# Garden Of Rosa Chapter 4

Garden of Rosa
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Chapter 4
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A few weeks pass by since the concert back in February. Things have cooled off with VVRUM DRAMA and the Fang Gang; Trish hasn’t been able to book any new gigs, so the three of them are doubling-down on practicing. Trish still isn’t happy about the size of the crowd the concert at Dino-Moe’s drew in, so she’s had Reed and I go around town putting up flyers advertising for the band. It’s nice, getting some bro-time away from the purple prima-donna, but it means I get to spend less time with Rosa. If I didn’t know better, I would think Trish would want it that way.
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“Nah, bro, Trish just wants to increase the band’s exposure!” Mumbling again. Reed finishes stapling a VVRUM DRAMA poster to the side of a telephone, on the corner of the main downtown block. The poster is a mish-mash of shapes, the band’s name barely legible against the green and purple background. The band’s musical talent may have improved, but there’s still work to be done on their image.
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“Reed, I don’t think it’s an accident Trish asked me and you to do this. You can’t tell me you didn’t see her smirk when she handed me this?” I gesture with the massive stack of posters clutched in my hand. We’ve been out here all afternoon, and we still have over half of them to put up. “She just wants to make me miserable is all. She’s jealous the “Skinnie” has a girlfriend, and she’s got nothing!”
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Reed turns to me, his eyes suddenly serious. The impact of his gaze is lessened somewhat by the fact that the poster he just put up is upside-down, but I can sense he’s about to tell me something serious. “Anon, why do you think she isn’t seeing anyone? And don’t say it’s because she’s a bitch.” I bite down on the half-formed words, the loose weight of the posters making it hard to keep up with the pink raptor as she hurries to the next poster spot. “It’s because she cares about the band, bro. And her friends. You’ve been hanging out with Rosa a lot now, so you can’t see how Fang and Trish are like. They’re like this!” Reed crosses the first two fingers of his free hand, holding out his other for another poster. “Trish’ll die before something gets between her and her friends’ happiness, bro, and that includes the band. So come on, help me get these up and you can hang out with your girlfriend.”
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Reed flashes me his biggest shit-eating grin. He’s given me no end of good-natured ribbing about Rosa and mine’s relationship since I told him about what happened to the concert, and I definitely don’t need another lecture about sexual yoga from Reed right now.
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Although I learned way more from him than I did from my usual Azerbaijiani car-Importing billboard.
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Sighing, I concede to Reed’s point. “Yeah, you’re right man. I should be a better friend to Trish. It’s not like I even helped clean up after the concert last time. Taking off like that was pretty lame, huh?” I hand Reed another poster, hiding a smile. Whatever Reed was on right now must be strong stuff; he hadn’t noticed this was the third poster he was taping onto the side of the lamppost.
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“No worries man. Say, you wanna get a bite to eat? I’m STARVIN’, bro.”
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Ugh. I shoot Rosa a text asking how she’s doing as Reed draws us along to our third food stop of the afternoon. Her and Stella were going to hang out this afternoon, a little girl time for the both of them. Rosa’s mom still wasn’t doing very well, and as far as I could tell Stella was the only other one who knew about it.
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Anon: You and Stella having fun?
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Anon: Gonna be here forever putting these posters up, Reed is on something today and he’s eating everything in sight.
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Waiting for Reed to finish his order at a hot-dog cart now, I replace the phone in my pocket just in time to share a look with the vendor, her comically oversized chef’s hat flopping from side to side as she rolls her eyes at me. From the number of dogs she’s got lined up, Reed is planning on eating her out of business. I wonder if I could get Reed to eat these posters if I put mustard on them…
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A buzzing in my pocket cuts my thoughts short, and I replace the bottle of mustard I had been hovering over the stack of posters. Rosa’s reply immediately improves my mood.
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Rosa: Si, Si, we are having fun!
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Rosa’s text included a picture of the two of them, a selfie in what appeared to be a second-hand bookstore. It looked like Stella had a collection of manga in her hands, too distracted by the camera to notice Rosa’s judgmental glance towards her choice in literature. If I knew Rosa, she probably found a new edition of Good Cavepainting, no doubt another unsuccessful attempt to teach Stella about the virtues of Raptor Jesus. As Reed collects the foil-wrapped hot-dogs in his arms, another text from Rosa vibrates the phone in my hands.
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Rosa: I have not forgotten my promise, mi novio. Would you like to come meet mi madre tomorrow? She is making ~mole poblano~
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Damn. Rosa knows I can’t resist her mother’s home cooking, and I would really like to meet the woman. But am I ready to meet my girlfriend’s parents? A tinge of nerves flutters through my stomach as I thumb my response, watching disgustedly as Reed manages to swallow a hot-dog whole. Rosa has a typically large family: Five brothers, all older than her, plus her mom and dad. Seems her dad owns a farm somewhere on the edge of town, a family business that everyone pitched in for. Rosa’s brothers all worked there full-time, although beyond that, I knew little about them. I wonder if that’s where Rosa got her religious side from?
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Anon: Sure, sounds nice :)
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Rosa: Oooh, An-on, gracias! Mama is very excited to mee you :)
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Anon: Is you whole family gonna be there too?
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Rosa: No, just mi madre. Papi and mi hermanos will be out on a delivery tomorrow.
