chaoticsweet

[chaoticsweet]

even though she was born and raised in a different set of suburbs, georgia is able of recognizing monterey’s beauty and its particularities. after living almost half of her life there, monterey is her home as much as pensylvannia once was, both places claiming some part of her heart. she remembers the day she moved there, she and her roommate barely carrying more than five boxes with their possessions, determined to build a home of their own with each other. georgia and her taste for fine china, helen and her affection for expensive sheets, both trying to do their best with their teacher’s wage and gladly meeting at the end of the day to forget their worries. it had been beautiful, it was beautiful, she’d never say the opposite. her time with helen could have been brief, so quick that georgia barely realized it was over when the time came, but enough to make her able to say that she had loved and been loved once. some time deep mourning, an expensive urn that almost got her in debt and she was sure helen would love, and it was all done. since that moment, georgia was set on making her life beautiful, enjoying every single day and making herself content. surrounded by friends, students, people who cared about her, she did her best. book clubs once a week, going to the movies at least twice a month, journaling like she used to do as a teen. she endured the grieving the same way she did anything, anxiously and effortful, until it became natural. she owed having a nice life to helen and to herself, for the sake of all the hard work and her future. maybe she’d never feel that warm and fuzzy feeling of belonging again, but the great life she had should be enough. oddly enough, she feels a bit of the same when talking to marina, even if they seem so different from each other. “oh, you are too kind! i don’t think i could pull off the whole erika act. maybe i’m leaning more to meg giry,” she can’t help but giggle, remembering her favorite scene: erika leading corinne to her lair. “but low profile? just a very, very quiet life. but i like it too. getting most of your thrills from finding the right hibiscus tea isn’t that bad.” she wonders how much of a crazy lady she sounds, pushing the thought right away. if anyone judges her, that person is certainly not marina (at least that is what she prefers to think). “honestly, i wouldn’t mind if i could have her and a few of the teens around! but i can’t imagine how it would be to deal with the whimpers of moms worried about their children smoking and dating around…” she shakes her head, already tired. georgia pulls the peace and love sign for the photo, stopping herself from nitpicking every single little detail of her appearance. “i will let you buy something tasty for us to share and call it quits, what do you think?”

a  quiet  life...  marina  is  proud  of  leading  one  herself,  although  something  tells  her  their  renditions  of  that  might  differ  in  some  points.  georgie,  to  her  eyes  and  probably  to  many  of  monterey  citizens',  was  their  very  own  nancy  meyers  protagonist.  going  through  her  own  probations,  but  classy  and  calm  through  the  most  of  it,  living  the  best  out  of  a  coastal  drama  in  linen  clothes  and  large  hats.  marina  is  a  little  more  to  the  left  on  that  spectrum;  taking  life  month  by  month  and  just  winging  it,  painting  sunsets  to  remind  herself  that  the  sun's  there  even  when  the  days  are  mean  to  her,  learning  a  new  recipe  here,  picking  up  an  old  craft  that  lies  forgotten  in  her  studio  there.  she  makes  it  work.

⠀⠀marina: oh .  trust  me  ,   i  know  .  (  her  smile  grows  a  little  shy  for  a  moment,  almost  regretfully  self  aware  even  if  only  for  a  moment;  only  before  she  remembers  georgie  is  not  one  of  the  people  that  expects  her  to  justify  her  small  achievements  or  simple  routine.  she  leans  closer  to  the  woman  and  confides,  )  the  other  day  i  found  this  really  bright  shade  of  orange  yarn  i  was  searching  for  .  i  might  have  brought  out  the  fancy  wine  to  celebrate  with  myself  over  dinner  .

she  immediately  feels  like  too  big  of  a  loser  for  even  admitting  such  thing,  and  it  shows  on  her  face;  cheeks  redder  than  ever,  nose  scrunched  up,  eyebrows  a  knot.  melissa's  voice  echoes  through  her  mind  like  a  little  devil  in  her  shoulder:  marina,  you  can't  keep  getting  away  with  being  lame  forever.  but  her  sister  was  never  really  that  mean,  it's  just  marina's  anxiety  talking.  if  anything,  mel  would  cringe  and  then  give  her  two  thumbs  up  for  the  effort.  that  had  to  be  good  enough.

