"Rosie Pose, why don't you go check on Daddy dearest?" Eve asked now thirteen year old Rose. She grumbled. Rose didn't want to have anything to do with Daddy dearest, as per usual. As soon as he came home, he became just as foreign as before. Rose almost thought they saw less of him. It didn't help his relationship with stubborn Rose.
"Yes Mummy." She said and stormed off. She walked to Eve's shed. As soon as Bill came home, he cohered the shed as his own. Eve had no place to work now, so she was restless. She almost cooked last night. Rose shuttered at the though.
"Daddy, dinner is almost ready." She said with her arms across her chest, daring him to say no. He didn't notice.
"Tell Eve not to wait up. I have more important things to do." He said, never looking up from his painting. This got Rose's temper up. Bill had been known to lose it to, but that gene was only passed to Rose.
"Oh yea, like what? You know, you could humor her every once and a while. She's forgiven you for everything and is trying so hard, and we hear from you less than we did in London. Bet you don't know Saffy's gone out with her boyfriend tonight, or that Caddy called. You don't know that Indy is playing at a birthday party tomorrow. You don't even know I read Hamlet! Yea, that's right, I did. You don't know this cause your ten times more solitary than Mummy. And I don't even care if you aren't at dinner!" She said slamming the door in his face. He didn't make an attempt to pursue her. She stomped into the back door of the Banana House and into the kitchen.
"Let me guess, he's not coming to dinner?" Indigo asked calmly. Rose never understood how he could be so patient and calm. It always annoyed her. It annoyed her a bit now.
"No! I told him off and he still wont come! He's being such a bloody prick!" She said fuming. Indy put a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry about it Rosie Pose. You cant make him want to come, and if he doesn't, well he's missing this great spaghetti!" He said cheerfully going to stir the sauce. Rose smiled a little and set the table. Three places,
"I told you no! I don't want to go one more bloody step with the likes of you! You wont insult my family like that and expect me to stay with you!" Rose heard someone yell. Then a hand opened the door and slammed it. Well four places. Rose went to get a new plate.
"The nerve of him! I swear why do I put up with it?" Saffy said angrily. Rose looked at her. She looked a mess, but not from crying. This was rage.
"What happened?" Rose and Indigo said at the same time. Obviously it was something about the family, Rose thought. People always thought the Cassons were odd.
"That creep said Mummy's paintings were nice trash can decorations! And then he went on to talk about Caddy being an idiot for leaving a man at the alter. Evidently, he didn't know I was a Casson since my last names different. He seemed to have a flaw in all of us!" She said turning a shade of red that looked like my namesake, Permanent Rose.
"Well then he knew nothing at all and its good that you came home. Were going to be fancy tonight. Italian!" Indigo said waving the spoon under Saffy's nose. Rose laughed. There was no better way to sidetrack Saffy than with Indy's spaghetti. She sniffed savoring the fumes.
"Well I am hungry, and that parasite was probably going to just take me to McDonalds." She said grabbing the plate from me and setting it. Rose went to go retrieve Eve. She found her with a hopeful glint in her eyes. It infuriated Rose that she would have to squash it.
"Rosie Pose, is Daddy dearest coming to dinner?" She asked like a kid on Christmas. Rose shock her head and Eve's head fell.
"Oh well, tell Indy not to set a place for me then. I think ill just stay here." Eve said motioning to her make-shift work space in the room she shared with Bill. Rose nodded so she wouldn't say something nasty. Then when she closed the door to a depressed Eve, she let her face fall. She stomped back into the kitchen.
"That snake slime. He's ruining Mummy's life!" Rose exclaimed. She was surprised to see that Saffy and Indy looked like they agreed with her.
"It is so wrong of him, to get her hopes up so much and then never show up for dinner or anything. He acts even more indifferent than before." Saffy said sounding defeated.
"I'm starting to worry about Mummy to. She hasn't come to dinner in three days, and she looks so sad all the time. Almost like walking dead." Indigo commented. Saffy and Rose thought back. Had it really been that long since Eve ate? And she did look like the undead.
"We have to do something for Mummy. We cant make Daddy love her, but we can find her someone else right?" Rose said in a childish ignorance. Indigo and Saffron knew it didn't work out that way, but under these circumstances, they were willing to try.
"But where would we look Rosie Pose?" Indy and Saffy asked.
"I guess we just have to start. Maybe at Harley's birthday party tomorrow. There's bound to be some single dads with there kids. Plus, we have to start somewhere." Rose said simply. Her older siblings nodded but when they met eyes, they both saw the doubt in the other. But still, Rose might be right. Tomorrow was as good a day as any.