7.7: Oh Baby, Baby

NOTE: I talk about some basic body functions/stuff briefly, so if you're offended by that type of stuff, you've been warned. There's no language/violence/nudity/descriptive intercourse stuff.

  "Hi!" Rosie and  I greeted the receptionist at the clinic, squealing out of excitement.
  "Hello, ladies." She smiled. "Here for your follow up appointment?"
   "Yes." I nodded. Rosie and I had been engaged for a month when we learned about a new, for lack of the scientific phrases, baby making process. We both donated an egg and a doctor genetically combined them, so we created on egg that had DNA from both of us. I wasn't sure how exactly he did it, but apparently it was a new process they were testing to help reduce a child's risk or certain diseases and conditions that both parents had to be the carrier of. It you change the egg so the mother no longer has the trait, the baby will be healthier and still physically and emotionally resemble both parents. They took the process farther for us so the baby had a chance of  looking like both of us.
   "Great, just take a seat in the waiting area and the doctor will be with you in a moment." She smiled, then went backing to typing on her laptop.

   "Can you believe it?" Rosie squealed, patting her stomach. "I may be pregnant." A our last appointment two weeks ago, this was our third, the egg and anonymous donor's sperm had been- how do I say this without sounding weird- implanted in her.
   We were warned since this was a fairly new process the egg might not be fertilized properly and Rosie may not be pregnant on the first try. The doctor also informed us that while pregnant, the person would have to take it very easy, avoid anything strenuous, and be careful. We decided that because of this, Rosie should carry our first child. Rosie already had an at home job and, since I would have to give up gardening for nine months and couldn't go to work, it would be an easier adjustment.
   "Janes-Kinnely." The doctor called out. Rosie and I hadn't officially tied the knot yet, we were waiting for warmer weather; that didn't stop us from having a child together. We stood up and ventured back to a room. "Hello." She smiled. "Ms. Kinnely, if you could please relax on the chair there, Ms. Janes, here is a seat here for you." The doctor gestured to our assigned seats.

     "I'm so excited, Hazel!" Rosie whispered, as she walked over to the chair.
     "I am too, but a little nervous." We would find out in just moments if we would have a child in nine months; it was nerve-wracking.
     "Now before we begin, I would like to ask you something that the other doctors seemed to have forgotten." 
     "What is it?" Rosie asked, looking concerned.
     "I'm aware that Ms. Kinnely has already gone through artificial insemination, but it is still necessary to ask:  have you ever had a miscarriage? If you have, it could effect this pregnancy and put you at a higher risk."
     "Thankfully no." Rosie shook her head. I on the other hand, was quieter. "Hazel?"
     "I haven't, but my mother did. I think it was because of extreme stress of something, she ended up..." I took a deep breath. I couldn't cry, I couldn't cry. "Passing from it. She had a difficult relationship with my father, so he never talked about it. I mean, that's one reason we decided Rosie would be..." I trailed off.
    "Hazel." Rosie said again, looking like she was about to cry. I hadn't told her that Kayleigh's pregnancy was cause of death, I left that small detail out. She knew about her passing, I had told her about the miscarriage, I just hadn't let her put two and two together.

    "I apologize." The doctor said, as she stood up and walked over to Rosie. "Would you like to find you now if you will be mothers?"
     "Yes." I nodded, smiling. The past was the past; I was about to find out if my fiancee was carrying our first child, it's a joyous occasion.

Rosie's Point of View...

 

  I lay underneath the covers, my back aching, as lay Hazel sleeping beside me. We had gone to bed at just before midnight; it was now two am. I felt a churning in my stomach. A nauseating grumble. The feeling was one I was too familiar with; I was about to spend five minutes in front of a toilet spewing the last thing I'd ate, yogurt, salad, and cheesecake, into it. I disliked the feeling and, unlike its name, morning sickness came at any time. In movies, morning sickness ends once the female finds out she's carrying a bundle of joy. In real life, you're vomiting at any time and, depending on the odor or sight of certain food, every time you go to a buffet. I was thanking for the pregnancy symptoms, though. I'd put up with practically anything if it meant I was lucky enough to be able to have a child.
    I stood up, trying not to disturb Hazel. The first couple weeks, she always got up with me and comforted me, saying I was beautiful no matter how horrid I felt. Now that I was at the end of my first trimester and three months pregnant, she had adapted to my middle of the night bathroom trips and slept right through them.

   After three months of baby making inside myself, I expected to have a cute little bump. I didn't. The bump was more of an awkward, and incredibly bloated, muffin top that made me look like I had binged on too much fast food. Ironically, I hadn't gone near anything greasy in months. Hazel was making sure that I ate top notch organic produce, to keep me and the growing fetus healthy.
   Another advantage of this nightly runs, I was exercising. I think Hazel was worried that something would happen to be or the baby if I moved too much; she was very clingy lately. I wish I learned about her mother sooner... I could have helped her cope. I rushed to the bathroom that led to my old room. the master bathroom was a shower, sink, and toilet combined in the room the size of this bathroom's tub; there was no way I was fitting myself in there.

   I began heaving up my last meal, reminding myself that I should be thankful that I got to create new life. Hazel could have taken your place, but instead she's letting you do the honors of bringing your first child into the world. After a few minutes I stood up, slightly dizzy from having gotten up from the floor quickly. I quietly turned off the bathroom light and instead of going back to bed, I decided to fix myself something healthy to eat. I was feeling a tad peckish right now and was already up; might as well eat.
  "Marco?" I asked. It was early in the morning, I didn't expect to see him in the kitchen.
  "Hey, Rosie." He smiled. He has been staying with us for three months now and was still complaining about us not letting him pay rent. We hadn't told him about wanting him to be a donor, either. Hazel figured we should get to know him, let him become comfortable within our home before springing the 'Please impregnate one of us artificially conversation' onto him.
   "Oh, hi. Um... can I talk to you?"

   "Sure.  I was just..." He set down the mop and organic floor cleaner and bucket of water.
   "Cleaning, I can see that."
   "Don't tell Hazel. See, she insists on letting m stay here without doing anything and you guys have a wedding to plan and a baby to prepare for; I should be helping you take care of the house and everything, not mooching off you."
    "Marco, you're her fine, it's fine, okay?"
    "Just... okay. What did you want to talk to me about?"
    "Okay, well... have you ever donated?"
    "Donated what? Blood once, yes. Anything else, no. I am an organ donor, though, I mean, I signed the back of my driver's license."
     "Good for you. I mean sperm donor."
     "I-" He froze up. I could tell I just made this conversation awkward. "Why?"
      "You're Hazel's childhood friend. Her past. She lost her mother and father, her girlfriend who she came out with, I mean... she needs something to hold onto."
      "Doesn't she have you?"
      "Yes, but you're different. A guy. If I want to have a child with her, it takes a lab. You could go to the bank and... it wouldn't be difficult."
      "I don't know. I would have a child then, wouldn't I?"
      "Hazel and I would. You'd be the donor."
      "That's the thing. I don't know if I can do that. If I ever someone fertilize an egg, I don't want to never be part of its life. I wouldn't dare call myself dad, I wouldn't be there for every big moment, but I'd want to try and stay involved the best I can. I'm a traveling business man... I fly out for a few months at a time and the come back for two, three, sometimes four month, then fly out for half a year to three or four years, then come back."
     "You don't want to leave a child, something that was once part of you, behind?"
     "Exactly. I don't want to be a parent, I wouldn't take that from anyone, I just want to be like that uncle you see at holidays who gives you awesome stuff because he doesn't see you often."
     "You want to be an uncle?"
     "Something... I wouldn't tell the kid who I am, I'd just be a friend of the family."
     "It seems doable, I could ask Hazel."
     "That's another thing..."
     "What? Hazel?"
     "I had a big crush on her as a kid... it would seem... the future I didn't get."
     "Marco, it would be okay. You could still find a wife and everything, you'd have nothing, no obligations, to our family."
     "Maybe. I might donate... I have to leave in two days to fly out for a bit longer than expected, ten months. When I come back, I might consider it."
     "The baby's due in six."
     "So it would be four months old, roughly... another baby would mean there would be about a year difference between them?"
      "Just consider it, okay?"

