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Post by Ilsa Richmond on Oct 12, 2011 2:05:22 GMT -5
"Mum...." Ilsa hesitated, unsure whether to follow through with her though process of not. "Listen... and don't take me literally here, but what if what I want to do for a living is something like waitressing tables? I mean, what if I don't want some high end career, but something where I can be around people and just.... have fun? Someone has to take those jobs. And would it really be so bad?"
Hey, it was better than the plan she currently had running through her head.
Ilsa rolled her eyes again at the last sentence. "It had four walls and a roof. At least I have my priorities in order."
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Post by Dr. Nadine Richmond on Oct 13, 2011 22:00:42 GMT -5
No, there was nothing wrong with those types of jobs, and yes, someone had to do them. But Ilsa was capable of so much more than that and she was always selling herself short. It frustrated Nadine to see her so ready to give up, instead of living up to her potential. But she couldn't force her daughter to have ambition...
She sighed heavily. "Working with people is a good thing, and I can see waitressing as a good stepping stone for that. But I think you'd get bored if you kept doing that for the rest of your life. Just keep your options open and don't be afraid to explore other things."
They were outside of the school by now, and as they started the long walk across the grounds to the borders of Hogwarts, Nadine turned and looked at her daughter. She seemed evasive about this apartment issue, which was odd, since she Ilsa had been the one to bring it up. "That's not what I mean. How do you have an apartment already? Are you planning to stay with a girl friend?"
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Post by Ilsa Richmond on Oct 13, 2011 23:31:15 GMT -5
"That's the point, Mum. I'm going to get bored no matter what I do." That much was true... with one or two notable exceptions, Ilsa tended to show a passion in something for just long enough to get a taste for it, to say she did it, and then get bored and be ready to move on. She really had no doubt that a career would be any different. She didn't see it as selling herself short. She saw it as not wasting the time on setting up some remarkable career when she was just going to want to leave it in a year. That, and she would curse herself and everyone around her to obvlivion if she even THOUGHT she was following in Lorelei's footsteps, Merlin help them all.
Why did her mother have a habit of latching onto the one thing Ilsa said that actually meant anything? "No, Mum, Godric. What's with the Spanish Inquisition? I've done research."
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Post by Dr. Nadine Richmond on Oct 14, 2011 23:55:24 GMT -5
"Then you should try to find something that won't bore you... something that will have enough variety to challenge you and keep you interested," Nadine said, but she was getting tired of arguing her point. She knew that Ilsa was smart, much more so than she realized. All of her teachers, when they called for a parent-teacher conference, always talked about how smart she was, saying that they tried to find ways to challenge her and she just got bored too easily. It was frustrating. Sure, every parent thinks that their children are geniuses, but Nadine was convinced that Ilsa was brilliant... she just didn't know it yet. There had to be something she could do.
"I'd feel better if you were staying with a girl friend," Nadine said. "I don't like the idea of you living alone. I don't think you're ready. Maybe you could stay with Lorelei for a while..."
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Post by Ilsa Richmond on Oct 17, 2011 16:43:13 GMT -5
The girl just sighed, the frustrated look on her face more than reminiscent of the one on Nadine's, even if hers was more subtle. "Yeah. I'll figure it out."
But her mother's next suggestion got a definite reaction of her daughter. "What? No! Are you mad?" Living with her sister was definitely out of the question. They would kill each other. She loved her sister dearly, but they clashed more often than not. She'd take a curse in the chest for her blonde sister, but she refused to live with her.
"What if I find a room mate, but it's a boy?"
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Post by Dr. Nadine Richmond on Oct 17, 2011 22:16:02 GMT -5
"OK, OK, it was just a suggestion," Nadine replied, holding her hands up in front of her. And actually, she was pretty sure Joseph wouldn't have liked it, either, only because he would prefer to have both of his daughters under his own roof, where he could watch out for them himself.
But if Ilsa had reacted badly to her mother's suggestion, Ilsa's next comment nearly caused Nadine to trip. No... living with a boy was not acceptable. Lorelei didn't even live with Duncan, and they'd known each other for ages.
"You're just trying to shock me now, aren't you? That's what this is, right? You wouldn't seriously consider moving in with a boy? You're only 17."
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Post by Ilsa Richmond on Oct 17, 2011 22:35:27 GMT -5
"No, if I really wanted to shock you, I'd tell you I was dating a girl."
She didn't bother to clarify whether she was or not, and let that hang in the air. "In which case, you'd probably rather I roomed with a boy, wouldn't you?"
Godric, only 17? Ilsa was an adult, and in less than a month, she would be an out of school adult, too. Her mother couldn't really tell her no, right? if push came to shove, Ilsa could just walk out. She knew Ramon would take her in.
