Post by Fujiko Mine on Mar 25, 2018 22:47:49 GMT -5
A pitch black vehicle slowly advanced along a cracked asphalt road, surrounded by marble and stone grave markers and tombstones. It moved along the path for a few moments before sidling towards the right and stopping along the grass. The passenger door opens, and a tennis shoe wrapped foot hit the dewey grass.
Kattessa stepped out, taking a look back at the person driving the car. Hiro Nagashima, her surrogate father, looked up at her with his lurid eyes.
Kattessa Sostariche: You can pick me up in fifteen.
As was typical of him, he said nothing. The right corner of his mouth tugged into a ghost of a smile, and was gone like a lightning flash. She shoved the car door shut, probably doing so a little too hard. She cringed internally, but pledged to move past it. The car moved forward without her, leaving her there in the cemetery.
She knew she wasn’t alone. Her eyes had become accustomed to spotting her tails. She’d had them for too long, and to Hiro?
She was too precious for him to take chances.
She spotted 7 of them. They weren’t even disguised. They stood around, all in the navy blue suits that comprised the security detail of one Tj Jones. She moved her mind away from focusing on that, and she began to count the markers from where she was.
She gripped the FGA Pride championship as she counted. She felt a little silly bringing her championship with her, but she had to. She looked down, and saw the marker she was looking for.
She felt the sting of tears in the corners of her eyes, and tried to hold back. She knew that wasn’t going to last long. Despite the condensation lingering on the blades of grass, she she sat down next to the marker.
Kattessa Sostariche: Hey.
Only a few sounds from nature replied. She knew how one sided this conversation was going to be. Even though she’d had it a couple of times before, it clearly never got any easier.
Kattessa Sostariche: So, I hope winter wasn’t too bad. Uh...I survived it okay.
She offered up a cheap smile.
Kattessa Sostariche: Uh...Hiro says hello. He uh...doesn’t like coming here to see you.
She sighed, looking around at her surroundings.
Kattessa Sostariche: Oh!
She placed the championship on her lap, angling the center plate forward, so that her mother could “see”.
Kattessa Sostariche: I got this back. It was a really long, hard road to get it, but you were my inspiration. I remember how proud of you were of me when I won it, so I felt like I needed to come full circle again.
She sits there, in relative silence for what appeared to be a dog’s age.
Kattessa Sostariche: Uh so...I miss you. Lots. This past year and change has been hard. About as hard as it was to find you. It’s incredibly unfair that I finally found you, and you got taken from us.
She look a look at her feet, and then at the gravestone that bore her mother’s name. It was all it took for her to burst into tears. They came like raindrops, cascading down her cheeks and splattering over her chest. She used her hand to wipe the tears away, yet they were quickly replaced by new ones.
Kattessa Sostariche: I’m stupid. What am I doing?!
She threw her hands up in self disgust.
Kattessa Sostariche: I’m presenting a championship title to my dead mother, who I spent a third of my adult life hunting down… and then when I finally found her, she spent a third of our cumulative time together trying to convince me to give up the one thing that helped me find myself.
She sobbed quickly, then tried to compose herself.
Kattessa Sostariche: Without you, I felt lost. I felt like there was a whole part of life I missed out on. It wasn’t even just the stereotypical bullying, it was having to watch other kids get to hug their mothers, talk to them, go to the park with them. I missed out on teenage fights, and going through puberty with you...They got to have all of that, and I missed out on it.
More tears fell from her eyes.
Kattessa Sostariche: I’m...I’m not blaming you. I just....A part of me hoped I was going to recover some of what I missed out on when I finally found you. And...it kind of felt like I missed out of even more when you got taken away.
She blinks rapidly, noting that her mascara tinted her tears black.
Kattessa Sostariche: I missed out on you celebrating this title win with me. I missed out on you meeting my first boyfriend. I’m going to miss out on you being at my wedding.
She hangs her head low, trying her best to stop crying.
Kattessa Sostariche: So...yeah. Thanks for listening, I guess. I’ve got a big match in a few days, and it’d be cool if you could… “be there”, somehow? I could really use your support.
Kattessa leans forward and pats the gravestone.
Kattessa Sostariche: Thanks for listening. I love you.
She leans back, and then forces herself up. She picks up her championship, and holds it in one hand at her waist.
Kattessa Sostariche: I’ll come see you after the match.
