WHO: Desirae Morpeau and people from home. WHEN: Backdated to her first week at Woodsbridge omgoodness self WHERE: Her apartment; her cellphone specifically. SUMMARY: Des settles into Woodsbridge and (more or less) updates her loved ones. And sometimes they send her messages. WARNINGS: The foul language of a bunch of early twenty-somethings; vague mention of the actions drunk college boys STATUS: Done.
Monday, August 22nd; evening
Dessa’s ‘Crew’ rang softly through her new room. Half-heard but momentarily dismissed as Desirae focused on setting up. She was almost done for the evening. Her school supplies were on her desk and in the bookshelf she had insisted her pawpaw help her put together. (An array of highlighters and post-its and separate old-school colored folders for each class. In short, it looked like she robbed a section of an office supply store) A testament to good habits instilled since elementary school. They rivaled, and thankfully beat, the display of her school trophies. Gleaming silver, gold, bronze, and plaques. They were eye-catching. And probably unnecessary, at first glance. An off-putting homage to herself.
Still Des had only packed three - because yes, occasionally, she was proud of herself - but she had ended up with the dead weight of seven. Her uncle Trevor had packed the Daddy and Me mitt; they and her pawpaw had earned it when she was six. Before the move. The Spirit Week Award was an embarrassment. And a reminder that nothing went past her tati Chantale’s mawkish gaze. Des was pretty sure she had thrown it away when she was thirteen. However, it managed to find new life, rather than the bottom of a garbage fill and was now standing next to her All-Star trophy from High School. She’s not exactly sure who slipped in the other two, but her best guess wasn’t hard. There were only four family members left and her pawpaw swallowed cheesy like bad indigestion. Not that he didn’t have his moments. It was more she could trust him. The rest of her family were a bunch of messes.
Dessa’s ‘Crew’ sounded out once again.
But the true piece of resistance was not her stock in number two pencils or the bragging of her throwing arm. Instead, it was a framed poster. It stood out and yet away. Both calling attention due to its size but informing someone who knew how to look, from its spot near her desk, that the owner was either embarrassed by it or that it was the most important thing in the room.
Desirae’s hands slid down along the cheap gilded gold frame after she finished hanging it, a double-checking that it wouldn’t fall … among other things, and rested on her hips. It was the Williams’ sisters: signed, secured, and seventeen years old.
Her uncle Trevor had gotten it for her.
With its placement, she was done arranging her room for the night. Desirae walked backward until her the back of the legs hit the bed. Her gaze partially surveyed her set up as she mentally prepared for her coming week. She had a set of boxes that needed unpacking. But they would have to wait.
She was tired. She and her grandfather had taken turns driving from New Orleans to Austin and then from Austin into Woodsbridge. She hadn’t really realized it until she quited down. The past thirty or so hours - plus the week before - had involved traveling with pets, dealing with over-clucking grandparents, studying, and her pawpaw’s questionable love of ‘pick up truck’ country -- the rare moments he commandeered the radio. Desirae hadn’t really the opportunity to be susceptible to the fact that she was here. Doing this. Starting over - when she should have been finished by now and onto her first nursing job - here in Narnia. A decision that she had spent months proing and conning while only superficially contemplating the emotional weight.
It now threatened to crawl up her belly like a hairball might have in a cat’s.
Welp. Des fell back onto the bed with a steadying breath and caught her cell phone as it hovered off of the bed as it bounced with her. Why fix what wasn’t broken?
Instead, she focused on smirking, amused, at the glaring blip of ‘27’ near her little text app.
You’d think she had gone off to Mars. Instead of answering each individual message, she opened a group text:
To: Support From: Your Cuppycake gumdrop [22:25] I know Pawpaw gave you the rundown. [22:25] yet yall still blowing up my phone. [22:26] never a more paranoid group of family did a girl ever have. omg [22:27] lucky i love yall needy. [22:27] my rm turned out not to be a serial killer. Boo. [22:28] last time I get advice from movies abt asking for shit on the papers. [22:28] pawpaw gave her the third degree. she’s super shifty tho. [22:29] t/o she killed a man on anw. i’ll get you an autograph uncle trev [22:29] try not to hover all the way from NO, Aus, & Px or i’ll block yall.