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Just her mom, then. I know I should feel nervous, meeting Rosa’s mother, but I feel… calm, almost resolute. Like this is something that I not only need to do, but something that I actually want to do. I hardly notice as Reed gets up to go, tossing an immense ball of wadded-up hot-dog wrappers in a nearby trashcan; my mind is focused on what tomorrow might bring, and how I can impress Rosa’s mom.
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Rosa: Btw, An-on, do you have a crucifix to wear?
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Shit. Already off to a bad start.
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***
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The next day at school passes by in a blur. An announcement by Principal Spears finishes the day; a reminder about the upcoming midterms. Sitting in the back of the auditorium with the Fang Gang, we collectively groan, dreading the upcoming cram sessions required to barely scrape us by. As the assembled student body begins to filter out of the auditorium, Reed and Trish are already talking about getting an all-night math study session on the books. With Reed’s help I’ve been able to maintain a passing grade in Mr. Careldoweskii’s class, but the idea of spending one of my precious evenings subjecting myself to Trish’s not-so-passive-aggressive comments is not one I want to subject myself to.
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Checking my phone, I’ve got a few minutes before Rosa and I were to meet up in the parking lot. No harm in getting there early, I suppose. Saying my goodbyes to the gang, I turn to leave, but not before something darts out to catch my sleeve. Fang’s hand. As I turn back, her grip falters, leaving her hand to brush against mine for a moment before she holds it against her other arm.
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“Um, Anon, I-I was thinking… Maybe you and I could, like, study at my place?” Her face is downcast, her head tilted. Fang stares at me sideways, her amber eyes pleading as an errant strand of her hair falls down her face. She looks uncertain, nervous even, her wings held rigidly out to either side in anticipation.
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Oh boy.
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Reed’s comments about Trish doing anything for her friend’s happiness echo through my mind. But I already made plans with Rosa… I need a second to work some moisture into my suddenly dry mouth. “Umm, sorry Fang, I kinda already made plans with Rosa tonight.” Fang sags at my words, like a sack suddenly emptied. Her wings fall slack behind her, one hand twitching absently towards them. She recovers quickly though, flashing me a smile while jabbing me in the shoulder. Behind her, I can see Trish looking our way, her eyes narrowed, a thin smile spreading on her lips.
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“Whatever, dweeb. Just promise you’ll try convincing her to let you use a rubber, okay?” Before I can respond she’s gone, turning back to Trish like a closed door. I linger on the edge of the group for a moment, listening to the three of them planning a study session or something, before turning towards the parking lot. I can hear Reed’s uproarious laughter as I cross the front of the school, memories of my first day at Volcano High flashing through my mind.
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Rosa is already waiting for me at her car, a sky-blue Toyoreta Prius sporting a prominent “WWRJD?” bumper sticker. Catching sight of me, Rosa gives me a wave, a happy smile on her face. I force myself to wave back, trying to forget Fang’s face when I gave her the news. As we meet up at the car, Rosa pulls me into a big hug, her keys ready in her hand.
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“There’s mi novio! Ready to meet my madre? Awww, An-on, what’s the matter?” Concern fills Rosa’s face as our hug ends, her crimson eyes searching my face closely. “Are you not excited to meet her?”
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Ffffuck, so much for hiding things.
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I flash what I hope is a realistic smile, reaching up to give Rosa’s hand a squeeze. “It’s nothing, Rosa, I’m okay. Really! I’m still excited, see?” I hold up Rosa’s gift on its chain around my neck: A small metal crucifix. She slipped it into my locker earlier today, along with a note: ‘Remember my promise, mi novio.’
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Still uncertain, Rosa climbs into her car as I do the same, studying me briefly before turning the keys in the ignition. “Mi familia means a lot to me, An-on, and I just want them to like you. If you don’t want to wear el crucifijo, that’s okay…” A look of absolute dejection crawls into Rosa’s face, and she sits there, eyes down, fiddling with the gearstick. My heart nearly tears into two as I watch her. Putting my hand on hers, I let our fingers entwine on the hard plastic for a moment before pulling her hand to my lips, planting a soft kiss on the back of her hand.
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“I am excited Rosa. And a little scared; scared that I’ll say something or do something dumb in front of your mom. It means a lot to me, that you want me to meet her. I know how much she means to you, Rosa, and I want her to mean that much to me, in time. Rosa’s face beams red with embarrassed happiness at my cheesy lines, but at least there’s no sadness in those beautiful eyes anymore. I pull her hand onto my chest, above where the crucifix sits beneath my clothes. “Besides, at least I’ll finally have some protection against those Vampiresaurus roaming around town.”
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Rosa snorts, laughing despite herself at my lame joke, letting her hand rest a little longer on my chest before popping her car into gear and pulling out of the parking lot. “¡Ayy, mi novio es tan tonto! What am I going to do with you, An-on?” I hold up the small metal cross to ward against imaginary vampiresaurs, causing Rosa to laugh again; a rich, melodic boom, filling the car with her happiness. I know Rosa is embarrassed about her loud laugh, often choosing to hide it in a quieter giggle when we were around friends. For the rest of the trip, I do everything I can to make her laugh, even singing along to the Spanish songs on the radio. For her to let her guard down with me, to share this private, joyful moment in the car alone together…
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Moments like this are what I want more of.