      "I will." He smiled at me as I turned to walk back up the stairs. I may have just completed our goal of asking Marco and having him say yes. I was excited for this baby, we both instantly loved it, but I could tell Hazel wanted to experience what I was, only with less risk... I could tell she wished she could carry our child and know what I was going through.

7.6 Part Two: Love is Quick

   "The power's back!" Rosie exclaimed, as she began sliding into her jeans.
   "Really?' I said, sitting up in bed. We had decided since we had officially started dating, already lived together, and already technically slept together, sharing the master bedroom and the queen sized bed would make more sense then having separate rooms. I glanced up, noticing the dim glow coming from the light bulb. "It's about time; it has been ten days since they blacked out."
    "Come on, let's crank up the heat and go outside."
    "That's funny." I chuckled.
    "Huh?" She asked, as she began buttoning up an adorable jacket.
    "We're going to turn up the heat so it's nice and toasty in here and instead of enjoying the heat, we're going out go outdoors, where it is," I stole a glance at the thermometer that was on the balcony, "Thirty-one degrees."
     "Please? I know it's backwards, but come on. I wanna go outside and show you something."
     "If it'll make you happy." I sighed, getting out of bed and quickly getting dressed. She rushed out of the room, down the stairs, to the outdoors. I followed her, not as excited. We had survived ten freezing days, why go outside when our house had practically became an igloo? "Brr." I said, shivering as I took Rosie's hand.
    "Here." She said, leading me to the bridge. "Isn't it beautiful out here? The snow makes everything look like a winter wonderland."

    "We can enjoy that wonderland from our home... I could make us mugs of tea and organic cinnamon muffins. We haven't seen each other completely..." I trailed off, hoping none of the neighbors came out. I wouldn't want them to hear my suggestions for what we could do in the bedroom. Let's just say that since the power went out we hadn't exactly been stripping down to our panties and bras and I, only having seen Rosie's body one hundred percent uncovered on a night I didn't exactly remember (consider how dark it was), wanted to try some new things and see Rosie. All of her.
   "Isn't out here more romantic?"
   "I'm freezing... I guess it would be, if it wasn't for that."
   "So yes! Good, I have a surprise for you."
   "Surprise?" I exclaimed. We hadn't left the house since the power outage, so whatever she had she had before her trip or got on it. "What is it."

   "Hold on, I don't just wanna blurt it out."
   "What is it? Please?" I begged, eager to know what my lovely beautiful as a rose Rosie had.
   "Patience, patience."
   "Cold stole patience." I glanced at her, as she began lowering herself onto the ground, into the ankle deep snow. "Careful, it's freezing. Your jeans look thin. Don't get frostbite..."

     "Hazel Janes." Se smiled at me. "Do you have a guess yet? Think ya know what's going on?"
     "Nope." I shrugged. Rosie looked adorable in her coat as her cheeks and nose were turning red. I knew whatever she would do would be romantic and sweet and well planned, but as the chilly wind bit at our exposed faces and my bare hand, I had to struggle to stay happy and patience. I couldn't get annoyed, no matter how freezing it was. "Please tell me."
    "Alright." She sighed, as if she was only because I begged her to. She turned around, taking something from her coat pocket. I leaned forward, trying to see what it was.
  

   "Hazel Janes." She smiled, as she opened up her hands. A small ring box was placed firmly between them. A ring box... was she- no, she wouldn't. We had just started dating. It was true, we'd known each other for almost nine months, but Rosie seemed like the date for a few years, take a plane to Paris, and pop the question by a pond or the Eiffel Tower type of girl. If anything, I thought I'd be the one with the ring box; I was the one who wanted the relationship for so long, I'd mentally been in it longer.
   "Yes?" I squealed and not because of the cold.
   "I love you."
   "You-" I gasped. She had been the first on to say the L word. "I love you, too."

   "I hoped you did." She smiled. "This might surprise you." I nodded quickly. It defiantly had. "But here, in my hands, I hold a ring box. Inside the ring box is a ring. I don't want this ring to just be a ring though. I want it to represent us and everything we've been through. We haven't known each other long, just nine months almost... most proposals that come around the nine month mark are because of a pregnancy. For us, though, that isn't the case. It isn't biologically possible for it to be the case." I laughed; it was the truth. I wanted, still want, a baby, but it would take science to get me one, or an adoption agency.
   "See, I may have only know you nine months, but we've only dated ten days. Ten days seems like a long time, yet it doesn't. A third of a month. We aren't even one of those couples who can tell you the hour, the minute, or the second our relationship began; we aren't a rush into marriage couple. In those ten days, I've gotten to know you better than anyone else. I've done things to stay warm with you, Hazel, that I wouldn't tell anyone else about. After doing those things, it seems like a ring should be required.

    I bought this ring in France. It's old, I'll give it that, but this diamond has history. It has meaning. Just like our relationship, we rose out of hideous ashes and cultivated something beautiful. And before you asked, yes everything is environmentally friendly and the working conditions of everyone involved in the ring making process were fairly treated and well paid. I checked because I knew you cared about things like that. I made it my personal goal to give this ring away before the year ended. I didn't want to go into next year alone, I want to go into it with you, with adventure and mystery. That is why I'm here today, in the cold, asking you a question. Hopefully my goal will be completed and I'll give you this ring when you answer this question: Hazel Janes, will you spend the rest your life with me? Everyday we can get to know each other better and I hope that you'll accept and I can spend everyday with you. Will you marry me?"

   "Yes! Yes, of course I'll marry you!" I exclaimed, jumping up and down. Rosie slid the ring onto my finger, as I  bounced up and down. I was going to get married. My girlfriend proposed! My fiancee was Rosie! "Oh my gosh!"
   "Oh thank goodness." Rosie said, as she stood up.
   "Rosie! Did you ever think I'd say no?"
   "For a minute there, I though you'd storm inside because of the weather."
   "No, never. I might complain, but you said it would make you happy, so I tried to comply. If you told me what would happen, I would have been out here in a heartbeat, no complaints."

