Pet

Date/Timing: 15 December 2012
Setting: Rianne and Val's home; Koffiefontein, FS, South Africa
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“Vos!”
Piet stumbles into the yard.
“Get this idiot—” Issac shoves him forward. “—son of yours under control!”
Piet trips, lands hard on his knees.
“He's no idiot, you know.” Val helps him up.
“Wha-what does that have to do with ….” Isaac shakes his head viciously. “Keep him away from my daughter!”
Val shrugs, helping Piet dust off his clothes. “I think they make a good pair.”
“I caught the two of them half-na—”
“Yea, Naudé—” Val rolls his eyes. “—they're teenagers. That's what they do. What's the problem?”
“What's the—he's /useless, Vos. You /know he's useless,” he wheedles. “He'll never support himself, let alone a wife, never /mind kids!”
“He'll be fine,” Val sighs.
“He failed school /again this year!”
Piet cringes.
Isaac ruffles. “In fact, I hear he's /quitting.”
Val checks Piet's slink with a hand on his shoulder. “Yea, we'll be working together full-time from now on.”
“So you're training up another good-for-nothing Vos charity case. Just what this town needs.”
“We take care of our own, Naudé.”
“Like—” Isaac clenches his fists. “He's a /pet!” He jabs a finger into Val's chest. “My daughter won't need a /pet! She'll need a /partner!”
Val gently, firmly pushes Isaac's hand away. “Piet's only sixteen and he's already a better man than half the guys in town and a better mechanic than almost all of them.” He smiles. “I think your daughter's made a good choice.”
Isaac sputters. “/YOU! Ju-just keep that boy away from her!” He storms off.
Val shakes his head, turns. ::He doesn't know—::
.::He's right.:: Piet looks away. ::She deserves better.::
Val cups Piet's chin. “I mean everything I said.”
Piet's hands twitch at his sides.
“Maybe you'll have to go to a city to find work, save some money, then come back for her, like great-grandpappa did.”
Piet doesn't think it'll work, shakes his head.
Val pulls Piet into a tight hug and that hopelessness sags against him.
But Piet squeezes back.
Category:Ficlet
Category:Ficlets with images
Category:Koffiefontein (setting)
Category:Val
Category:Val's POV
Category:Val (ficlet)
Category:Isaac
Category:Isaac (ficlet)
Category:Pietr
Category:Pietr (ficlet)
Category:Griet (mention)
Category:Forging of a Skeleton Key storyline