2019-12-11 - Meet the Parents

Summary:

Lydia brings Kamala home to meet the parents. Things do not go smoothly.

Log Info:

Storyteller: None
Date: Wed Dec 11 23:08:58 2019
Location: RP Room 2

Related Logs

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Theme Song

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kamala-khanlydia-dietrich

Lydia and her girlfriend are scooting along Manhattan to get to the west side of the Bronx, where her parents live. It wasn't Lydia's intention for her to have Kamala meet her parents so soon in their friendship, but she had accidentally let slip that she was going on a date and her mother insisted that she "bring that nice boy down for dinner."

Lydia didn't correct her.

Letting slip that she had a girlfriend instead of a boyfriend was not something she wanted to do over the phone. Then again, it might spare them some grief if she had. Still, what's done is done and they're pulling up to a rather large brownstone in posh section of the neighborhood.

Before she gets off the scooter she turns to Kamala. "I shoud… I should warn you about my Mother. She'll freak out about you being a girl and everything. We know about that. What I don't know is how she'll react because you're Pakistani. I hope it's not going to be an issue but I wanted you to be prepared in case it is."

Kamala had even made all the plans. They were going to go to the plaza, gaze at the tree for a bit, go ice skating and go for gyros sometime in it all! It was a very solid plan, in Kamala's mind. When Lydia mentioned the change in plans and directions, the younger of the two releases Lydia to let her get off the scooter. Just to turn around and catches Lydia's hands in her own. "You're cute." she says with a bright smile.

Then she turns serious. "I'm first generation American." she corrects gently, but firmly. "Yes, my parents are Pakistani, and I was born to them. But I was the first one born in America." Grinning, she gives her hands a little squeeze. "But if you want to think of me as exotic, I won't complain." Leaning over to kiss Lydia's cheek, she is trying to hide her own whole bundle of nerves in her stomach as she looks at the house, so much larger than the one her and her parents live in. There's a little swallow.

And she is dressed for what was supposed to be their outing. A warm and colorful sweater, flowing skirts that go down to her ankles with leggings beneath. Various bangles are worn on her wrists, and she's wearing a crochetted woolen cap on top of the pile of dark brown hair on her head.

Then she adds quietly. "I'm more worried about her finding out I'm from Jersey." she points out with a litle smile.

Lydia gives the hand in hers a kiss and smiles wanly. With her other she fluffs out her curly hair to mitigate the helmet head that she got while putting around on the Vespa.

"I know," she says with a sigh. "But I don't know if that'll make any difference to mom. You're brown and that might be enough for her. I just wish she wasn't so old school."

Still, there's no delaying the inevitable. She walks up to the brownstone's front door and rings the doorbell and waits, fidgeting. After a moment, heavy footsteps come up to the door, and it opens, revealing a rather tall, balding man with dusky skin, still dressed in his work business suit. "Lydia!" he cries out cheerfully. "I haven't seen you forever. And you brought your boy…." his voice trails off after noticing that Kamala is, in fact, not a boy. "Girlfriend." He scowls at Lydia. "Have you told your mother?"

"Old school is just how are families are, Lydia. Doesn't mean we have to be the same." She's optimistic. Kamala has to be. She's spent her whole life being the overlooked or ignored. Straightening herself up and making sure everything is in order, she giggles when Lydia rings the doorbell. "At my house, they just expect me to barge in.." she starts to say, when the door opens.

And the man that greets them reminds her much of her Abu in looks. And oh. That reaction? Yes. That is pretty much what she will be expecting as well. "Good afternoon, Mister Dietrich." comes the warm greeting. At least it wasn't Shalam or similar? "I am a friend that is a girl, yes."

"Oh, I know. If I was the same as Mom, I would have married some nice Jewish kid by now and have already gotten pregnant." From the tone of Lydia's voice it sounds like that is the last thing on the world Lydia wants to do.

To her father's question she says, "Noooot exactly," to which he scowls. "Dad? This is Kamala." He just gives a resigned sigh and turns to Kamala and gives her a rather warm smile, holding out his hand. "It's good to meet you, Kamala. I'd always suspected Lydia was gay, but I had hoped that she would've told me before bringing home a girl." He looks over his shoulder to warily eye his wife. "This should be quite the evening," he says with a sigh.

"You and me both." Kamala admits to Lydia. "But she at least wanted me to graduate college first." Smirking, she explains. "It'd make me more attractive as a match." Then she turns her atention to Lydia's father and accepts the hand. "If you knew, there was no reason to tell you?" It's not a smarmy answer. Really, it's just an observation, as she gives the man a warm shake of his hand before releasing it. "But I'm here. And I apologize for the issues I may cause." Her voice is softer at that.

