My name is Rosemarie Hathaway, most commonly known as Rose. When I was two years old my mother was killed right in front of my eyes, we were out at the Park and some strange man came up to us, I was scared out of my mind. Mum and him started to fight and I don't just mean a small slap here and a punch there, they were fully going at it, so much so that when he threw mum down she died, I got told that it was from an aneurism caused by the blow to her head. Anyways, my little sop story gets better, I was adopted by possibly the best people EVER! Just two months after my mother's death I met Lorelai and Luke, they had a daughter two years older than me, Rory. So heres what happened, pretty much from the beginning.
I was sitting in St. Luscious orphanage in Hartford, minding my own business when I was suddenly hauled out of my seat at the colouring table and carried through the murky hallways to what we (meaning the orphans) had labelled 'hell'. It was named that because it seemed that whenever someone went in they didn't come back out. When you're stuck in a place like that you latch onto anything stable you can get your hands on, for us that was each other.
Kicking and screaming I tried, to no avail, to get out of Mrs. Carmikle's arms.
"I don't wanna go." I yelled, hitting her back and trying to squirm enough that she'd drop me.
"It's okay hunny, these nice people just wanna meet you. That's all." Mrs. Carmikle said as she patted my back, trying to calm me. I just tried harder, squirming and screaming; I put on a real show.
"NO! I DON'T WANNA SEE THEM!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. Just as we reached 'Hell' I buried my face in Mrs. Carmikle's neck, hoping against hope that I'd be going back to the colouring table.
"This is Little Rose." Said Mrs. Carmikle as she sat down on a seat, putting me on her lap and trying to turn me around to face the strangers in the room. I completely refused, keeping my face in her neck and my eyes screwed shut.
"Hey gorgeous, how are you?" asked a kind voice from behind me. I didn't answer, I did however slightly loosen my eyes, letting them just rest closed. I also loosened my grip around Mrs. Carmikle's neck. "I bet you were having fun until we dragged you in here hey? What were you doing?" she queried in the same kind and calming voice.
"I was drawing." I mumbled trough the long curtain of my dark brown hair that fell over my eyes.
"Yeah? Well what were you drawing?" she asked.
"A doggie." I said, letting go of Mrs. Carmikle's neck and opening my eyes fully, tucking my hair behind my ears as I did so.
"Well that sounds good. I always wanted a dog but Luke won't let me get one." She said tapping the man's leg. When he growled at her she just smiled. Looking back up at me again she smiled wider. "I'm Lorelai what's your name?"
"Rose." I muttered. I knew she already knew my name but it was nice that she'd asked me anyways. Most of the people that went through there were uptight, snobby people who only cared about being able to mould the perfect child.
"That's a nice name, I think you'd like our daughter Rory, she's only four. Do you know how many years older than you that is?" she asked quizzically, obviously trying to see how smart I was.
"This much years." I said, holding up two fingers. Smiling Lorelai nodded and laughed light heartedly.
"Yeah, that's right, two years older." Lorelai said. Looking to her side she smiled at Luke and nodded lightly. Once they had agreed on the unspoken question they looked to Mrs. Carmikle, both looking at her with another silent question. After a brief movement behind me I saw their smiles brighten a notch. "How would you like to go get some ice-cream and go to the park?" Lorelai inquired.
Smiling I turned to Mrs. Carmikle. "Can I?" I asked with hope in my eyes.
"Sure. How about you take Luke and Lorelai down to your room, get some clean clothes on and then you can head off." She said to me. No smile on her face, just the same stoic expression she wore every day. Next she turned to Luke and Lorelai, "You'll have to sign her out at the front desk before you go, okay?"
"Yeah, I got it." Luke said. It was the first time he had spoken but he wasn't like the others. His voice wasn't harsh or chastising, it was calm and comforting. Its deepness seemed to be a lullaby of its own.
Both of them standing up, Mrs. Carmikle set me on my feet next to them. I smiled up at Lorelai and reached my little hand up towards her larger, well manicured one. Walking down the hallway I told Lorelai all about the different rooms.
As we passed the rec room or the 'drawing room' as all the young ones called it I tugged on her hand and pulled her into the room. "Look. It's my doggie." I said holding up the badly drawn picture of the dog. Lorelai smiled, pulling out of my hands and inspecting it closely. The original marks of Blue pen I'd done were obscured by the dense sea of red someone had recklessly scribbled on.