   "That would have ruined the surprise." She smiled, as I embraced her. Soon we weren't talking about our engagement, we were celebrating with warm, lustful kisses. I slipped my glove-less hands underneath her jacket, partly to stay warm, partly to hint what would happen when we went inside.

   "Let's get inside... maybe we could celebrate our enagement with a little less fabric..."
   "...and a lot more alcohol." She completed my sentence for me.
   "Alcohol! Reminds me. Rosie, child." I was talking so quickly, my sentences came out in fragments.
   "How does alcohol remind you of children?"
   "You can't drink it when pregnant. We're engaged, maybe we could talk about children now. Adoption is timely and we may not get a baby for a year or more..."
   "Donors." She said simply. "Hazel, I want to hold a piece of you. I want to hold you child. See, you're a wonderful person who cares about the world around her-"
   "And you're a sweet, intelligent, loving lady-"
   "Imagine what you child would be like."
   "Our child. Imagine what our child would be like."

   "Maybe... we do need to research more, I just know that I want a little baby boy or girl that has some of you in it."
   "And I want a baby that has some of you in it." I looked up, suddenly gasping.
   "What? What's wrong?"
   "Nothing's wrong...but it's Marco!"
   "Marco?" She asked.
   "Childhood friend, helped me cope when my mom passed, is caring and sweet and went to college for forever." I rushed over to greet him and invited him inside, with Rosie confused and Marco stuttering out words, we all walked to the living room together and sat on the couch.

   "Marco, what are you doing back in Appaloosa Plains?" I asked. Last time we talked... the last time we had a conversation, he confessed his love for me, then left after he figured out that I wasn't interested in anyone of the opposite gender. At least, that's how I saw it.
   "I heard about the storm on the news. My mother's getting older and Bethani, my sister, has had difficulty coping with the loss of our father."
   "I'm sorry." Rosie said. "Oh and I'm Rosie, Hazel's fiancee! Fiancee, can you believe it?"
   "Um...wow. Did I interrupt anything? I can go, if you want. Sorry, I mean congrats. He stood up, moving towards the door.
   "No, please stay." I said, standing up and pulling him back onto the couch. "We were best friends and I haven't seen you in a long time. We're talking. Okay?"
   "Sorry, Hazel." He smiled, looking into my eyes. I saw the Marco from all those years ago, the wild haired, beanie wearing Marco, not the slicked back hair business man Marco who had stubble on his chin. He had aged greatly; stress does that to you. "I didn't... I just, ya know. I'm in town to help my mother move into a nursing home. I thought I'd stop by and see if you were okay or needed any help. I ran into that one girl, what's her name? The one you introduced me to?"
   "AJ?"
   "Yeah, that's it! AJ. We chatted and she told me about some ten year deal, apparently she's moving to California and that deal's over. She gave me your address and told me to tell you to go to hell. I'm guessing you guys didn't end well."

    "Angry ex?" Rosie guessed. I'd briefly told her about my relationship with AJ when explaining why I needed a roommate, but I didn't mention any names.
    "Yep." I nodded, waiting for Marco to keep talking. "How long are you in town?"
    "A few months, probably three or four. I don't have any business deals to tend to until March, so I thought I'd pay a visit to my hometown for a bit. Would make my family happy."
    "Do you have a place to stay?"
    "I was going to stay at a hotel." He shrugged. "I mean, with my mom's house being sold and Bethani planning to move away with her boyfriend I didn't have many options."
    "A hotel!" Rosie exclaimed. "For three or four months? That's insane."
    "It is." I agreed. "We have two spare bedrooms, I mean if Rosie's okay with it..."
    "I defiantly am."
    "Then you should stay with us."
    "I wouldn't want to intrude. You probably have wedding stuff to do, anyways."
    "You're staying." I said. Marco ran away once, it wasn't happening again. Or at least, if it was, I was going to get to spend some time with my old best bud.
    "Okay... I can pay rent and-"
    "Marco, we're friends. Friends do this type of thing all the time. No worries about money." I smiled at Rosie, as she nodded in agreement with me. I missed Marco. We had known each other so well and when he left... I liked having part of my past that was good stay in my life. "Hey, are you single? Got kids?"
    "Yes and no." He said, looking surprised that I asked. Him staying gave me an idea. I liked him, he was a male, and Rosie and I want children... as long as he was alright with it and Rosie agreed to it, it made sense. He was well educated, muscular, and handsome. He'd make a great donor, I'd just have to chat with Rosie when he went out sometime. Maybe... maybe, maybe.

    "Let's show you your room." Rosie said, standing up.
    "Defiantly." I agreed. I reconnected with an old friend, who might provide what I needed to create a baby, and got engaged; how perfect was today turning out?

7.6 Part One: Back Home

   I set my mug of green tea on the dining table as I stretched. It was nice and early on a Tuesday morning; I'd be getting ready to go off to work any minute.  I sneaked a peak out the dining room window to see what had concerning the weather over night. A thin sheet of ice coated everything, from the walkway, to the pool, to my plants. About to quickly gulp down my tea and eat a few almond and apples from my garden, I turned away from the window just as a little bop of red-orange caught my eye. Rosie was home! A smile instantly appeared on my face, from ear to ear, as I rushed to the front door.
 "Rosie had been gone two and a had months, it was now mid-December. I wasn't sure what she was doing traveling across France and parts of Europe on some sort of exotic wine hunt (probably just drinking wine, but that seemed too ordinary for her), but it had taken awhile. I flung open the door as an icy blast of wind greeted me, along with a hug from my roommate.

   "Welcome back home."
   "Thanks! I have so much to tell you. It's gotten really cold since I left, though. I can't believe it's only six degrees out there. The airport taxi had to drive incredibly slow, since they were worried if they slid or something while going out of county I'd sue the company. That's why I'm home later."
   "You're not later, it's still pretty early."
   "Not for a flight that got in at five am, but otherwise yeah."
   "So..."
   "Hey, can we watch the news? I've been out of touch for almost three months and wanna know what's been going on."
   "Sure." I said, taking a seat on the couch and flipping on the television. A balding man was blaring on about the importance of driving slowly and being careful about black ice. "As you can see, not much has happened since you left. Oh! A gas station was robbed. The thief took a couple six packs, some gum, and the cashier's Costco membership. That's probably the worst and sadly most exciting thing that's happened."

   "If there's one thing I like about Appaloosa Plains, it's that I can always count on it to be dull and uneventful... therefore, stress free." She said, as she took off her heavy winter jacket, snow boots, and gloves.
    "I wouldn't exactly call it stress free." I mumbled, thinking about what had happened between us. In the months Rosie was gone, she had cut all contact with Washington and solely relied on the locals for conversation and news about the USA. We hadn't talked about that night since the morning after and I needed clarity. I liked her, I still did, but where did she stand? How did those months in Europe change her views? Did they even do anything?
   "...and remember folks, if you see a downed power line, call your electric company, do not go near it. For more tips about what to do during power outages call-" Suddenly our television and the light began flickering in a few second things went room completely lit to pitch black.
   "The power went out!" I exclaimed. "...guess I'm not going in to work."
   "Why not?"
   "I couldn't get ready and my roommate just got back, plus the lab uses this power company and chances are if something happened, ice or a damaged line, they would be powerless as well. No power, no heat, no lights, no working machinery no work."
   "Ah... lucky you."
   "I guess."

