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escritoireazulTitle: Something Quite Like Home
Author: Carla
Disclaimer: Characters belong to Universal Pictures, Rob Cohen, etc.
Setting: After The Fast and the Furious.
Written for:lytabenten who requested Book-Reading Character, Letty (You can still make requests here.)
Notes: The book mentioned is "Down to the Bone" by Mayra Lazara Dole and it is AMAZING. Go read it.
Summary: No matter how much life hurts, Letty keeps trying to live it.
The house is silent and empty; to Letty, it feels dead.
The heat is oppressive, even at night. She stands in the middle of the bedroom she shared with Dom and her chest hurts. It’s her broken ribs, they’re taped tight, but deep breaths make the pain bright and sharp.
She stinks; sweat has gathered between her breasts and at the small of her back.
The floor creaks and then, after a minute, Mia puts her hand on Letty’s shoulder. They stand together for a long moment. Dust motes settled on the floor, the ravaged bed, the empty hangers in the closet.
They’ve stripped the house of everything that will fit in the car. The trunk is full, and the backseat. They’ve left just enough room for the two of them in the front; they’ll slip from the house quiet, and sneak from the city under the cover of darkness.
Jesse’s dead, and Vince is caught, and Leon long gone.
And no one knows where the hell Dom is.
Mia sighs deep, squeezes Letty’s shoulder, and then leaves her alone again. Letty waits until she hears the front door shut, and then closes her eyes. She counts to herself real slow – one, and she can pretend Dom’s downstairs, or out in the garage, on his way up to her soon – two, and she’s not hurt, she’s not bruised and maybe broken – three, and Jesse’s there, she can hear his laughter drifting in through the open window – four, and she’s just about to stomp downstairs and out the back door, and there will be beer and chicken and corn and she’ll sit in the sun and tick away the minutes until she can get Dom alone – five, and her whole life is back, and her family, and they’re going to be fine, all this money they’re making, and they’re going to be free in Mexico.
Then she opens her eyes and takes a deep breath and leaves.
#
They go to Texas and Mia gets a job in an office and Letty works the counter at the closest neighborhood liquor store. It’s really, really shitty that Mia has to drop out of school, and it doesn’t seem real.
It’s as if Letty’s waiting to heal, and once her ribs are mended, once the bruises fade and the cuts disappear, they’ll go back home, and everything will be the same.
Home’s gone. Home’s a cramped little apartment with one bedroom and cracked tiles in the bathroom and a window air conditioner in one room. Letty sleeps on the couch most nights, because it blows straight on her, leaves her skin chilled.
Mia likes the heat, she says, but she leaves the door open. She tosses a lot in sleep and her bed is loud when she moves and some nights it keeps Letty awake – or something does, and that’s the best excuse.
Those nights, she flips on the little lamp on the table next to the couch and stares at the cracks in the ceiling. There are piles of books under it, that’s where Mia keeps her library books, and given enough time awake and enough nights spent trying as hard as she can not to think about how things might have been different, Letty finally grabs one.
Most of them are pretty technical, books about science and medicine. Looking at them makes her gut twist until she has to sit up straight and be very still until she’s sure she’s not going to puke.
Mia’s supposed to be in school, making something of herself. Something more than hot garages and fast cars and all their illegal things. Letty’s never wanted anything more from life than all that – than Dom and he’s all those things in one – but Mia had dreams, Mia had goals, Mia was well on her way to getting things done.
She’s given all that up to be loyal to her family and it sucks.
#
Mia comes home from work each day and changes out of her nice clothes, conservative clothes. She throws on jeans and tank tops, t-shirts and shorts, and pulls her hair up in a ponytail. She scrubs off her make-up and her fresh face, her bare feet, her slump as she settles onto the other end of the couch, it all makes her look fifteen again.
Letty brings her a beer. Mia smiles a little and drains half of it in the first drink. She never used to be like that, but lots of things have changed since California. Letty finishes her own beer and then sits, watching Mia relax.
When Mia’s done with the beer, she hauls herself to her feet, leaving the bottle of beer on the table next to the couch. She scoops up the library books underneath it and slips her feet into sandals. Her jeans are too long and the ends slip under her heels.
Letty stands. She’s been thinking about this, kinda half-assed, but hadn’t decided to do anything about it.
“Want some company?” she asks. She laces her fingers together and stretches her hands high overhead. It’s not a big deal, offering to go with her. It’s not. She waits and if her breath comes a little rough, well, the air is crazy humid.
Mia shrugs. “Sure. Help me carry these.” She shoves some books into Letty’s arms. It’s all casual, just two friends hanging out, but there’s a tremble to her lips and then she’s smiling. Grinning, really.
Happiness bubbles up inside Letty and she bounces a little. It’s been awhile since she’s had any reason to be giddy, but that whole new crush thing feels great. It is great, even though life kinda sucks and, really, Mia’s probably not the best choice, considering everything else that’s going on. Everything else that went on.