She then stands at her full height, and begins to walk back towards the road. Hiro’s black car begins to come back around, and Kattessa aims a sad smile in her direction.
Kattessa stepped out, taking a look back at the person driving the car. Hiro Nagashima, her surrogate father, looked up at her with his lurid eyes.
Kattessa Sostariche: You can pick me up in fifteen.
As was typical of him, he said nothing. The right corner of his mouth tugged into a ghost of a smile, and was gone like a lightning flash. She shoved the car door shut, probably doing so a little too hard. She cringed internally, but pledged to move past it. The car moved forward without her, leaving her there in the cemetery.
She knew she wasn’t alone. Her eyes had become accustomed to spotting her tails. She’d had them for too long, and to Hiro?
She was too precious for him to take chances.
She spotted 7 of them. They weren’t even disguised. They stood around, all in the navy blue suits that comprised the security detail of one Tj Jones. She moved her mind away from focusing on that, and she began to count the markers from where she was.
1...2...3...4....5...6…...7….8...9..10.
She gripped the FGA Pride championship as she counted. She felt a little silly bringing her championship with her, but she had to. She looked down, and saw the marker she was looking for.
MARCIA SOSTARICHE
1953 - 2016
LOVING MOTHER
She felt the sting of tears in the corners of her eyes, and tried to hold back. She knew that wasn’t going to last long. Despite the condensation lingering on the blades of grass, she she sat down next to the marker.
Kattessa Sostariche: Hey.
Only a few sounds from nature replied. She knew how one sided this conversation was going to be. Even though she’d had it a couple of times before, it clearly never got any easier.
Kattessa Sostariche: So, I hope winter wasn’t too bad. Uh...I survived it okay.
She offered up a cheap smile.
Kattessa Sostariche: Uh...Hiro says hello. He uh...doesn’t like coming here to see you.
She sighed, looking around at her surroundings.
Kattessa Sostariche: Oh!
She placed the championship on her lap, angling the center plate forward, so that her mother could “see”.
Kattessa Sostariche: I got this back. It was a really long, hard road to get it, but you were my inspiration. I remember how proud of you were of me when I won it, so I felt like I needed to come full circle again.
She sits there, in relative silence for what appeared to be a dog’s age.
Kattessa Sostariche: Uh so...I miss you. Lots. This past year and change has been hard. About as hard as it was to find you. It’s incredibly unfair that I finally found you, and you got taken from us.
She look a look at her feet, and then at the gravestone that bore her mother’s name. It was all it took for her to burst into tears. They came like raindrops, cascading down her cheeks and splattering over her chest. She used her hand to wipe the tears away, yet they were quickly replaced by new ones.
Kattessa Sostariche: I’m stupid. What am I doing?!
She threw her hands up in self disgust.
Kattessa Sostariche: I’m presenting a championship title to my dead mother, who I spent a third of my adult life hunting down… and then when I finally found her, she spent a third of our cumulative time together trying to convince me to give up the one thing that helped me find myself.
She sobbed quickly, then tried to compose herself.
Kattessa Sostariche: Without you, I felt lost. I felt like there was a whole part of life I missed out on. It wasn’t even just the stereotypical bullying, it was having to watch other kids get to hug their mothers, talk to them, go to the park with them. I missed out on teenage fights, and going through puberty with you...They got to have all of that, and I missed out on it.
More tears fell from her eyes.
Kattessa Sostariche: I’m...I’m not blaming you. I just....A part of me hoped I was going to recover some of what I missed out on when I finally found you. And...it kind of felt like I missed out of even more when you got taken away.
She blinks rapidly, noting that her mascara tinted her tears black.
Kattessa Sostariche: I missed out on you celebrating this title win with me. I missed out on you meeting my first boyfriend. I’m going to miss out on you being at my wedding.
She hangs her head low, trying her best to stop crying.
Kattessa Sostariche: So...yeah. Thanks for listening, I guess. I’ve got a big match in a few days, and it’d be cool if you could… “be there”, somehow? I could really use your support.
Kattessa leans forward and pats the gravestone.
Kattessa Sostariche: Thanks for listening. I love you.
She leans back, and then forces herself up. She picks up her championship, and holds it in one hand at her waist.
Kattessa Sostariche: I’ll come see you after the match.
She then stands at her full height, and begins to walk back towards the road. Hiro’s black car begins to come back around, and Kattessa aims a sad smile in her direction.