   "What should we do? Depending on how long this lasts... I mean, you don't have a generator, do you? And we can't use those one type of heaters, the ones that could poison us."
   "I don't have any type of heater, so no worries about the poison part... don't open the fridge, I know that much. I probably have some candles in the basement between your wine machinery and the wall."
   "You set it up for me? Aww, that's so sweet."
   "I had time." I shrugged, trying to refrain from blushing. "So, you go look for those, I'll get blankets. I think we're suppose to stay in one room with the doors closed so that way the heat doesn't escape...basically, go as quickly as possible."
   "Alright." She said, standing up in her socks and flimsy t-shirt with quarter sleeves. We both headed to our locations, gathering supplies. I took the blankets from the closet that were hideous color, greens and oranges and floral designs, and headed back down stairs. A trail of tea light candles led me from the bottom of the stairs to the living room. On any other day, this would have been a huge fire hazard; this morning I was grateful for them.
  "Oh, you found my battery operated stereo!"
  "I figured for the news or something." She shrugged, bending down to light another candle.
  "I've got blankets and extra socks. They're  synthetic wool, so on hundred percent alright for vegans." Neither of us were vegans, but I still bought a majority of household products that were certified as vegan friendly.
   "We need to talk, Hazel."
   "Yeah... we have nothing but time until the light come back on, I guess." I joked, trying to not plunge straight into serious mode. "Um, you probably should go first."

   "Hazel... we slept together."
   "Diving right in, okay then."
   "We're both adults, we should talk like that then."
   "Rosie, I know... I just... I have trouble looking back and regretting it  because I don't. Like I've said before, I'd never hurt you, but I liked that night. I'm sorry. Have you talked with Gwen yet?"
   "She met me at the airport. I told her... that's why I took a taxi back, she stormed out of the place. We're done. Over... there was two reasons I went on the trip. The first was to put off the breakup." I assumed the second was wine.
   "I'm sorry."
   "No need to be, I knew. Those two and a half months gave me coping time. She was angry, she  said she knew it... the thing is, she almost seemed happy that she was right. I apologized and she got to make a scene. We did what we could to try and make the relationship survive, but in the end it couldn't."
   "Do you blame me?" I asked, being a bit selfish. I was having trouble sleeping, thinking that maybe her had decided to cope by hating me; I couldn't live with that if it was true.
   "I blame both of us. We both started it... I agreed to cheat, you agreed to help me. I'd like to move on though, from that. Move forward. Not necessarily forget, but not cling to that and label us as that."
   "Moving forward sounds great..."

     "I want to continue living here, if that's okay."
     "It's more than okay, it's great. I don't want to have to interview someone else."
     "I don't want to have to search the Internet hoping the people posting the ads aren't insane, murderous lunatics." She smiled, taking my hand.
     "So you'll stay? I was worried you wouldn't."
     "Defiantly am staying."
     "We should probably bundle up, it's getting chilly..."
     "You know the best way to stay warm?"
     "No, what is it?"
     "Body heat. You know what would create the most body heat right now?"
     "Spooning?" I asked, trying to avoid the gutter.
     "Not exactly spooning, but close. I'd say begin with a kiss and go from there."
     "A kiss?" I asked, confused now. Was she teasing me and just joking, or did she want me to kiss her?

     "Hazel Janes, will you go steady with me?"
     "What? Of course! But, I thought you wanted to move forward... aren't I from the past?"
     "I want us to move forward. Together. I want us to rise from the ashes of our wrongdoings and, together, make something great."
     "You're such a romantic."  I whispered, staring into her eyes. I never noticed before tonight how beautiful they were. An endless pool of her caring love...
     "I try." She shrugged.
     "As do I... you just can't tell." I laughed. I leaned forward, taking her hands as we went into a tender embrace, my lips meeting hers, as we kissed, no longer having our relationship be forbidden.
     "I was thinking..." I quietly said, as I held her in my arms, "I want a baby sometime..."
     "What?!" She exclaimed, pulling back. "Babies are precious, but now? We just started dating... literally, just started."
      "Well... It was just, I love having plants to care for. They need me to survive and if I take care of them well, I get fresh and bountiful harvests. During the winter, I don't get to care for them... and it was so lonely without you.
    Imagine a giggling child here. I could read to it and teach it about nature, we could go on picnics and nature hikes. See, if I were to raise a child, ever smile, every milestone, it would be amazing and special. And since we technically can't have a baby, I thought, well, if I have a relationship that doesn't work out, it wouldn't be like with a mum and father, since the child would just be mine. I'd need a donor of course or I could adopt, either way... never mind, it's silly."
     "It isn't silly, it's sweet. You want a baby and I do want children eventually. Maybe... we should talk more. I'm not going to let you be a single mother, though. I think we should think about having a baby together... After the power comes back on, we can do research, talk more..."
    "You're amazing Rosie."
    "Why? I haven't done anything amazing lately." She looked at me, her bangs hanging over part of her eye.
    "You just are. Also, I mean, you're considering a baby because I want one." I pushed the hair out of her eyes, as I stood on my tip-toes to kiss her forehead. Rosie and I had finally started the relationship I yearned for for so long; a kiss was my paradise and her affection worth every second that I waited.
 Rosie Kinnely was a wonderful, caring, intelligent, kind lady who agreed to share all her wonderfulness and intelligence and kindness with me who was considering having a baby, a family, together. What more could I ask for?

7.5: Wake Up, It's Awkward

NOTE: You know the drill, if you're easily offended please read with caution

   Here's thing about afterthoughts. You don't have them until after whatever has happened has already happened and there's no possible way to reverse it, without altering the timeline. Even when you have them, or say something as the result of one, people know that it wasn't what you were thinking or doing, your mind just happened to drift there. There's no reversing it. I don't want to reverse the morning and make sure that the night never happens, I just sure as hell wish that the morning didn't exist and I didn't have to deal with everything. That would be the afterthought.

  "Ughh..mh..." Rosie mumbled, as I slept on, leaning against her. The many joys of having a rather scandalous night is you get to spoon afterwards. "What's...my back hurts..." She sat up, wondering who was still snoring. It, of course, was me, not a ghost. Her room wasn't haunted by anything other than her own thoughts. "Hazel! Oh..." She began thinking about last night, as she poked and prodded me to awaken.
    "Rosie...stop..." I groaned, wanting to sleep in. "Vacation..."
    "Hazel, please."
    "Ugh...fine." I sat up, suddenly aware that I was in her bed and last right wasn't an insane sex dream. Wonderful. "I'm...I'm... did we? We did..."
     "We should talk."
     "We have to."  I said, propping myself up with my elbows as I rolled out of bed.

