Realigned (part 2)
Mr Zoat
Dedicated ragequitter
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6th February
07:32 GMT -5
I take the bowl of porridge off my tray like some sort of caveman and put it down on our table. Then I repeat the process with my glass of orange jui-.
Artemis gives me a condescending look. "What are you doing?"
I smile at her. "Normalcy."
"You're out of practice."
"Yes."
I stow my tray on an unused chair with the rest, then pull up my own chair and sit down. Next, I open up the little sachet of honey -no golden syrup here- and pour it into the porridge. Normally we all go home for breakfast, but Paula suggested this for our expanded group. Ugh, and the honey's.. sticking to the sachet and.. I can't get the spoon in…
"…but you're keeping his name?"
Paula nods at Karon's comment. "Yes. It's on all of my paperwork. I am used to it now. And it would not be fair to judge the rest of his family by Lawrence's behavior."
"And I'd find calling you 'Tuyet Nguyen' really weird."
Holly looks confused. "I thought you were called 'Paula'. I'm.. sorry-."
Paula shakes her head with a quiet laugh. "Lots of people from Asia take Western names for the sake of convenience. I've been 'Paula' for even longer than I've been 'Crock'."
"So you don't, like, mind?"
Paula smiles, shrugging. "No. Why should I?"
"Ah… I.. guess. It.. just… I mean, I wouldn't pick a new name if I moved to Vietnam."
Paula raises her eyebrows. "Are you sure? You don't want me to choose one for you? I think you would make a delightful Hau Li."
Holly focuses her eyes on her bagel. "Er… No."
"Hey, Paul." I look over to Artemis. "I was wondering something."
"And what was that?"
"I was talking to Wally about names. If you and Jade do get married, is she taking yours or are you taking hers?"
"Why, does Artemis West not work for you and you want moral support? Because I don't think Wallace Crock sounds any better."
Karon shakes her head. "Who's 'Wally'?"
"The guy I'm dating."
Paula looks mildly concerned. "Artemis..?"
"No, we're not-. Getting married, Mom. It just.. came up."
"Would I take her name?"
Four sets of female eyes swing my way, and Artemis nods.
"Would I take her name..? Over the name that not only can I not say, not only can I not think, but I haven't actually even been able to communicate to anyone?"
"Oh." Artemis dips her eyes. "Yeah."
"Yes, yes I would. As long as she agrees to rationalise the spelling."
"Rational-?" Artemis frowns, then nods. "Right."
Holly frowns. "So you'd be Paul Crock?"
Paula shakes her head. "Jade uses my maiden name. Nguyen."
"What's wrong with 'Win'?"
"The person who came up with romanisations for Vietnamese pictograms was some sort of moron, that's what. 'Win' is spelt En-Gee-You-Why-Ee-En."
Holly blinks. "Huh?"
"Yes, that was my response the first time I saw it written down as well. I was thinking… Double Ewe-Why-En-En?" I look at Paula and raise my eyebrows interrogatively.
She shrugs and shakes her head. "If you like? If that is how you feel then I think you should talk to Jade about it."
"Of all the things I worry about in our relationship, what name we might pick is a long way down the list." I look at Holly and Karon. "What about you two? I don't know how it works with lesbians."
Holly and Karon exchange an awkward glance, then Karon wobbles her head from side to side.
"There isn't a rule. I guess… People just do what works for them, I think… Just keep our own names..?"
Holly nods. "I think… Yeah? I wouldn't-" She turns to face Karon. "-mind if it mattered to you, but.. I'd… Find it weird? Changing my name?" Holly looks at me. "So what happens if you get your name back?"
"Then Jade and I would have to have an actual conversation about it. But since my family is still back on Earth Prime… That connection is much less important."
And I'm not really all that fond-.
I catch myself before my face hits the bowl. Karon looks concerned while Holly lets out a surprised snort of laughter. "You been running too hard?"
"And now I'm going to stop talking about this, because thinking about my name makes me faint."
I start working my way through my bowl. It's… Eh. One of the problems with my ring enhancements is that it makes cooking well extremely easy. So restaurants just… Don't have that much appeal, let alone cafés like this. Oh, these things are sent to try us.
"Paul?" Karon pushes aside her cereal bowl. "Could you.. tell me something?"
"I can tell you many things. Can you be more precise?"
A minor eye-roll. "Have you ever checked out anyone in front of Jade and told her about it?"
Holly sags slightly. "Karon, I said I was sorry."
"No, I-. I don't want to be over-sensitive about this? I know you're more open about.. physical attraction than I am, and… I don't want to be a bitch about it."
"You're not, it's-."
I nod. "Yes."
"Oh." Karon frowns while Holly looks mildly curious. "Who?"
I nod at Paula. "I mean, it's nice to know that I'll still find Jade attractive when she's fifty, but she's told me-"
Karon's eyes widen and Holly tries to find the breath to giggle. Paula shakes her head while Artemis cringes.
"-that it makes her uncomfortable if I keep doing it, so aside from the occasional joke I've stopped. Actually, Paula, now that you're a free woman-."
"You are dating my daughter."
"Not me, but have you thought about dating again?"
Paula blinks in what I'm reasonably sure is affected surprise. "What makes you think I'm not dating now?"
I smile as Artemis cringes further.
