xp_logs | Hope & Tandy: mothers (Reply)

Tandy and Hope talk a little about a sensitive subject: mothers.

Tandy dropped her school books off on the coffee table after she walked in. "Hope, what are you doing?" Looking up at her suite mate with a questioning look. "Is that...is that sewing?"

She has to finish that last stitch first. Only when she had finished it it, Hope looked up from the embroidery hoop she held securely on hand. "In a way... It is embroidery. Very basic embroidery though..."

Putting her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow, "Basic embroidery? What has gotten you into embroidery?" Slowly walking over to where Hope was sitting.

"Just one moment..." Hope raised the hoop again and quickly added another few stitches. "There, that bit is done." She set down her hoop again and looked at Tandy. "I received a gift and it seemed rude to me not try it out." She stuck to the bare, bare basics of the story.

Tandy sat down as she waited for Hope to finish. "Was this gift part of the million and half packages I saw arriving this past month?"

"It were only five or six packages." Hope protested mildly. "But yes, it arrived with the other packages." Looking for a way to change the subject quickly though, she held up her hoop. "What do you think? It's just the bare outline, but the idea is that it's going to be a flower. I still have to fill in various parts. I am supposed to learn the running stitch and the back stitch."

Tandy shook her head, "Hope there is no purpose to learn embroider. It really is a waste of time. If it was knitting or something then I would understand. I am sorry but it is true and as your friend I just want you to know that she is controlling your life. And believe me, I know a lot about bad mothers."

Hope simply blinked at her friend, stunned: "Huh? What... what do you mean?"

Tandy sighed a bit, "Look at yourself Hope, is this what you want to do? Make embroideries forever?" Tandy bit her lip and looked down before looking around. "What I am about to tell you stays in this room. There is a reason why I don't talk about my own mother. Have you ever heard of the MC Designs? It is a fashion company that has been around for years."

"The name does sound vaguely familiar." Hope replied, still blinking a little at the fierceness of her friends reply. "What... what did you mean about bad mothers?"

"The company belongs to my mother. It is her baby." Tandy looked down at her hand and started to pick at her nails. "I mean we have bad mothers. Yours tries to control you by telling you what to do and constantly sends you lady stuff. Not that you shouldn't be a lady, but just...just putting pressure on you. My mother on the other hand could care less about me. Always away on business and didn't even bother changing my last name when she married when I was young." The blonde girl looked up at her. "We both have horrible mothers. One too into her child's life and the other not enough."

"My mother is not a bad mother." Hope protested immediately, something in her eyes shuttering immediately. "She is doing her utmost best to raise me in a way that ensures that I will have a good life."

Tandy gave Hope a look, "Right...sending you a book how to embroider? Like you need that in order to have a good life. In what job field do you need a required skill on how to embroider? Unless you become like a professional embroider. There are better ways I am sure of it. Trust me, we aren't so different you and I."

"It's not about embroidery." Hope explained, rather coolly. "It's about developing the artistic side that we all have inside us. My mother just gave me the means to work on that. With both the embroidery kit and the calligraphy kit."

"Really? A calligraphy kit? What the hell are you going to do with calligraphy? Write fancy letters all the time?" Tandy asked seriously. "The only thing I can think of someone who thinks these are artistic are people are from the 1800s. We are living in 2012!"

"Embroidery and calligraphy may not be mainstream art forms, but that not does mean they are irrelevant." Hope replied primly, her language falling back to its initial formal incarnation. "There are wonderful examples of artwork in both forms."

Tandy wanted to scream out 'Yes they are!' but she bit her tongue and stared hard at her suite mate, "I really wish you would listen to yourself just for a second." She stood up and walked toward the sink to get a glass of water. Tandy was a little jealous that Hope's mother did give her daughter attention, but Tandy didn't like that kind of attention - it just seem wrong to her. "If you like to be told what you should need to have a good life...then that is your problem. Personally I feel like it is a teens right to discover that for herself."

"But I have discovered for myself what I like, Tandy. Classes at my previous school taught me I did not enjoy painting or drawing. My grandmother dabbles calligraphy and embroidery and taught me a few basic things. I did enjoy those arts. If I am developing my artistic side, why not in an art that I enjoy?"

"No, you are right Hope. Just kind of weird that your mother sends you these and then you do them. Just thought maybe you should discover for yourself what you like and don't like." Drinking the entire glass of water before sitting it down on the counter. "You are my friend Hope and I worry."

"Thank you, Tandy. My mother... she has high expectations, but she cares about me very much." A little of the ice disappeared from her eyes as she touched Tandy's hand gently. "I wish for you your mother would care more."

"Guess you see the world differently when your mother is polar opposite from most people." Tandy sighed and bit her lower lip. "You and me both. But hell would freeze over before she would even remember me. My mother...she is very...not the mother type."

"I am so sorry to hear that... My mother... it is... challenging to be her daughter. But it does give me the advantage of knowing she is there. I really wish it could be the same for you."

"One can only hope. Why do mothers have to be so...weird?" Tandy asked looking over at Hope.

"I do not know? I think if we knew why mothers do the things they do, we could earn a fortune with selling that secret."

Tandy smirked a bit on that one. "In the meantime we can write one on how to survive certain mothers."

"It would be nice, but I think a manual for that would be very thick." Hope returned with a small smile, the ice gradually fading from her eyes now things were not being addressed so directly.

"True...I do have a lot of advise to give might take a couple of chapters." Sighing before running a hand through her hair. "Are you hungry? Want to go down for dinner?"

"I could use a bite to eat." Hope nodded. "Just let me put my embroidery away." She quickly tucked away her hoop and various other bits and pieces in her room before returning. "I am ready."

"Okay let’s go!" Leading the way out of their suite and towards the kitchen to eat.