They went bowling for the final night out.
Bill had it all planned out. They would go bowling for the two games they had won, eat out, go to a bar for a while and then bed since they would need to leave the hotel at eleven in the morning.
The bowling had actually been fun – although Bill whined throughout about wearing someone else's shoes and how much sweat there must be, how unhygienic – and Indigo had beaten everyone though –to everyone's surprise – he almost lost to Eve who was just as good.
"Of course I am darling, bowling had been very cheap back in my day and there was a simpler version of it in Paris that I used to play with all my friends," Eve said cheerfully.
Saffy had only been bowling twice – once with Sarah where it ended with them being kicked out and another time with school where she wanted to curl up and die when she tripped up and showed the world her knickers – and therefore wasn't as enthusiastic as the others but was better than Bill who wouldn't stop whinging.
Rose never been bowling before and ended up having Tom show her how to throw the ball. It was really heavy and she could barely keep hold on it and so she had Tom help her throw it each go. Indigo, Michael, Saffy, and Bill were not pleased with the fact that Tom was leaning in very close to Rose and had a hand on her waist as he helped her throw the ball down the lane.
Nor did they like that she threw her arms round Tom's neck and wrapped her legs clumsily round his own legs when she scored her only strike of the night.
In fact first thing Bill and Michael ordered when they got to the restaurant was a stiff drink.
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After another terrible dinner of Bill's choice the family went to a friendly bar that they'd been to earlier. Bill immediately ordered them all their favourite drinks and they settled down in a friendly conversation about the holiday in general.
For the second round Caddy went to get them herself since her first drink had suspiciously lacked alcohol.
"I'll help you Caddy," Rose said cheerfully following her.
"Oh thank you Rose darling!" Caddy said just as cheerfully as Rose. The barman was a very good looking Greek man with lovely dark eyes and deep tan, Caddy discreetly smiled flirtatiously at him knowing Rose would report anything to Michael if it looked like Caddy was doing more. Honestly just because she's soon to be married it didn't mean she was dead! "Hello darling, I'll have three cokes, a pint of Stella, a glass of gin, a glass of red wine, a jug of Sex on the Beach and what would you like Rosie Pose? Another coke or a juice?"
"Caddy, what is Sex on the Beach? Has it got sand in it?" Rose asked.
"No it's mostly lots of different juices like orange and cranberry," Caddy said leaving out the other ingredients of the cocktail.
"Can I have some?" Rose asked.
Caddy thought about it. She had been nine when she drank the entire bottle of Eve's gin and had to be rushed to hospital, it wasn't a pleasant experience and Bill had done a lot of shouting...but Rose was almost twelve and one glass wouldn't hurt...especially if it built up her immune system and she won't get drunk quickly when she's allowed to drink legally...then no man can ever take advantage of a drunk Rose.
Caddy was a genius!
"Sure but only because we're on holiday and you mustn't tell Daddy, it'll be our little girl secret, yeah?"
"Yeah, I promise I won't tell anyone especially Daddy."
"Even Tom?"
"Even Tom," Rose agreed.
"Ok then, but remember only one glass and it's just because we're on holiday!"
"Ok Caddy!"
As Rose went back to the table with the cokes, Caddy mused as she poured out a glass of Sex on the Beach for Rose...a straw doesn't make you get drunk quicker, does it? In fact it should slow the process right? Caddy can't really remember. Oh well, it'll be more believable that it's a juice if it had a straw in it anyway.
"What's that you're drinking Rose?" Bill asked curiously as Rose happily drank a strange coloured drink through a straw.
"Juice," Rose lied, she wasn't going to tell him she had a beach in her drink he would think she was being ridiculous, which she wasn't!
Besides it was her little secret with Caddy. She doesn't get to have many secrets with Caddy.
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As they walked back to the hotel Caddy began to wonder if giving Rose a secret glass of Pina Colada after the Sex on the Beach, and the Woo Woo was such a good idea after all. It wasn't until they started walking that Rose was shown a sign of being drunk.
She was swaying, laughing loudly over nothing, speaking utter nonsense, and was clinging to Tom just to get down one stair because it was 'too high'.
"Rose stop acting so childish!" Bill snapped.
