vixey-chakraborty

[vixey-chakraborty]

Vixey frowned. A favorite memory?

Similarly to Mirabel, she wondered where this was going. She and Farhan (though, mostly Farhan) had been the ones to encourage about the study. They were both science forward, worked at the hospital, and appreciated the importance of mental health and immigrant families.

But--that didn't mean Vixey really knew what to expect. And, as always, she was going to look to her parents to steer the conversation.

She wasn't sure she had a favorite memory anyway. It wasn't that her childhood had been bad, but she had been very focused on her grades, on her chores, and on helping her family, however she could.

"When the apples first bloomed," Pahal said with a nod of his head. "It takes nearly a decade to do it, you know. My father, he grew apples. We inherited the cows here, but the apple trees were new. We saved up for them. They bloomed on Vixey's eighteenth birthday." Her father turned to her and smiled.

She smiled back. "I forgot about that! I was just getting ready to leave for university. The perfect timing."

@waitingona-mirabel

Family is Family | Vixabel

[vixey-chakraborty]

Vixey frowned.

"It's not feeling bad for you," Vixey said, slightly offended that Tiana would say that, even if she understood where her friend was coming from. Tiana was the same kind of strong and stubborn as Vixey and Jun both. (Al had his own merits, but those included--asking for help and being humble. Vixey appreciated these things about him. It taught her to be more that way too.)

Tiana's pride far eclipsed Vixey's.

"It is empathizing with you and worrying about my friend, and I'm gonna do that no matter what. I care about you and your dreams and I'm gonna be here to support you, no matter what. I want to hear about the things that are bothering you. You walked me through selling the shoppe. Let me do the same for you."

Not that she thought Tiana would sell or that Tiana's place would go under. It was just--Tiana had listened to Vixey go back and forth for months and sure, sometimes, she hadn't been the most helpful, but she'd always rallied her support in the end, because that was what friends did.

@truitt-story

Keeping The Lights On | Viana

[vixey-chakraborty]

Vixey was unimpressed with James' act. With the watch and the counting and mentioning Fabio. (Good to know he was still in the cultural zeitgeist for the kids, she supposed.)

Mostly, because she was a nurse and she'd dealt with far more ornery patients. Or ones who tried to get out of things any number of ways.

"Yeah, we don't have the budget for Fabio," Vixey deadpanned as she moved a step closer and grasped James around the upper arm as he slouched against the wall. She wasn't sure if she was strong enough to catch him if he tipped all the way over, but she could at least keep him from hitting his head on the ground.

"Can you make it to a chair or do you want me to go get one for you?" she asked him, though she was prepared to make an executive decision on the matter if he continued to obfuscate.

@captainjamesjoneshook

Push It To The Limit || Pirate Fox

[vixey-chakraborty]

Vixey frowned and felt something clench in her stomach.

She hadn't realized it was that bad. That it was continuing to be bad. Even through the holidays...she had thought: surely, it would pick up around then and bump Tiana back into the green.

And she felt guilty, because she'd been enjoying marital bliss. Her greatest stressor had been whether or not Christmas would go smoothly...which it had! A little awkward and tense, but good overall.

And here her best friend was...having to let people go!

"Well, it certainly sounds like you are doing all the right things," Vixey said, gently. Encouragingly. She smiled a little. "I am sorry things are so hard right now. I know how important this is to you."

@truitt-story

Keeping The Lights On | Viana

[vixey-chakraborty]

"Oh, my apologies," Mayra said, taking a sip of her drink.

All eyes turned to their father when Dr. Chu directed a question at him. He rarely had much to say. Vixey had grown up with him as a quiet, but steady sort of presence. He was never mean. Though, his disappointment always cut like a knife. (Vixey had experienced it so rarely, herself, that it cut even worse.)

"One thing I've learned from nearly 40 years of marriage is never contradict your wife," he told the doctor good-naturedly.

"Pahal!" Mayra clucked her tongue at him, smacking his thigh with the hand not holding her tea.

"But no, I don't think I have much to add. Got married, had the children, moved to the farm. Raised the children up. That is about all there is to it. I am proud to say we've made steady business and have been rather successful since moving here. We have been very fortunate."

@waitingona-mirabel

Family is Family | Vixabel

[vixey-chakraborty]

Vixey rolled her eyes.

It wasn't that Jun and Vixey were at odds.

Jun had just been rude and extremely unempathetic. Also, he had not apologized. Plus, now, it was Jun and Vixey and Al, because Al was going to be on Vixey's side of things. Jun had been rude to both of them.

It was the kind of thing that smarted but Vixey wasn't going to make a big to do about. She just wasn't going to be the one to start the conversation.

