"You didn't see her. You weren't there." A brunette.
"We know her. She couldn't have reacted that bad." A blonde.
"How bad could it have been?" A blue-eyed person.
"She didn't even cry." The brunette.
"Is that unusual?" The blonde asked.
"For her? Yes." The brunette said with a sigh.
"Did you want to see her cry? How would you have handled that?" The blue-eyed person.
"I don't know but part of me thinks I would've handled it better than not seeing her cry." The brunette.
"I guess I can see how that would be worse." The blonde.
"Did you really expect it to be as bad as you think it should be?" The blue-eyed person asked.
"I did." The brunette replied.
"But it's only been five days." The blue-eyed person curiously stated.
"It's been twenty years." The brunette again.
"Twenty years?" The blonde asked.
"For her, but I think for me too." The brunette sighed.
"What does that even mean?" The blue-eyed person furrowed their brows.
"It means- I don't know what it means!" The brunette exclaimed.
"How do you feel?" The blonde asked, words laced with concern.
"I don't know how I feel."
"That okay." The blonde.
"How do you want to feel?" The blue-eyed person.
"I want to feel happy. As long as I know she's hurting I'm not happy because she's not happy." The teary-eyed brunette.
"So, you're not happy. We got that. What are you?" The blonde handed her a tissue.
"I'm guilty." The brunette sniffled.
"Guilty? You didn't do anything." The blue-eyed person handed her another tissue, the last one in the box.
"I caused her pain." The brunette sighed.
The blonde and the blue-eyed person shared a sympathetic look. The brunette didn't take that too kindly.
"Quit looking at me like that and bring that cake my way."
Sophie, Bill, and Rosie were sitting around the table on Bill's boat sharing a two layer cake and a pack of beer. Bill had seen Rosie wandering around the beach looking like a lost puppy. He didn't see a Tanya or a Donna in sight so he asked what was wrong. When she explained it broke his heart. He had recruited Sophie to help comfort Rosie. Luckily, Sophie knew the perfect bakery to stop by to get cake as soon as possible. The three of them had opened it up and each had taken a fork. Why bother with plates? They were halfway through the first cake, the second was sitting on the countertop next to them.
"I broke her." She said around a mouthful of cake. "She was vulnerable enough to tell me how she felt and I took advantage of that."
"You did not take advantage of her. You love her. You saw those angel eyes." Sophie said. She had chocolate frosting on her chin.
Bill chuckled at his daughter and wiped the chocolate off with his thumb. Rosie grabbed his hand to lick the frosting off. Sophie shook her head with a giggle.
"What are you doing here Soph? You're supposed to be gone, seeing the world with Sky."
"We forgot our passports so we had to come back. Actually, I didn't even have a passport. Mine was expired. I'm waiting on it now." She explained.
"When's the last time you left Greece?" Bill asked.
"When I was a toddler. I don't remember much of it. I think it was something for-"
"It was when Tanya went through her first divorce. Donna and I met up in New York to see her. It was really adorable actually. Tanya just consumed herself in you and you two were best friends the whole time we were there. You called her 'Mama' twice. She was really excited."
"How did Donna feel about that?" Bill laughed.
"Better than she felt about Sophie calling you 'Dad'." Rosie gave him a look.
Bill visibly deflated and Sophie found it amusing but decided she wanted to hear more about the trip.
Sophie grinned having not known the story before Rosie told it. "Wait so she just focused on me?"
"She did and we focused on her. She needed something to do other than drink wine and cry. She cried for about an hour when we got there. I had never seen her face that red before. It was heartbreaking. Anyway, she cried and we comforted her until she fell asleep. You were barely awake from a nap and just cuddled up next to her and stayed there until you both woke up again." Rosie smiled at the memory. "She didn't cry as much after that. She just charged forwards and started piecing her life back together. She thought something was wrong with her because she couldn't make her relationship work. I don't think she was heartbroken over losing him, I think she lost a piece of herself. I think she was too young. She didn't know herself back then."
"I don't think she knows herself now." Bill muttered to himself. His mouth was full of cake. He washed it down with a swig of beer.
Rosie and Sophie both looked at him wondering where the thought had come from and why it made so much sense now.
"Wait what?" Sophie asked.
"What?" Rosie echoed.
Bill burped and shrugged. "What? She doesn't. Her main character trait is that she's a serial bride with a bitchy attitude. That's who she thinks she is. We see other things in her like her sense of humor, her kindness, her determination. What does Tanya see?"
"What does Tanya see?" Sophie hummed.
"What does Tanya see?" Rosie repeated. "Tanya sees a slut."
"She sees a slut?"
"A slut?" Bill was the echo this time. "Seriously we've got to stop repeating each other." He went in for another huge chunk of cake.
Rosie pulled the cake closer to her and took a chunk as well. "It's a long story but she was convinced that she couldn't be more than a slut. She worked through it for years and she's made herself into this over confident being that we all know and love." She took a sip of beer and looked at both blondes. "What do you think of when you think of Tanya?"
"Poise."
"Grace."
"Legs."
