Friday, July 30, 2010

Ramaswami/McDermott Random Legacy ch. 16: A Complicated Relationship


Donovan called Regan and asked to come by his house. "I'd really like to see you," he said. It was a request she couldn't refuse, even though she felt and bit bloated lately and not looking her best, so she put on a loose shirt that she hoped hid her bulging waistline and drove over to the Landgraab mansion. She barely got into the foyer before Donovan had her in a tight embrace, kissing her like they were lovers.

She had fantasized about this kiss so often, she let it happen, responding eagerly. But she couldn't forget that he had been dating her aunt Kamala, and that kind of spoiled the pleasure, and she pulled away from him.


"I'm sorry, I'm taking this too fast," Donovan said, not quite letting her out of his grasp.

"It's not too fast, I've wanted this for a long time now," Regan answered honestly, "But what's going on with you and my aunt Kamala?"

"You heard about that?" he asked, surprised, then continued, "Of course you did. Regina can't keep her mouth shut about anything."

"Don't blame Regina for what you're doing," she answered, shaking herself free of his arms, "If you're with Kamala, what are you trying to do with me?"

Donovan ran a nervous hand through his hair. "My father made a lot of bad investments, lost pretty much the entire Landgraab fortune, what there was of it left to lose, and I inherited a huge debt and an estate I can barely manage to upkeep with my salary. Kamala has been...very generous."

"She pays you to screw her?" Regan gasps.

Donovan winces. "Well, I doubt she'd put it that way, but it's what it amounts to, sure. Ultimately, I'm after a piece of the Goth fortune. Just a tenth of their liquid wealth could save the estate."

What's worse, a prostitute, or a gold digger? Regan has trouble accepting Donovan in either of those roles. "And where do I fit in in all this? I don't have a family fortune, and I'm not quite desperate enough to pay for sex." Not even with Donovan, as much as she wants him.

"Please, don't despise me. You're my best friend, you always have been. I just want to be with you."


What he's doing is wrong, Regan knows. She she should walk out now and go warn her aunt about the gorgeous young predator after her wealth, warn her cousin Regina to protect her inheritance. It's wrong, but she goes up to his room with him, anyway.



She's wanted him for too long to deny herself the pleasure when he's finally offering himself to her. Whatever the consequences to her family, to anyone else, even to herself, she's pleasing herself now.


Though she tried to pass off her growing stomach and persistent nausea as after effects of eating rich French foods, she can no longer deny the truth to herself, she's pregnant. Telling Gustave is out of the question, though it's his child, what could he offer? She hasn't spoke to him since she came home, and isn't interested in trying to maintain a long distance relationship with a man who lives with two women he sleeps with but doesn't take seriously.
Her current lover has only one other woman to contend with, and lives in the same neighborhood. She tells Donovan about her condition when he drops by her house after work.

The fear on his face is almost laughable,"Oh, wow, that's like the last thing I needed right now," he sighs. "I'm in no position to be a father."

"Don't worry, lover, it's not yours," Regan tells him, suppressing a giggle.

"Are you seeing someone else?" he asks, his fear turned to jealousy.

"What if I am?" Regan asks, wanting to know his answer.



"This is grossly unfair of me to say," Donovan replies, "But I want you all to myself. Tell me I'm not going to lose you to someone else."

"I had a fling while I was in France," Regan tells him, unable to hold him over the fire any longer, "And he's no competition for you."


She spoke lightly of Gustave to Donovan, but she isn't as entirely over him as she pretends, especially to herself. She keeps a snapshot of him on her dresser, and sees his face before she goes to bed at night more often than she sees Donovan's.



Her parents are of course entirely supportive, offering to help Regan raise her baby while she pursues her career. Her mother has murmured a few times about the importance of having a father around, and how difficult it was for her growing up with her father as a part time guest in their home, but she can't exactly blame her daughter for getting pregnant by a man who lives too far away to be a proper parent.

They don't know about Regan's relationship with Donovan, no one knows about that. He wouldn't want Kamala to find out about that and ruin his chances at marrying into a big inheritance. On the plus side, Kamala isn't talking about her doings with him, either, apparently seeing him as more of a dirty secret than a relationship you'd display in public. How is it her parents have such a wholesome, loving relationship, but Regan only gets involved with guys like Gustave and Donovan?



Regan has a daughter she names Lauren. The bedroom she grew up in once again becomes a nursery, and Regan takes over the second floor for herself, tearing down walls to create one large master out of two narrow single bedrooms. Regan wonders about Gustave's other child, back in France. Is it a son or daughter? Is he still with Capucine? And what about Jolene, are they all living together? She could find out if she called him, but she's consistently avoided doing so. What will she tell Lauren about her father when she's older? Regan can't answer that question, and tries to put it out of her mind.

(Challenge Notes: My roll for Generation 5 is Single Parent, 2 kids (again), Farmer career, Party to Remember, and Runs in the Family trait. That trait hasn't been selected yet; when Lauren transitions to child, I'll roll a random trait for her and that trait will be given to the second child as well. We're still early in Gen. 4, one out of two multi-cultural children has been born. Luckily I will have Saranya and Harlan around to help make the perfect child thing happen for Lauren. I haven't even decided what culture child two will come from. Too bad it can't be from the Landgraab culture.)

1 comment:

  1. Your story is so full of awesome, I can't even begin! Another really excellent chapter!

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