Then to Lydia, while her father's back is turned, she manages a quiet. "I can become a boy if it helps?" Shapeshifting powers being what they are, she could. But she's trying to be true to herself, and true to Lydia.

"G*d no," Lydia replies. "She's going to find out sooner or later so it might as well be sooner."

Lydia's father turns around and says, "Well, you two better come on in before you get too cold." He steps back to let the two enter the house.

Inside the house they get ushered into the livingroom which is immaculately clean. It's got comfortable furniture, a sizeable television and some bookshelves that have a variety of nonfiction and reference books tucked away within it. "Make yourselves at home," Mr. Dietrich says, gesturing at the couch. "I'll go get your mother."

It's not the books that Kamala is looking at as Lydia leads her. Nope. She's looking at the pictures. And when she comes across pictures of the younger Lydia, she's grinning and trying not to giggle as she asides to Lydia. "So /cute/." Oh she's going to get teased on some of those later. Glancing over the books, the subject matter holds her attention, and unless her father makes them seperate, she plans on sitting on the couch with Lydia. Easier to hold her hand.

"Remind me before you meet my parents for me to give you a primer on my family." she manages in a quiet tone. "It's not my parents we'll need to worry about. But my brother is bvery devout." And that may be the issue when it comes to meeting her family. Maybe she'll just plan it for a time when he's not around.

Lydia nods, trying not to notice her girlfriend looking at some of the more embarrassing photos of her as a child. "Forewarned is forearmed," she says sagely. She sits down on the couch next to Kamala once she's done scouting the pictures and waits nervously with her.

There's muffled talking coming from the kitchen between Lydia's parents. Her father's tone is cautious, warning, though the words themselves are indistinct. After a bit of back and forth Lydia's mother comes walking in from the kitchen, "Really Ezekiel, it can't possibly be that bad…" The woman stops, openly staring a Kamala.

Lydia's mother is short. Just barely over five feet tall. She has a paler complexion than her husband and Lydia, and has wavy black hair that falls just to her shoulders. Encircling her neck is a gold chain with a plain gold Star of David hanging at the end, and her wrists are adorned with matching gold bracelets. "Honey," she says to Lydia askilng, "Where is your boyfriend?" Behind her, Mr. Dietrich gives the pair of girls a sheepish and apologetic look.

So many points lost by Lydia's father. He's like in the negatives now. "I'll remember that." she says quietly, chewing on her bottom lip. "I'd dressed for something other than skating and hopeful cuddling later." Admitted to Lydia quietly, when her mother arrives, and openly stares at her and then asks the question of the moment, Kamala reaches over, squeezing Lydia's hand and then rises to her feet.

"Hello. It is nice to meet you, Missus Dietrich. I am Kamala Khan and I'm currently…" a glance aside to Lydia. This is totally a deer in headlights look, and her heart races in her chest. "…I'm dating Lydia." she offers. There's no shame in her voice. She's quite proud of her relationship status, but she is understanding of the delicacy of the situation.

Lydia can't help but look sheepish in front of her mother, but when Kamala stands, she stands with her, steels herself and tries to give off the same kind of confidence that her girlfriend is giving off. "Yes, mom. I'm gay."

"But what about that nice young man in high school?" asks her mother. "He's gay too. That's why we dated." Lydia's mother is speechless. So many emotions pass through her eyes from shock, to anger, to disappointment, finally to denial. "Lydia, dear, you can't possibly be gay. I won't allow it."

There were certain things that Kamala had decided when she decided she wanted to be Lydia's girlfriend. To stand next to her when others wouldn't. To be proud of her, even if she was a mutant. To be with her even if they're both gay. Remaining standing, her hand doesn't leave Lydia's. She's held it since this started, uncaring of the chill in her frame at the touch. Her hand is numb, but her fingers are still tight in Lydia's to give that constant reassuring pressure.

"She's my first girlfriend.. as she is with me…" there's a glance towards Lydia, and then she sets her jaw as she glances back to her mother. "I think that's not something you can just.. not allow, Missus Dietrich." comes the quiet statement. "You can't tell her who she can and can't be attracted to." Though as she says thats, she feels her own cheeks burn with heat. In the admission, and well. Her own cheeks are starting to glow a soft yellow. Her own power signature, that bioluminesence she has.

"I really like your daughter. And we have a lot in common. And I know it's non-traditional.. but.." she looks at Lydia. "Sometimes, these things are anything but traditional, as my aman likes to say. When he's not saying I'm anything but traditional." Just the slightest attempt at humor to defuse things.

There's a flash of anger that sweeps across Lydia's face at her mother's reaction. "Mom," she says coolly. "You've never been able to decide who I love and who I didn't. You've been trying to hook me up with boys all along hoping that I'd marry one and give you grandkids. You never cared that I never liked them. You never cared that I didn't want any kids of my own. It was all about what you wanted. That's all it's ever about!"

