Dedication, Tenure, Service
Posted on Fri Oct 4th, 2024 @ 4:35pm by Lieutenant Commander Bonnie "Bon-Bon" Durnell & Commander Dean House
Mission:
Character Development
Location: Earth
The site-to-site transport placed them closer than Bonnie had previously thought. The services were just across the quad, a large park area between the main buildings of the campus. She could already hear someone's voice streaming over a loudspeaker and clapping. Someone had introduced the speaker, likely the replacement for her father. "Come on, we gotta move." She said as she started double timing her run in heels.
"Evidently," shaking his head a bit and moving in line with her. Of course ready to catch her should she trip in those heels.
The Smithsonian simply put, was large. What had started as a singular building when the American Nation was first founded had grown into a series of buildings all connected via underground tunnels like a great college campus. Each building housed a different selection of not only Earthen treasures but had grown to incorporate otherworldly artifacts as well. Her father, was one of seven on a board of museum curators and had experienced the longest tenure, 45 years as of his passing.
As Bonnie and Dean came around the corner within sight of the central gardens, her breath was taken as she took in the scene. While she had expected a couple of dozen people who she knew, knew her father, gathered were hundreds of faces listening to a speaker who appeared to be standing upon a platform at the far end. Flanking her on either side was a new monument, one Bonnie had never seen anyway.
Several large pillars stood tall as they curved out to the left and right side of the central podium. Each one, like large dominos, growing smaller in size as the formed a crecent shape out and around the gardens and the people engulfed within. Flowers adorned the aisles leading down all four rows Bonnie could see. But her eyes had found a specific target.
Upon the slightly raised platform at the front, flanking the speaker, holographic displays captured the essence of her father in one, and her mum in the other. Clear as the sunshine upon her face, the image of her mum turned in her Starfleet uniform, her hair bouncing with a familiar smile upon her face. Bonnie's heart skipped.
She clung tight to Dean's gentleman's arm as she scanned the rows for a seat, none the wiser there was a reserved seat for her and her plus 1 in the front row. "Let's um... sit near the back." She eeked out just as familiar murmurs and motions struck a chord. People had noticed their arrival and were whispering things Bonnie had heard all her life.
Sounds of 'There she is' and 'be careful the bad luck has arrived' etc. Her favorite was 'there goes the neighborhood' as if she had enough bad luck to decimate an entire neighborhood. She could visibly see people pulling their feet in closer, straitening their gowns and doing things in general that one might do with an accident prone child in their midst. She was used to it now, but still disappointed by it.
Yup, that was a hell of a lot of people alright. Damn. Eyes sweeping back and forth over them for a moment, of course as well as the place itself. Shifting a hand over to the arm holding his for a moment.
Giving a shake to his head at her 'request' to sit in the back, leaning a little to whisper to her. Noting the peoples reactions and comments also. Clenching his jaw at their words. "For get them, remember why you're here. You don't want to make them right by hiding do you? Up front, Commander. They're proud of you, your parents." Sure, Dean could have left out the Commander part, however, he was using it for her to carry as a badge of honor, courage, strength.
If she were a dim light, she would be beaming like a light house. He provided her with strength. It wasn't enough for the stress and anxiety to disappear, nor the crowd which caused it, but now she had somewhere else to focus her attention. They continued to walk down the main aisle, her eyes focused on the holograms of her parents. Somehow his words had caused her to find 3 inches in her spine as she walked straight and tall, despite the heels.
Once they arrived at the first row, they turned and sat into the open seats provided. She removed the lacquered card with VIP on one side and her name on the other, and turned it over and over in her hands. From there, she listened as they continued to talk about her Father in a manner and light she felt familiar yet distant.
Dean held his composure, so he didn't smile, but he wanted to. Bonnie sucking it up and presenting herself, owning things, regardless of the others. He was proud of her, it still showed on his face, even as stoic as it was at the moment. Keeping his arm close in case she needed it. Also curious if she'd thought about what she'd say if she was called up to speak.
She put on her 'I'm in public and must present best self' face. It was a well-practiced art of sitting upright, no slouching. Eyes forward and observant, one must project we are here and aware of what is being seen and done. Chest out for confidence, you have it, flaunt it and smile, not too big as to frighten, but never hidden from the world. These were things her father had tried to teach her when she was going through her pubescent years without her Mother.
And she listened as the speaker spoke about her Father's Dedication to the craft. How day after day he would put in between ten to twelve hours each. How he committed his life to the pursuit of archaeological preservation. Then the next speaker got up and covered Hunter Durnell's Tenure again, mentioning the 45-year-long commitment. It all felt familiar to Bonnie, yet foreign. She was often with him at the museum while young, but as she grew older, her nights were lonelier, and longer.
The last speaker stood up and thanked Hunter, her Father, by his first name, for his Service to the Smithsonian. This speaker was his long-life receptionist, Bonnie recognized as Miley. But then Miley looked down at where Bonnie sat, gestured and called her out by her full name. "Please welcome Hunter's daughter, Bonni-bell Bonaventure Durnell, our very own Bon-Bon."
Bonnie went beet red, her lips pursed and she shook her head no, unwilling to speak for fear of 'opening mouth and inserting foot to remove all doubt'. Long ingrained in her upbringing. But then she felt Dean's hand upon her own. Encouraging her with his steady grin. Was he trying to embarrass her?
Dean gave her one more squeeze to her hand, nodding to her. Of course he wasn't trying to embarrass her.
