Participants:
| Scene Title | Once You Open That Door |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Peyton and Wendy take a break from some retail therapy and Peyton seeks advice on searching for her birth mother. |
| Date | January 7, 2010 |
Starbucks, somewhere in Manhattan
No more pink cast! She's still got a broken ankle, but Peyton now sports a soft, removable walking cast and is free of the crutches. This of course means she wanted to get out of the house and hit some of the post Christmas sales with Wendy. She might be a rebel freedom fighter these days, but she still likes her Balenciaga! With a bag of new designer clothes in each hand, she nods toward a Starbucks on the corner.
"Time to give the foot a rest. Do you mind?" Peyton asks. "I'll buy." Not that it matters — both of them have money to spare. Wendy even more than usual, now that she's moonlighting in retail of all things.
The moonlighting doesn't pay all that great, but it's bringing in pocket change - in her world it's pocket change - for things like coffee and Balenciaga bags. "Nope, don't mind at all" She'd wrangled the day off from the bookstore, one of the others taking over so that she could stalk sales beside Peyton and partake of the high income safari for crocodile, cow, lamb and snake.
The skins of course. Her own bags are plenty and with a toss of her black hair over shoulder, Wendy snags open the door for Peyton to hobble on through. "I say we hit up tiffany's next. I need something new"
"Sure," Peyton says in agreement, as she limps to the counter to smile at the barista's greeting. "Ummm. One grande nonfat cinnamon dolce latte and whatever she's having." She opens her purse to find her wallet and a ten to pay for the drinks as she waits for Wendy to make her order. After paying, she dumps the change in the tip jar and heads toward the "pick up" counter. "Go snag those comfy chairs and I'll bring the drinks," she suggests, giving her two shopping bags to Wendy to carry to the velveteen arm chairs.
"Oh sure, you have a broken ankle and I get to be the mule" She mock complains with a roll of her eyes and a relief of Peyton's shopping bags. She'll likely carry them the rest of the way and back to the taxi's when they carry on. "Grande skim french vanilla" She fires off to the barista. There's a raise of brows at peyton then a glance to the fairly handsome guy working the counter. With that,s he meanders over to the comfy chairs, plopping her booted feet under the front to drag the arm chair over and claim it with her bags.
Shaking her head and laughing softly at her friend's less than subtle behavior, Peyton opens her cell phone, scrolling through it while she waits for the drinks to be made. It's mid morning, post coffee-getting rush, so the only other patrons are already sitting at chairs on laptops or on phones or reading newspapers. The drinks are made quickly and delivered to Peyton with a toothy grin, which is returned before Peyton heads to the corner that Wendy has declared theirs. "Here, skinny vanilla," she says, handing Wendy her drink and then plopping down on the eggplant colored chair. "Whew. Feels good to sit. So how's that job of yours?"
"It's okay. Never really worked retail but, I wouldn't exactly call the place retail. It's this little book store over on Roosevelt island. It doesn't get that many people don't know how she even afford to stay open really. But, gawd, she has this fat cat, it's all white right, except these TWO BLACK busy patches that are like eyebrows. It's crazy. Fat and lazy, just stares at you like… like he wants to eat your brains or thinks you're tasty"
Wendy shrugs. "It serves it's purpose though, I'm not touching the blue stuff" Which was the entire point to it all. That she'd have something to do other than stare at her art stuff, sleep or suss out drugs. "Got another operation for my ear coming up. Should make it look almost normal" There's nothing that can be done about her hand though.
"Zombie cat. Sounds fascinating," says Peyton with a chuckle. "And kind of boring, but if it keeps you away from Refrain, that's good, right?" she says, taking a sip of her coffee and stretching her leg out on a nearby chair. "And you're beautiful now, but I'm glad to hear it will be finished soon." She smiles at her friend, though the mention of her ear makes her think of the kidnapping, which makes her think of Mack, and she frowns at the thought of his unkind words to her. "God, I hope Cardinal and them get home soon."
"Cardinal?" Oh wait. Yeah. That guy. "He on a trip or something?" Peyton's possibly jabbered at Wendy about it but as hair brained and scatter minded as she is if it doesn't involve someones ability. She cocks her head to the side, paying attention now to Peyton and taking her 'skinny latte' from the other woman.
Peyton can't remember what's supposed to be secret and what's not, so she just nods. "Something like that," she says with a sigh. Time to change the subject. "So hey, I have something to ask your opinion on," she says uncertainly. "You know I'm adopted, right?"
