Character of the Day: Gennie Marrick

I've decided on a new theme-post that I am going to do for fun. Mostly because my characters are such a big part of my life, but also because I feel like the more I create surrounding an individual character, the more they seem to come to life for me. I know, I know...the logic is: I need a life. Period. These are not real people, they are not relatives, they are not my siblings. Yet, I know more about them than I know about my actual relatives. How sad is that? Need a life, Sar? Um...yah. Regardless, I am going to explore each character individually until I run out of established characters to talk about.

Today's character: Genoeffa Marrick. (Nickname: Gennie--pronounced "Jenny")

Hometown: Astoria, Oregon

Parents: Abram and Mary Marrick

Age: 19, almost 20

What do I know about Gennie....where to start? Gennie's parents have lived in Astoria (a small fishing town on the northwestern coast of Oregon) for her whole life. Her father runs a small crab boat outfit with her uncle, and her mother works at the local library to help pay the bills. Abe Marrick spends most of his spare time at "Captains", the local dive bar, and her mother is battling breast cancer during the time the story is set.

Gennie grew up with a brother, Kevin, who was killed in a boat accident while working for their father. Abe was on the boat and holding hypothermic Kevin in his arms at the time of his death. The family never recovered from Kevins' untimely death, as Gennie's mother became severely depressed and borderline catatonic and her fathers drinking, already problematic, became a major handicap for the Marrick family.

Gennie and her best friend, Claudia Tygve, have been friends since grade school. Claudia understands Gennie in every way, and is often more parental and loving towards Gennie than her own parents. Gennie is physically the complete opposite of Claudia. She is tall and angular, with long, straight brown hair, a smattering of freckles, and grey eyes.

Gennie loves wearing new socks, and wants desperately to study art at a fine arts college in Seattle, Washington. But she stayed home after graduating from high school to care for her sick mother, and alcoholic father.

Gennie resents her parents for holding her back from chasing her dreams, but also holds herself back. She is filled with self loathing and crippling doubt at times. She is completely unaware of her beauty, both inner and outer. She would prefer to spend her time wallowing in self pity, painting a picture, rather than stretching herself beyond her comfort zone.

Gennie's parental example of love fractured her view on what a life with someone is supposed to be like. She wants real love, and a life with someone, but assumes that she isn't worthy of such blessings, and even when she finds it...she fights it. Out of pure instinct.

Gennie acted out in high school by spray painting murals all over the town of Astoria, something she was never caught for. Claudia was her accomplice, and they earned the greeting of a "Howl" by their classmates everywhere they went during their Junior and Senior years of high school. Gennie often relied on Claudia's popularity to fit in socially, as she always tended to have a shy/gloomy personality, that only Claudia managed to see past.

Gennie doesn't drink, because she considers herself a hypocrite because of how much she detests her fathers' drinking.

When Gennie meets Caleb Harrison, she is convinced that a man that good looking, that cultured, and that well educated couldn't possibly love her, even though they both experience love at first sight upon seeing each other. She tries relentlessly to push his away, but can't deny the magnet pull between the two of them. Ultimately, she would sacrifice her own happiness to insure that Caleb is happy forever.

And....I guess that's Gennie in a nutshell. *SIGH* I love (and relate to) Gennie so much.

Brooke Moss.