Hard Times
Fall 68th 507 AV, 19th Bell
Location: Ricky’s home, the Fisherman’s Shack
Their day was just fine. Peachy. That is until Ricky met Natalie’s parents for the first time, which in turn didn’t turn out the way he’d expected. Oh sure they loved Ricky well enough and thought him a fine candidate to look after Natalie, but for some reason Natalie remained rather quiet on the walk home. He’d spent his whole walk trying to figure out just what it was that angered her, that made her so upset as to give him the silent treatment the entire way home after such an amazing day seemed to start. As usual they would likely fight a little like they always did, then make up for it somehow when he found a way to keep her from staying angry with him. When they returned to the shack that he grew up in and found the comfort of his home, he had wasted no time in trying to press for her to say something. Even though all he got was rubbish in the beginning, he still had to get at the heart of what exactly caused her to be upset. "Yer upset ‘bout somethin’ now Oi can see it, was it somet’in Oi said earlier?" She’d paused and glared at him as though he were an idiot as they arrived at the door, just the answer Ricky needed to hint at the problem. "So it was, what did Oi say?" He raised his hands up in forfeit to her, hopeful that she’d likely give in and just tell him what her problem was.
"Believe me, you already know what you said." She spat out bitterly as she swung the door wide open with an aggressive strut inside, Ricky followed right behind her still lost at what she was getting at. Odis jumped from the sudden motion of the door but upon seeing the two the dog went back to snoozing on the carpet he called his bed, and sure enough the dog knew well that both were headed into another argument by the scent of the air around them.
"No actually, Oi don’t know what Oi said. Dat’s why Oi’m askin’ ya now love." He redirected to her as they walked down the hallway to the room they shared.
"Think about Ricky, just think for a moment what we talked about when we were with my mother!" Her voiced raised in aggravation as she’d started to unfasten the jacket around her, Ricky just stood in the doorway as the light bulb expression popped up upon the recollection of his memory. What they had talked about with her mother, that had to be the cause of all this?
"Ye serious? Ya pissed at me ‘caused we talked ‘bout a baby?"
"Not just a baby Rick! The baby that we can never have! You told her you were worried that it would be too stressful, and that you didn’t want to put me through that kind of ordeal. Remember now?!"
"Aye, dat Oi did cause it was de truth."
She brought her hands up to her face furiously as they brushed over her face and through her hair, anger in her eyes as she started to bark at him further. "You don’t get it do you? Telling my mother that you’d rather not put me through that is like you are saying that I don’t want to, that I don’t want to have a baby when clearly I do!"
He had to wrap his mind around that logic for a moment, the workings of Natalie’s mind clearly different than his. Honestly he could only wonder if all women were like this in some way, or if were only just Natalie that seemed to take things in different proportion. "Oi told ‘er dat we’ve not decided, but Oi didn’t wanna put ya t’rough dat stress!"
"Which makes it sound like we don’t want to have kids you numskull!"
"Now hold on," It was his turn to start getting irritated as his face began to flush a little, "Ye pissed dat Oi said dat we’re not sure or dat Oi said Oi dunno wanna ‘urt ya?"
"I’m pissed because you clearly don’t want a baby!"
"Oh is dat where dis is goin? Where we ‘ave two different conversations goin’ at once now?"
"Don’t you even go there Ricky Maze." She snapped at him in a frigid manner, Ricky merely brought his hands up in surrender with a bit of a smirk.
"Look if ‘avin’ a baby is what ya want den let’s go wit’ it."
Natalie’s jaw dropped as she looked at him like he were stupid, a sneer followed as she only shook her head in disbelief to what he just said. "You know we can’t if we’re going to live in a dump like this."
"Oh. So me home’s a dump now is it?"
"Oh shut up! You know what I mean Ricky!" She threw her jacket at him as she stormed into the hallway once more, headed for the small kitchen area where the hearth fire resided. "We can’t raise a baby in this condition. What the petch are we going to do about a nursery when it’s born huh? How would we take care of it when clearly taking care of ourselves is too difficult for you!" She’d went to one of the cabinets where Odis’ dried meat resided and tossed one onto the wooden planks next to him, the dog rolled his eyes as he lifted his head to sniff at it for a few moments. "We can’t just go about having children without a plan! We have to literally save up and prepare for-"
"Y’know what; Oi’m sorry. Okay? Now can we please just unwind f’r de night and pick up on dis tomorrow."
"You’re unbelievable!" She cried out bitterly. "Just go on ahead and run off, leave me be like you always do when you can’t seem to take my bitching like a man!"
"Oh is dat ‘ow it is den?!" He reiterated once again as he threw down her jacket on the sofa, quick to take one of her hands as he tried to get a point through her head. "Look now, Oi ‘ave what Oi want right ‘ere! It’s what yew want Oi’m havin’ such a damn ‘ard time tryin’ t’ figure out! An’ by de sound o’ it, it makes me t’ink ye want me t’ leave."
"Hah! There it is! You think I want you to leave when clearly I want you to do whatever the petch you petching want!" She snickered bitterly as she further fussed with a finger pointed to him.
"Oi wanna do what’ll make ya happy, if leavin’s what’ll do dat den by Gods Oi’ll do it if Oi ‘ave t’!"
"Fine!" She snapped as she stormed off once more to their room, Ricky already had his eyes to the front door as he redirected the word back to her. "You’re such an vagik Ricky Maze!"
"Oh well, kiss me arse!" He hollered back as the two slammed the doors one right after another, once Ricky had made it several feet outside he’d stopped in his tracks for a moment and waited just a chime for the argument to finally cool down.
