simone sparks begged the lord every night for a baby and not just any baby, but a baby girl. when she was thirty-three she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. this later resulted in the loss of one of her ovaries and infertility, but like most women, she remained hopeful --
if he wants me to have a baby, he'll deliver.and on april 25, 1987 he certainly did. the call came at 7am from her brother-in-law, Joseph Martinez. "it's a girl," he shouted, his enthusiasm flooded the line. "natassija just had a baby girl. so, get your fat ass up and come down to meet your niece." the news was a surprise, as tassija wasn't due for another week, but these could never accurately be pinpointed. ignoring his reference to her ass, simone pulled herself out of bed and set about her morning routine. just as she was pulling out of the drive way her phone rang for a second time that morning. joseph's face flashed across her screen. could she blame him for his exuberance? she flipped open the phone, "joseph, calm down, i'm on my wa--" he cut her off before she could finish her sentence. the life had drained from his voice, "simone, come as soon as you can. please," there was an unusual desperation in his voice that caught her off guard. "there's ... something isn't right," not right? how could that be possible? simone didn't bother with questioning him, there would be time for that later. instead, she hung up the phone and sped to the hospital.
someone was on her side that morning for she caught ever green light and the closest parking spot. when she arrived in the waiting room she found joseph, head in his hands, sobbing. there was no sight of the baby or tassija. "joe," her voice was weak and already cracking. as she took the seat beside him, her trembling hands lifted to his shoulder. he sat up slowly and dispelled the news: as the doctors did their follow up, tassija complained quietly of a headache. she declined further medical attention as she wanted time with baby elyse, as she had named her. she was holding the newborn to her chest, humming quietly and touching her gingerly. joseph stepped out to phone the family. he re-entered the room only after elyse gave a loud cry. he assumed nothing to be out of the ordinary until he realized his wife was lying limp and lifeless on the bed. the doctors streamed in shortly there after. instant coma, was what they called it.
simone stood to confirm his story. not that she didn't believe him, but she just needed confirmation. how was it possible? tassija was only twenty-nine. it should have been her. she was, after all, the one with ovarian cancer. why not her? what did she have to live for? -- simone went to check on the baby. there she was, ten tiny toes and fingers to match, whispy brown hair and a soft honey complexion; just as beautiful as her mother was. "joseph, she's beautiful." he looked down at the infant kicking about in her incubator. "i hate her."
natassija sparks was laid to rest a week later, taken by an aneurysm: the silent killer. many friends and family attended her funeral, the tiniest attendee amongst them was her daughter -- elyse frances. joseph hadn't bothered to show up. actually, simone - whom had organized the entire thing - hadn't seen him since he left the hospital. that day was still a blur of unclear events. before leaving the hospital, she was asked by the doctor to review some paperwork as joseph was gone. it seemed simple enough, but upon closer inspection she had realized
why she had been designated to the task. beneath elyse's name, under legal guardian her name - simone elisabeth kipling. when she tried to phone joseph, it went straight to voicemail. that week, corresponding documents followed along with a sticky note: she's yours, you always wanted a baby girl, right. and just like that, joseph gave away his firstborn without a second glance.
-- the kipling's life wasn't exactly engineered for a baby just yet. dennis was the third partner of a high profile architecture and commercial design firm, while simone was a publicist for an up and coming nba player. both were constantly on the go, on a plane every four days. they barely had time for their marriage, much less a newborn. but life's greatest treasures are often unexpected and it wasn't like they could boost something like this off on someone else. so, they did the only thing they could do: raise elyse as their own and hire a nanny.
growing up, elyse never experienced any sort of disaffection or neglect. the two built their lives around her. fortunately, they had established a significant net worth early on and were living comfortably. it was significantly easy (compared to most) for either of them to put their careers on hold -- though simone did so more willingly than dennis in the beginning -- for the baby. but dennis came around soon enough; she was, and still is, the fire in their universe.