The library’s a couple blocks away and they walk it. The sun’s still pretty bright and hot, but Letty doesn’t mind. She’s got her sunglasses and Mia’s walking next to her and the soft thwap of her sandals is almost music, almost the rhythm of Letty’s pulse.
Mia dumps her load of books into the return box and then grabs the books from Letty. She heads off for the non-fiction section, but Letty wants something else to read. She wanders pretty aimlessly – her only goal is to not be in the same aisle as Mia – and ends up in the teen section. She’s short enough she blends in some and that’s pretty weird, but she pokes at the books and grabs a couple which look interesting.
There are big squishy chairs by the magazine rack. She grabs one and angles it so her back is toward the corner and she’s facing all the entrances to the room. Surely no one’s going to jump her here – probably – but old habits and all.
The first two books suck. She doesn’t much care for awkward teenage romance between a white girl and a white boy nor does she really like whatever this is with knights and magic. The third, though, that’s not so bad.
She reads the back and it hits her pretty hard. Here's what it means to be a tortillera. It means you're a girl who loves girls.
It’s about a Puerto Rican lesbian and there’s all this stuff about family and friendship and how life changes so fast and it’s a quick read. She likes it and she’s pretty far in when Mia comes and finds her.
“Want to check it out?” she asks.
Letty closes it on her finger and looks up at her, thinking about it.
“Yeah,” she says and leaves the other two books in the chair. “You’ll like it.”
Mia takes it and glances it over. “I’ve read it,” she says and smiles. “It’s good.”
This is so not Letty’s world. Good thing Mia knows what she’s doing.
#
After dinner, Mia usually heads into the bedroom to read. Instead she grabs a book and sits on the couch. The radio’s on in the background, some Tex-Mex local station that goes fuzzy if they walk too close to it. Letty takes her book and sits down too.
Mia puts her hand on Letty’s thigh. She holds the big book in her lap and turns the pages one handed. Letty glances over. There are illustrations, complicated diagrams of body parts and muscles and Mia is way too smart.
She sure is pretty.
Letty settles down to actually read. Sometimes she brushes the tips of her fingers across the back of Mia’s hand. Their beers are cold and the heat seems to have broken somewhat because the room isn’t as miserable as normal. The air conditioner is still running and the air is actually quite cold.
Mia picks at the spot where Letty’s jeans are worn and then traces this little pattern around it.
The apartment is small and cramped, but it’s filled with music and the lingering smell of tacos and Mia’s sitting right there next to her. She’s not going anywhere at all. Letty takes a drink of her beer.
She’s smiling pretty big in this place that’s starting to feel like home.
End
Author: Carla
Disclaimer: Characters belong to Universal Pictures, Rob Cohen, etc.
Setting: After The Fast and the Furious.
Written for:
lytabenten who requested Book-Reading Character, Letty (You can still make requests here.)Notes: The book mentioned is "Down to the Bone" by Mayra Lazara Dole and it is AMAZING. Go read it.
Summary: No matter how much life hurts, Letty keeps trying to live it.
The house is silent and empty; to Letty, it feels dead.
The heat is oppressive, even at night. She stands in the middle of the bedroom she shared with Dom and her chest hurts. It’s her broken ribs, they’re taped tight, but deep breaths make the pain bright and sharp.
She stinks; sweat has gathered between her breasts and at the small of her back.
The floor creaks and then, after a minute, Mia puts her hand on Letty’s shoulder. They stand together for a long moment. Dust motes settled on the floor, the ravaged bed, the empty hangers in the closet.
They’ve stripped the house of everything that will fit in the car. The trunk is full, and the backseat. They’ve left just enough room for the two of them in the front; they’ll slip from the house quiet, and sneak from the city under the cover of darkness.
Jesse’s dead, and Vince is caught, and Leon long gone.
And no one knows where the hell Dom is.
Mia sighs deep, squeezes Letty’s shoulder, and then leaves her alone again. Letty waits until she hears the front door shut, and then closes her eyes. She counts to herself real slow – one, and she can pretend Dom’s downstairs, or out in the garage, on his way up to her soon – two, and she’s not hurt, she’s not bruised and maybe broken – three, and Jesse’s there, she can hear his laughter drifting in through the open window – four, and she’s just about to stomp downstairs and out the back door, and there will be beer and chicken and corn and she’ll sit in the sun and tick away the minutes until she can get Dom alone – five, and her whole life is back, and her family, and they’re going to be fine, all this money they’re making, and they’re going to be free in Mexico.
Then she opens her eyes and takes a deep breath and leaves.
#
They go to Texas and Mia gets a job in an office and Letty works the counter at the closest neighborhood liquor store. It’s really, really shitty that Mia has to drop out of school, and it doesn’t seem real.
It’s as if Letty’s waiting to heal, and once her ribs are mended, once the bruises fade and the cuts disappear, they’ll go back home, and everything will be the same.
Home’s gone. Home’s a cramped little apartment with one bedroom and cracked tiles in the bathroom and a window air conditioner in one room. Letty sleeps on the couch most nights, because it blows straight on her, leaves her skin chilled.