⠀⠀marina: right  ...  i'm  not  sure  i'd  be  here  for  all  the  teen  drama  .  which  ,  speaking  of  .  (  she  rolls  her  bottom  lip  between  her  teeth  before  lowering  her  voice,  )   i  think  brookey  has  been  going  out  with  madeline  mackenzie's  oldest  .  abigail  ?  y'know  .   going  out  out  .  they've  been  going  to  bonnie's  yoga  classes  together  ,  but  brooke's  all  fidgety  and  nervous  around  her  .  i  guess  we'll  wait  and  see  ,  but  don't  be  surprised  if  suddenly  i'm  a  mackenzie  by  association  .  it  will  be  against  my  choice  .

it's  hard  not  to  laugh  at  the  idea.  something  about  marina's  quiet  life  must  seem  like  a  full  plate  for  madeline's  prying  hands,  because  it's  become  nearly  impossible  to  escape  her  questionnaire  anytime  they  ran  into  each  other  nearby  the  school.  her  phone  buzzes  in  her  lap  before  she  can  give  it  much  thought;  marina: speak  of  the  devil  ,  (  and  slides  her  thumb  across  the  screen  to  reveal  a  reply  from  brooke  to  their  photo.  she  reads:

⠀⠀💬 brooke:  ARE  YOU  GUYS  ON  A  DATE ⠀⠀💬 brooke:  dad  check  out  i  think  auntie  got  like  bitches  now ⠀⠀💬 brooke:  with  all  due  respect  to  mrs  b

her  heart  somersaults  on  top  of  her  stomach;  she  locks  the  phone  screen  as  quickly  as  possible  and  refuses  to  look  on  georgia's  direction  and  find  out  if  she  managed  to  read  her  niece's  little  surprise  or  not.  she  clears  her  throat  and  lets  the  phone  slip  down  to  the  bottom  of  her  bag,

⠀⠀marina: she  says ...  you  look  pretty  !  and  ,  you know what , that's a great idea .  we  can  just  have  whatever  you  feel  like ,  i'm  sure  we'll  find  something  nice .

[chaoticsweet]

𓂅      georgietime​   ,

she settles herself a little better after being assured that amabella was fine, letting out a sigh of relief. while madeline mackenzie was a chaos easier to manage, renata klein was a whole tornado, ready to ruin or complicate georgia’s job at any given women. being fair (maybe a little bit too fair, when talking about renata), every woman in monterey is a bit like that: waves clashing between themselves waiting for their moment to crash. it must be something in the water and it runs even deeper in the mothers, georgie is sure. “then it’s all great. you’d think we are kidnapping the kids, looking by their reactions!” she silently nods to herself, looking through the window. it’s no good complaining about the mothers, she knows, and she’d probably be a mama bear herself if she had any children to look after. the few hours she spent being responsible for celeste wright’s twins were enough for her, fortunately.

she is tough! she mouths to the kids behind them, openly smiling. it’s good to be on marina’s side, the woman not only being one of the few teachers she could totally trust, but also always being so nice. it’s not unusual for her to feel that they work in different paces, marina being in a faster one, but she is still able to follow the teacher’s track, not missing any beat (at least that’s what she likes to think). she picks up her beloved and huge crossword book from the bag, ready to occupy herself if things got a little quiet or umconfortable between them, but that’s where she is wrong, forgetting that, somehow, marina seems to akways make sure that she is fine. “yes, i do! great kid. it runs in the family.” she chuckles, glancing over marina’s tricot. from what she knew, georgia liked all the fergursons, including evie. she actually had a little problem when brooke was around the school, always giving her some nice treats to eat. then she got scared that she’d give her diabetes, and put some healthy snacks in the mix. and then stopped altogether, for brooke was already too grown to be there. “did they? i was going to say i was offended, but i think i get it. i don’t get out of my office much, do i? a little bit like the phantom and the opera, always around. i think you should double that bet, actually. wanna send a selfie to them?”