"Wow, it's really good Rosie." She said crouching down to my level.
I smiled at her, face to face. I could see the colour of her eyes clearly from my position, where mine were a dark brown hers were bright blue. It was as if the sea had flown from the beach and right into her. "It gotsted wrecked." I said sadly. I'd gotten used to the fact that you couldn't keep many things the way you wanted to be around here and especially drawings and such that had been left alone. They were definitely gone. "I shouldn't have left it all alone out here. Everyone wrecks things around here." I said, rocking on my heels, trying to keep my tears at bay.
"Aww, it's okay." Lorelai said as she rubbed my arm soothingly. "You can draw another one and give it to me next time."
"Okay." I conceded.
As we continued on to my room we passed the dining area, the lounge room, the girls 1 dorm where all the girls over ten slept and the girls 2 dorm where anyone over five slept. As we reached the nursery I tugged Lorelai over to my corner. Pulling open my one draw I tried to stop the clothes from tumbling out but I couldn't stop them. As Lorelai crouched down next to me, grabbing the fallen clothes and folding them I searched for an outfit. When I couldn't find one I looked up at Lorelai who was smiling at a pair of overalls and a pink and white stripped top she'd laid out on my bed. When I looked at it I smiled too. It was my favourite outfit. The one I'd been looking for.
"This is cute, you should wear this." Lorelai said, holding up the outfit in front of me.
"Yeah!" I said in joy as I grabbed at it. Then I looked up at Luke, suddenly remembering that he was still perched, leaning against the doorway. "What you think?" I asked him, looking for approval.
"I like it." He said smiling.
"Scooch." Lorelai demanded as she came over to me. Lifting me up and onto my bed she smiled over at Luke and waved her hand in a dismissing manor. He chuckled as he left which made me laugh.
"Lorelai?" I asked quietly.
"Yeah?" she asked as she perched on my bed, next to where I was laying.
"Do you love Luke?"
"Yes. Very, Very much. Him and Rory are the two most important people in my life." She said, slowly stroking my stomach. I looked up at her sort of sadly; I'd always wanted to be the most important person in someone's life. "But I gots a whole big heart and a lot of free space." She said as her hand rose to her chest, resting just over her heart.
"Yeah." I said, still sad.
"Now let's get you changed missy." Lorelai said as she set about changing my nappy. I would have been out of them by then but no-one had the time to teach me how to use the toilet.
"Lorelai?" I asked again.
"Yeah gorgeous?" she asked as she finished situating my bum on top of the fresh nappy.
"How old was Rory when she started using the potty?"
"When she was right around your age. Why?" Lorelai asked.
"Because I still dunno how to use it." I said as tears sprung to my eyes. It had been a sore point for me. I'd wanted to stop using nappies for what felt like ages upon ages.
Looking up from finishing my nappy Lorelai saw my unshed tears and her face softened dramatically. Picking me up from the bed Lorelai hugged me close and I hugged her just as tight. I laid my head on her shoulder as she started swaying slowly.
"It's just another manic Monday,
Wish it was..." Lorelai sang softly to me. It was calming and comforting.
Raising my head I leaned into her ear and whispered the word, "Sunday."
Rearing back in shock Lorelai looked at me with a little smile. I returned the gesture tenfold, beaming as brightly as I could. Lorelai bounced me slightly in her arms as she continued smiling. "And how do you know that song missy moos?"
"My friend Mia listens to it before she goes to bed. She says it reminds her of her mummy and daddy. They died too." I told Lorelai in no un-certain terms.
"Well that's no good, is it?" Lorelai asked, sympathetically.
"Na, it isn't. My mummy died too." I said, once again lowering my head to Lorelai's shoulder. I probably would've cried but Lorelai started rubbing my back and swaying slowly around the room. "I seen the bad man hit her and throw her at the floor." I continued sadly.
Lorelai gasped at my confession and hugged me closer. Out of the corner of my eye I briefly saw Luke walking back to the doorway. He and Lorelai must have shared one of those looks again because he came over to us and started to slowly rub my back too. It was comforting, just having someone there, not to mention two people.