Mia likes the heat, she says, but she leaves the door open. She tosses a lot in sleep and her bed is loud when she moves and some nights it keeps Letty awake – or something does, and that’s the best excuse.
Those nights, she flips on the little lamp on the table next to the couch and stares at the cracks in the ceiling. There are piles of books under it, that’s where Mia keeps her library books, and given enough time awake and enough nights spent trying as hard as she can not to think about how things might have been different, Letty finally grabs one.
Most of them are pretty technical, books about science and medicine. Looking at them makes her gut twist until she has to sit up straight and be very still until she’s sure she’s not going to puke.
Mia’s supposed to be in school, making something of herself. Something more than hot garages and fast cars and all their illegal things. Letty’s never wanted anything more from life than all that – than Dom and he’s all those things in one – but Mia had dreams, Mia had goals, Mia was well on her way to getting things done.
She’s given all that up to be loyal to her family and it sucks.
#
Mia comes home from work each day and changes out of her nice clothes, conservative clothes. She throws on jeans and tank tops, t-shirts and shorts, and pulls her hair up in a ponytail. She scrubs off her make-up and her fresh face, her bare feet, her slump as she settles onto the other end of the couch, it all makes her look fifteen again.
Letty brings her a beer. Mia smiles a little and drains half of it in the first drink. She never used to be like that, but lots of things have changed since California. Letty finishes her own beer and then sits, watching Mia relax.
When Mia’s done with the beer, she hauls herself to her feet, leaving the bottle of beer on the table next to the couch. She scoops up the library books underneath it and slips her feet into sandals. Her jeans are too long and the ends slip under her heels.
Letty stands. She’s been thinking about this, kinda half-assed, but hadn’t decided to do anything about it.
“Want some company?” she asks. She laces her fingers together and stretches her hands high overhead. It’s not a big deal, offering to go with her. It’s not. She waits and if her breath comes a little rough, well, the air is crazy humid.
Mia shrugs. “Sure. Help me carry these.” She shoves some books into Letty’s arms. It’s all casual, just two friends hanging out, but there’s a tremble to her lips and then she’s smiling. Grinning, really.
Happiness bubbles up inside Letty and she bounces a little. It’s been awhile since she’s had any reason to be giddy, but that whole new crush thing feels great. It is great, even though life kinda sucks and, really, Mia’s probably not the best choice, considering everything else that’s going on. Everything else that went on.
The library’s a couple blocks away and they walk it. The sun’s still pretty bright and hot, but Letty doesn’t mind. She’s got her sunglasses and Mia’s walking next to her and the soft thwap of her sandals is almost music, almost the rhythm of Letty’s pulse.
Mia dumps her load of books into the return box and then grabs the books from Letty. She heads off for the non-fiction section, but Letty wants something else to read. She wanders pretty aimlessly – her only goal is to not be in the same aisle as Mia – and ends up in the teen section. She’s short enough she blends in some and that’s pretty weird, but she pokes at the books and grabs a couple which look interesting.
There are big squishy chairs by the magazine rack. She grabs one and angles it so her back is toward the corner and she’s facing all the entrances to the room. Surely no one’s going to jump her here – probably – but old habits and all.
The first two books suck. She doesn’t much care for awkward teenage romance between a white girl and a white boy nor does she really like whatever this is with knights and magic. The third, though, that’s not so bad.
She reads the back and it hits her pretty hard. Here's what it means to be a tortillera. It means you're a girl who loves girls.
It’s about a Puerto Rican lesbian and there’s all this stuff about family and friendship and how life changes so fast and it’s a quick read. She likes it and she’s pretty far in when Mia comes and finds her.
“Want to check it out?” she asks.
Letty closes it on her finger and looks up at her, thinking about it.
“Yeah,” she says and leaves the other two books in the chair. “You’ll like it.”
Mia takes it and glances it over. “I’ve read it,” she says and smiles. “It’s good.”
This is so not Letty’s world. Good thing Mia knows what she’s doing.
#
After dinner, Mia usually heads into the bedroom to read. Instead she grabs a book and sits on the couch. The radio’s on in the background, some Tex-Mex local station that goes fuzzy if they walk too close to it. Letty takes her book and sits down too.
Mia puts her hand on Letty’s thigh. She holds the big book in her lap and turns the pages one handed. Letty glances over. There are illustrations, complicated diagrams of body parts and muscles and Mia is way too smart.
She sure is pretty.
Letty settles down to actually read. Sometimes she brushes the tips of her fingers across the back of Mia’s hand. Their beers are cold and the heat seems to have broken somewhat because the room isn’t as miserable as normal. The air conditioner is still running and the air is actually quite cold.
Mia picks at the spot where Letty’s jeans are worn and then traces this little pattern around it.
The apartment is small and cramped, but it’s filled with music and the lingering smell of tacos and Mia’s sitting right there next to her. She’s not going anywhere at all. Letty takes a drink of her beer.
She’s smiling pretty big in this place that’s starting to feel like home.
End