Tuesday, August 23rd
Des leaned out on her side on her mattress. The low roll of the phone ringing, signaling that the call would end in voicemail, just barely pierced her focus. She was calling her mother. Desirae had spent the day taking unscheduled meetings with professors, buying whatever texts she didn’t already have cheap from Half.com, and figuring out how this town ran. The shops, the activities, and the people. Her phone had been on vibrate and she had deliberately let some of her calls find voicemail. Des didn’t have to look to know that certain family members didn’t appreciate her offhand humor last night.
Now, with some time on hand, she was playing mental and physical catch up.
It was different. This town. And like nothing she expected. For one, it was kind of difficult to imagine how it set her teeth on edge. The nagging at the back of her head, the pressure at the bridge of her nose. Desirae hadn’t really let herself contemplate it until she had finally relaxed into bed last night. And then she had thought it was a cold. Now she wasn’t so sure. The sensation crawled up from the pit of her stomach and sinks into the center of her chest. It felt like every Mardi Gras (where the drunk frat boys didn’t realize that New Orleans went beyond Bourbon Street and did all kinds of things to make themselves seem more appealing) but more intense.
It took her most of the day before the possibilities clicked. Hogsmeade was a real town pretending it wasn’t there. By way of magic that most of the world didn’t believe in. Of course, it was giving her a headache. There was more to it but she was still sussing things out. Des supposed it was still early, too early, to put her finger on the pulse of this place. She had barely been in it for twenty-four hours.
“-- please leave a message after the beep.” The pleasantly robotic voice ordered. Sharp amusement tugged at a corner of her mouth. Des pushed back thoughts of Woodsbridge and propped her head up on her fist:
“Tell Tati Chantale three separate voicemails addin’ up to ‘bout ten minutes kiiiiinda defeats the point of ‘not talkin’ to you ‘til you grow a sense of humor, Desirae, an’ ya’best remember how we raised you’. ‘Specially since my sense of humor is ah-maay-zing an’ evolved from a combo of all yalls! How’s the sayin’ go again, ma? Hate the teachers, not the grasshopper.” There is a visible pause; however, Des rushes to speak as if she could interrupt it. “Good to see she’s back swingin’ if she’s got the energy to lecture or whatever.” She was going to need to paint her ceiling. There was a watermark. At the moment she wanted to give in focusing on how she was going to restructure her room than asking what she was avoiding. Nonetheless, she let out a short sigh. “How’s she doin’? I know she’s worryin’ ‘bout … She kinda was lookin’ like shit. How’d her appointment go? Look anyway, no rush on gettin’ me back. I’ll be in classes all tomorrow. [...] Love you.”
Thursday, August 25th.
To: “Ma.” From: Your Cuppy gumdrop [03:25] You up, ma? [03:27][x - UNSENT:] How’re [03:28][x - UNSENT:] I’m thinking. Yeah, I know, right? But like I’m thinking [03:30][x - UNSENT:] I’m watchin’ the news BR’sand they’re sayin the floodin’s and they ain’t sayin nothing we didn’t figure on our [03:34][x - UNSENT:] I think I’m better hereIt’s best I work on doin' what I can with waysI’m sort of sI’m probably sorry but I’m kinda not [03:40][x - UNSENT:] I dunno wat i wanna say [05:15] Ignore it. [...] Text me after work.
To: “Grandpere” From: Your Cuppy gumdrop [14:00] How’re things in Baton Rouge? [14:01] Don’t tell grandmere i’m askin you. And don’t say you wouldn’t codependent el. You know the gossip train goes. [14:03] I signed up for woodshop. [14:05] Don’t make a big deal.