"Wine."
"Confidence."
"Badass."
"Gorgeous."
"The life of the party."
"Dancing queen." Bill shrugged. He had seen her dancing the night away at the wedding reception.
"Young and sweet only seventeen." Sophie sang. "She's perfect. She's everything you want to be yet she sets the bar so high you can't get on her level. It's hard to imagine her ever being sad."
"Her face hardly changes. She only has two expressions; happy, and flirty." Bill added.
Sophie gasped. "Oh and that thing she does when she's being protective where only her lips move."
"Wait what was your point here?" Bill asked.
"No it wasn't my point. It was your point!" Rosie explained. "We know Tanya because of what she does and we know who she is but who is Tanya?"
"She's in love." Sophie noticed the looks she was getting and continued. "That's who she is. She falls in love so quickly. She thinks she does but she was never actually in love until she fell for you."
"So, what are you going to do?"
After a long moment with the question still in the air the three of them fell silent. Bill and Sophie were waiting an answer and Rosie's mind was searching for the same. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to let go and let Tanya move on. She wanted to take Tanya in her arms and never let her go. She wanted to go back and tell herself to leave Tanya alone and not to start their relationship in the first place. All of it was becoming too much and Rosie felt too small to make such a huge decision.
A soft sniffle and a gentle cry came from Rosie. She was overwhelmed and after being able to put off crying for so long - five minutes to be exact- she finally just broke. She was sobbing and still shoveling cake into her mouth. Sophie and Bill immediately put their focus on her.
"Rosie, love it'll be alright." Bill assured her. He put an arm around her shoulder.
"We're here to help." Sophie held her free hand.
"I feel so guilty. She was so happy when we first arrived. She was perfectly fine. She was better before I fucked with her heart."
"You didn't fuck with her heart. You fucked with each other's hearts. You were both so caught up in the romance that you didn't think." Bill grabbed a napkin and handed it to her.
"This is so fucked up."
"The best romances are fucked up." Sophie tried.
"And now Tanya thinks she's fucked up, but I fucked up. I fucked her up. I fucked us up. I fucked with her heart and I fucked with the past when I should've just fucked someone and been fucking done with it but now I'm a fucking mess. I'm fucked." Rosie cried.
Sophie nearly choked on her cake from the heavy use of the word 'fuck' but if there was ever a person to exaggerate it was Rosie.
"You know something, Rosie?" Bill started. "You've been after me for the last twenty years and you didn't give me a second glance as soon as Tanya was on your arm. That's growth."
"Aw! Auntie Rosie, you're growing up!" Sophie cheered.
"I didn't need anyone else when I had her. I want her."
"Then have her." Sophie replied.
"I can't have her. We live in different worlds."
Bill cracked open another beer. "When have you ever let the ocean stop you? You've always been there for her."
"Yeah, it's just water. No biggie." Sophie added.
"She's always been there for you. Just suck it up and move to New York." Bill encouraged.
"Man up!" Sophie chimed him.
"Books sell better in the city anyway, more opportunity." Bill knew firsthand just how well books did in New York. His own had been a huge hit.
"You love the city!" Sophie grinned.
"It's meant to be. Love always finds its way back."
"Preach!" Sophie agreed.
"She's your soulmate."
"She's your person."
"She's meant to be with you. Why else would 20 years not be too long for her to wait? She waited twenty years for you." Bill said with a nod.
"Soulmates!" Sophie sang.
"She's always been yours before you even knew it."
"You belong together."
Rosie took a few deep breaths as she calmed down from her tears. "You two really know how to give a pep talk."
"So what's the plan?" Sophie asked.
Rosie's eyes went wide. "The plan? I don't have a plan!"
"You don't need a plan." Bill instructed. "Just go with your gut."
"That's a terrible idea! She needs a plan. Don't listen to him. We'll form a plan. What if you sing to her?"
"That's so cheesy. Singing to her?" Rosie was contemplating it. Tanya was a sucker for a nice song. She loved anything that screamed romance and singing would definitely be the way to go if she chose to do so.
"Actually, Tanya would quite like that." Bill agreed. "Tanya loves music and she loves you. If there was ever a way to win her over it would be through song."
"What do I sing?"
"Write a new song!" Bill and Sophie said at once.
"So not only have to perform this but I have to write it too? This is too much." Rosie sighed and took two forkfuls of cake into her mouth.
"Tanya is too much." Bill tried.
"She's too much for you to lose. You can't let her go."
"I can't let her go but I can't sing to her without having a song."
"Just sing what you feel."
"Wait!" Rosie's outburst made both Bill and Sophie jump. "I know what to sing!"
"You do?"
"Yes! I need to find Donna!" Rosie got up in a hurry. She stood from the table. An avalanche of cake crumbs fell off her clothes.
"Rosie wait-"
"No time!" She waved her hand and climbed up to get to the top of the boat.
"Auntie Rosie we-"
"I'll be back later!"
"We're still in the middle of the ocean!" Bill called after her. He and Sophie heard a splash and peaked out to see Rosie swimming back to the island. They looked to each other and shook their heads, sharing a laugh.
