Dear God, this is me, Rosa. Someone in my school told me I was being rude by talking with you. He said I shouldn’t do that and I should treat you with more respect. I told him you are my friend. Isn’t that right God? You are my friend? Can you hit him with some lightening, so he doesn’t pick on me anymore. Anyway, you’re a good boy, thank you and Amen and oh yes, sleep well.

 

“Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! wake up. I have to tell you something very important.” Rosa ran into the living room where her father was fast asleep in an armchair closest to a window, after a really hard day at work negotiating a new contract with the Teamsters. He needed to rest once he came home, instead of standing at the door as he normally did waiting for Rosa.  He had collapsed in the chair after giving Sybil a quick peck on the cheek.

“Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!” she kept shouting and when her father didn’t budge, she jumped onto his lap knocking the wind out of him. He opened his eyes and groaned.

“What is it, Rosa? I’m really tired.”

“Daddy, I have something really important to tell you. Timmy told me a joke. Do you want to hear it?” It was obviously a rhetorical question because whether he wanted to hear it or not, he was going to.

“Hurry up then Rosa, I want to go back to sleep.”

“Ok Daddy. What do Day Lilies do at night?”
“That’s something important?” he asked slightly irritated at being woken up hours before dinner was ready.

“Yes Daddy, it’s very important,” continued Rosa threatening to jump up and down on her father until he fully woke up.

“Ok Rosa, what’s the answer?”
“No, no Daddy. That’s not how you’re supposed to ask it. You’re supposed to say, I give up Rosa what do Day Lilies do at night?” George dutifully repeated her question hoping that would be the end. “Sleep, silly,” laughed Rosa. “Don’t you get it daddy? What do Day Lilies do at night, sleep silly. That’s what they do at night.”
By this time Sybil appeared in the doorway where she leaned against the door post and crossed her wings. “Hello George,” she said in her evil manner, “how was your sleep?”
“Good, I guess until Rosa jumped on me.”

“It was a good joke though right daddy?” Asked Rosa now on the floor looking at the rug because it had got bunched up under one of the legs of the armchair. “Daddy, you need to move your chair you’re hurting my unicorn rug. You’ll take all the magic out of it and then nothing good will happen.”

“Oh dear,” replied George laying back in the armchair. “Why should things change Rosa dear, nothing good has happened yet? My, your unicorn magic has worn out!”

Sybil tired of watching a familiar charade unfold, shook her head, rolled her eyes and left the room to walk out on to the deck. Julia was sitting there warming herself, before she started dinner. “What’s for dinner Julia dear?” asked her mother as she collapsed on the other deck chair.

“Fondue, Mummy.”
“Fond what?” Asked Sybil.

“Fondue, Mummy. It’s very French. It’s where you heat up oil and then with the fork you dip meat into it until its done.  Then place it in a sauce and eat it.”

“And it’s French?” asked her mother not convinced.

“Yes Mummy. The word fondue is French.”

“I see, and where did you get the idea from?”
“Well, Daddy gave me some money and told me to go to the store to buy stuff for dinner because our Misfits box doesn’t come until next week.”

“And that’s where you bought the fondue?”
“Not exactly, Mummy. A house on the other side of the river by the crab sanctuary had a yard sale, so I stopped there and they had this fondue on the grass. I asked them what it was and they told me and it sounded really good. I asked how much and they said it’s free. Apparently, it was a wedding present they got many years ago and never used. It was brand new Mama, so I took it.”

“I see. Then what happened?”

“Well, I then went to the store and bought meat and that’s what we are having for dinner tonight.”

“What sort of meat?” asked Sybil thinking that if it were French, then it must call for lobster or something exotic.

“Beef Mama.”

“Oh, just beef?” Sybil sounded so disappointed.

“Well Daddy only gave me $20.”

“Can we fondue lobster sometime?”
“You don’t fondue something, Mama. The whole thing is called a fondue set.” Sybil shook her head. She had heard enough and wasn’t convinced dinner was worth getting up from her chair for.

Julia however was really excited and was about to get up when Rosa came flying out of the nest to join them. “Julia, I have a question to ask you.”

“What do Day Lilies do at night?” asked Julia.

Rosa sounded deflated, “you know the joke?”

“I’m the one who told Timmy and he told you.”

“Oh,” replied Rosa collapsing on the deck and leaning against her mother’s lounge chair. “What’s for dinner Julia?”

“Fondue,” she replied getting up and heading indoors.

“What’s that?”

“It’s chicken,” replied Julia smiling evilly.

“Why can’t we have something other than chicken?”

“Don’t listen to Julia, the fondue is beef.”

“That’s ok,” replied Rosa perking up, “I like beef.”

“Yes, but you have to be careful spearing it,” her mother added on purpose to see where that bit of information would end up.

“It’s not dead?” asked Rosa really concerned she was going to be asked to go hunting.
“Mummy, do I have to go hunting?” Sybil didn’t answer. That meant her father would have to be her foil.

“Daddy, Daddy, Daddy,” she shouted getting up from the deck and heading back indoors. By this time George had managed against great odds to fall back to sleep. He was startled awake.

“What is it now Rosa?”

“Daddy, you and I have to go hunting for dinner.”

“What are talking about Rosa dear?”

“Julia and Mummy told me we are having fon something for dinner and we have to kill a cow.”

That was enough for George. It was obvious he would have to wait for bedtime. “Rosa, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” and he grabbed her wing and walked outside to the deck. “Sybil, what’s Rosa talking about killing cows for?”
“Oh George, I was just having fun with her about tonight’s dinner.”

“Why, what’s for dinner?”

“Something French,” replied Sybil waving her wing for dramatic effect.

George walked into the kitchen with Rosa. “What’s this French stuff we’re having for dinner Julia?”
“Fondue, Daddy.”

“No Rosa, we don’t have to go hunting for our dinner.”

“Then why did Mummy tell me we have to?”

“I think your mother was trying to be funny.”

“Oh, I see.” Rosa thought long and hard for a minute. She then took her wing out of her father’s and walked outside. “Mummy you know what my most favourite book is?”

“No dear Rosa I don’t.”

“it’s The Yellow Fountain,” replied Rosa trying not to giggle.

“I’ve never heard of that. Is that something you’re reading at school?”

“No Mummy. But do you know who wrote it?”

“No, I don’t,” replied Sybil being serious.

“IP Daily!”

Sybil jumped up, “Rosa!” she said loudly enough for everyone to hear, “where did you hear that?”

“Timmy told me that joke.”

And with that, Sybil walked indoors and made a beeline for Timmy’s room.