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Prompt: Misunderstanding.
More Sedoretu worldbuilding. Shirya tries to get out of the house and find more friends at a mingle for people in her moiety, but finds her intentions misconstrued in a very offensive way.
Misunderstood
---
Shirya had been going to the Morning Mingles for months before she'd met Rich, and a few times afterwards. It was a good place to look for people who wanted to be friends with no strings attached. She'd thought that if she started going again, maybe she could find someone to talk to when her husband and wife were both busy... which was more often than not, those days.
She had been shocked when the meet's organizer - an old lady with a white updo and an old blue dress - pulled her into another room.
It had started with the pleasantries, of course. The woman had introduced herself - Jane, she thought, or something very similar - and had nodded politely along with Shirya's introduction. It was only after a few minutes of sickly-sweet small talk before the older woman got to the point.
"Ma'am," Jane said very politely, "Don't take this personally. I just wanted to be sure of your intentions."
"My intentions?" she echoed, confused. "I came to these sorts of thing before back in college. I just thought I'd stop by and see if they're the same as I remembered."
"Oh, how lovely," she said. "I can understand - but, well, we just happened to notice your rings."
"My rings," she echoed. She glanced down at her fingers almost without thinking - the rainbow-finished titanium and plain gold next to each other on her left hand, and nothing on her right. She'd almost put her old ring on, the one with the bright green emerald, but he'd been gone for over a year. She still felt naked without it... she just didn't know if it was appropriate anymore.
"It's not that we don't want you here," the older woman said, smiling so gently. "So please don't misunderstand."
Shirya couldn't help but get defensive at this woman's kindness. She had gotten too used to sweet, understanding people in the immigration office who truly hated to have to call her about the status of her application. She was trying not to frown or cry or anything else; it was nearly a reflex at this point. "What is it, then?" she asked, and kept her voice as even as she could.
"Well... it's just that a few of the people are concerned. You see, this is a place for Morning men and women to come and make friends, without the pressure of being pursued by potential spouses. That's what we've been trying to do with these mingles for the past forty years."
It hit her like a sudden wave of heat from an opened oven, as she realized exactly what this woman was trying to say. "And you think the only reason I'm here is to find someone to take home to my spouses." She couldn't help but frown, but someone had to say the quiet part out loud, and people like this never did.
The woman looked offended, exactly as if she hadn't been thinking the same. "My dear, I didn't mean to imply - I mean, it's just that so often we have people in similar situations who -"
She shook her head. "Stop," she said. "I can't believe... you didn't even ask what happened to me. I'm not ready for anyone else to join my marriage." No matter what the damned immigration offices say, she found herself adding mentally - why were they doing this to her? Why were they penalizing her for what had happened to Rich?
"Mrs. Saravanan, please -"
They never pronounced it right. They always got the A's wrong, no matter how many times she'd tried to correct them. It was enough to push her over the edge. "Our Morning Husband is dead," she said flatly as she stood up. "I've been... I'm just trying to get out again. But if you're going to accuse me of being some kind of... some kind of predator... then I'm happy to leave."
"Ma'am, please, let me apologize -"
Her ears were burning as she walked out, as the old woman called after her. She couldn't find it in herself to turn around as she grabbed her purse to leave.
More Sedoretu worldbuilding. Shirya tries to get out of the house and find more friends at a mingle for people in her moiety, but finds her intentions misconstrued in a very offensive way.
Misunderstood
---
Shirya had been going to the Morning Mingles for months before she'd met Rich, and a few times afterwards. It was a good place to look for people who wanted to be friends with no strings attached. She'd thought that if she started going again, maybe she could find someone to talk to when her husband and wife were both busy... which was more often than not, those days.
She had been shocked when the meet's organizer - an old lady with a white updo and an old blue dress - pulled her into another room.
It had started with the pleasantries, of course. The woman had introduced herself - Jane, she thought, or something very similar - and had nodded politely along with Shirya's introduction. It was only after a few minutes of sickly-sweet small talk before the older woman got to the point.
"Ma'am," Jane said very politely, "Don't take this personally. I just wanted to be sure of your intentions."
"My intentions?" she echoed, confused. "I came to these sorts of thing before back in college. I just thought I'd stop by and see if they're the same as I remembered."
"Oh, how lovely," she said. "I can understand - but, well, we just happened to notice your rings."
"My rings," she echoed. She glanced down at her fingers almost without thinking - the rainbow-finished titanium and plain gold next to each other on her left hand, and nothing on her right. She'd almost put her old ring on, the one with the bright green emerald, but he'd been gone for over a year. She still felt naked without it... she just didn't know if it was appropriate anymore.
"It's not that we don't want you here," the older woman said, smiling so gently. "So please don't misunderstand."
Shirya couldn't help but get defensive at this woman's kindness. She had gotten too used to sweet, understanding people in the immigration office who truly hated to have to call her about the status of her application. She was trying not to frown or cry or anything else; it was nearly a reflex at this point. "What is it, then?" she asked, and kept her voice as even as she could.
"Well... it's just that a few of the people are concerned. You see, this is a place for Morning men and women to come and make friends, without the pressure of being pursued by potential spouses. That's what we've been trying to do with these mingles for the past forty years."
It hit her like a sudden wave of heat from an opened oven, as she realized exactly what this woman was trying to say. "And you think the only reason I'm here is to find someone to take home to my spouses." She couldn't help but frown, but someone had to say the quiet part out loud, and people like this never did.
The woman looked offended, exactly as if she hadn't been thinking the same. "My dear, I didn't mean to imply - I mean, it's just that so often we have people in similar situations who -"
She shook her head. "Stop," she said. "I can't believe... you didn't even ask what happened to me. I'm not ready for anyone else to join my marriage." No matter what the damned immigration offices say, she found herself adding mentally - why were they doing this to her? Why were they penalizing her for what had happened to Rich?
"Mrs. Saravanan, please -"
They never pronounced it right. They always got the A's wrong, no matter how many times she'd tried to correct them. It was enough to push her over the edge. "Our Morning Husband is dead," she said flatly as she stood up. "I've been... I'm just trying to get out again. But if you're going to accuse me of being some kind of... some kind of predator... then I'm happy to leave."
"Ma'am, please, let me apologize -"
Her ears were burning as she walked out, as the old woman called after her. She couldn't find it in herself to turn around as she grabbed her purse to leave.