on the surface, they were the picture perfect suburbian family. neither dennis, nor simone spoke of elyse's story, opting to spare her what they considered to be "emotional damage" and future years of therapy. with joseph out of the picture there was never the threat of someone outing them. yes, their neighbors had asked questions in the beginning, but that was an easy fix with relocation.
elyse attended philadelphia's finest private school where she excelled in both academics and athletics. there she developed into a level headed (at times), strong willed teenage, who pursued everything & anything she wanted compulsively until it was hers. whether it be boys, academic achievements, athletic recognition or social statuses; if she wanted it, she usually got it. despite her parents' constant influence and surveillance she loves them tremendously. over the years, it prompted some rebellious behavior, but nothing that couldn't be rectified by being grounded for x-amount of days or getting her keys taken away. she wasn't, by any means, spoiled - though, she did drive the nicest car on the block. but that came as a graduation present and admission into her father's alumni,
dartmouth college.
college at dartmouth provided her with the opportunity for a lot of independent growth. naturally, she remained a classic overachiever whom balanced a full-time course load focusing on speech pathology and special education, a part-time internship, charity work and swimming without breaking a sweat. but in her spare time, she entertained a unique variety of friends. from the jocks to the nerds, to her tri-delta sorority clique - where she felt most comfortable. it was there she fell in love for the first time with one of her sisters' sister, a fellow student at dartmouth, named
marina ferrer. their relationship was a beautiful experience that lasted for two years and ended only when the girls' paths took them in different directions. marina was to travel abroad and settle down somewhere in europe and/or middle east to continue her education in women's studies. while elyse was to remain in the states and continue her education at northeastern university.
her relationship was never something she hid from her parents, despite their conventional beliefs they learned to be okay with it on the surface. what choice did they have? with that in mind, elyse never flaunted her sexuality in front of them - thankfully, she had always been a fairly private person and this wasn't hard.
presently, elyse is studying for her masters at
northeastern university and working for the
children's hospital. she lives in a loft apartment by herself in the city, drives the same
volvo s40 she got senior year, but relies predominately on public transit and/or her bike. she considers her sexuality to be ambiguous as she doesn't judge by a person by his or her sex, but by the degree of their character. she still remains relatively close to her parents (speaking to either of them at the very least, once a week) and has few close friends. marina & her chat often over the internet, and both entertain the idea of getting back together one day. though, it doesn't hinder her decision to date today.
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Christian Rose • [
![[info]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
cxr_iv] •
i'm willing to take the risk.
CHRISTIAN & ELYSE’S “RELATIONSHIP” (OR LACK THERE OF) STARTED PER THE REQUEST OF A MUTUAL FRIEND. JILLIAN WAS CONTRACTED TO DECORATE THE INTERIOR OF HIS CLUB, BUT HAD ULTERIOR MOTIVES. SHE FORCED THE TWO TOGETHER AND SURPRISINGLY THINGS TURNED OUT FAIRLY WELL FOR THE TWO OF THEM. IT WAS CASUAL AT FIRST—DINNERS AND LUNCHES HERE AND THERE. THEN, IT DEVELOPED IT INTO SOMETHING MORE THE NIGHT SHE STAYED THE NIGHT. THOUGH, ELYSE DREW THE LINE FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. CITING THAT SHE WANTED NOTHING MORE THAN WHAT HAD BEEN ESTABLISHED: A FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS SORT OF SITUATION. WITH MARINA OFTEN FLOATING IN AND OUT OF THE PICTURE, ELYSE HAD NEVER REALLY ALLOWED HERSELF THE OPPORTUNITY TO CARE FOR SOMEONE ELSE. SHE COULDN’T. SHE WOULDN’T. BUT SOMEHOW CHRISTIAN HAD SLIPPED IN UNNOTICED AND NOW, SHE’S NOT SO CERTAIN IF THEIR SITUATION IS STILL POSSIBLE. NOT GIVEN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HER FEELINGS, DAMN THEM.
Sessilee DuValle • [
sessilee] •
coming soon!
ELYSEIT MATERIAL ◊ 