        marina :       i  know  .  .  .      (    almost  regretfully  marina  agrees,    a  frown  shaping  her  features  for  a  mere  second  or  two.    )    i  promise  they’ll  have  the  best  time  ,    though    .    it’ll  all  be  worth  it  at  the  end  of  the  day  .    something  tells  me  even  us  old  hags  might  have  a  little  fun  in  the  process  ,    minus  the  kicking  on  our  backs  .

it’s  grown  a  little  natural  on  her,    braving  through  the  awful  storm  of  concerned  parents  in  order  to  achieve  another  one  of  those  magical,  romanticized  school  days  with  her  kids.    marina  knows;    she’s  fully  aware  that  picking  a  more  traditional  approach  could  save  her  a  great  deal  of  worried  parents  calls  as  well  as  a  bunch  of  aging  lines  on  her  incredibly  expressive  face,    but  still,  it  was  worth  it.    evie  always  pumped  her  up  about  it;    if  she  didn’t  do  it,    then  what  would  it  be  of  those  brilliant  little  minds  that  were  unluckily  born  on  the  dullest  town  in  the  bay  area?  monterey  wasn’t  bad    --    but  she  was  aware  that  some  parents  were  trying  to  stop  even  madeline  mackenzie’s  play,    or  that  somehow  poppy  bergstein’s  paintings  about  embracing  the  female  sexuality  still  shocked  a  few  middle  aged  mothers  to  their  core.    the  extent  of  their  mind’s  narrowness  still  managed  to  find  marina  astonished  after  all  these  years.    if  she  could  be  the  one  spark  to  propel  some  of  those  kids  into  thinking  a  few  inches  outside  that  saltbox  mentality,    then  maybe...    it  was  fine  that  marina  herself  didn’t  make  it  all  the  way  out  there.

thinking  of  it,    she  wouldn’t  have  wanted  it  any  different.    not  even  the  sad  bits.    not  even  the  grief,    or  the  staying  behind  while  year  after  year  she  got  photographs  of  the  exciting  adventures  of  the  fergusons  out  in  the  world.    it  was  good  that  she  was  still  there,    in  a  way.    she  loves  still  waking  up  and  knowing  that  she  could  trace  her  entire  life  in  that  simple  house  in  monterey.    this  is  her  studio,    but  one  time,    she  was  standing  there  by  the  window  and  her  mother  walked  in  with  melissa  in  her  arms.    she  held  her  baby  sister  for  the  first  time  there.    and  down  the  stairs  was  the  kitchen,    where  all  those  years  ago  chris  would  chase  her  making  ghostly  sounds  while  the  power  was  off.    and  the  couch  on  her  porch  looks  old  and  dusty  already,    but  there’s  no  way  she’s  getting  rid  of  it,    because  that’s  where  brookey  hid  for  two  whole  hours  as  a  kid,    and  she  searched  desperately,    cursing  how  many  places  were  there  in  that  house  where  a  little  girl  could  hide?  brooke  was  too  old  for  hide  and  seek  now,    and  chris  cringed  a  little  every  time  marina  mimicked  his  ghost  impression,    but  she  was  still  her  aunt,  and  his  little  sister,    and  she  would  bet  she  could  still  hold  melissa  in  her  arms  if  she  put  her  mind  to  it  just  enough.    she  wouldn’t  want  to  do  go  anywhere  too  far  from  that  little  house  in  that  little  town;    it  still  mattered  that  she  could  be  the  home  they  could  all  eventually  come  back  to  in  the  end.