"Donna!" Rosie called out. She searched the hotel up and down. She eventually gave up and went to the goat house. She found Donna fixing it up. "Where's Tanya?"
"She's napping. She's got a flight to catch tonight."
"She's leaving tonight?!" Rosie's heart shattered at the thought. "She's not supposed to leave until the weekend!"
Donna was upset about the departure too. She saw the sadness washing over Rosie and wrapped her arms around her. "Why are you all wet?"
"I swam here. She's really leaving tonight?"
"Yes, but I'm trying to convince her to stay. She says she's hurting here. I feel so bad, Rosie. I don't know how to help this time. I'm trying my best and I've been worried about you-"
Rosie cut her off. "I'm fine. I ate some cake and I drank some beer and I'm ready to get Tanya back."
"Are you going to stay together this time? How is it going to work?" She asked, hoping she could keep both her friends happy. She hated seeing them like this.
"I'm going to New York with her."
"You're moving to New York? Did you just decide that now?" Donna was shocked.
"Donna Sheridan you have no room to talk. You stole your daughter's wedding." Rosie countered, all in good nature of course.
Donna laughed. "You're right I did. You know what? I'll help you. You need to win her back. It's bad this time Rosie. I think you're the only person she's ever loved."
"The only one? What about her husbands?"
"She's gay."
"Of course she's gay. She was all up in my-"
Donna shrieked to keep Rosie from continuing. "No, no! She thinks she's a lesbian. She's never loved anyone else. She loves you. She's only loved you. It's always been you." Her expression softened. "Rosie we have to do this. I've never seen you this happy before. I've never seen her this happy before. Let's do this."
"I know! We are doing this! That's why I came to find you! I need that song you wrote. The one we never performed. I need you to back me up so I can sing it to her."
"Which song?"
"The Name of the Game."
Donna furrowed her brows and repeated the title to herself. She sang it under her breath and all the lyrics came screaming back to her. "It's perfect!"
"What am I going to wear? Can I perform it at Hector's?"
"Of course, but it has to be tonight. I'll ask Tanya for a night out and then you'll perform and she'll be surprised. Wear something blue. Tanya loves you in blue"
"Perfect!"
After three hours of Donna begging Tanya to go to Hector's with her Tanya finally agreed.
"Donna, I only have an hour and I would rather not fly drunk."
"It's okay. You don't need to get drunk. I just want to spend some time with you before you leave me forever."
"I won't be gone forever. At most a few months and by then I'll be ready to face Rosie again and we can start performing all over Greece again."
"You're really going that long without seeing her? Won't you miss her?"
"I-" She sighed. "I know I will. I just- Wait what is that? Is that your song?" She heard a familiar tune starting to play and immediately looked to the stage. She saw Rosie up there. Her heart melted.
"This one's for you." Donna said as she quickly ran to the stage in her platforms. Tanya hadn't even noticed them until now.
Rosie began to sing with her eyes focused on Tanya. They connected iris to iris and both of them were lost in music. Rosie poured her heart and soul into the song just like Donna did when she wrote it. She had always wondered why they never performed it but she was glad this was the song's debut.
Tanya found herself drawn to the stage. She was drawn to Rosie like a magnet. She was making her way to the stage from the bar, not bothering to watch where she was going. That was her mistake.
Rosie heard a crash and a loud cry. The cry was so familiar that it made her heart sink. She dropped everything and went down to the floor. That's when she saw the blood.
Donna heard a string of curses over loud music and the loudest sob she had ever heard. She heard the clatter of Rosie's shoes hitting the ground and the next thing she saw was a puddle of red and broken glass.
Tanya heard the glass break but she never actually saw the glass. She did feel it. She felt it when she slipped on one piece and fell on the largest piece. She felt the intense pain in her knee, the same one she had shattered years ago. She was afraid to move. She was still down on her hands and knees with a puddle of blood surrounding her legs. Her hands hurt from the impact and the bits of glass in her palms. All she could do was cry from the immense pain. She didn't want to accept it but her kneecap was most definitely broken again.
Rosie was the one cursing. She let out a string of curses that rivaled any sailor she had ever met. She was right there next to Tanya. She watched as sobs tore through Tanya. She placed a hand on shaking shoulders, almost afraid to move her. It's just glass, it couldn't be that bad right? Then she noticed which knee seemed to break her fall. "Oh god, at least it's not the stretchy leg."
"You are such a fucking idiot." Donna shook her head, trying not to giggle. Why would Rosie choose now to crack a joke? She felt relief wash over her when even Tanya with huge tears rolling down her face was heard laughing. "Seriously, what the hell?" Donna was having a hard time getting a handle on her laughter, mostly out of shock.
Of all things to do in the moment, the Dynamos were laughing. Tanya's was more of a mix between sobbing and laughing but it was better than the full blown cries she had let out the first time she broke her knee. "I guess I'll be there for a while."
"Hey, all you need in Hollywood is one good leg right?" Rosie asked.
"I need you too." Tanya replied.