Fall 68th 507 AV, 19th Bell
Location: Ricky’s home, the Fisherman’s Shack
Their day was just fine. Peachy. That is until Ricky met Natalie’s parents for the first time, which in turn didn’t turn out the way he’d expected. Oh sure they loved Ricky well enough and thought him a fine candidate to look after Natalie, but for some reason Natalie remained rather quiet on the walk home. He’d spent his whole walk trying to figure out just what it was that angered her, that made her so upset as to give him the silent treatment the entire way home after such an amazing day seemed to start. As usual they would likely fight a little like they always did, then make up for it somehow when he found a way to keep her from staying angry with him. When they returned to the shack that he grew up in and found the comfort of his home, he had wasted no time in trying to press for her to say something. Even though all he got was rubbish in the beginning, he still had to get at the heart of what exactly caused her to be upset. "Yer upset ‘bout somethin’ now Oi can see it, was it somet’in Oi said earlier?" She’d paused and glared at him as though he were an idiot as they arrived at the door, just the answer Ricky needed to hint at the problem. "So it was, what did Oi say?" He raised his hands up in forfeit to her, hopeful that she’d likely give in and just tell him what her problem was.
"Believe me, you already know what you said." She spat out bitterly as she swung the door wide open with an aggressive strut inside, Ricky followed right behind her still lost at what she was getting at. Odis jumped from the sudden motion of the door but upon seeing the two the dog went back to snoozing on the carpet he called his bed, and sure enough the dog knew well that both were headed into another argument by the scent of the air around them.
"No actually, Oi don’t know what Oi said. Dat’s why Oi’m askin’ ya now love." He redirected to her as they walked down the hallway to the room they shared.
"Think about Ricky, just think for a moment what we talked about when we were with my mother!" Her voiced raised in aggravation as she’d started to unfasten the jacket around her, Ricky just stood in the doorway as the light bulb expression popped up upon the recollection of his memory. What they had talked about with her mother, that had to be the cause of all this?
"Ye serious? Ya pissed at me ‘caused we talked ‘bout a baby?"
"Not just a baby Rick! The baby that we can never have! You told her you were worried that it would be too stressful, and that you didn’t want to put me through that kind of ordeal. Remember now?!"
"Aye, dat Oi did cause it was de truth."
She brought her hands up to her face furiously as they brushed over her face and through her hair, anger in her eyes as she started to bark at him further. "You don’t get it do you? Telling my mother that you’d rather not put me through that is like you are saying that I don’t want to, that I don’t want to have a baby when clearly I do!"
He had to wrap his mind around that logic for a moment, the workings of Natalie’s mind clearly different than his. Honestly he could only wonder if all women were like this in some way, or if were only just Natalie that seemed to take things in different proportion. "Oi told ‘er dat we’ve not decided, but Oi didn’t wanna put ya t’rough dat stress!"
"Which makes it sound like we don’t want to have kids you numskull!"
"Now hold on," It was his turn to start getting irritated as his face began to flush a little, "Ye pissed dat Oi said dat we’re not sure or dat Oi said Oi dunno wanna ‘urt ya?"
"I’m pissed because you clearly don’t want a baby!"
"Oh is dat where dis is goin? Where we ‘ave two different conversations goin’ at once now?"
"Don’t you even go there Ricky Maze." She snapped at him in a frigid manner, Ricky merely brought his hands up in surrender with a bit of a smirk.
"Look if ‘avin’ a baby is what ya want den let’s go wit’ it."
Natalie’s jaw dropped as she looked at him like he were stupid, a sneer followed as she only shook her head in disbelief to what he just said. "You know we can’t if we’re going to live in a dump like this."
"Oh. So me home’s a dump now is it?"
"Oh shut up! You know what I mean Ricky!" She threw her jacket at him as she stormed into the hallway once more, headed for the small kitchen area where the hearth fire resided. "We can’t raise a baby in this condition. What the petch are we going to do about a nursery when it’s born huh? How would we take care of it when clearly taking care of ourselves is too difficult for you!" She’d went to one of the cabinets where Odis’ dried meat resided and tossed one onto the wooden planks next to him, the dog rolled his eyes as he lifted his head to sniff at it for a few moments. "We can’t just go about having children without a plan! We have to literally save up and prepare for-"
"Y’know what; Oi’m sorry. Okay? Now can we please just unwind f’r de night and pick up on dis tomorrow."
"You’re unbelievable!" She cried out bitterly. "Just go on ahead and run off, leave me be like you always do when you can’t seem to take my bitching like a man!"
"Oh is dat ‘ow it is den?!" He reiterated once again as he threw down her jacket on the sofa, quick to take one of her hands as he tried to get a point through her head. "Look now, Oi ‘ave what Oi want right ‘ere! It’s what yew want Oi’m havin’ such a damn ‘ard time tryin’ t’ figure out! An’ by de sound o’ it, it makes me t’ink ye want me t’ leave."
"Hah! There it is! You think I want you to leave when clearly I want you to do whatever the petch you petching want!" She snickered bitterly as she further fussed with a finger pointed to him.
"Oi wanna do what’ll make ya happy, if leavin’s what’ll do dat den by Gods Oi’ll do it if Oi ‘ave t’!"
"Fine!" She snapped as she stormed off once more to their room, Ricky already had his eyes to the front door as he redirected the word back to her. "You’re such an vagik Ricky Maze!"
"Oh well, kiss me arse!" He hollered back as the two slammed the doors one right after another, once Ricky had made it several feet outside he’d stopped in his tracks for a moment and waited just a chime for the argument to finally cool down.