"Who's the lucky person?"
07:32 GMT -5
I take the bowl of porridge off my tray like some sort of caveman and put it down on our table. Then I repeat the process with my glass of orange jui-.
Artemis gives me a condescending look. "What are you doing?"
I smile at her. "Normalcy."
"You're out of practice."
"Yes."
I stow my tray on an unused chair with the rest, then pull up my own chair and sit down. Next, I open up the little sachet of honey -no golden syrup here- and pour it into the porridge. Normally we all go home for breakfast, but Paula suggested this for our expanded group. Ugh, and the honey's.. sticking to the sachet and.. I can't get the spoon in…
"…but you're keeping his name?"
Paula nods at Karon's comment. "Yes. It's on all of my paperwork. I am used to it now. And it would not be fair to judge the rest of his family by Lawrence's behavior."
"And I'd find calling you 'Tuyet Nguyen' really weird."
Holly looks confused. "I thought you were called 'Paula'. I'm.. sorry-."
Paula shakes her head with a quiet laugh. "Lots of people from Asia take Western names for the sake of convenience. I've been 'Paula' for even longer than I've been 'Crock'."
"So you don't, like, mind?"
Paula smiles, shrugging. "No. Why should I?"
"Ah… I.. guess. It.. just… I mean, I wouldn't pick a new name if I moved to Vietnam."
Paula raises her eyebrows. "Are you sure? You don't want me to choose one for you? I think you would make a delightful Hau Li."
Holly focuses her eyes on her bagel. "Er… No."
"Hey, Paul." I look over to Artemis. "I was wondering something."
"And what was that?"
"I was talking to Wally about names. If you and Jade do get married, is she taking yours or are you taking hers?"
"Why, does Artemis West not work for you and you want moral support? Because I don't think Wallace Crock sounds any better."
Karon shakes her head. "Who's 'Wally'?"
"The guy I'm dating."
Paula looks mildly concerned. "Artemis..?"
"No, we're not-. Getting married, Mom. It just.. came up."
"Would I take her name?"
Four sets of female eyes swing my way, and Artemis nods.
"Would I take her name..? Over the name that not only can I not say, not only can I not think, but I haven't actually even been able to communicate to anyone?"
"Oh." Artemis dips her eyes. "Yeah."
"Yes, yes I would. As long as she agrees to rationalise the spelling."
"Rational-?" Artemis frowns, then nods. "Right."
Holly frowns. "So you'd be Paul Crock?"
Paula shakes her head. "Jade uses my maiden name. Nguyen."
"What's wrong with 'Win'?"
"The person who came up with romanisations for Vietnamese pictograms was some sort of moron, that's what. 'Win' is spelt En-Gee-You-Why-Ee-En."
Holly blinks. "Huh?"
"Yes, that was my response the first time I saw it written down as well. I was thinking… Double Ewe-Why-En-En?" I look at Paula and raise my eyebrows interrogatively.
She shrugs and shakes her head. "If you like? If that is how you feel then I think you should talk to Jade about it."
"Of all the things I worry about in our relationship, what name we might pick is a long way down the list." I look at Holly and Karon. "What about you two? I don't know how it works with lesbians."
Holly and Karon exchange an awkward glance, then Karon wobbles her head from side to side.
"There isn't a rule. I guess… People just do what works for them, I think… Just keep our own names..?"
Holly nods. "I think… Yeah? I wouldn't-" She turns to face Karon. "-mind if it mattered to you, but.. I'd… Find it weird? Changing my name?" Holly looks at me. "So what happens if you get your name back?"
"Then Jade and I would have to have an actual conversation about it. But since my family is still back on Earth Prime… That connection is much less important."
And I'm not really all that fond-.
I catch myself before my face hits the bowl. Karon looks concerned while Holly lets out a surprised snort of laughter. "You been running too hard?"
"And now I'm going to stop talking about this, because thinking about my name makes me faint."
I start working my way through my bowl. It's… Eh. One of the problems with my ring enhancements is that it makes cooking well extremely easy. So restaurants just… Don't have that much appeal, let alone cafés like this. Oh, these things are sent to try us.
"Paul?" Karon pushes aside her cereal bowl. "Could you.. tell me something?"
"I can tell you many things. Can you be more precise?"
A minor eye-roll. "Have you ever checked out anyone in front of Jade and told her about it?"
Holly sags slightly. "Karon, I said I was sorry."
"No, I-. I don't want to be over-sensitive about this? I know you're more open about.. physical attraction than I am, and… I don't want to be a bitch about it."
"You're not, it's-."
I nod. "Yes."
"Oh." Karon frowns while Holly looks mildly curious. "Who?"
I nod at Paula. "I mean, it's nice to know that I'll still find Jade attractive when she's fifty, but she's told me-"
Karon's eyes widen and Holly tries to find the breath to giggle. Paula shakes her head while Artemis cringes.
"-that it makes her uncomfortable if I keep doing it, so aside from the occasional joke I've stopped. Actually, Paula, now that you're a free woman-."
"You are dating my daughter."
"Not me, but have you thought about dating again?"
Paula blinks in what I'm reasonably sure is affected surprise. "What makes you think I'm not dating now?"
I smile as Artemis cringes further.
"Who's the lucky person?"
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