Marriage is bliss
16.7 Linda West
Summer 1997, Atkins vacation house
When Linda arrived back at the house from her stroll in the woods, she found Brian in the back yard, sitting on one of the benches and reading a book.
"You're back? Did you find what you were looking for?", he greeted her.
"Oh yes!", she replied. "Here are so many interesting plants! I took a few samples to study them in the lab."
Field studies had always been her favourite. She loved just going out into nature on her own, enjoying the fresh air, and discovering new things.
She never got tired of it.
Brian laughed. "All you think about is work!", he said. "You should relax a bit, too."
But work was relaxing for her, Linda thought.
She had a feeling that he wouldn't understand it, though, so she didn't bother to explain it to him.
Instead she just nodded, and sat down next to him.
In front of her Mae, Herbert and Mariella played in the pool.
They were squeeking and laughing while apparently having a competition who could splash the most water on the others.
"What a happy family", Brian said. "It makes you wish sometimes to have one too, no?"
Linda still hadn't really thought about that.
But she guessed that if everything kept going on between them like it did now, one day he would ask her to start one with him.
"It could be nice, yes", she said.
She didn't mind the idea, but still didn't want to give it deeper thoughts.
It was fun to watch her sister's family.
"What's with those shoes?", Brian said suddenly.
"Huh?" Linda looked down. She wore her favourite black loafers, which she had found once on a flea market. One of the few flat pairs she owned.
"They have cats on them", Brian pointed out.
"I like them", she said. "And they're comfy."
Why she had the feeling she had to explain herself?
I would have thought Brian can understand her passion for her work. He's a businessman, is he not? She doesn't seem to like him as much as she did when they met.
ReplyDeleteHe is a businessman, but he also enjoys his free time.
DeleteAs for Linda... she should maybe talk more about her own feelings instead of just wanting to please.
Your shoes are baller, Linda
ReplyDeleteTotally. What's better than cat shoes? c:
DeleteMan she should be enjoying this more. Granite Falls is a dream for any scientist.
ReplyDeleteshe sure enjoys it when she's alone!
DeleteThey totally don’t get each other and want completely different things out of life. Where’s Frank?
ReplyDeleteProbably grilling some burgers at home...
DeleteI'm not sure this relationship will last. They don't seem to understand each other all that well. And her cat shoes are awesome.
ReplyDeleteThey keep talking past each other, without even noticing! xD
DeleteMaybe they will make it work, though.
The cracks are starting to show! It's not surprising that a businessman would want his partner to look "the part". If two people have little in common they have to communicate their expectations, otherwise the differences will eat at them. I don't approve of her silence. This relationship won't last like that.
ReplyDeleteLinda often feels like she's weird, but she tries her best to fit in with the common idea of normalcy. So she has learned to keep a lot to herself.
DeleteShe probably believes Brian is a good match, so she tries to accommodate. Not a good idea 😔
Aww poor girl! She needs to show herself more then. The right guy will appreciate all the special things she has to offer!
ReplyDeleteoh yes yes, he will! Also he'll find things she didn't even know she had 😁 (yes i have plans and am excited LOL)
DeleteRight, wild theory time. I have no grounds to base this on, apart from Brian being good looking, suave, and from a rich family.
ReplyDeleteBut my theory is that he's been a bit of a player up until recently, hence why he is so smooth, but then his family pressured him to finally start a family of his own so that they have an heir to the family fortune, so he was looking for a suitable wife. Linda is clearly smart and pretty, so on paper, she fits the bill. Which is why he is now talking about starting a family and all that, to fulfill those expectations. But as for actually getting to know Linda, appreciating what matters to her and her quirks... nah. Which she doesn't massively notice because she's so focused on her work.
Which just makes me realise how similar Mae and Linda really are. Neither of them really pays a lot of attention to their relationship or to the personality of them men they've chosen to be with, they just kind if stumbled into those relationships. I wonder if that's to do with their up ringing. By the looks of it they've spent a lot of time being looked after by the grandma. Don't think a father was ever mentioned, which may be a coincidence, but maybe there was never a Mr West. But of course, that's just speculation.
Ohhh, your Brian theory is spot on! He's def looking for a suitable wife, and Linda is very presentable!
DeleteI haven't thought how similar the girls actually are in this case. But I've noticed so many people, esp. young ones really have no idea who their partners really are.
On Mr. West, he has been mentioned occasionally in the Paris chapters. He died after a long battle against cancer when Mae was 13, and Linda almost 16. Their mother never really recovered from that loss.
And though Mr. and Mrs. West had a very affectionate relationship, they didn't PDA. They showed it much more subtle, like in the tone of their voices when they spoke to each other, or a small kiss on the cheek when one left the house.
So for a twen/teen it may have looked much more distanced than it really was.