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thecrazyalaskanAlbert Calavicci, age eight, was quite rich, having come into the possession of two United States dollars. The summer afternoon stretched ahead of him like a road, and with the money in his hand, he felt like a king.
So at the first available opportunity, he took Trudy, age five, by the hand and led her through the apartment complex in which they lived. It was mid afternoon, with fathers at work and mothers working at home and no one was there to question where he was taking his little sister.
Down the flights of stairs, onto the street and up the block, to the store on the corner. The smell of Italian meat and spices and baking bread filled the little shop. Of course, these things hardly held the interest of an eight year old boy, or the interest of his mentally disabled younger sister for that matter. No, their focus was the candy counter in the back corner.
Al and Trudy looked over the offerings behind the counter, spread out like the riches of the Queen of Sheba. After a moment, Al released his sister's hand, but he kept close to her, to keep her out of trouble. Mama said that was his job, "keep her out of the trouble."
The wife of the shop owner, an Italian woman older than their mother by a good decade, approached them. "Che cosa gardite, Albert?"
Al conscientiously laid the bills on the counter. "Cioccolato, per favore." He and Trudy had agreed to chocolate before arriving here.
As the woman turned to get the requested sweet, Trudy tugged on her brother's hand. He turned his attention to his sister. "Che cosa?" The words, while short, were spoken with fraternal familiarity and affection.
Trudy was intently examining a small box of crayons, her stubby fingers trailing over the cut out window. "Porporino."
"Volete?" Al asked, understanding after five years of practice that "purple" was Trudy's way of asking for crayons.
"Porporino," she repeated.
"Dialo me," Al answered, holding out his hand. "Lo comprerò."
Trudy pushed the box into her brother's hands and waited, surprisingly patient when crayons were on the line. Al waited until the woman turned back with the chocolate and laid the crayons on the counter next to the money. "Queste anchi, per favore."
After a moment, their small order was rung up, bagged and paid for. Al entrusted their possessions to Trudy before taking her by the hand walking home with her. Although she had a natural affinity for clumsiness, Trudy's steps were light, and Al couldn’t blame her, with the promise of chocolate and coloring on yesterday's newspapers with new crayons just inside their apartment door. As long as Trudy got the purple crayon first.
-.-.-.-
Title: Chocolate and Crayons
Author: TheCrazyAlaskan
Fandom / Setting: Quantum Leap (pre-series – New York, 1942)
Characters / Pairings: Al Calavicci, Theresa "Trudy" Calavicci
Rating: K+
Genre: General, family
Word Count: 457
Warnings / Notes: WAFF, so much WAFF; gratuitous yet IC Italian
Summary: Two dollars can buy a brother and sister a lot.
Something to atone for my last Al and Trudy fic, which was a major suicide inducer.
I've had this visual in my head well before I watched "Jimmy." I think it gelled shortly after I learned Al had a younger sister with Downs, and I started hoping he really loved aforementioned sister.
I wrote the dialogue in Italian simply because… I could. I like the idea of Al being trilingual.
Al, Trudy, Quantum Leap © Donald Bellisario
So at the first available opportunity, he took Trudy, age five, by the hand and led her through the apartment complex in which they lived. It was mid afternoon, with fathers at work and mothers working at home and no one was there to question where he was taking his little sister.
Down the flights of stairs, onto the street and up the block, to the store on the corner. The smell of Italian meat and spices and baking bread filled the little shop. Of course, these things hardly held the interest of an eight year old boy, or the interest of his mentally disabled younger sister for that matter. No, their focus was the candy counter in the back corner.
Al and Trudy looked over the offerings behind the counter, spread out like the riches of the Queen of Sheba. After a moment, Al released his sister's hand, but he kept close to her, to keep her out of trouble. Mama said that was his job, "keep her out of the trouble."
The wife of the shop owner, an Italian woman older than their mother by a good decade, approached them. "Che cosa gardite, Albert?"
Al conscientiously laid the bills on the counter. "Cioccolato, per favore." He and Trudy had agreed to chocolate before arriving here.
As the woman turned to get the requested sweet, Trudy tugged on her brother's hand. He turned his attention to his sister. "Che cosa?" The words, while short, were spoken with fraternal familiarity and affection.
Trudy was intently examining a small box of crayons, her stubby fingers trailing over the cut out window. "Porporino."
"Volete?" Al asked, understanding after five years of practice that "purple" was Trudy's way of asking for crayons.
"Porporino," she repeated.
"Dialo me," Al answered, holding out his hand. "Lo comprerò."
Trudy pushed the box into her brother's hands and waited, surprisingly patient when crayons were on the line. Al waited until the woman turned back with the chocolate and laid the crayons on the counter next to the money. "Queste anchi, per favore."
After a moment, their small order was rung up, bagged and paid for. Al entrusted their possessions to Trudy before taking her by the hand walking home with her. Although she had a natural affinity for clumsiness, Trudy's steps were light, and Al couldn’t blame her, with the promise of chocolate and coloring on yesterday's newspapers with new crayons just inside their apartment door. As long as Trudy got the purple crayon first.
-.-.-.-
Title: Chocolate and Crayons
Author: TheCrazyAlaskan
Fandom / Setting: Quantum Leap (pre-series – New York, 1942)
Characters / Pairings: Al Calavicci, Theresa "Trudy" Calavicci
Rating: K+
Genre: General, family
Word Count: 457
Warnings / Notes: WAFF, so much WAFF; gratuitous yet IC Italian
Summary: Two dollars can buy a brother and sister a lot.
Something to atone for my last Al and Trudy fic, which was a major suicide inducer.
I've had this visual in my head well before I watched "Jimmy." I think it gelled shortly after I learned Al had a younger sister with Downs, and I started hoping he really loved aforementioned sister.
I wrote the dialogue in Italian simply because… I could. I like the idea of Al being trilingual.
Al, Trudy, Quantum Leap © Donald Bellisario
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Date: 2011-11-13 10:51 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-11-14 12:26 am (UTC)