Not that any of that mattered, though, as Tiana mentioned the restaurant's finances. Vixey frowned.

"How are things going with the restaurant?" she asked. "I thought--well, that they were getting better?"

@truitt-story

Keeping The Lights On | Viana

[vixey-chakraborty]

"I'm sorry," Mayra's eyebrows twitched down slightly, though she kept up her pleasant smile. "I am not sure what you mean. What next? We have lived on the same beautiful farm since 1997. The children all still live here, except Shanaya, of course. Which is why she could not make it today. Is there something specific you would like to know, Dr. Chen? Did I miss something?" The pucker in her brow got slightly deeper.

Vixey shifted in her seat. She wanted to chime in, to fill in a little more information, but she knew better, though. This was her mother and father's story. She had her own. But it had only, really, started when she left Swynlake.

Besides, it was rude to contradict your elders. Vixey certainly wasn't going to do it here, where they were being...studied.

Instead, she just made brief eye contact with Farhan on the other side of the room.

@waitingona-mirabel

Family is Family | Vixabel

[vixey-chakraborty]

"Thanks," Vixey said with a little, self-conscious smile. "Now, if you could just tell Jun that." She rolled her eyes, though, mostly, in an affectionate sort of way. Now that some of the smarting from her hurt at their original announcement had faded, she did understand where Jun was coming from.

They would just have to show him that they meant it. That they were good for each other. It had been months now and they'd not had a single fight. They were on the same page about nearly everything. They worked.

"Have you talked to him much, recently? Now that I've brought him up."

@truitt-story

Keeping The Lights On | Viana

[vixey-chakraborty]

While Vixey might try to have more tact, she didn't see the point, quite frankly. She was a nurse. He wasn't her patient (anymore), but she had seen him through those horrible first days, until he could go home. And she didn't want all her hardwork to be undone because of his pride or depression or whatever might be going on.

So: straight to the meat of the matter.

She would be gentle, but she wasn't going to hold back her concern.

"Mhm," Vixey said, unconvinced as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I apologize, I misspoke. You have a pallor about you. You look like you might be suffering from Vasovagal Syncope. In other words: you look about five seconds from passing out."

She didn't say any of this harshly, but with the kind of exasperated impatience her own mother used on her when Vixey was saying she was fine, when she was definitely not fine.

@captainjamesjoneshook

Push It To The Limit || Pirate Fox

[vixey-chakraborty]

of all of the bizarre things I’ve seen while working in skilled nursing the one that’s going to stick with me until I die is bug god

[vixey-chakraborty]

“She rested her head against his and felt, for the first time, what she would often feel with him: a self-affection. He made her like herself. With him, she was at ease; her skin felt as though it was her right size.”

— Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Americanah. London: Forth Estate (2013)

[vixey-chakraborty]

Richa Moorjani for Timid (ph:  Sequoia Emmanuelle)

[vixey-chakraborty]

"Mayra," her mother said.

"Pahal," followed her father.

"Farhan."

"Vishaka, but everyone calls me Vixey."

"Harish."

Vixey glanced at her father once everyone had spoken, wondering if he would be the first to speak. He was usually the stoic, quiet type. Warm and observant, but never with much to say. Even still, he was the patriarch of the family.

It was, of course, her mother who spoke.

"Well, where would you like us to start? Where Pahal and I got married? That was 1986. In Mumbai. Then, we had Farhan shortly after. Then Vishaka in 1991. Harish in 1994. Shanaya in 1997, right before we moved here to Swynlake. Pahal had some friends who had made the move and suggested it. That is who we bought our farm from. Eventually, we bought them out and they moved back home to India, but we have stayed."

She glanced around, a little uncertainly. "Is that all?"

Farhan nodded, Harish shrugged. Vixey didn't do anything at all.

@waitingona-mirabel

Family is Family | Vixabel

[vixey-chakraborty]

Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life (2004)

[vixey-chakraborty]

Vixey chuckled. "If it was, I wouldn't tell you," she told him, tapping the side of her nose.

After all, doctor-patient confidentiality. Plus, Vixey didn't like to linger on the horrible things that she saw at her job. Sometimes, things stuck with her. There was no helping that, of course. It was part of the job.

She preferred the nicer things. The people in remission. The babies who were born. Those were the things she held onto.

Her eyes scanned up and down James. "Are you alright? You--look a little pale, no offense."

@captainjamesjoneshook

Push It To The Limit || Pirate Fox

[vixey-chakraborty]

Vixey blushed.

"Yeah, I mean--we talked about it a little bit. You know that I have always wanted kids and so does Al so...yeah. That's the plan. Eventually. And you can be as annoying an auntie as you want."

@truitt-story

Keeping The Lights On | Viana

[vixey-chakraborty]