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darker_london2008-07-07 03:19 pm
molten-lead.livejournal.com) wrote in darker_london2008-07-07 03:19 pm
Arrangements - Justine / August
On the next available day after his conversation with Brigitta, August made a phone call back home, to Austria, to his father. He made the call during one of Justine's breaks, as his Aunt Brigitta's phone didn't make international calls. Closing the shop temporarily, he waited impatiently for the ring that his father would pick up on.
"Griesser." His father's response was predictably short and to the point. August experienced an unexpected moment of hesitation, but when he spoke, his tone was just as short and to the point as his father's had been.
"Father." One single word, and his father would know exactly who he was speaking to.
On the other end, August suspected a moment of hesitation in the older generation, before the elder Griesser spoke. "Hello August. Are you enjoying Wales?"
"Yes." It wasn't a question that would have allowed for any other answer coming from August than that. Now he had just to make this sound as though he wasn't wanting to come crawling back. "Is your business going well?"
"Well enough."
Privately, August had been counting on the fact that he was an only child. His father had to forgive him and bring him back into the family, regardless of past transgressions. As his father's only son, August was the single heir his father had to pass on his business to.
"Why are you calling, August?"
His father's tone had an air of formality to it that said the elder Griesser was not yet done being annoyed with his son's actions. August had anticipated the move he would have to make, he just hadn't expected to have to make it so soon.
He hadn't expected Brigitta to threaten to cast him out either.
"I have found someone I will marry. Someone suitable."
"Really."
August swallowed. His idea of one to marry was suitable, if one adhered to August's definition of 'suitable'. Even after his initial interest in Justine's body inevitably waned, after she'd borne him at least two sons -two, so that his own son could not put him through what he had put his father through, and hope to get away with it- he thought he could remain interested in her mind, such as it was. Of course, he was yet to convince Justine of any of this. He put that aside for the benefit of this conversation. There would be enough in it to benefit her, to cause her to agree, eventually, of that he was certain. He was also certain she would make him work to get that eventual agreement.
"In Wales?" his father continued to ask.
"Where else?" August answered simply.
He heard his father inhale. He could almost hear his father's thoughts ticking over. Would this Welsh girl be good enough for their family? Would the potential marriage be too much of an affront to the family of the girl he had refused to marry? Or would the fact that August had willingly decided to settle down mean that these matters could be put behind them, and his father could continue to mold August in the ways of his business as he'd wished to do?
"You will bring her to the family estate," his father eventually said. "I will wire you the money for two plane tickets."
"I cannot come immediately," August replied, thinking quickly. "There are things I need to tie up here first. Notice needs to be given." As a business man, his father would respect that. As the one who knew his own situation here, August knew he would need that.
After his father agreed to a time period of a couple of weeks, August put down the phone, just in time for Justine to come back from her break. She raised her eyebrows at the evidence of the closed sign showing that he had done little or no work while she had been away.
He was not yet ready to tell her what he had arranged. It was not yet the time for that.
"Have a fun break?" Justine asked, as she turned around the sign so that it faced the right way.
"I needed to go to the toilet," August replied, with the tone of one who didn't really need to have shared that piece of information.
"Your bladder must be in a bad way if you couldn't wait five minutes," Justine remarked, but she left it at that, and August was happy enough to do the same.
"Griesser." His father's response was predictably short and to the point. August experienced an unexpected moment of hesitation, but when he spoke, his tone was just as short and to the point as his father's had been.
"Father." One single word, and his father would know exactly who he was speaking to.
On the other end, August suspected a moment of hesitation in the older generation, before the elder Griesser spoke. "Hello August. Are you enjoying Wales?"
"Yes." It wasn't a question that would have allowed for any other answer coming from August than that. Now he had just to make this sound as though he wasn't wanting to come crawling back. "Is your business going well?"
"Well enough."
Privately, August had been counting on the fact that he was an only child. His father had to forgive him and bring him back into the family, regardless of past transgressions. As his father's only son, August was the single heir his father had to pass on his business to.
"Why are you calling, August?"
His father's tone had an air of formality to it that said the elder Griesser was not yet done being annoyed with his son's actions. August had anticipated the move he would have to make, he just hadn't expected to have to make it so soon.
He hadn't expected Brigitta to threaten to cast him out either.
"I have found someone I will marry. Someone suitable."
"Really."
August swallowed. His idea of one to marry was suitable, if one adhered to August's definition of 'suitable'. Even after his initial interest in Justine's body inevitably waned, after she'd borne him at least two sons -two, so that his own son could not put him through what he had put his father through, and hope to get away with it- he thought he could remain interested in her mind, such as it was. Of course, he was yet to convince Justine of any of this. He put that aside for the benefit of this conversation. There would be enough in it to benefit her, to cause her to agree, eventually, of that he was certain. He was also certain she would make him work to get that eventual agreement.
"In Wales?" his father continued to ask.
"Where else?" August answered simply.
He heard his father inhale. He could almost hear his father's thoughts ticking over. Would this Welsh girl be good enough for their family? Would the potential marriage be too much of an affront to the family of the girl he had refused to marry? Or would the fact that August had willingly decided to settle down mean that these matters could be put behind them, and his father could continue to mold August in the ways of his business as he'd wished to do?
"You will bring her to the family estate," his father eventually said. "I will wire you the money for two plane tickets."
"I cannot come immediately," August replied, thinking quickly. "There are things I need to tie up here first. Notice needs to be given." As a business man, his father would respect that. As the one who knew his own situation here, August knew he would need that.
After his father agreed to a time period of a couple of weeks, August put down the phone, just in time for Justine to come back from her break. She raised her eyebrows at the evidence of the closed sign showing that he had done little or no work while she had been away.
He was not yet ready to tell her what he had arranged. It was not yet the time for that.
"Have a fun break?" Justine asked, as she turned around the sign so that it faced the right way.
"I needed to go to the toilet," August replied, with the tone of one who didn't really need to have shared that piece of information.
"Your bladder must be in a bad way if you couldn't wait five minutes," Justine remarked, but she left it at that, and August was happy enough to do the same.