Word of the day

The entire Blau family, with Elizabeth and Jeremy bring up the rear

“There’s a noise in your voice that will pop my head off!” said Timmy trying to keep his voice down when Rosa, who had completely recovered from her cold, decided to go into Timmy’s room to ask him how he was feeling.

Timmy had come down with an even stronger bout of the flu than had gripped Rosa. This was the second day he lay in bed not able to gather the strength to do something as simple as read. That was very unlike Timmy. He was known as the book worm of the family. He rarely joined in games played on the beach with his best friend Max. He would rather stay indoors curled up on the couch reading the Torah or a detective novel, Sherlock Holmes being his favourite.

Rosa when she heard her brother say those words, knew he would rather she left him alone. However, that would mean she would have to turn to Julia to do something, and Julia’s idea of something was to cook. Rosa was too young to help her sister in the kitchen even though she was convinced her cooking skills which were negligible, were still better than her mother’s. Unfortunately for Rosa, Timmy wasn’t going to get out of bed and so she left him, but not before bouncing on his bed making him scream, which brought their mother into the room.

“Nothing, I’m doing nothing, Mummy,” she replied to her mother’s look. “Timmy was just being mean to me. He said my voice would make his head pop off, so that’s why I bounced on his bed once.”

Not waiting for her mother to challenge her assertion or Timmy to correct her, Rosa walked out of the bedroom past her mother who was standing in the doorway with her wings crossed and right into her aunt Elizabeth.

“I have an idea,” said the slip and fall attorney as she grabbed little Rosa’s wing, leading her into the family room where she sat her down on the twig sofa. Rosa didn’t know her aunt very well. Actually, no one in the family knew Elizabeth very well. She was considered to be very elusive. She spent most of her time in her office, so seeing her in their home was somewhat unusual. “You’re eight, right?” she asked. Rosa wasn’t quite sure why her aunt asked her a question she knew the answer to, so she didn’t say anything. Elizabeth was about repeat her question but then wisely refrained. “The reason I’m asking,” she continued, “is that at the age of eight I could read books.”

Rosa panicked. “Does that mean I’m behind other sandpipers of my age?” she was genuinely afraid she was missing out on something.

“No that’s not what I’m saying, but I think you need to start learning to read.”

“I go to school aunty,”

Elizabeth was caught off guard, but being the sharp attorney she was, she immediately regrouped and without skipping a beat added. “Yes, I know. But what I’m suggesting is that you learn extra.”

“Extra!” repeated Rosa thinking she was learning too much as it was. “Why extra aunty? Other young sandpipers don’t.”

“But don’t you want to be ahead of them?” Rosa had to think for a long second. She wasn’t quite sure how to answer. If she said no, then Elizabeth would say something to her mother, and if she said yes, she wasn’t sure what that extra learning meant. There had to be a middle road thought Rosa.

“How about we give it a try.” Elizabeth beamed until Rosa added, “say like for about two days. After that we can reaccentuate our position.”

“Reaccentuate, what do you mean by that?”

“You know,” replied Rosa proud she had obviously come up with a word her brilliant attorney aunt didn’t know. “You know, like see how it goes.”

“Oh, oh, oh,” replied Elizabeth breaking out in laughter, “you mean reassess don’t you?”

“Same thing,” replied Rosa thinking it was time for her to go and play with Melody.

“Well Rosa how about we do this. Because I’m not here every day, I’ll give your mother a list of words for you. Like one a day. We can call it the word of the day.”

Rosa fell back against the couch and rolled her eyes. She let out a deep sigh and groaned, “why me? Why not ask Timmy for the word of the day or even my dad, but why me?”

“Because you’re little Rosa and you have to catch up to the rest of the world.”

This wasn’t going the way she had expected. But she had already agreed to a try out, so she was trapped. “Ok, aunty. What’s today’s word of the day?”

Elizabeth sat up straight and put her wings on her lap and smiled. “Good for you,” she said sounding bubbly, “about today’s word of the day. Hmm, let me think about this.”

“Oh if you don’t have one that’s ok aunty, maybe next time I see you.”

“Good heavens Rosa! That won’t do. I have a word. I just thought of it. How about the word you used reaccentuate I think that’s a great word.”

“But I already know that word,” replied Rosa.

“Yes, but you don’t know the meaning of it.”

“Oh, is that what I have to do?”

“Yes of course Rosa dear, that’s how you learn.”

“So how long do I get to learn what it means?”

“Well Rosa, I’ll tell you what it means, and you have to use it in a sentence when you talk to someone.”

Rosa had an idea, “ok aunty,” she replied sitting up straight. Elizabeth was impressed with her abilities.

“Well Rosa dear, reaccentuate means to reemphasise.”

Rosa looked at her aunt as if she had two heads. “Oh, why me?” she finally moaned as she fell back on the sofa.

“What’s the matter Rosa?”

“I don’t know what re whatever means.”

“Oh, I see. Well do you know what emphasise means?”

“No!” she replied emphatically.

“Well, it means to make your point again.”

There was silence. Rosa jumped off the sofa and headed for the door, “I think Timmy is calling me,” she said running out the door. Elizabeth remained seated not quite sure what to do next.

Rosa ran into Timmy’s room. He was sound asleep. “Timmy, Timmy,” she shouted and then flew on to his bed. Timmy groaned.

“I told you before Rosa you have a noise in your voice that will make my head explode.”

“That’s ok,” she replied, “I just learnt a new word.”

“Why do I care?” replied Timmy trying to turn over but Rosa was in his way.

“It’s my word of the day.” Timmy groaned. His head hurt, his eyes were runny and his nose was stuffed. There was only one way to get rid of his sister.

“Ok what’s your word of the day.”

“Reaccentuate” she said proudly.

“I have no idea what that means.”

“Well,” replied Rosa, “when you told me I had a noise in my voice, I needed you to reaccentuate that sentence.” Timmy shook his head, “and you did. You said it again. That’s what reaccentuate means,” and with that, she flew off his bed and slammed the door behind her.