        marina :       that  it  does  ,    (    she  smiles,    internally  dreading  the  familiar  heat  that  went  up  her  neck  and  coloured  her  cheeks  a  healthy  tone  of  pink.    god,    it  should  be  illegal  for  a  fully  grown  woman  to  blush  that  way.    )    oh  ,    come  on  !    you’re  nothing  like  the  phantom  .    i  mean  ,    maybe  a  little  mysterious  and  i’m  pretty  sure  you  could  make  that  sexy  scar  look  work  ,    but  i  mean  ...    (    she  laughs  at  the  thought,    one  very  lonely  georgia  clad  in  black  and  a  dramatic  mask,    haunting  the  corridors  of  a  forgotten  theater  and  pining  for  a  dreamy  eyed  artist.    why  did  marina  just  imagine  herself  in  the  skin  of  corinne  daae?    )    you’re  just  ...    low  profile  .    i  think  it’s  cool  .

       marina :       ah    !      i  .  .  .    will  .    and  i’m  never  saying  no  to  a  selfie  .  .  .        (    the  mention  of  sending  her  family  a  photograph  does  wonders  to  dissipate  the  increasing  tension  building  up  on  her  hands  following  the  tentative  compliments.    marina  was  in  no  way  new  to  praising  the  people  she  was  fond  of,    let  alone  a  certain  headmistress,    but  sometimes  she  caught  her  own  tongue  a  little  too  late.    she  bites  her  lip  as  her  hand  searches  her  bag,    finally  grasping  her  cellphone  with  a  victorious  aha!,    and  opens  up  the  camera  with  a  single  swipe  of  her  index  finger.    )

      marina :       brookey’s  gonna  be  so  happy  .    she  always  says  she  wishes  the  school  would  extend  its  years  so  she’d  have  an  excuse  to  hang  around  your  office  like  she  used  to  ,    (    the  woman  adds  with  a  pout,    that  familiar  pool  of  affection  bubbling  on  her  chest  as  she  scoots  closer  to  georgie’s  side  and  extends  her  arm,    carefully  picking  an  angle  that  would  have  their  skins  glowing  under  the  early  morning  sun.    makes  sure  georgia  is  good  to  go  and  takes  a  few  shots,    smile  increasingly  open  as  she  watches  the  two  of  them  on  the  screen,    and  then  just  returns  to  her  spot,    contently  looking  at  the  result  for  a  few  seconds.    there  should  also  be  a  level  of  illegality  to  the  way  that  brief  proximity  made  her  heart  thump  a  few  times  just  there.    )    i  feel  like  i  owe  you  a  little  .    those  forty  bucks  won  on  your  behalf  are  gonna  have  to  find  their  way  back  to  you  somehow  .    you  think  the  souvenir  shop  will  have  somethin’  fancy  that’ll  catch  your  eye  ?

[chaoticsweet]

georgietime​.

one thing about being a school headmaster in a town so small so inquiet as monterey was that work was never finished, even when it was time to organize things and go home. the mothers could and would call whenever they wanted, and georgia’s warnings that they shouldn’t do it seemed to act like encouragements to them, the children enjoyed the endless grace and innocence of childhood by fighting among themselves and badmouthing teachers to their parents, and parents and teachers reunions were a true nightmare. as much as she tried to separate her personal life from her work, it was almost impossible: she was mrs. boyd for the older kids when grocery shopping, mrs. gee for the babies when trying to get a nice tan, georgia for the mothers when going out at night. in the end, she just embraced the routine and tried to move on.

that’s why she was usually so adamant about field trips: they were a nightmare. arranging the bus, parents worried about their little angels, their little angels acting like real devil’s apprentices, the risk of someone losing the group, oh, no! two, maybe three, was the maximum field trips allowed for every teacher per year. marina was the clear exception to the rule, but what could she do if learning outside just made more sense to the teacher’s approach of teaching art? for that, she could endure madeline mackenzie’s endless calls about the trip program and all the little arrangements she would need to do to make sure that everyone would go and come back as safe and sane as they had left.

