Postgrad Partners

Summer Day's End

Nora

"Okay...is it rolling?"

"It...doesn't roll, Ellie, it just starts recording. See the red light on the screen?"

"Y-You know what I mean, Piper! Stop laughing!"

"It's getting all of this, you know? Just say what you're gonna say and I can edit it later!"

"Ugh! Fine, just give me a second!"

Nora let out a frustrated groan, hoping Piper would edit it out as she said she would, and straightened her posture before facing the laptop's camera again and starting proper:

"Hi, Holly and David. I'm sure you're wondering what this video is all about, especially since I've never made something like this before..."

"Clearly!" Piper laughed aside, out of the camera's view and to Nora's continued annoyance.

"Shut it, Pipe—okay, I'll just get to the point. This was all Tori and Jade's idea. They wanted us to send you a video...journal...log thing like they used to in school as a way of telling you what we've done with them over this past summer. Actually, come to think of it...get over here, Piper. You're in this, too!"

Piper eagerly took one of her chairs from the dining table and sat next to Nora in front of her laptop. She smiled and waved to the camera, "Hi, there! I'm Piper Hastings; Masters in Journalism, independent reporter, and currently the love of Ms. Nora West's life~"

Embarrassed and blushing, Nora buried her face in her hands, groaning loudly again, "Oh my god, why did we agree to this?!"

"Because you love your daughter," Piper answered, still smiling to the camera, "And remember, you wouldn't even be here if it weren't for her!"

"Yes...you're right," Nora corrected her posture again and faced the camera, "It's no secret to you two that I came to Miami to, officially, fill a vacancy in Neutronium Records' legal team, but also to keep my own eyes on Tori and Jade after I heard they were moving here together. To say I was shocked would be a massive understatement, especially because I didn't think either of them had what it took to live on their own—much less together—after such a rash decision. I didn't make my presence easy on them at first, especially Jade, but they've proven to me time and time again that they aren't on just some summer fling; they're every bit the hard-working students we knew them to be in Hollywood Arts, and now they're putting their talents out in the real world together...as partners. I had my doubts about how far they'd go—and truthfully, I'm still worried, as parents like us should be—but I'm proud of what they've accomplished together so far."

"I, um...obviously haven't known your daughters as long as you have..." Piper cleared her throat as she chimed in, "But I think you would be very proud of them, too. I was the one who wrote the first article Tori was featured in here, and believe me when I say she handled herself like a champ. You probably already know from her about how she was struggling with coming out. I had those very same issues when I was her age; except where I couldn't even tell the woman I loved how I felt at the time, Tori and Jade have never been more certain of how much they care about each other. I'm not gonna say it'll be smooth sailing for the two of them from here on; we're all adults, after all, but so are they—at least they're on their way to it." Piper glanced over to Nora, sneaking her hand under the camera's view to hold hers, and Nora returned the gesture with a subtle smile.

"Anyway, you've heard our collective two cents on this, and you'll also be meeting a friend they've made here—someone whose life has probably been changed for the better...along with ours. All in all, Tori and Jade have my blessing as a parent, and I hope they have yours, too."