Rosa’s Antics

Rosa running home from school after a long hard day of studying. (Photo courtesy of George White at Unsplash.)

“My life is over as I know it!” moaned Rosa as she threw herself down on the deck with a dull thud and let out a loud sigh of extreme distress.

George was laying on his lounge chair right next to where Rosa had collapsed and generally he would be highly amused by his youngest daughter’s dramatics, but not on that day. George did smile as he looked down at her briefly to make sure she really wasn’t hurt by her fall, even though he assumed she had made sure she wouldn’t be. After a few seconds of silence from her father, which Rosa deemed was highly unusual, she lifted her head slightly and then dropped it again on the deck with a weak thud hoping that would garner more attention from her father, but it didn’t.

“Dad!” she finally said out loudly, “did you hear me?”

George’s entire focus at that time was on one of the puzzles he solved on a daily basis and this was his favourite. He was usually able to solve the riddle in two attempts but on that day it had him stumped. “Shh,” he said quietly to Rosa and then followed it with the words, “I’m concentrating on solving a puzzle Rosa dear. So, I’ll get to you in a few minutes and I’m sure you can wait that long.”

Rosa groaned as she knew she had no option other than getting up, going indoors and collapsing on her bed. But she knew that neither of her two siblings nor her mother would buy into her drama, so she was left with just laying there.

A few minutes later Sybil came out on the deck to join her husband with a glass of Bordeaux before dinner was served. She knew Rosa was laying on the ground. She had witnessed it all through the dining room window before she decided to walk outside into the brilliant May sunshine.

“Hello darling,” she said stepping over her daughter carefully so that she didn’t spill any of her precious wine. George looked up for a brief second, smiled at his wife and went back to his puzzle. “Haven’t solved it yet?”

“No,” he shook his head. “I usually do it in the office, but today Moshe was being a real pain in the you know what about the advertising agency I hired to help us promote our new product. Because of that I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to solve the puzzle.”

Sybil was about to further the conversation with her husband but knew based on past experience that somehow Rosa would interrupt and make it about herself. So, she leaned over the railing and took a sip of her wine. “Very good wine,” she remarked and her husband nodded. Rosa moaned. Things weren’t going the way she had hoped.

“Itzhak won’t take me for a drive in his new car!” Rosa had finally had enough of being ignored.

“Why’s that?” asked Sybil really not that interested, but maybe she could get the upper hand with her daughter for the first time ever. No Rosa didn’t want to get involved in a back and forth with her mother but seeing that her father was too focused on solving his puzzle she felt she had no alternative.

“Because he said I’m not a true JAP.”

Yes, thought Sybil watching a shrimp boat making its way back into port with a myriad of seagulls flying above it hoping for a morsel of whatever the fishermen threw back into the ocean. “Damn birds!” she said out loudly and Rosa believing that her mother was taking her side against Itzhak, smiled.

“Yes mummy. Damn bird. Just one bird, Itzhak.”

Suddenly the blood left Sybil’s face. She realised that not only had she used a word she prohibited her children from using, but she had inadvertently supported Rosa. “No, no,” she added quickly, “no, not Itzhak,” who she happened to like but knew was far too old for either of her daughters, “I meant the seagulls.”

Rosa groaned and fell backwards after believing her mother for a brief second, while George let his wife’s words go in one ear and out the other.

Julia appeared on the deck. “Dinner’s ready,” and then added the word “y’all” which caused Sybil to shudder though George thought it was cute. Rosa didn’t care. She was sure it would be something she didn’t like.

“What are we having for dinner?” asked George who now knew he could probably not solve the puzzle for the first time ever.

“Chicken stew!” replied Julia proudly looking down at her sister who extended her wings in utter misery.

“Why chicken again?” Rosa asked.

“It’s Chik fil A chicken Rosa,” said Julia knowing that Rosa might change her mind.

“What do you mean Chik fil A chicken?” asked George folding up the newspaper and putting it down next to him. ‘There’s no difference between. Regular chicken and Chik fil A chicken.” “Yes there is dad,” replied Rosa raising her head and watching her mother take another sip of wine. “Can I have some?” she asked.

“No!” replied Sybil revelling in her new found position of power.

“You haven’t answered my question,” George asked Rosa again but realising he would get a nonsensical answer, leaned his head back on the lounge chair and closed his eyes. “How can you tell Chik fil A chicken from regular chicken?” he asked the question a different way.

“Well because one tastes good and the other doesn’t!”

Sybil smiled, “good job Rosa,” and took a bigger sip of wine than usual and coughed it up on a couple of seagulls walking in the sand below. They looked up at her and she was about to raise her wing to them but realised her daughters were there. “Sorry,” she said instead.

“No you’re not!” replied one them.

“You’re right,” replied Sybil and blew them a raspberry.

“Mummy!” shouted Rosa, “where are your manners?”

Sybil shrugged her shoulders and turned to look at her husband who had picked up the newspaper again. “Dinner will get cold,” said Julia who had spent hours after she returned from school compiling dinner and didn’t want all her hard work to go to waste.

“Yes, coming.” Sybil began to walk towards the dining room door. Rosa still lay on the floor moaning and George was back focused on his puzzle.

“I have it!” he suddenly announced loudly. “Ha, ha, ha, and they thought they could beat the mighty George Blau. Never happen.”

“What’s the word?” asked Rosa deciding if nothing else she needed to at least try the chicken stew to see if it really was Chik fil A chicken or whether her sister was having her on yet again.

“Needy,” replied a triumphant George, “needy how could I not get that one. I’m surrounded by needy women.”

At that moment Elisabeth, who Julia had invited for dinner just to annoy the rest of the family, walked into the nest and straight out onto the deck to see what all the noise was, heard George make his statement.

“George,” she said stopping in the doorway, “I hope you don’t include me in that statement.” “What? Needy?” He asked lifting Rosa off the floor and making her smile. “Never Elisabeth. Contrary to your belief, you’re never needed!” Everyone laughed with the exception of course, Elisabeth.