She stood, wobbled a bit on the heels and more so as she peered around at the many faces looking back at her, a sea of so many familiar and unfamiliar. They were clapping, encouraging, ushering her along. Even Miley, atop the stage was clapping and encouraging her to come up and "Say a few words."
Bonnie crossed left, carefully moved up the six steps to the top, wobbled on her heels, but kept her eyes mostly on Miley who greeted her next to the podium. She leaned in for a gentle, familiar hug and Bonnie heard her say something like "you look like your Mother" before moving away with one last gesture at the microphone.
She stepped up behind the authentic walnut, American Revolution-era, crafted piece. Tapped the mic which gave a thud, thud, squelch, audible feedback. She chuckled at the effect before catching her first glimpse from on high at the sea of faces staring back at her. "Um... hi, uh, everyone. Surprisingly enough, I really wasn't prepared to speak, but, well, here we all are, soooo."
"I, uh, am flattered and humbled by the words honoring my father's legacy." Bonnie started, her head mostly looking down at the podium, only every few words glancing up at the large crowd. "He truly was hard working, and fully dedicated to the job." There was a shakiness to her voice now.
"I've tried, while listening to everyone, to consolidate the man you knew with the man I knew and I've come to some... conclusions." She said with a shaky pause mid sentence. I knew a man, who after losing his wife, never remarried. Once he lost her he surrounded himself with his work, often bringing it home so much so that it consumed his waking hours."
"Time after time until I was old enough to replicate for myself he would take me by the hand, to work with him and allow me to roam the halls. I remember Mrs. Alisson would often provide meals, and Miss Rebekah would provide entertainment and the lesson I learned was that it really did take a village." She nodded to each woman sitting in the first two rows.
"I recall, even as a broken man, he would often find a way of instilling lessons by either handing me some ancient artifact and asking me to analyze it for him, or..." She almost chuckled, as a tear fell from her eye. "He would mis-quote some famous historical figure to make them sound more, um, I guess more like he thought they should sound." This had her smiling.
Pausing to collect her thoughts briefly, Bonnie looked down and then back up at the audience. "I suppose in the end, we are, each one of us, a small portion of a greater legacy. While I sadly have to admit to myself that I was not a bigger piece than I was, I also acknowledge that was another lesson he taught. In a round-about sort of way I suppose."
"Anyway, thank you, each and everyone of you for being a part of my father's life and the legacy he's left behind." Bonnie wiped a tear from her eye as the thunderous applause erupted. She then turned back to the stairs, daring a quick glance in Dean's direction.
Dean didn't really know what to think through Bonnie's 'speech.' All he could do was listen and feel for her pain in this. It did bring up feelings of things he had to do similar before. That sucked in general. Having given her a nod, he'd stood up but wasn't giving thunderous applause. Just enough he though necessary.
Her first step, quickly turned into her only step. As she stepped down, her high heel gave, rotating her ankle left and turning her leg right which shifted her momentum and causing her whole body to launch off the staircase to the right. At first she thought she would be okay as a pair of people, caught unaware, reached out and caught her. But her momentum caused them all to stumble backward into the stone pillars.
As inevitability goes, this was right up there with what she expected was going to happen. The crowd took a collective gasp as the pillars began to sway and then the first, slowly fell over into the next with a heavy stone like thud. Once started there was no stopping it. One pillar fell into the next, then into the next as like dominos surrounding the people all of the pillars continued to fall until they reached the last.
Bonnie blushed as she looked around at the mess she had caused and profusely apologized to those who caught her before walking back towards Dean. She looked at him with a roll of her eyes. "Don't say it."
Dean should have known something like that was going to happen. It seemed to always happen and he should have been ready. Instead, he just watched the pillars keep going, and oddly enough. A bit of a smirk on his lips. Turning his head to Bonnie once she got to him, "I didn't have to?"
Shaking her head no, she let out a chuckle that turned into light laughter. She then took him by the arm and pulled in close, "You, uh, you wanna get out of here?" She had done what she came to do. She had already had her mourning time and now she had paid her respects and thoroughly embarrassed herself. It was time to go back home. They would stay the night and in approximately 20 hours the auto return would take them back to the ship, duty done.
There was a light smile to her, resting a hand on hers. "I don't know any of the people here, and I seriously doubt that I will meet them again. Whatever you want to do." Dean motioned his head.
Playfully she responded, "I'm up for whatever. It's too early to go home, not after getting all dolled up, so, Mr. House, how about you show a girl what you like to do for fun?" They started walking away, leaving the chaos well behind. She really was game for anything that would take her mind off the funeral and the sad memories. She dared to look back quickly only to see the hologram of her mom and papa smiling back at her.
Dean didn't have to glance back, just some how he knew. If she thought about it Bonnie would also. It was 'them' still for all practical purposes. "Yes, they're smiling at you." Giving her arm a squeeze. "I think I saw crop dusters didn't I?"
Crop dusters She thought to herself, mild confusion on her face. "You want to play farm boy, now?" But she quickly recalled her previous statement about being up for 'whatever'. "Okay." Together Bonnie and Dean left the Smithsonian main grounds to find a new adventure waiting in the wings.
TBC
Lieutenant Commander Bonnie "Bon-Bon" Durnell
Computer Systems Specialist, USS Sunfire
Played By Commander Jenna Ramthorne
Commander Dean House
Chief Sec/Tac & Second Officer, USS Sunfire