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Post by Dr. Nadine Richmond on Oct 19, 2011 23:29:10 GMT -5
Nadine didn't even feel that comment was worthy of a response. She didn't seriously think her daughter was dating another girl, and she was just saying that to shock her. Nadine wasn't going to rise to that bait. But oh, how they always knew how to push each other's buttons...
"Who is this boy you want to live with?" she asked instead, trying to dig a little deeper into what her daughter was trying to say. She wouldn't have just come out with this concept unless there was something else going on. Ilsa was far too good at keeping secrets, and it frustrated Nadine.
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Post by Ilsa Richmond on Oct 20, 2011 15:07:13 GMT -5
"Okay, can you stop trying to psychoanalyze whatever it is you think I'm not saying? You're so black and white." Ilsa had only mentioned it to see what kind of reaction she would get from the older woman. She had tried to pose it as a hypothetical.
"There's no boy. It was just a what if. And why is that wrong, anyway? Don't trust me, do you?"
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Post by Dr. Nadine Richmond on Oct 21, 2011 0:19:58 GMT -5
The short answer was no, she didn't trust Ilsa. She was immature, impulsive, and irresponsible. But it was more complicated than just that. Boys at Ilsa's age (and she certainly wouldn't have assumed that Ilsa would be involved with a boy who was older than she was) were also immature, impulsive, and irresponsible. Of course there were exceptions, but something told her that Ilsa was not likely to be interested in the exceptions. She'd never liked Lorelei's "friend" Duncan, after all, and he qualified as one of the exceptions.
Even more than all of that, of course, was the fact that she just wasn't ready for her little girl to grow up. Moving out, living with a boy... she just wasn't ready for these things. And the fact that Ilsa was so anxious to be grown up was a warning sign to Nadine... she wasn't really ready, she just wanted to be.
"I just don't think you're ready for that sort of thing, that's all," Nadine said evasively. "I just need to see that you're able to be responsible, and it's hard for me to believe that when I've just had to pick you up from school for the weekend because you were acting up in class again."
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Post by Ilsa Richmond on Oct 21, 2011 1:49:54 GMT -5
Ilsa was smarter than that, though, and she knew her mother didn't trust her. Really, that was fine. In all of Ilsa's attempts to act older than she was, she knew that she never did anything to earn her parents' trust. It wasn't their trust and confidence she wanted to earn, anyway- it was their attention. So acting up in class and having to be taken home for the weekend was more of a success in her eyes- even if it meant she wasn't going to be able to see Ramon.
"I'm the epitome of responsible, Mother." Her tone was uncharacteristically serious, but it didn't mean her words were. "And if you must know, class was boring. It's not my fault I could teach a more engaging lesson than our professor."
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Post by Dr. Nadine Richmond on Oct 21, 2011 16:56:15 GMT -5
Ilsa might have thought she was being funny, but the offhand comment she made about teaching gave Nadine an idea. She could actually see Ilsa as a teacher. Teaching was creative in its own way... Merlin knew you had to find some way to reach children who would rather being doing just about anything else than learn. She would be able to relate to the children, as well, and she knew all the tricks that they pulled. It sounded like a good idea to Nadine, but she also knew that it would have to be Ilsa's idea. If she pushed it, even a little bit, Ilsa would push in the other direction.
"I'm sure you could," was all she said, "but that doesn't give you an excuse to act up. You only had a few more weeks of classes, and your NEWTs are coming up very soon. Have you even studied?"
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Post by Ilsa Richmond on Oct 21, 2011 17:31:23 GMT -5
She couldn't help but roll her eyes. After knowing her daughter for 17 years, Ilsa thought Nadine should know by now that this was a useless battle. She was not going to win it.
"Sure, I've studied." She wasn't trying to convince Nadine. In fact, Ilsa never studied. Her exam scores were usually pretty good, too, so she had no reason to Study for her NEWTs. All she had to do was pass them.
No, it was homework and class assignments that brought her scores down.
"Is this my punishment? We just get to talk about how bad my grades are and how dismal my future plans are ALL weekend?"
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Post by Dr. Nadine Richmond on Oct 22, 2011 0:31:12 GMT -5
Nadine sighed. If the conversation was a punishment for Ilsa, it was no picnic for Nadine, either. It was a losing battle, and she knew it. They'd just keep talking in circles, solving nothing.
"No, we don't have to talk about it all weekend," she said. "As it happens, you're just in time for a family dinner. Lorelei's coming over tonight, and I think she's bringing Duncan again. Please promise me you'll be nice to him."
