A short time ago, in a farm-house not so far away...

[thefinaljedi]

Who: The Skywalker Family, immediate and extended and any close friends.
What: An evening with the family
When: August 4th
Where: Skywalker Ranch...or...something
Summary: Luke and Ami bring everyone over for a Sunday thing.
Rating: H is for Heartwarming


It's a bit of a monthly tradition, and has been for some time. The first Sunday of every month is the day the entire family gets together for an afternoon and has a nice dinner. Some might call the family a bit old fashioned, but it's just something that they do and have for as long as any of them can recall. It's never a fancy thing, but then does it really need to be? It's about the warm, fuzzy feeling of being surrounded by relatives and friends, sitting out on the porch and watching fireflies, and relaxing.

Food's been left to the people who can actually cook, because let's face it: Luke takes after his mother and Grandma Padme was not known for her fried chicken. But there's plenty of it. Chairs are set up on the large back porch so the weather can be enjoyed and tea along with a cooler of glass-bottled Coca-Colas, a bit of a splurge for the end of summer.

Everything's set to be a fairly nice afternoon and evening, provided the mosquitoes aren't too bad anyway.

Comments

[bided]

"But gaining others; by that time Arya ought to be in high school." That sounds about right, at least...But turning aside from that topic as she added some more spice to the dinner-in-preparation, Trisha turned to look at her sister-in-law, smiling. "And how have you and Luke been, Ami? Anything new to report about the farm, or my brother?"

[geniustheveil]

Ami takes a few moments to be sure some of her sister's favorite foods will be ready to go out as appetizers by the time Daisy arrives. She glances up from the plate at that question.

"We've been well," she says, which is true enough, but the superficial answer. The less superficial one would talk about the strike, but she was avoiding that. "There isn't any new news."

A doctor, at least, was a profession not jeopardized by the turmoil. People would always need doctors.

"I'm a little jealous of all the children in town," she admits pleasantly, "with Homecoming."

[bided]

Trisha has no desire to segue into the strike, either - not on such a pleasant day, spending what's meant to be a happy family get together with one another. Perhaps the boys will discuss it later on the porch, but...Trisha doubts that, all things considered. It's not the sort of atmosphere for that sort of thing.

The store is a bit more precarious; people would always need food and the like, yes, but if more and more of them couldn't afford it...

"Oh, me too. It takes me back to my school days...Artemis is even going, did I tell you? With that nice young Virgil boy. I'll have to get pictures - and I'll bring them to the next dinner, of course." Taking family pictures was pretty much one of Trisha's biggest hobbies. As long as there were smiling photographs of all of them together, she didn't mind what happened. That would be enough, wouldn't it? "And Hohenheim signed up to chaperone."

[geniustheveil]

Ami's had to cut her fees, but that's better than letting people go without the medical care they need. If implementing a sliding fee scale is what it takes, then that's what she'll do so that no one's pride is injured by accepting the help, either.

"I'll look forward to seeing those pictures," is what she tells Trisha, and of course it's entirely true. Ami keeps a collection of family photos herself, and it's the one personal touch in her office. Besides, she never minds encouraging Trisha to talk about her own branch of the family.

"Will you chaperone, too?"

[bided]

"I'm not sure if I will. I've considered it, but I think perhaps I should let him do it on his own. After all, he's trying it in order to bond more with Artemis, I think..."

And it's a slightly misguided attempt, perhaps, but the fact that he's making it never fails to warm Trisha's heart.

[geniustheveil]

Ami understands that, the idea of giving them their space. She nods easily.

"I think I'll volunteer when Arya is in high school, though," she muses aloud. "I want to be sure to stay involved in what she's doing."

Considering Ami already keeps very close tabs on Arya's school performance, activities, and friends... involved may have just slipped across the line into controlling. A tiny bit.

[bided]

"You should; it's a very rewarding experience!" Trisha can understand keeping tabs, anyway...though admittedly she isn't a particularly controlling mother herself. She keeps involved and tries to be there when needed, but she also knows how to take a step back.

[geniustheveil]

It's the way Ami was raised. Involvement shows caring, especially with parents often very busy in their roles. Besides, she's sure Trisha is right, too. She likes being a strong presence as a parent.

"What sort of activities have you done with the PTA lately?" she asked. Arya was going to be there in only a few years; it was best to start thinking about these things.

[bided]

"Let's see...well, we helped set up the fundraising for the dance, and then voted on some new dress code items..." Which always seemed to raise a fuss among the children, at least.

[geniustheveil]

Lately, it seemed not many people had much to spare, even a few dollars for the school. "I hope the fundraiser was successful," Ami says. "I still remember Homecoming each year when I was in school. I looked forward to it. I want the town's children to have those memories, too."

[bided]

"I believe they got enough for what they wanted to do, so I'd call it a success! But I expect Artemis and Chouji will be able to tell us better after the dance itself." Because she fully intends to grill them about it, yes.

[geniustheveil]

"It good to hear," Ami says. "I'm proud of the high school children for working so hard to raise those funds. They've accomplished a lot."

It's a good lesson for their futures, too, she figures. It teaches them planning, and the reward of hard work when you get to enjoy its benefits - a lesson she's learned for herself, too.

[bided]

"It is! And I'm glad so many people were willing to buy from the sales, or even to donate..." Even in tough times, Luceti Valley really did know how to pull together.

To a degree, at least. For their children, in that school...

Enough of them to count.

[geniustheveil]

"Even the businesses and politicians want to support the community," Ami points out. If nothing else, the cynical side of her doesn't fail to note, it means happy voters who'll want those politicians to stay in office, and happy customers who'll keep going back to the businesses. But she'd like to think there's just genuine community spirit.

[bided]

"That's part of what I love about this place. Of course, growing up here helped, but..." Trisha smiled, shaking her head. "So - how is Arya doing in her classes?"

[geniustheveil]

"She's doing very well." Arya has a noted intellectual for a mother, after all, to help when needed, and a father who wants the best future for her, too. "I don't think academics are where her heart is, though. She seems to love the farm more than anything else."

[bided]

"This place has been in the Skywalker blood for a long time. Even Chouji and I...well, we have it, too, don't we? Though I run the grocery shop, I still feel at home here." Trisha laughed, a little nostalgic. "She's looking forward to taking over someday, then?"

[geniustheveil]

"It's the same for me," Ami admitted. "I married into the family, but I think of this as a family home." After all, the Mizuno estate was very, very far away now, with the choices she'd made in her life. This home, however, had welcomed her in when she needed that. Even she felt it, and was sensible enough to appreciate it.

[bided]

"Well, you are a Skywalker..." And really, Trisha couldn't possibly approve of Luke's choice in a wife more than she did now. She liked Ami, genuinely she did.

[geniustheveil]

To hear it was always a relief, and Ami smiled. "And you know," she offered tentatively, "you're welcome here at any time." Luke had made that more than clear, and Ami was very far from disagreeing or disapproving.

[bided]

"And you're always welcome at our place, at any time, too, Ami." There's a warm smile from Trisha in return. She'd never made any secret that she approved of her elder brother's wife: far from it, in fact.