      "Sorry for waking you."
      "No problem, it was your bed, after all."  I shrugged, trying to lift the heavy mood and replace it with a lighter, carefree one. "Sorry, this just..."
      "Yeah." She nodded. "At least we both have PJs that are cute."
      "At least I'm wearing something." I laughed. "Imagine how much more awkward this would be if I was naked."
      "If you take how awkward you just made it, add ten, divide by three, and add point nine seven every time you take a breath and subtract that from a hundred thousand billion, I'm guessing it would be a number in that range."
     "Didn't know that you were a math nerd."
     "I'm not, I just bothered to show up to class in middle school."
     "Hey, I was busy saving the planet and that one breed of rare birds you've never heard of."
     "I know, I'm kidding." She smiled as she readjusted her top.
     "It's getting hot in here..."
     "Yeah." I glanced at  her as she glanced at me. Neither of us were wearing much clothing, so it was rather humorous to think that we'd comment of the temperature being too high.
     "Want to go out to the balcony to chat?"
     "Yeah, good idea." I said, as I followed her to the outdoors.

   "So...we did that."
   "We did."
   "Thank goodness I didn't drink more... I probably wouldn't remember enough to talk about it."
   "I can't help but think that it would make things a little easier."
   "Don't you feel terrible?"
   "Yes." I confessed. I did. I always liked her, I still did, but I didn't think things would begin this way. You wouldn't place blame on either one of us; we were both at fault and I'd admit it. "I'm sorry..."
    "Don't apologize to me. I feel horrible, but it was good. Gosh. Hazel, we're good friends. Really good friends. I don't need an apology, but Gwen does. How will I tell her?"
    "I could..." I didn't wan to, but for her I would make the sacrifice of telling my roommate's girlfriend that we slept together. "Hey, at least we're not straight. Imagine if you, or I, was like, a guy... one of us could end up pregnant. That conversation would be even worse then the one you or I'll have with her."
    "Ya know, I probably should talk with her so you don't bring that up."
    "Probably. I swear, though... look, I'm... I con't know how to handle this. Rosie, I've never been part of a cheating whatever the hell this is before. I'm using poorly spoken humor to cope, okay?"

     "I understand it's tough for you, but dammit I cheated on my girlfriend who thought I shouldn't room with you  because I'd cheat on her and I did! I proved her right! I called her a bastard that night, but look at me." She looked down at her feet, as I wished I could help her.
   "I'm sorry... I want to fix this for you, I really do." Regret is a feeling you'll never forget. I regretted hurting Rosie, I regretted not being able to fix everything.

   "It," She began sniffling. "Our relationship was going to end, anyway. we were on a roller coaster that only headed down, this was just the extra pull of gravity we needed to crash down."
   "I'm sorry."
   "Stop apologizing. Please."
   "I apologize because I have nothing else to say. I want you to know I care and I want you o know that I want to fix it, but how to I tell you that? How do I tell you? I don't know, so I apologize."
   "You don't have anything to say? Neither do I. Look at me, I'm crumbling."
   "Aren't we all?"
   "I don't know. Stop! I need stuff to make sense again. Please, make it make sense. I slept with you, but I have a girlfriend. I'm a cheater. I obviously have feeling for you, but I don't know what those feelings are. What are they hiding as? Just make sense to me."
   "I like you."
   "That doesn't make sense."
   "I know...when the hell does liking someone ever make sense?"
   "Stop yelling!"
   "I'm not."
   "Well... I should stop yelling."
   "If you want. Whatever you want."
   "Didn't want to cheat... didn't mean I didn't want you, I just didn't want to cheat."
   "We both wanted each other at that one moment. Rosie, I still want you."

   "No, Hazel, no." Se backed away, bringing her arms to her face. "You can't." I knew I couldn't. I knew Rosie was a forbidden fruit, but you always want something more when it is forbidden, don't you?
   "I'm sorry. I felt like I should be honest. get all the feeling on the table."
   "I said no apologizing..."
   "You either get me apologizing or saying the ugly truth or using attempted jokes tat fail."
   "I want all of that. All of you, but I can't. You don't understand."
   "Neither do you. I feel like crap. I never wanted to hurt you. Ever. And I did by getting closer to you. Rosie, last night was great, but the aftermath is catastrophic."

   "It has to be. If it was any other way, it wouldn't be us."
   "Is there an us?"
   "Who knows? There's a me and a you and if you put it together, somehow you lose a bunch of letters and get a U and a S."
    "Spelling and love didn't both coordinating."
    "Nothing does... I've decided though. I know what to do."
    "What?"
    "It's cowardly."
    "I don't care."
    "I'm going to tour France for the next few months. Go on a wine extravaganza."
    "What about Gwen?"
    "I have to tell her the truth. I'll call her, tell her I did something and I can either pay to fly her out here or tell her on the phone. I'm running low on money, but I can't go back yet."
    "Will you break up?"
    "I don't think she'll take me back. I don't think I want her to."

    "You don't want her to?" I asked, my eyes shining. Rosie didn't want Gwen to take her back. That means... maybe, maybe she'd consider me. I wouldn't push her, we'd have our months apart, but maybe, just maybe.
   "Look, I need a break. Time alone."
   "So do I... in Washington, though."
   "I'm going to get ready and shower... I think I'll begin my wine tour tonight."
   "I'm going to go look for cheesy souvenirs so that way maybe we can have one second during this morning that isn't awkward."
   "Knock, knock."
   "Huh?"
   "I just thought of something I did with my parents. I'd go to their bedroom and knock on their door and say knock, knock."
   "Aww, you must have been an adorable kid."
   "You probably were too."
   "Who's there?"
   "Huh?"
   "Your knock, knock joke."
   "Oh! Duh. Wake up."
   "Wake up who?"
   "Wake up, it's Rosie... only this time I think it would be wake up, it's awkward."
   "Defiantly." I laughed. "I"m going to go get dressed. Ya know, shoppers general appreciate that."
   "Yeah, generally." I opened the door, stepping inside her room. I gathered up my clothing and quickly walked, or ran, depending on who you asked, to my room. I got dressed, applied a generous amount of makeup to hide how little I slept because I was with Rosie doing things we weren't going to talk about anymore. I began my journey to a cute boutique, casually strolling through the streets of suburban Paris. I stepped into the gift shop and was greeted by a plump lady who, like most in France, spoke French.

  "I'm looking for a sorry your girlfriend cheated on you with me gift. Any ideas?"
  "Français! Parler français, s'il vous plaît. Mais, vous avez besoin d'un cadeau d'excuses?"
  "Stupide américain. Anglais, s'il vous plaît." I said, sighing. If I learned one thing from my trip, other than cheating is messy, it was how to say 'Stupid American. English, please.'
   "You need an apology gift, oui?"
   "Oui. Something nice, ya know?"
   "You cheat, how do I know? I do not cheat."
   "Didn't say you did."
   "The implications, though."
   "It seems like I have a horrible habit of offending the French... this really isn't my country."
   "We can tell."
   "I probably should head back to the bed and breakfast..." I sighed, turning to go.
   "You need romance advice, oui?" A petite, blonde teenager turned towards me, smiling.
   "Oui." I said, not expecting real advice. Teenagers were teenagers, after all.