"ANyone who reads a tabloid knows you are. Like Nicole Richie" She points out with a gesture of her hand and the latte. She narrows her eyes and sits up, straightening from her slouch so that she can lean over and look at Peyton. "Peyton. Some freak hasn't popped up claiming to be your mother have they?"
"Well, it's not like we went around announcing it, but you can't look at my parents and think I am their spawn." Her mom is Norwegian blonde, her dad Irish red. "No, no one has. It's not that. It's just … well. Being Evolved and all — I'm just wondering about my background. My real background — genetic, I guess… heritage and all that. I was thinking of looking into who my birth mother was." She glances down at her cup, frowning a little. She never cared much before. When her parents told her she was adopted, she simply accepted it as a good reason why she was so different from them, but never really felt a desire to know someone who gave her up. Now the curiosity has been flamed.
"Do it"
WEndy nods her head, the whole of her body getting into it.
"christ I mean, not just the whole evo thing, I mean, there's so many inherited genetic conditions these days. I mean, what if you find a guy and you wanna have babies and you need to know this stuff for like, genetic counseling and shit. I mean, say you find her. Doens't mean you gotta go knock on her door and say Hey, i'm your kid"
Wendy eases back, crossing one long leg over the other, a shrug of her shoulder. "Get your information, find some PI adn do it. Shit, i'll help pay for it. It's no fleur de lis pendant, but, It's something that you'll benefit much more from"
Peyton looks surprised at the support. She had expected some argument — that if she finds her mother, the woman will just want to be close for Peyton's money or something of the like. She nods slowly, then laughs and shakes her head at the last comment. She reaches and punches Wendy in the arm. "I don't need you to pay, and be nice. It was a sweet present," she says.
"Just saying, the support is there and yes, it was a horribly sweet present. he's so keen on you it's sickening sometimes" Wendy shrugs again, boney shoulders rising then falling when she does so and looks away. "I think it's a good idea. I mean, you've obviously thought hard about it if you're asking me. BUt, at the same time I guess I gotta warn you? It's a rabbit hole hun, that you're going down. They could be dead, they could be alive, they could.. They could want you're money, or they could want nothing to do with you a bit. Doing this, the looking for them, once you open that door-" There's no going back. "You're going to have to accept what you find and live with it"
Fiddling with the cup sleeve of her latte, Peyton nods slowly. "I'm … yeah, I'm prepared to deal with all that. If they don't want to know me — Fine. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I'm not really sure I want to be best friends or anything, but if they left the adoption open at all with the possibility of being found — to me, that's like saying they might have wanted it one day, you know?"
"Just making sure. Some people don't see the whole picture" She replies before taking a sip from her drink. Well, you have Aaron to lean on, you'll have me only you'll have me from afar cause I think i'm gonna go back to my place. Get back on my feet proper before my parents get suspicious or John tries to hunt me down and find out what the deal is.
"Well, you have the support from me too, if you need it. And my spare room is always open," Peyton says. "Anytime you need a distraction, give me a call. I'll find something for you to do to keep you away from the blue fairy." She winks at that, then takes another long drink from her cooling coffee. "Thanks for listening," she adds, a little shyly.
"That's what friends are for Peyton. You know, the real ones, not the ones who just want to hang around in your periphery and be famous for being your faux friend" SHe points out. There's a glance to the watch nestled in amoungst some bangles and a wriggle of her nose. "Come on. Other stores are calling, and then we have to get home. Change, and the movies if you are up for it"
Peyton pulls her foot off the spare chair, then rises, wincing a bit as she reaches to pick up her bags. "You know, I didn't have that many people hanging in my periphery. It was the other way around. I was part of the entourage." She's grown quite a bit to be able to admit this — that she was hanging out with people for their celebrity. "But it's nice to have friends that are real — that aren't just with me because I look good as an accessory, like a matching purse or something."
"I dunno, I mean, if I drape you across my shoulders, i'm pretty sure I'd get my picture taken. You'd make the spring 2010 Collection. The latest on the italian runway" Peyton's bags are taken from her, a pointed finger to her own purse as all the rest are collected by wendy who is not the walking wounded. "Everyone will want one, there will be cheap peyton knock-offs in chinatown"
"My foot's broken, not my arms, Wendy," Peyton says in a plaintive tone, shaking her head and grabbing her purse to follow the taller woman. "And never settle for less than the original. I'm costly but worth it." She laughs merrily as they head on to the next store to help stimulate the economy.