“don’t mind me, kids! i’m just like one of you today. maybe a little older, but it’s no big deal, right?” she says before sitting down, grabing her purse as a way of support. unused to getting out of the office, georgia had put on the long blue floral dress she loved to wear, pretty but simple in a way that it didn’t seem that she was trying too much. she had her hydroflask, her sunglasses, money, some repellent and sunscreen, and her camera: nothing could mess with her. “i was unsure… but i really wanted to come! it sounds like a beautiful place. i’m sure we will have a lot of fun. and the kids too, obviously. lots of learning.” she awkwardly adds the last two phrases, looking through the window for a moment instead of at marina. “renata klein’s daughter is here, right? she called four times to say they would be late and we should wait for them, i don’t think i can handle another one so soon.”

           marina :      amabella  is  fine  ,    gee  .    she’s  sitting  in  the  middle  of  the  bus  ,    not  too  far  on  the  back  ‘cause  she  gets  motion  sickness  ,    and  i’ve  applied  two  coats  of  repellent  so  we  don’t  have  renata  telling  us  i’m  feeding  her  kid  to  the  bugs  again  .    (    she  manages  to  stop  herself  from  getting  carried  away  with  the  usual  klein  list  of  requirements,    and  gives  the  woman’s  shoulder  a  bump  with  her  own  in  reassurance.    )    it’s  --    gonna  be  okay  .

she’s  long  past  the  time  where  she’d  tell  herself  that  georgia  didn’t  get  in  at  least  a  little  bit  of  trouble  with  those  parents  for  being  so  supportive  of  her  ideas.    now,    with  all  the  plans  she  came  up  with  to  properly  seize  that  day  with  those  students,    she  was  pretty  convinced  georgie  would  get  why  exactly  she  loved  taking  the  kids  on  those  trips.    the  bus  was  packed  with  canvas  and  paints  and  brushes,    and  after  taking  a  long  walk  through  the  place,    showing  them  the  gardens  and  the  lake,    she  planned  on  setting  their  equipment  on  top  of  a  grassy  field  and  having  them  paint  their  favorite  part  of  the  day.    she  had  gotten  a  few  extra  pieces  as  well,    so  the  headmistress    would  be  more  than  welcome  to  join  them  in  the  process  if  she  felt  like  it,    and  marina  couldn’t  be  more  excited.

          marina :       celeste  was  also  kind  enough  to  stop  madeline  mackenzie  from  coming  in  to  inspect  the  bus  before  you  got  here  ,    so  it  sounds  like  we’re  off  to  a  great  start  already  .    hey  --  !      (     she  feels  a  pair  of  small  feet  kicking  the  back  of  her  seat,    giggling  loudly,    and  turns  around  on  her  space  to  tickle  the  little  boy  that  sat  directly  behind  them.    )    thanks  ,    buddy  ,    but  none  of  us  girls  asked  for  a  massage  up  here  .    behave  those  little  feet  ‘til  we  get  there  ,    okay  ?

the  woman  has  to  give  him  a  scrunched  up  nose  and  a  wink  before  settling  back  on  her  seat,    flushed,    making  a  face  at  georgia  as  if  she  said,    freaking  kids,    right?    though  her  love  for  her  craft  surpassed  the  limits  of  simply  teaching  art,    and  even  working  with  such  little  devils  had  its  perks.    she  leans  to  collect  her  purse  from  the  ground  and  picks  up  her  ongoing  tricot,    quietly  eyeing  georgia  as  she  works  with  her  needles.

         marina :       d’you  remember  brooke  ?    my  niece  .    she  went  on  the  school  for  a  couple  years  ,    used  to  dress  up  like  the  brooke  from  that  band  when  she  was  little  .  .  .    whatever  the  name  was  .    (    and  shrugs  the  thought  away,    )    my  brother  and  her  are  actually  both  betting  against  me  that  i  couldn’t  convince  you  to  show  up  to  the  trip  .    so  thanks  for  winning  me  those  twenty  bucks  already  .    gonna  have  that  story  to  rub  on  their  faces  later  .

[chaoticsweet]

Every day presented itself as an opportunity to make a change  -  in the world,  her students’ lifes, and her own. Marina liked to think of herself as a chaoticly sweet being; she thrived in nature, but was undeniably a people’s person. And those kids, no matter how much hatred they had for the simple idea of being called children... they were the spark to her fire. She never gave it a second thought before taking the next step towards giving those students something to think about. Marina was lucky enough to be able to teach art  -  and with all due respect to all numbers and letters,  is there anything more beautiful to teach? Art was a gift she was given still a child;  it grew with and within her,  and changed completely the way she’d look at the world.  Having the opportunity to pass that gift along was a thrill on itself  -  but she just had to do it her own way. Not an easy task, for sure, not in an educational system that cared more about grades than ideas.