   "Here iz what you do. You do not force zee love. The love is from zee heart, oui? Oui. You cannot force zee heart. You wait and if the heart lets you love, you love. If the heart does not let zee love out, you are not for them. If zay have a foolish heart, zay are, how you say? The heart does what the brain iz not ready to do. The brain not ready for them to love again, but zay say nothing? Zee heart, their heart, that iz what tells you. You wait for the heart."
   "You wait for the heart... thank you. Does everyone stop and give you love advice here in Paris?"
   "Oh, no!" She laughed. "Zee world is scarted of zee heart, because we cannot do our tests on it. I bring clarity, oui. I help zee lost hearts and lost tourists. Mostly tourist, see France, we get lots. Oui, lots."
   "Oh... well, thank you."
   "You are welcome. Remember, wait. Wait and the hearts tell you."
   "Wait and the heart tells you..." I whispered, as I walked away. Rosie's brain was a mess, as was mine, but maybe our hearts would find each other. There was no way to tell, other than to let our hearts take their time...

7.4: French Wineries and Mistakes

 Author's Note: Yeah, there's no language of the not good variety in this chapter, I just wanted to say hey and thank you for reading and not being, I appreciate it. So hey and thanking you for reading. More specifically, thank you for not being illiterate, so you're able to read my legacy. You're awesome.☺

  "We have a few hours before the sun sets and we have to go back to the bed and breakfast. I was thinking I could purchase my wine making machine and have it shipped to our house, then we could maybe tour the winery, if you'd like, then go outside and you could harvest a few rare grapes and see if you can find any seeds." It was the third day of our vacation and so far Rosie and I had only done tourist activities, like visiting the Eiffel Tower, eating delicious pastries, and visiting breathtaking museums that were much better than Appaloosa Plains' crummy artsy museum.
  "Sounds like a plan."
  "A good one, hopefully."
   "It is." I said, looking around the winery we had just stepped inside.I glanced around at the crates of wine that varied from being weeks, to months, to decades, to centuries old. The air's sweet, but musty aroma of grapes filled my nostrils as Rosie began browsing the racks.
  "Puis-je vous aider?" A pretty French woman stated. What was she asking? I thought back to French class, wishing that I was as good at foreign language as I thought I was. Aider meant help, I knew that, so she must be asking if she could help us. 
  "Oui." I replied to her. "Outils de vin? S'il vous plaît? Wine tools? Please?"
  "Hey, Hazel," Rosie smiled at me as if to say 'I'll handle this' and I instantly felt foolish. 
  "Oh, yeah. Sure. Sure." Rosie began speaking to the lady working the register in rapid French. In a few moments she had purchased he win making equipment and had it shipped to Appaloosa Plains, Washington, USA.
   "The tour now?" I asked, eager to learn about what interested Rosie so much.
   "Sure." She smiled and began walking, leading me around the place. "There are several tasting rooms up here, along with the stock that's available to purchase. In the back there's also wine making machinery were you can purchase wine making lessons or rent a machine. Now, if we go down the stairs to the basement, we can see some really neat things."  

   "Like what?" I asked, as I began climbing down the stairs.
   "Oh, I wouldn't want to spoil it..."  She chuckled, as she teased me; my imagination began running wild with possibilities of what was in the basement of an ancient French winery.
   "Really? Because I'd be fine with it." I glanced around the basement. There were barrels upon barrels of wine, but nothing I would consider spoil worthy. "What's down here?" 
   "Well, if we take a step this way..." She led me to another room. "We can see a three hundred year old barrel of wine that survived the Révolution Française, or French Revolution."
    "Interesting." I said, even though I thought the opposite.
    "Go over to that wall."
    "Why?"
    "I've heard some rumors within the wine community and would like to see if they're true, that's all."

    "Okay, why not." I shrugged and walked over to the wall. I began feeling it, hoping that some clue would come about.
    "Look for a crevice near the bottom between two stones."
    "Odd..." I mumbled under my breath, as I leaned down looking for a crevice. Was my little lady crush a completely eccentric gal?
    "Don't worry... I'm not crazy."
    "I'm molesting a wall at your instruction. Now what exactly is your definition of crazy?" I stood up and leaned against the wall. Suddenly, I heard a creaking noise. "Rosie, did you hear that?"
    "You mean the noise of a hidden door opening as I prove my sanity? Maybe a little." I spun around to see a hidden passage way revealed.
     "Was this the rumor?"
     "That there was a passage way under the winery? Defiantly. Want to do a little exploring?"
     "Do I want to do something reckless that would endanger my safety with someone I've only known for six months? Of course!"
      "Seems like your morals are a bit questionable, but I'll roll with it."
      "What can I say, people with questionable morals have more fun."
      "Isn't that the truth." She muttered as we began walking through the passageway.

    The passage was dark and damp; it was exactly like a secret room that had been locked up for no one knew how long should be. Rosie, being resourceful, had remembered to bring a matchbook along so we could light the torches that lined the walls. The halls were long and winding, with pieces of broken pottery and worn artifacts that had left time get to them scattered about. Nothing special or interesting appeared, though. We kept walking through the rooms, hoping to stumble upon a chest or treasure of some kind, but didn't.
  "Rosie, we've been walking for a while, are you sure something's here?"
  "I wasn't sure if the passage was here, much less if there's something in them. We'll have to keep walking, unless you want to go back. We can if you want."
  "Nah, when else will I ever be in a damp, dirty, dark French corridor?" And so we kept prancing through the rooms, until finally we reached a rather lavish one that was lined with gold and silver chests. "Wow!" I gasped, shocked that we found something. I bent down, seeing if he chest closest to me was locked. It was not, so I pried it open to see rare seeds galore. "Look, these are probably unheard and ancient! I imaginable how wonderful my garden will be now..."

   "That's great." She smiled, helping me open the next chest to find a few scrolls that had a language, defiantly not the French I barely knew, on them.
    "Can you read them?"
    "No." She sighed as she unrolled and rerolled them all. "It looks like we'll need a keystone to continue, but I can't read the clues."
     "What now?"
     "You got your seeds and it is," She glanced at her cell phone, "Getting late. I'd say head back upstairs."
     "I do need to harvest some grapes..." Through the winding hallways we went once more, only this time to the basement. I climbed up the stairs and arrived at the front desk. "Hello, oui, may I harvest some fruits?"
     "Mademoiselle, nous sont fermées."
     "Miss... Parlez-vous anglais?"
     "Anglais? Oui. We are closed. Please come back tomorrow."
     "It'll mess up my schedule."
     "Stupide américain."
     "I don't speak a lot of French, but I understood that. Was that even French or just pretentious English with a few extra vowels? How about I not come back and not give your winery and vineyard money, oui?"  
     "Désolé, s'il vous plaît aller."
     "I did not understand that, but, um, I'm gonna go now."  I began blushing as I walked away from the front desk, my dignity a little torn. The cashier probably had some.
     "Adieu!" The lady called, as I pushed open the front door, stepping into the fresh night air.
     "Rosie?" I exclaimed. She was sitting on the steps of the winery in tears. Just moments ago she was happily leading me around underground. "What happened?"
     "W-w-well, I saw a cou-uple. They-ey were getting engaged!" She blubbered, a tear trickling down her smooth cheek. "I thought, hey it's like five pm her-re. Th-uh-at means it's morn-ning in Washington. I called..."
     "Oh, no. Rosie I thought you were better."  I sat down next to her. We went to France because she said she was alright. Said she could use the time to heal. I hadn't convinced her to do something when she was emotionally unstable, had I?
     "They're so happy... I wanna be hap-ppy. Hazy... I wanna be happy." 
     "Did you have anything to drink?" I asked. 
     "May-hic-be." She hiccuped  in the middle of her sentence. I could that she had had a glass or too of wine, not enough to make her totally incapable, but enough to make her call her girlfriend when she saw how happy other couples were. "Three tiny glasses from the tasting room. Three. I'm okay-kuh-ay Hazel." 
    "Are you sure? Look, I still think we should call it a night and get you back to the inn." 
    "Alright." She sighed. I stood up, giving her my hand so could as well. I quickly hailed a cab and, with the help of  Rosie as our translator, we ended up back at the bed and breakfast in no time at all.