"Can we go to the park now?" I asked after another couple minutes of calming swaying.
"Sure girly." Lorelai said, standing me on my bed and lifting my shirt over my head, soon after replacing it with my pink and white one. As she went to put my overalls on I decided that I wanted to show her just how grown up I was, grabbing them out of her hands I started putting them on myself.
"I can do it. I'm a big girl." I said defiantly.
I struggled to stand on my bed with the squishy mattress making me lose my balance. Obviously noticing my struggle Lorelai lightly grasped my waist, holding me up while I put them on successfully this try. "See." I said with confidence after I'd pulled them up to my waist.
"Little more to go there yet big girl." Luke chuckled, gesturing to the shoulder straps that held them up.
"I'm not that big yet." I said in a 'duh' tone. Lorelai simply laughed along with Luke at my proclamation. While she did my shoulder straps up I admired her. Her hair was in perfect curls down her back whereas mine were knotted and frizzy. They desperately needed a brush through.
Finishing up Lorelai helped me off of my bed with one giant leap, slightly swinging me around in the process. Resting me on the ground she looked down at me and I could tell she was looking at my ratty hair. "What should we do about your hair?" she asked as she lightly lifted a tendril.
"I want mine just like yours." I said animatedly as I bounced on the spot.
"Okay then. Where's your brush?" Lorelai asked as she picked up my dirty clothes off of the floor and folded them, placing them on my bed.
"I'll go get it." I said, racing over to my bed-side-table which ironically was nowhere near my bed.
I returned a minute later with my brush in hand, Lorelai immediately set to work, tackling my unruly hair with grace, only making me cry out in pain twice. After digging in her handbag she came out with some sort of tube in her hand, squirting a little of the contents in her hands she rubbed them together and put it in my hair. Having never had anything like that done before I sort of freaked out; jumping off of the bed where I'd been perched I spun around to face a shocked looking Lorelai.
"What's wrong?" Lorelai asked, her hands held up in a defensive way.
"What's that?" I asked uncertainly.
"Hair Gel. It's okay, it's supposed to go in your hair." She giggled lightly.
"Oh, okay." I said before sitting back down. After a little while Lorelai told me that she was finished and she searched around in her purse again, coming out this time with a small round thing.
When it was opened up I realised it was a mirror. Holding it up in front of me I finally saw what I had hoped to see, a new me. I didn't look haggard like I usually did but I looked just like a princess.
"Wow." I said in awe.
"You look gorgeous." Lorelai complemented, turning to Luke after a second thought, "Doesn't she Luke?"
"Yeah, really pretty." He said.
"Just like a princess?" I asked sceptically.
"Yeah, like Cinderella." He replied.
"Cinderella, Really?" I queried.
"No." Lorelai said, slightly making my spirits fall for a moment. "Even prettier." She proclaimed with a smile.
After letting out an excited squeal I ran straight into Lorelai's arms. She picked me up, dancing around the room animatedly for a while before leaning on Luke and sighing tiredly. I was still giggling hysterically when I was transferred into Luke's arms.
"What you think about going to the park now little one?" Luke asked as he situated me on his hip.
"YAY!" I yelled and then thought back to the original proposition of a trip out. "What about ice-cream?"
"We'll go get ice-cream after. Okay?" Luke asked in a fatherly type tone, it brought comfort I'd never felt. The comfort of discipline.
"Okey dokey." I complied.
"Alrighty, let's get going." Lorelai demanded softly.
After signing me out we headed out of the orphanage and I was led to a sand coloured jeep. After climbing into the backseat and having Lorelai buckle me into the baby seat waiting we headed out of Hartford and into the little town known as Stars Hollow. Driving further down the road we came to a stop in front of a building with the words 'Luke's Diner' on the window. Inside were a whole bunch of adults and in amongst them was a little girl with brown curly hair, perched on a stool.
After getting out of the car Lorelai came around and unbuckled me, after she had set me down on the pavement I grasped her hand, I was scared, yes I know what you're thinking, the fearless Rose Hathaway was holding someone's hand. New places are scary when you're a two year old who watched her mum get murdered.
"How would you like to meet Rory?" Asked Lorelai cautiously.
"Okay." I agreed, smiling up at her as we entered the 'Diner'.