Lydia's mother's eyes go wide in shock. "How dare you speak to your mother like that!" she says, her voice having escalated just as much as Lydia's had. "All I've ever wanted is what's best for you! Just imagine what people will say! I don't want you to go through that kind of embarrassment!"

"Her embarassment or yours?" Kamala asks, frowning heavily at that. The words didn't mean to come out, but there they are. "Lydia's proud of who she is. I'm proud of her. I think she's pretty amazing." she glances between mother and daughter. "I think you did a great job raising her and should be proud of her. I've never met someone so carefree, indpendent and happy to be who she is. Because it could be worse."

But she's not sure what else to say, so she sits back down next to Lydia, lacing her fingers with hers. She's not sure what else she can say. But she's right next to her.

"MY Embarrassment? I'm not embarrassed! What is this, the 80s? Nobody cares about if you're gay or not anymore." Lydia takes a breather and tries to calm herself when Kamala speaks. "Mom. Just…. just accept me for who I am, okay? You were able to do that when we found out I was a mutant. You can do that with me being gay, too."

Lydia's mom looks like she's about to retort sharply to that but Ezekiel lays a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Carol. Please. We'll talk about this later." His voice is calm and soothing. "It's a good thing our daughter finally found somebody to love, regardless of whether or not it's a girl. Let's just calm down and have dinner. You worked so hard at it. The least we can do is enjoy it together."

They keep talking about love, and Kamala is just blushing more than ever at that. The young woman draws in her breath and considers the pair. "I'm not sorry for my feelings towards Lydia." She looks to the ground, finding the rug very interesting. Then..

Wait, they're staying for dinner? Well, this will be interestuing.

Lydia looks like she's blindsided by the whole dinner thing, too. She looks over to her girlfriend and looks back to her parents. "Um. You didn't say anything about dinner. We already made plans." The last thing she wants is to have dinner with her parents right now. Right now she wants to throw her mother out the window, but somehow manages to refrain from doing that.

"See Ezekiel?" says Mrs. Dietrich, a harsh bitterness in her voice. "They have plans." Her husband sighs and shrugs. "I suppose. At least there'll be enough leftovers for lunch."

"We can stay for dinner." Kamala offers up a little smile. "You went through so much trouble, and Lydia told me that you make a wonderfully halal meal." That slips out without much thought. If they haven't figured out she was Muslim by now, might as well get that out of the way. It can't be much worse. "We were just going to go ice skating at Rockefeller. We can do that another time. Some things are more important." She's at least going make the offer as she glances aside to Lydia. Was that okay?

Lydia turns to her girlfriend, "You sure?" When it looks like that Kamala is, indeed, sure, she turns back to her parents. "Okay. We're good for dinner then. It does smell good"

When Kamala mentions the halal meal, Lydia's mother sniffs in disgust but doesn't say anything outright. After all, she wouldn't want to be openly racist. "Very well, then," she concedes somewhat mollified at the compliment of her cooking. "Let's all go to the dining room and we'll try to have a pleasant meal."

The dining room is much like the living room. Immaculately clean. Nice furniture. Neatly placed set on the table where everything is exactly in the right place.

As if telling her daughter that she can't be gay wasn't racist enough. Kamala nods. "I'm sure." she smiles. "After all, I'm a bit hungry." There's a glance around, and then quietly to Lydia. "I know you said your family had money.." she says quietly to the other girl. "But this is a little overwhelming." And then she speaks up.

"Lydia didn't tell me what you do for a living?" she prompts gently.

Lydia makes little shushing noises at Kamala so that she won't be overheard, as she leads her to the dining room table. She scoots out a chair for the Pakistani girl, inviting her to be seated.

Lydia's father speaks up at the question. "I'm a litigation support director for Alyx Technologies. We specialize in biomedical devices, supplying the world's finest hospitals with the finest.." he stops in the middle of his speech after an elbow from his wife. "They don't need the business pitch," she says. "Now sit down while I get the food."

"Litigation support? Is that like a lawyer?" comes Kamala's question as she sits down next to Lydia when she's invited. Settling down in the chair, she watches Lydia's mother leave and she lets out a little breath. "I'm sorry. I know this is sudden." she offers in apology as she glances aside to Ezekiel, and offers a wane smile. "I wasn't prepared for this either, or I'd brought something."

Lydia nods, "Yeah. Exactly like a lawyer, but he doesn't go to trial or anything. He's just there to make sure that everything they put out is up to legal standard so they don't get sued for anything."

Ezekiel tilts his head in assent, "Essentially, yes." Then he's off, expounding what he does for a living while Carol comes in and serves them all dinner. All in all the dinner got off to a rocky start, but it looks like Lydia and Kamala were able to pull through it after all and have a pleasant dinner despite Lydia's mother.

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