Sally-Anne Perks (sallycanwait) wrote in eighth_rpg, @ 2011-01-02 19:38:00 |
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Entry tags: | sally-anne perks |
Who: Sally-Anne and Marcia Perks
What: A disagreement between mother and daughter
Where: Perks Residence
When: January 1, 1999
Rating: Average
Sally had been relaxing in her bedroom, various cookbooks sprawled out across her bed. She loved days like this, where she could plot and plan new recipes to try in the upcoming week. In fact, she was so engrossed in a Boeuf Bourguignon recipe that she didn't even notice her mother standing in her doorway of her bedroom.
"Where were you last night?" Her mother asked, casually.
Sally looked up, surprised to hear her voice. "I went to London, mother. I left you a note on the kitchen table." She was confused. "Didn't you get it?"
"Yes, I got it," Her mother replied curtly. "I got it just before I looked out the front window to see you climb into that....thing. Dressed in Merlin only knows what."
And in that moment, Sally realized she had been caught. She said nothing, pretending to continue browsing her cookbook.
The tension in the room was as thick as cigarette smoke in a dive bar. A full minute passed before Mrs. Perks finally barked "Who were you with?"
Sally jotted a quick note down on her notepad. "Nobody. Just an old housemate of mine."
"A Muggleborn?"
"Yes, mother. A Muggleborn. Just like I went to that Boxing Day party last weekend at Megan Jones' house. She's a Muggleborn too." Sally looked up again to gauge to look on her mother's face. It was less than pleasant. "I don't recall you putting up a fuss then."
"That was no Megan Jones. Who was that boy?" She demanded.
Sally hesitated. "Justin. Finch-Fletchley. What difference does it make?"
Her mother's glare could have peeled paint of the walls. "You know full well the difference it makes. Going shopping or having lunch with a few mudblooded girlfriends is one thing."
"Mother!" Sally hissed. Did she really just that?
"But running off with a boy like that..."
The younger witch sat up, her body tense. "We're just...friends. And honestly, mother. This isn't one of your paperback novels. I didn't 'run off'. I just went out for the night, but I was back home safely before you even woke up."
"Friends?" Her mother laughed. "Either you're lying or too naive to realize what's really going on here. Boys don't spend time in the company of girls just to be friends. Your brother Carlton doesn't have any of these so-called female friends."
"That's because no woman in her right mind would want to to be friends with Carlton," Sally countered. This is unbelievable! She slid her legs off the bed and began collecting her books, slamming them shut and stacking them on top of each other.
Mrs. Perks entered the room and grabbed the books from Sally's hand, tossing them aside. "Listen to me. The only thing a mudblooded boy like that wants to do with you is ruin your proper reputation."
Sally stood frozen, her hands still holding imaginary objects before her. She was in shock, but more than that. Sally was angry. Irritated that her mother would come to such a conclusion about someone she didn't even know, based on something like... But Sally shook her head. She realized she did the exact same thing, all the time. The words her mother had spoken were her own. Hadn't she accused Justin of that very same crime, just a few weeks earlier? It was what Sally had been taught. It was what she had come to believe.
"Justin's not like that." Sally was confused, finding herself defending him. "Trust me. He's not the "ruin the reputation" type." A smile formed as she thought about it. "He's more the wait until marriage type."
Her mother looked nearly rabid by this point. "You wipe that grin off your face, young lady. I will not tolerate this sort of behaviour under my roof. I can only imagine what some of our neighbors must have thought, seeing you sneak off in that abomination to go gallivanting with some low life. Don't you realize you have a name to uphold?"
And in that moment, in became less about Justin and more about Sally. "I have never acted unbecoming to who I am. I have never brought shame to our family's name or our business. You allow Carlton to do whatever he likes, include systematically destroying our business, and you never so much as bat an eyelash. Yet the moment I try to be independent and make my own decisions, you swooped down like a vulture. How dare you be so hypocritical just because I'm a girl!"
"But girls have more opportunities to get in trouble," her mother argued. "I've worked hard to raise a lady and I expect her to stay that way."
"Well, I'm not going to get in any trouble. Not with Justin Finch-Fletchley or any other boy in this world." Sally attempted to step around her mother and exit the bedroom.
"Don't you walk away from this conversation, Sally-Anne. You leave and you can forget about keeping a room in this house. If you can't behave yourself to my expectations, you can find your own place to live."
Sally turned around, taking a deep breath before responding. "Fine. How much time do I have?"
Mrs. Perks was surprised. She had no expected her threat to go this way. And yet she had no intention of taking it back. She was not going to allow her daughter to continue to disrespect her rules and her wishes. "You have one week. And don't expect any sort of allowance from me either."
Sally folded her arms across her chest. "I don't need your money. I have a job. And twenty-five percent ownership in Demeter Botanticals come my twenty-first birthday."
Now it was Mrs. Perks who was smiling. "I wouldn't be so cocky about that Sally-Anne. The distribution of ownerships shifted a bit after your brother Linus...left the family. Now it's a thirty-three percent split between myself, Carlton and you. But keep in mind, if a majority board rule decides that you are no longer necessary - you might find yourself without a share. Or a job."
Sally's face paled. There were no words to describe the feeling of betrayal. Not knowing what else to do, Sally shook her head and walked out. She needed to go somewhere. She needed to breathe.