, Rachel might get the wrong idea about his intentions. As much as their engagement had been about rebuilding the bond between himself and his family, Gabriel honestly found himself loving Rachel.

He did, he loved her. He had never been a man that grew ridiculous and silly and brash when he was in love (because to be honest, Gabriel wasn't sure it had actually happened before), so if Rachel needed a grand gesture to believe it so...Gabriel wasn't sure what he'd have to do. Or if it even bothered her that he'd never admitted it. Gabriel himself didn't know when he'd decided that it was indeed love that he felt for her, but he knew it was the reason he did not want to tamper with their delicate situation.

Because...who knew, really. They were both outcasts in society before their marriage; who knew if Rachel honestly gave a damn about her status and wouldn't care what a divorce did to her? Gabriel forced the thoughts away for the moment and picked up a quill to start writing on a blank sheet of parchment.

"Look at how pretty your name is, Amissa," Gabriel said, turning the parchment around for the girl to see her name in an elaborate script. "It's very fun to write."

(Reply to this)(Parent)

scribbld is part of the horse.13 network
Design by Jimmy B.
Logo created by hitsuzen.
Scribbld System Status