To Who dat biiiiitch? From Derby Khadijah: [14:01] Heaux have you heard this shit? Deenie: [14:03] Carly Rae coming to revitalize my crops, forgive my debts, and resnatch what’s left my edges Emilia: [14:04] Queen of snatching edges Khadijah: [14:06] No, girl that’s beyonce Trisha: [14:11] Remember when iTunes did the lord’s work and gave free Emotion with purchased Lemonade? My loins still ain’t recovered. Deenie: [14:13] Trisha I am damn tired of hearing about your loins Trisha: [14:15] Loins. Loins. Loins. Khadijah: [14:23] Gaaaaaaaarsh. I’m bout to go to church and thank Jesus for this shit. Praise the Lord with fresh sugar pop beats by Carly Rae Jepsen. Emilia: [14:28] Queen of the CATHOLIC CHURCH Deenie: [14:34] Ooo child, love yourself. Emilia: [14:36] Calm your nip nops Deenie.
Saturday, August 27th
To: “Ma” From: Your Cuppy gumdrop [10:21] Somedays, I honest to God do not understand people. [10:22] Whenever I think I do, some shit happens and I’m left damn sure some people should’ve stayed monkeys. [10:23] This town’s wildt with a capital T [10:24] Town slogan legit: come for the quirky townsfolk, stay for not-so-covert prejudice. [10:25] What you figure they call it when people’re “antiwitch” and “antivillain”. Yep, I just wrote that. [10:27] It ain’t fantastical racist if it’s real and we’re human. Topics to cover in my ethics class [10:28] And the town ain’t even fxkin quirky [10:33] [...] What’s up?
To Who dat biiiiitch? From Derby Trish [18:01] Hey, trollops. We livetweetin the VMAs? Deenie [18:02] Trisha I SWEAR Emilia [18:05] Deenie nip nops be pointed. Deenie [18:27] Emilia! Des [18:30] lol Did you sit bein offended Deenie? [18:31] ya’ll leave Deenie’s tiddies alone [18:32] I’m puttin you bitches on mute. Some of us actually care bout their grades. [18:34] And ya we’re doin it. Why not. Khadijah: [18:40] There aint no why not. This ish tradition. Des Leave the grandmaing to my actual grandmere and emily post up there, chill. It’ll get done.
Thursday, September 1st
To: “Tati C” From: Your Cuppy gumdrop [23:02] i got the package [23:05] you could’ve just gave it to me [23:06] like you had it the whole time? [23:08] why’s everyone in this damn fam so gooshy i didn’t get a chance to see tnes but i’ll check if the local theater is showin’ it. [23:10] or i’ll rent it after class. [00:04] [in creole] but thanks. I didn’t realize how much i missed the neverending story [00:05] getting the book was a nice surprise even if you could’ve just given me the book when y [00:07] [in creole] happy first of the month to you too, aunt.
Friday, September 2nd
To: “Uncle Trev - Not in the outs” From: Your Cuppy gumdrop [15:00] you’re a dick lol [15:01] no i ain’t saw off my fingers yet. [15:03] they only just started. but class’ll keep being fine, yeah? [15:05] heyo i gotta question tho. mom ever mention a gideon choi? [15:06] b/c dude be actin like i harry pottered all over his snape cheerios? [15:07] ‘cept less dickish. ‘Cept not to me. But like dude is being shady af. [15:09] like check this. he did a complete 180. dude’s acting weird af when talking to me? [15:14] Like, okay? People started saying he was possessed. Like wtf is this actual town. Possessed. Really. [15:17] can’t even tell if bitch was serious or nothing. Because ??? like I’m pretty sure she was joking. [15:21] for a legit second tho i thought maybe he knew what i could do, and he went up to some shit and thought i’d tell people or wte? But like i ain’t told nobody in this town. [15:22] lol cause can you imagine? Like if you [15:24]Idefk. It was weird.