"Oh shut up Daddy!" Rose shouted, slurring the sh. "You're not a real artisssssssssssst like you keep saying! You are..." she swayed and looked uncertain as she tried to find something. "I don't know but it's something awful!"
Bill grabbed Rose by the shoulders and turned her to look at him. Her pupils were dilated and her blue eyes looked drowned out by blackness, her pale face had bright red splotches on her cheeks, and her breath stank of alcohol.
"You're drunk!" he declared.
"Oh no!" Caddy wailed. "It was just three drinks!"
"Caddy!" Saffy, Michael, Indigo and Eve cried out.
"How could you?" Bill demanded as he held Rose still. "She's a little girl; did you not learn anything from the time you got yourself stupidly drunk?"
"The question is which time," Saffy muttered darkly.
Caddy sobbed. "I didn't mean her to get drunk!"
"I only just had Sex on the Beach, Daddy," Rose said loudly causing some passer bys to look scandalised. "It didn't have any sand in it though."
Tom burst out into hysterical laughter but quickly changed it to a very bad cough when Indigo glared at him. Saffy face palmed and muttered something about naive children, Eve struggled to hide her amusement and Michael wondered if it was too late to kidnap Rose and Buttercup and give them a proper upbringing...where one does not accidentally get drunk by adult's carelessness.
"There's nothing we can do but make you sleep it off," Bill said scowling at his eldest daughter. "You'll be in a lot of pain tomorrow, Rosie Pose, hopefully you'll learn from this and not let your eldest sister tempt you into stupid things."
Caddy cringed and lagged behind them shamefully. She knew she was going to get such a telling off when they got back into the hotel. Not just from Daddy and Mummy (because Eve will be ever so disappointed in her) but from Michael too! Oh dear!
Poor Rose, she will have such a horrid hangover tomorrow!
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Rose clung tightly to Tom's arm as he led her back into the bedroom. Indigo and Saffy were directly behind them muttering darkly about Caddy and her stupidity. To be fair, Caddy was only trying to be the cool sibling for once. It's not like she got the chance to do it with her being a mother all the time.
"I love you Daddy!" Rose called out as Bill walked past in a huff. "I love you Mummy! I love you Michael! I love you Indigo, even if you're grumpy in the mornings! And I love you Saffy, even though you're grumpy all the time!" Saffy grumbled darkly. "And I love Caddy! And Buttercup, I love him, though I really should stop calling him Buttercup, Caddy says I should, do you think so Tom?"
Tom grinned. "I think Buttercup would prefer it if we called him Carlos instead."
"And I love Sarah! I wish Sarah was here, and then maybe Saffy would be less grumpy!"
"I am not grumpy!" Saffy snapped.
"Yes you are," Rose said unaware that Indigo was taking her shoes off. "You've been grumpy all the time since I can remember. Indy says you've been grumpy since you found out you were adopted. You shouldn't be we love you just as much!"
Saffy gave Indigo a very dark glare that told him he must sleep with one eye open tonight.
"And I love David! Even though David is very annoying and tries too hard when he shouldn't, I love him a lot."
"Go to sleep Rose," Tom said pushing her towards her bed. Rose staggered for a moment but managed to steady herself by grabbing hold of the bed. She clumsily climbed on it. "Be careful with your drink in the future Permanent Rose," Tom said ruffling her hair.
"But Tom, I haven't finished!" Rose pouted. "I love everyone!"
"I know you keep saying."
"Especially Sarah's Mum's cooking!"
"I'm sure the cooking appreciates your love when you're ending its life with your mouth."
"But I love you the most!" Rose beamed. "I love you more than anyone else in the whole wide world! I will always love you the most. You are the most important person in the world!"
"Same here," Tom managed to say. He was too stunned really to think of anything witty and wonderful. "You're my most important person in the world, and R-"
Rose suddenly collapsed face first on the bed and a little snore interrupted whatever Tom was about to say. Tom laughed and moved Rose so she was sleeping on her side and her head actually on her pillow instead of her little feet.
Indigo and Saffy had slipped outside on the balcony and he quickly took the moment alone to kiss Rose's forehead.
"I love you the most too," he whispered.