   "Knock, knock." I said, gently tapping on Rosie's door. We had been back for a few hours, ate dinner, and decided to relax in our separate rooms for the remainder of the evening. I was just going to check on her before deciding to call it a night and venture into the world of slumber. "May I come in?" I asked. I heard a mumbled that I thought was a yes and pulled the door open.
   "Hey, Hazel." She greeted me, not hiccuping or crying or slurring her speech. "Sorry about earlier."
   "It's fine. You're okay, right?" I glanced past the wine she was pouring to the balcony doors. We were only on the second floor, but alcohol and heights were still general a bad thing.
    "I'm good. Hey, look I won't do anything I regret in the morning. Want a drink?"
    "I suppose... I mean, it's been a long day and couldn't hurt."
    "Vintage wine. Very delicate."

    "Knowing nothing about wine, I'll take your word for it." I took a glass and slowly sipped. The liquid slowly slipped down my throat, smooth. The rich flavor of grapes, blended with something else, a taste just out of reach, invaded my tongue and taste buds. "This is good...really."
   "I'm glad." She smiled, sitting the most full bottle on her dresser, as she herself took a sip from a glass. "There's notes of a variety of types of grapes used.. it wasn't the best growing season, not horrid..." She rambled on about the wine, the flavors and aromas and words that I didn't understand. "It's subtle, yet provides a complexity that provides the delicate tastes. Oh forget it, it's good wine. I'm tired of doing wine snob crap for today, I just want to enjoy my drink." 
    "Do you need anything?"
    "I don't know. I'm thirteen hours and who knows how many miles from Gwen in the city of romance. I though I'd be fine, but all I am is lonely. I feel like our relationship... it's tough, with all these couples and French. I think of these wine trips I took with her. Everything reminds me of her... except you. You're here for me. She isn't."
    "Look, I'm sure she's thinking about you, too." I said, wishing that I could act upon my feelings; I liked Rosie, I wished she was single so I could tell her.
    "Hazel, you're here for me."

    "Always." I whispered. "It's what friends do."
    "Friends..."
    "Rosie, you're amazing. Who wouldn't want to be friends with you?"
    "People. They don't matter, though. Nothing else..." She looked at me and I looked at her. You always wish things were different sometimes it's because you don't like what is currently happening, sometimes you wish you could let whatever happen happen without dealing with the consequences. Sometimes you let common sense and logic and every single thought fly away with the tumble of sheets and ripped tank tops and kisses and the body you thought you'd never get to love, but always wanted to. Because it's what both of you want for that moment. And moments don't have regrets, the people who string the moments together so that they form a life do.

7.3: The Artsy Museum

 NOTE: Once again, there's a little bit of bad language (no f- or sh- bombs) and mildly offensive stuff.

  There was something about the art museum that I connected with. There was a history here; not just an artistic one, but a personal one. I knew very little about my mother who passed such a long time ago and Booker... I couldn't call him dad anymore. I had made peace with myself, but the relationship was wrecked. I read somewhere that "Infamous Politician Dies: Still Not the Mayor" I skimmed the article and sure enough, it was Booker Singleton. Never mayor, never a husband, never a decent father. What's there to say?
  "Glad you could take a few minutes out of your day and come." Gwen snipped at me. "Even if you are a bit, shall we say, not on time." She was sitting on the left edge of a bench in the middle of the Fairy Folk & Towns exhibit, with Rosie to her right, in the middle.
   "We carpooled here together. Rosie drive, I sat shotgun and you sat behind me." I stated, confused. "I literally walked in here two seconds after you. How am I late?"
   "Excuses, excuses." She rolled her eyes as if everything I said was a lie. "Lets get down to business."

   "Hazel, being so amazing, already booked our rooms at this cute little bed and breakfast. It seems so homey, like a French country side inn. It's actually in the suburbs of Paris." Rosie beamed as she talked. With her radiant smile, grateful attitude, and freckled cheeks, she was like a sun outshining the gray thunderclouds that was Gwen.
   "I'm glad you like the bookings. We have to cancel withing a five day period in order to get a refund and since I booked them yesterday I figured there wouldn't be a problem if something were to come up. I've got two side-by-side rooms with a connecting bathroom, so we will have to share, but it won't be horrid."
   "We have to share a bathroom!" Gwen exclaimed, as if this was going to completely ruin her seven days six nights trip to a foreign country known for its arts, cuisine, and romance.
    "It was the best I could do, last minute. I did book the larger room under the name Kinnely instead of Janes, too, so you get a slightly nicer room."
    "That's so sweet of you, thanks." Rosie gushed. "Of course, I booked us plane tickets. We leave tomorrow at one pm and should check in and everything an hour or so prior to that time."
     "I've got my bags packed and figure we could swing by Gwen's around ten."
     "Sounds good." Gwen nodded, not bashing my idea.
     "I have to use the ladies, do you know where it is?" Rosie's cheeks turned a shade of red to match her pixie cut, as she asked.
     "Through the Family Life & Child Toys exhibit, to the right, down the stairs, and you'll see it." Gwen pointed through an arch to an exhibit that had vintage doll houses, a satin and lace baby's night gown, and even a miniature replica of a tractor. As soon as Rosie was out of sight, she turned towards me. "Now Hazel," She slyly said, scooting closer to me. "You know this trip is really romantic, right?"

  "I assumed it was for you two, considering the location."
  "You assumed right. Maybe we could find you a little boyfriend. I know that you're single and looking to play matchmaker with Rosie and I, so I figured maybe we should get you a French one nightstand or even a long term BF."
   "I did hear a rumor that the French make high quality furniture... of course, not as good as the Swedes. I really should go to IKEA sometime and buy more bedroom furniture. Thanks for reminding me."
    "Haha, you're hilarious. You know what I mean. A BF." She began talking slowly, like you would to a toddler who's just learning English. "Boooyyyffrriieeennnd. Bbbbooooyfffrrriennd. Beeeee-efffff."
    "Actually, I'd prefer you find me a petite amie, but beggars can't be choosers, I suppose."
    "A what?"
    "Petite amie. You know, girlfriend. Did you not take French in high school?"
    "Ghlac mé an Ghaeilge, is ní Frainc."
    "What language is that?"
    "Irish. I took that instead of French."
    "They offered that language? That sounds really neat... I thought it was just German, Spanish, and French."
    "If you- never mind. My schooling isn't the point. You're into girls?!"
    "Actually, I'm into ladies who are of legal age, not children, but I have a feeling that that isn't your point."
    "Stop being so damn witty!" She shouted, jumping up from the bench.
    "Sorry, gee, calm down." I stood up, trying to calm her down. "You know, Rosie may be the redhead, but you've got the fiery temper."

