2007-03-15: Chick Flick

Starring:

Monica_icon.gif Niki_icon.gif

Summary: Niki and Monica chat about news and jobs sans the boys.

Date It Happened: March 15, 2007

Chick Flick


Monica's House, New York

Monica works hard…so that she can pay for her house and the bills and all the other things people need money for. Her keys rattle in the door before she comes in, back first, arms carrying a paper bag no doubt filled with left over dishes and meals from the restaurant. "Hello! Anybody home?" It helps to ask so she doesn't start talking to people who aren't there.

It's not often that Monica and Niki are together in the house at the same time without the boys around, but such a thing is about to happen. Presently, the wife of Monica's uncle is curled up against the corner of the couch, her jean-clad knees drawn up in front of her, while she reads a book. Much to her chagrin, she is /not/ working hard to pay for such things as a house and the bills that will come with it. The TV is on, the volume low while a news station reports about chaos and gunfire at NYU. "I'm here. Hey, Monica." Niki smiles on seeing her sort-of-niece. "You just missed D.L. and Micah."

Monica peers over at Niki, giving a soft smile. "Oh! Hey there Auntie…" The smile brightens as she makes her way to the kitchen, so she can start putting food away. "Missed…oh, well…I brought them some food for when they get back, I know menfolk gotta eat or they get all…tetchy." She sighs and shrugs out of her coat and such, shivering in relief. "Anything good on?" She makes her way into the living room.

Sliding a bookmark - a business card of some sort - between the pages, Niki gently lays the book down on her thigh as she unfurls her legs. It's a random novel, nothing particularly intellectual or really even interesting. She gives Monica a quiet, knowing laugh about the menfolk, then shakes her head. "Fights at NYU," she explains with a glance to the television. "Someone died. There was something about a massacre in Chinatown earlier. You think NYC's always this crazy?"

Monica squints towards the TV before shrugging her shoulders. "Nawlins was bad too…just didn't put everything on the news." A hint of a sad smile as she settles down on the edge of the couch, kicking off her shoes and rubbing her feet as she sighs softly. "They say who it was? Lawd knows I don't work no where near there but I think some of my waitresses do."

"Yeah, Vegas too," Niki adds; it's almost to herself, the way she says it, reflective and a little bitter. "I haven't rally been paying attention," she admits. On that note, she reaches forward to grab the remote and turn up the volume.

'…Spencer Hawkins, who was a promising line backer for the University. So far, cause of death is unknown, and officials are waiting reports on…'

Niki sits back slowly against the couch cushions and looks over at Monica. "…You guys don't have any relatives here besides us, right?"
Monica settles back to get more comfortable as she stares at the TV, head tilting to the side from time to time. "Poor baby…" She sighs softly before blinking and looking back over to Niki. "Nah, I miss mah folks, but it's only us here really…we're mostly all down south."

Niki turns the volume down - not all the way, but to the same background lull it was before. She's had enough violence. She doesn't need to hear about more repeated over and over again. "Everyone I care about most live under your roof," she notes with a light laugh, as if she just realized it. She glances down and shifts about, resting an elbow along the back of the couch, and tilts her head into her hand. "You hear from from them a lot? Your family?"

Monica grins and shrugs some. "Then it's easy for you to get your christmas list together." The smile fades as she looks thoughtful, getting lost in those thoughts for a few moments, eyes staring off in the distance before she turns back to Niki. "Nana, yes. And my brother, try to talk to them when I can. Always asking about you all."

Niki laughs again, indulging Monica in a grin of her own. "Haha, you're right about that." Although a hint of it lingers, her good-natured grin starts to a battle with a frown. She glances down at the couch cushions between them. "I wish you had something better to tell them when they call," she says. "We're really trying, but finding a job is…" She gives her head a slow, subtle shake, trailing off on that pessimistic note.

Monica wiggles her toes and chuckles softly, a sound that shifts into a more sympathetic tsk as she just gives a shake of her head. "I tell 'em you're healthy and safe like, that's all that really matters, ain't it?" She waves a hand vaguely. "Don't worry 'bout that, long as ya'll are here, ya'll got a home and will until you ever want to move out." She smiles. "As for a job…I mean I'm sure you got some good skills. What can you do?"

"It's just rough." Niki shrugs one shoulder - blase, but her expression is anything but careless when she looks up. "Yeah, healthy and safe." There's a tone in her voice that suggests that she believes neither of these to be particularly true. On Monica's question, she can't help but give a self-deprecating roll of her eyes. "I can deal cards. I can make a mean drink, but I don't touch the stuff anymore. I can dance. But this isn't Vegas anymore and— I want a good job, you know? Something better, something to support us, 'cause God knows D.L.'s having a hard time finding work too. No one wants to hire an ex-con and I'm /practically/ in the same boat."

Monica just nods slowly and hmms thoughtfully. "I can…maybe talk to my boss?" She offers. "I mean I haven't seen him in a while but…we always need extra help at the Bistro. It's a good job, you get to keep your tips and you don't have to dance…maybe it looks just good on a resume? I'm not real sure like…I think I was very very lucky."

"That's nice of you," Niki says with sincere gratefulness. "I owe you enough as it is. I'd appreciate that. It sounds like you have a good job there. It just seems like lately, everywhere that's worth applying to checks into my background and finds some polite reason to send me away." Which begs the question of what's so terrible about her background, but she skims right past it, sliding the remote across the couch to Monica. "There's gotta be something better on than this," she says with a slightly forced smile.

Monica just arches an eyebrow and peers over at Niki with a thoughtful if not searching look. "You'll find something…and I'll talk to him, I promise." There is a hint of wariness in her eyes before she clears her throat and picks up the remote, quickly flipping the channels to something less depressing. "Yeah…like…what do you like to watch?"

"Thanks, Monica. Really. I mean, I already can't thank you enough for letting us stay here in the first place," Niki says with a bright smile that attempts to outshine her previous comments. Let's just… not dwell on what she just said. With glance to the screen, she shrugs one shoulder. "I don't watch much TV. Right now though, I could go for a chick flick."

Monica just offers another one of those genuine smiles, sprawling out more comfortably as she continues to flick through the channels. "Ya'll family…least I can do, really. I'm just glad to have family here." She says probably for the umpteenth time as she squints at the TV. "I don't really watch it that much…I guess can watch this weird channel, got chick flicks on all the damn time, I swear…" Lifetime is weird, okay?

"I guess we were lucky. I don't know where we would've been if you hadn't happened to be here." Niki would rather not even think about it. She knows D.L. would have taken her from the hospital even if Monica hadn't been in New York. She smiles, allowing another laugh as she glances back toward the TV. "If you say so."

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