due South snippet: "Independence"

[luzula]

Title: Independence
Fandom: due South
Character: Stella Kowalski gen
Rating: G
Length: 100 words
Prompt: renewal
Summary: Stella comes home from work.
Notes: For the drabble tag at dsc6dsnippets.

Stella closed the door of her apartment behind her with a sigh. She took off her jacket, hung it on the hook. The only other clothes there were hers.

In the kitchen, the counters were still clean after she'd wiped them yesterday. Her dirty coffee mug was still in the sink. She felt a strong, irrational satisfaction at that. This place was hers alone, and no one would come inside the door unless she invited them.

No one would demand things of her; no one would leave their needy fingerprints all over her.

She was home. This was her home.

Comments

[jesse_the_k]

And somehow she's simultaneously happy and sad about that. Good job!

[luzula]

Thanks! I wondered how this would come off, so thanks for telling me that's how it read to you. : )

[sproid]

I can definitely see that Stella would want an apartment that was hers and hers alone, even if that perhaps emphasises the emptiness/loneliness of the place. But I get the feeling she's determined to make it somewhere that it's OK for her to be alone. Nice!

[hazelwho]

Oh, I remember that feeling. No one else's dishes are in the sink. It's sad and satisfying in turns. Lovely piece!

[baronjanus]

Go Stella :)

[luzula]

I did not actually mean to convey loneliness, but it's interesting that people read it that way! But yeah, I too believe that her feelings would be divided, even though I didn't focus on that.

[luzula]

Thanks! Yeah, I guess I'm drawing partly on my own experiences here, though adapted for a different character and relationship. : )

[luzula]

It's so interesting how differently people are reading this! Your response is close to my own mindset when I wrote this. : )

[baronjanus]

That's what I read. There wasn't any sadness there - maybe there will be, some years from now, but right now it reads like her relief is basically the biggest emotion there. Woohoo to some peace and quiet, Stella says. You know? Maybe people's different reactions are due to their own situation or past situations :)

Oh my good god I have the perfect icon for this statement.

[luzula]

Yeah. I think that since this is a drabble and there isn't room for much spelled-out emotion, and since break-ups are something that most people have experience with in their lives, people will tend to read different things into it.

That is indeed a good icon for it. : )

[sproid]

I think I just assume that after a separation, being alone = loneliness of some kind, at least to start with. It's possible also that I'm projecting a bit, seeing as I'm by myself in my student flat at the moment! The primary feeling I get from the drabble is relief and satisfaction from Stella at having her own place, but I do think that after having someone like Kowalski around for so long, she would notice the absence of another person, and miss at least some aspects of it.

[ride-4ever.livejournal.com]

no one would leave their needy fingerprints all over her

That line! Gah! It makes me feel sympathetic towards Stella but at the same time makes me want to go off and give Ray some hugging and petting.

[luzula]

Thanks! I wondered what people's reaction to this one would be. : )