   "You've into Rosie. I can't believe she didn't tell me that she was rooming with a lesbian. I'm against moving in together before marriage and what does she do? Move in with someone who she could cheat on me with!"
    "I assure you, even if I was into Rosie, I wouldn't mess with you and her. Besides, you should trust her more. We've lived together for six months and neither of us has hit on one another."  That was a teeny white lie. Technically I had hit on her by giving her flowers the day I toured her, but we weren't living together yet, so it didn't count. It was also true that I had a crush on the redhead Rosie, but she didn't need to know that. I wasn't lying when I said I wouldn't dare mess with their relationship; as long as Rosie was happy with Gwen and wanted to continue dating her, I wouldn't suggest that her and I do anything vaguely romantic together.
   "I trust Rosie, but I sure as hell don't trust you! I read in the paper that you're the daughter of that wanna be mayor and his barely legal slutty girlfriend."
   "Do NOT insult my mother. Look, go ahead and bash Booker, he's a giant d-bag, but my mother? Off limits. Too far."
    "Hey, hey, what's going on?" I heard Rosie saying, as she walked up to our little girl fight.

    "Hazel's a lesbian."
    "Yep, known that for awhile. I'd also like to point out that so are you and me. Just calm down and don't be an intolerant bastard who is anti-LGBT. We don't need any verbal hate crimes."
     "I'm not! I'm just saying that if you wanted to, you could cheat on me with your roommate."
     "If I wanted to cheat on you, I wouldn't need Hazel to do so. Just putting that out there."
     "Can we calm down?" I said. "We're all going to France tomorrow and I promise that if we all apologize and say that we didn't mean any of it, just this once, we'll all forget it and have a great time."
     "No, Hazel, I won't forget it. I can't believe someone I think I love would talk like that to my friend who I happen to be living with. I won't stand for rudeness."
     "Rudeness?! Hate to break it to you, hon, but calling me a bastard wasn't cotton candy and rainbows." 
     "Don't be one and I won't call you one!"
     "That's the worst logic. I'm not going  to France with you if Hazel comes."
     "Fine, this isn't Hazel's fight. It's mine and yours. I'm going and so is she."
     "Please, relax. Don't break up because of this silly like this, just take a deep breath, count to ten, then talk." I quickly said, hoping it would help.
     "It won't work." Gwen said, but she still took a deep gasp of air. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Yeah, I was right. I'm still pissed and not going to France."
      "We aren't breaking up... are we?"
      "No. I won't let this bitch break us up, like she wants."
      "Stop it, stop it! I said no calling Hazel bad stuff."
      "Live with it, because I will! Look, maybe we need to spend a week apart. We'll talk afterwards, see where this goes."
       "Apologize to her, first."
       "Never." Rosie, tears in her eyes, turned and began running to the stairs. I followed her; she was my ride after all. We rode in silence to home, Rosie sniffling the whole way. When we arrived, she ran up the stairs, to her room. Why oh why did I have to mess things up for her? Why?
      

Rosie Kinnely's POV...

   I lay on my bed bawling, a book in my hands. I was reading some crime novel that belonged to Gwen. It was  about a computer technician who was hired by the local police force to reconstruct a computer and get data off of it. The computer had been thrown into the pier, with the body of the murdered person. They weren't sure if it belonged to the prime suspect or the tragically deceased. I was half way through and very intrigued about how it was going to end. I needed something to keep my mind off of the events that had happened a few hours ago.
  "Rosie?" I heard Hazel knocking at the door; it was the third time she had attempted checking on me. Each time I asked her to please let me by myself. My relationship wasn't over, but I still felt like I needed a mourning period to process what had happened. Right now I wasn't processing as much as I was ignoring.
  "Hazel, please, I need time alone."
  "It's ten pm and you haven't ate dinner yet. You need food, so I brought you some vegetable stew made with a celery broth. Everything's from my garden..."
  "I'm not hungry."
  "You love soup."
  "I know... please, can I finish reading my chapter?"
  "Sure, but I'm coming in anyway. I'm going to make sure you eat. You need to be healthy."
  "Fine..." I sighed, secretly happy that she cared about my health. Gwen sure didn't. She gently opened the door, quietly slipping inside my room. She sat the mouth watering soup on my desk, pulling the chair out so she could sit.

   "How's your book?" She asked, her eyes wide.
   "Gwen's. Not mine."
   "Oh... I'm sorry about tonight. It's my fault."
   "No it isn't." I sat the book on my dresser, adjusting the pillows. "Hazel, Gwen's a very jealous person. She's vain and expects be to only be focused on her. She can be really sweet at times, so I usually am lenient when she has a tantrum. Tonight, though she wasn't yelling at me, she was yelling at my friend. I won't stand for that."
   "Thank you , then for standing up to her. I still feel responsible, though... I guess the only one to blame is Gwen."
    "It's hard for me to place blame. She did give my one hundred dollars out of her nose job fund so I could fly to France."
    "She has a nose job fund?"
    "She always hated her nose, said it was too small or something. I thought it was cute. Still think it is." Her nose job fund was an example of vanity, but her taking money out of it was an example of her caring for me.
     "Are you still going there? Paris, France?"
     "I don't know... I mean, the plane tickets are nonrefundable. What do you think?"
     "Go, if you're emotionally stable enough to. It took you months took save up for the tickets and if you don't go, then you'll be set back by even more time."

     "True... should I call her and invite her to fly with us?" My mind was divided. I could call her and we might be able to make up and fly together or we could wait a week.
     "Wait to call. If you guys have a fight here, it's easier to get away then if you were to have a fight in France. I mean you could call, but I'd wait a little and let her cool off. You know her best, what would she do?" I knew exactly what Gwen would do. Wait a week to call me, then suggest we have a night of insane, lustful sex.
     "I should wait. If I call and she ends up yelling, it'll ruin France even more."
     "Don't think of France as ruined, think of it as a fun trip to get away from the tortures of Washington."
     "Appaloosa Plains, Washington... a whole bunch of insane fora state that doesn't have anything."
     "Hey, that should be their new slogan." She laughed. "I mean, Seattle and national parks and all aren't nothing, but they're close enough."
     "Thanks, Hazel." I smiled. I finally felt a little better.
     "For what, Rosie?"
     "Being like this. Caring and ignoring what I said when I wanted to be alone."
     "Very few people actually want to be alone, they want someone, they just don't know who's the right someone."

     "That's the truth." I stood up and reached over to hug her. we were flying to France together. A good friend and a recently romantically confused girl. The optimist in me was thinking: 'How could this possibly not end wonderfully?' Because if you took France and friends and wine, what did you get?  Perfection, if you asked me