Rosa spends time in the sun

Rosa standing in the sun

“Where’s Rosa?” asked George sounding rather perturbed when he walked through the front door of his nest, dropping his briefcase and extending his wings wide open waiting to greet his youngest daughter. As always, he expected to see Rosa run into his wings with her greeting “how much did you miss me today, Daddy?” It was a routine that had stood the test of time, and with the exception of a few occasions was welcomed by both.

Sybil, who was standing at the end of the hallway hoping that one day her husband would ask how she was first, just nodded in the direction of the kitchen window behind her without saying a word. George picked up his briefcase, closed the door behind him and walked past Sybil giving her a peck on the cheek. He looked out of the kitchen window standing there for a few seconds before turning and looking at Sybil. “What are Rosa and Julia doing out there?”

“Oh hello, George,” replied Sybil, “I didn’t know you were home. How was work? Get much done?”

George immediately felt guilty and walked away from the kitchen window to give Sybil a hug. Sybil did not respond, even though she did enjoy the hug. “Sunbathing,” she eventually replied when he let go of her.

“Sunbathing?” replied George walking back to the window and looked at both his daughters laying in lounge chairs. He then smiled when he noticed Rosa was wearing Sybil’s oversized sunglasses. “Are they….?” he began asking, before she interrupted him.

“Yes, they are. And as always Rosa just took them and when I began to ask her whose permission she had, ‘dad’s’ she replied!” Sybil turned to look at her husband who in her opinion had a stupid grin on his face. “Would you like some snacks?” she finally asked forcing herself to think positively.

“What do we have?” George asked still glued to the window.

“Birdseed!” she offered and that did the trick.

“Birdseed?” he replied sounding disgusted, “since when do we eat birdseed?”

“We don’t,” Sybil replied, “but it got your attention. We actually have some bagels Pawo’s wife made.”

“Buddhist bagels?” he asked and Sybil shrugged her shoulders.

“He told me to tell Rosa they were filled with unicorn magic.”

“And are they?” he asked not thinking what the answer could possibly be.

“Ask Rosa she’s the only one who ate it.”

“Did she finish it all?”

“She actually did.”

George was intrigued and used that as a reason to put his briefcase down and head outside. He stopped at the kitchen door. “Do you want to come outside?” he asked feeling he needed to.

“Not without my sunglasses!” answered Sybil, “you know I have sensitive eyes.”

“I’ll get them for you from Rosa.”

“No don’t George. I think she looks kind of cute with them. And anyway, it seems to have attracted some of the local residents. But they’re gone now. Julia took care of them.”

“She did?”

“Yes. You should’ve heard her. She told them that Rosa was a JAP and they could never afford her!”

That brought about a loud round of laughter from George, and Sybil, who was trying to remain slightly aloof suppressed a smile. With that George walked outside and the noise of him approaching attracted both girls’ attention.

“Daddy!” shouted Rosa who tried in vain to get out of her lounge chair but was so deeply imbedded that she couldn’t. “Can you help me Daddy?’ she asked and of course that’s exactly what George did. She jumped into his wings and with one movement he removed her sunglasses and put her down. “I need those Daddy,” she replied putting her right wing up to her eyes, “you know I don’t like bright sunshine. I have sensitive eyes.”

“So does Mummy, Rosa dear and I certainly didn’t give you permission to wear them.” Rosa moaned and fell backwards into her lounge chair. “Why are you guys out here?” he asked when he had returned from giving Sybil her glasses. In her opinion, the first time he had chosen his wife over their youngest daughter.

“Trying to be good,” replied Rosa still covering her eyes with her wing.

“Here, you can use my sunglasses.” George reached into his jacket and extracted a pair of Ray Bans.

“Those are for men,” replied Rosa, “I can’t wear those.”

George took them back and offered them to Julia, who gladly wore them.

“Why are you trying to be good?” continued George, “you should be good all the time.”

“I am,” replied Rosa, “but mummy thinks that I’m not good all the time.”

“Well, you’re always good when I’m around and that’s what matters.”

“Then you should tell Mummy that. Mummy,” Rosa shouted to Sybil who at that moment was walking towards the water’s edge. “Mummy, Daddy tells me that I’m always good when he’s around and that’s all that matters.”

Sybil walked back from the water’s edge. “It’s all that matters to your father, but not to me.” “Oops!” George began to understand he had walked into a well laid trap by Rosa. “Well, what I meant was that if you’re good when I’m around, then that’s all that matters to me. But you always have to be good when your mother’s around as well and I’m at work.” Rosa removed her right wing from her eyes and looked at her father.

“Are you ok Daddy?” George wasn’t sure how to answer that question. Physically he was fine but mentally he wasn’t used to being challenged as soon as he came home. He needed to regroup and the only way to do that was change the conversation.

“Did you ask Julia to watch the Barbie movie with you?”

“Yes,” Rosa put her wing back over her eyes and laid down.

“And?” asked George.

“And what?” asked Rosa not moving her head.

“Did you watch the Barbie movie with Julia?”

“No daddy,” she said she wanted to cook dinner and so I watched it again by myself. But,” she added dramatically, “if you want to get back on my good side, then you can watch it with me.”

No George never considered subjecting himself to that movie. “How many times do you want to watch it?”

“4 times,” Rosa answered nonchalantly.

“Why 4, aren’t 3 times enough?”

“No daddy,” she replied.

“Why not?” and then George suddenly realised that once again he had walked into a well laid trap by his youngest daughter. He had a decision to make. Either turn around and walk back and hug his wife who had left them and returned to the shade of the kitchen, or stand there in the hot sun in his now very crumpled linen suit and suffer the consequences. He decided on the former. He turned to leave but Rosa wasn’t having any of it.

“You’re supposed to ask me why 3 isn’t enough Daddy!”

George dropped his wings by his side and turned looking deflated. “Ok Rosa why?”

“Because 4 is more than 3!”

“Sybil,” shouted George, “do you have any snacks I can have?”

“Birdseed or Buddhist bagels,” Sybil replied.

“They are good Daddy; they are full of unicorn magic. And looking at you right now, you need some!”

George for a moment thought of returning to the office. But instead, he dragged his body into the kitchen as a sign of complete surrender.