It actually mystified Nadine that Ilsa didn't like Duncan... he was the sort of friendly, easy-going guy that it seemed impossible not to like. But then, Lorelei had always been closer to the boy growing up than she was to Ilsa... and Ilsa never liked being ignored.
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Post by Ilsa Richmond on Oct 22, 2011 10:53:27 GMT -5
"Merlin, Mum!" Ilsa was officially annoyed with this conversation, and being told to be nice to Duncan was the last straw. "Maybe it would just be less stressful on you if you locked me in the cupboard under the stairs like the unwanted step child, hm?"
She had a feeling this was going to make Nadine angry, but she didn't care. When Duncan was around, she was nice. Sarcastic, sure, but that wasn't different from any other time. And if the muggle boy couldn't handle That, oh well. Ilsa didn't think she should be asked to change who he was to suite her sister's quasi boyfriend. Unless, of course, the family liked him better than her.
And then she got frustrated because she knew she was never going to be able to bring Ramon around like Lor did other Duncan. Merlin, they would even expect her boyfriend to live up to their ridiculous, close minded standards. She frowned, shoving her hands in her pockets and remaining quiet.
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Post by Dr. Nadine Richmond on Oct 22, 2011 11:37:27 GMT -5
Nadine sighed again. Why did Ilsa always twist her words around to the most extreme possible meaning? They always did this to each other, and Nadine had no idea how to stop the cycle. Sometimes she just wanted to hold her daughter tight and tell her she loved her and never wanted to let her go. Somehow, the words got lost along the way.
She stopped and put her hands on Ilsa's cheeks. "Honey, you know that's not true. You are not an unwanted stepchild... you're my beautiful little girl. I just want what's best for you, and I want others to see how special you are, too."
The phrase "unwanted stepchild" was troubling to Nadine... it made her think of the little boy that Joseph had lost and the fact that he might still be alive. Perhaps he, too, was out there thinking that he was unwanted.
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Post by Ilsa Richmond on Oct 24, 2011 14:28:03 GMT -5
Ilsa stopped walking, sighing and just wishing her mother would let it be. She just asked her to be nice to Duncan... that had nothing to do with wanting what was best for her. Besides, What Nadine thought was best for her child was nothing that Ilsa wanted for herself.
"Okay, Merlin. And for the record, I am always nice to Duncan. I'm too afraid he'll get sensative if I'm mean."
She widened her eyes a little, just to silently say she was dropping the subject. "But Lorelei isn't allowed to even mention school work or my future."
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Post by Dr. Nadine Richmond on Oct 24, 2011 22:37:32 GMT -5
Nadine could have pushed it, reminding her that it was obvious to everyone, especially Duncan, that Ilsa didn't really care for him, and that they had taught her better than that. But this, and the rest of the conversation, had become just as tiresome to her as it had to Ilsa. The girl was barely listening, anyway, and only seemed to pick up on the criticisms and the phrases that could be twisted to sound more harsh than were intended.
"I have no control over what Lorelei says, no more than I have over what you do or say," Nadine said, her tone light. "But I don't think she'll bring it up in front of Duncan, to be honest."
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Post by Ilsa Richmond on Oct 25, 2011 23:03:11 GMT -5
"So you can warn me to be nice, but not her? That's... awesome, Mum."
Ilsa sighed, though. She knew she gave her parents a hard time... but it was directly proportional to how hard of a time they gave her. Even still, she sighed a second time, and looked at Nadine. "Sorry, Mum," she mumbled. "I'm gonna date a comedian, and bring him to all the family dinners just to cover up my remarks with something to break the tension. My gift to you and Dad."
It wasn't much of an apology, but it was there, and the best Nadine could really hope for right now.
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Post by Dr. Nadine Richmond on Oct 26, 2011 0:04:29 GMT -5
Nadine sighed again. She just couldn't say anything right where Ilsa was concerned, and it was getting so tiresome. "If I get a chance to talk to Lorelei first, I'll ask her not to," she said, reaching up to rub her temple. She had the beginnings of a headache, which she had taken to referring to as her "Ilsa headache," though never to the girl's face.
She could have added that she didn't think Lorelei would bother to bring it up, other than to casually ask how school was, which was a completely normal question. Ilsa could be rather self-absorbed in thinking that everyone was out to pressure and nag her about her life. Just because Nadine did it, didn't mean that Lorelei spent all her time thinking of ways to hassle Ilsa about school and the future.
But Nadine was tired of fighting with her daughter. Ilsa had a way of wearing her down, until she just gave up and let her have her way. Even her somewhat backhanded apology didn't matter at this point, because Nadine was just... done.
"I'm sorry, too, sweetie. I don't mean to argue with you... It's just been a long day."
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