Kitty finally calls home

[x-kitten.livejournal.com]

-ring-

-ring-

-ring-

-click-

“Hello...”

“Hi, daddy...”

“... you have reached Issac Pryde. I'm not home right now, so leave a message after the beep.”

–beep-

Kitty sighed, wondering where her dad was. It was nine in Chicago, so he really ought to be home. “Daddy, it's me. I just... I've got some good news, so give me a call and I'll tell you all about it. Love you.” She dropped the receiver back onto its cradle then eyed it. It was not a now or never type situation, but she'd promised Jamie she'd call before April and that left her about two hours. Putting it off would be silly. Sighing, she lifted it up again and dialed.

-ring-

-ring-

“Hello?”

“Hi, mom? It's Kitty.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and Kitty could just imagine her mother staring at the phone in a sort of shock.

“Kitty?”

“Yes, mom, it's me.”

“Hi. How are you? Is everything ok?”

There was something very unsettling about the fact that her mother would think the only reason she would call was because there was something wrong. “Yes, mom, everything's fine. I have some news.” Her mind flipped through all the things that had happened that she hadn't told her parents – Lockheed, the latest attack on the school, Jean's return. NYU was really only the tip of the iceberg, but you had to start somewhere. “I'm... I'm going to graduate early. I have all my credits,” and then some, “and I want to get started on... other things.”

“Really? Wow. Kitty, that's great. Congratulations.” There was a brief pause. “What other things?”

“I'm going to go to college,” she said. “I've been accepted to NYU. They've offered a very good scholarship and a part-time position in the physics lab.”

“Wow...” Kitty could hear the hesitation in her mother's voice.

“I'm sorry I didn't let you know earlier. I've just been...” Everything she could come up with either sounded patently false or touched on things she'd rather not talk about now. “I'm sorry,” she said instead.

“That's... that's ok. I'm glad you did call, though. And congratulations. I'm proud of you.”

Kitty smiled faintly. “I guess that was really it. It's pretty late here, and I should really get back to my work.”

“Well... work hard, then. And have a good night. It was nice talking to you.”

There were acres of unspoken words between them.

“You too, mom.” Kitty hesitated, not wanting to end on such an empty note. “Oh,” she said suddenly. “Um... can you tell dad? He's not picking up his phone and I don't know when I'll have another chance to call.”

There was a long pause, and Kitty wondered if her mother had hung up before she heard the question. But then, softly, “You told me first?”

“Um, yeah,” Kitty said, biting her lip. “Yeah, I did.” She hadn't really meant to, in truth, she'd probably have asked her father to tell her mother if she'd gotten him on the phone first. But now...

“Ok. Thanks.” There was a pause, but Kitty could tell her mother hadn't hung up yet. Then her voice came again. “So, NYU?”

“Yes.”

“You'll be staying in New York, then?”

Inside, Kitty sighed. “Yes, mom. I'm gonna stay at Xavier's and just commute into the city.”

“Did you... What other schools did you apply to?”

“Lots,” she answered vaguely.

“And did you consider coming back to Chicago? You know there are some excellent schools in the area.”

There it was. Honestly, Kitty almost wished they’d stuck to the awkward tone of the beginning of the conversation, but now it seemed her mother had found her verbal feet again. “Not really, mom. I mean, I applied to U of Illinois down in Bloomington but none of the Chicago schools.” Hell, she'd only applied to any school in Illinois at all because she hadn't known what Jamie wanted to do. She'd applied to at least one school in every state in the union, and more in Kansas, just in case he'd wanted to go home.

“Why not? UC is an excellent school, you know.”

“Yes, mom, I do know. I just didn't want to go there.” Didn't want to move back into range.

“Oh, I see.” Another pause. “And that… Jeffrey of yours?”

“Jamie, mom.” And you know it.

“Jamie, then. What's he doing?”

“We're both going to NYU, mom. “

“Well, at least if you're at school in New York you'll be able to find a nice Jewish boy.”

Kitty blinked, then pulled the receiver away from her ear to stare at it. Her mother had not just said that. She moved the receiver back and said, “You did not just say that, mom.”

“I did, Kitty. This Jeffrey...”

“Jamie.”

“Whatever. He's a nice enough boy, but wouldn't you rather settle down with someone who can really understand you? Who knows about our heritage.”

Kitty began to massage her temples with her fingers, holding the phone between her shoulder and her ear. “Mom... Mom, we are not having this conversation.”

“Kitty...”

“Nope. Not doing it. Have a nice night, mom, I'm gonna hang up now.”

“Kitty...”

She dropped the receiver back onto the cradle and flopped backwards onto her bed. So now her mother objected to her goy of a boyfriend. Wasn't that just lovely.