Good thing she has Georgia, huh? There was something a little too endearing about the way Gee almost went off tracks to make sure Marina had the chance to build the classes as she pleased, and absolutely no way to thank her enough for that. Nevertheless, Marina had to try. Fresh peaches she picked from the farmer’s market every other morning, crocheted cardigans the professor worked on herself, and the occasional funky piece of pottery to decorate her office were all beautifully wrapped and sent Georgia’s way. That, and a nearly overwhelming amount of admiration inside the teacher’s chest  -  sometimes rather confused with what had to be a crush, but Marina chose not to look at it that way,  if only to avoid the heartbreak. She was certain the admirable Georgia would never be anything but perfectly professional, and a hopeful crush on her side shouldn’t be the one to ruin that beautiful relationship on school grounds. Still, she could tend to her silly little feelings. And when Georgia announces she’s joining her (and the class, of course) in their special day out, there’s no bone in her body able to supress how excited she feels.

“Oh my God, Gee, you made it! Look at you! You own a pair of skirts that isn’t made for the office!” sweetly she jokes, arms unfolding wide open in the most welcoming embrace. She clears her throat, pressing her sun hat deeper onto her head before announcing to the class, already half spread along the seats of the school bus. “Everyone, listen up! I know we’re all so very excited about our trip today... we’ve gone through our ground rules already. About seven times. But today’s a very special day. Because we... have company!” she nudges Georgia’s hip with her own, presenting her to the class. “That’s right, my grandma’s joining us!” jokingly she offers, stealing from the students a loud round of laughter. Quickly, and on a much sweeter and honest note, she corrects herself. “No, no. The one and only Ms. Boyd is joining us today, so you’ll have to be extra nice and not embarass me. Deal?!” the deal! she hears back is reassuring, but still she gives Gee a little bit of an awkward look, displaying how she’s trying her best there. A few students yell supporting words, a Yeah, let’s do this! here and a Welcome, Miss Geeeee there to poke at how dreamy Marina sounds anytime she mentions the woman. Finally, she offers Georgia the seat by the window and gladly takes the spot by her side - all kids on their seats already, properly ready to move. “You won’t regret this, Georgie, I mean it. I found the most beautiful park... they have all these flowers, and a fountain...!  It’s gonna be great. I was hoping you were gonna join us.“

If Georgia had learned something with her experience of being a school headmistress, it was that she had a softer heart than she would like to admit. Fortunately, things had changed a lot since she was a simple student and since she started teaching, and different from most methods, she preferred to let the students play a significant role in class, assuring that they would feel comfortable enough in class to learn and develop a connection with their teachers. It was something that she would have loved to have as a teenager or even as a young adult in college, and she felt blessed for having the opportunity to provide that for a new generation, so different from her own. She wasn’t the type of woman who liked to deny her age and complain about aging, but time had passed so fast that she still couldn’t believe. Just yesterday she was a poor little teenage fool complaining about essays… She wasn’t the kind of woman to deny her age and live for the glory of the past, but it was definitely interesting to see how fast life could change.

Especially considering all the new technologies acessible to kids. She always tried her best to connect with student, but sometimes it seemed that she wasn’t trying hard enough. For that, she deeply admired Marina and her vivacity, her ability to understand to understand the younger ones, also so high-spirited and full of life that Georgia sometimes felt that she could absorb a little bit of it by just being next to her. Students sometimes joked about how hars she crushed on the teacher, always going out of her way to make sure that she was okay and allowing to go on how many field trips she wanted to. That time, not only she allowed it, she decided to join them. With a bag full of snacks and her green hydroflask, she was more than ready to spend a nice afternoon with Marina. And her students, of course. “So… Are we ready to go?” She flipped her hair, trying to be funny.