Garden of Rosa
Chapter 7
Soft, golden sunlight poured through Rosa’s window, spilling across the two of us as we lay on Rosa’s bed. We had long since ceased out make-out session; I unfortunately discovered that it’s pretty hard to smooch my thicc Latina girlfriend as she straddles my waist immediately after I attempted to impale myself on a metal bollard. Luckily, no one was around to hear my scream when Rosa’s weight accidently slipped down to my chest. Instead, the two of us dozed happily off, content to sit in each other’s arms as the day passed us by.
Rosa’s eyes were closed, her head resting next to mine on the bed’s pillow, a content smile on her face. She was singing again; her rich, musical voice pitched so softly that only I could hear. It was like my own private concert, performed for me by the true light in my life.
“En el desierto un viajero de amor desesperado queria morir…” It was an old song, Rosa told me; something her dad used to sing as he worked in her family’s personal garden out back. Rosa had spent as much time as she could with her father when she was a little girl, whether it was in the garden or just going out with him to town. The two of them were very close apparently, nearly as close as Rosa was with her mother. After having spent time with the two women I couldn’t see how that was possible, especially because my old man hardly seemed to want anything to do with me. But, it seemed Rosa’s family was filled with love and happiness, unlike mine.
My fingers traced a pattern on the small of Rosa’s back, her dress still littering the floor. Just the feel of her skin on my hands was enough to sooth my aches and pains, and every so often I would plant a little kiss on her forehead, just because I could. I wanted to spend the rest of my days lying here, cradled by two loving arms that I’d die for.
It was after one of these little kisses that Rosa’s song stopped, her eyes opening to catch mine as I pulled away. Rosa had to peer up at me from her position on the bed, her deep crimson eyes shining with joy. Her smile matches mine as I gaze down at her, our hands finding each other, fingers entwining.
“An-on, mi amor… I’m very happy right now. Mmm, I could just lie here all day!” Rosa snuggled her face into my shoulder, careful not to disturb any of my bruises on my bare chest. Rosa peppered my skin with kisses of her own, each soft touch causing my skin to tingle. “What ever did I do to deserve such a nice novio?”
“I’m just lucky no one else had scooped you up, Rosa. You’re so beautiful, so kind, so loving…I’m serious!” Rosa had begun to giggle, her laughter muffled against my neck. “Seriously, Rosa, surely there was someone who caught your eye before. Or am I… your first boyfriend? Rosa?” Her laughter was louder now, her hands moving to cover her face as she rolled away from me. “Hey! You know, it’s not nice to laugh at your boyfriend like this, Rosa!”
Rosa’s laughter was slow to subside, nearly starting again when she caught sight of my pouting face. “Aww, mi amor, don’t look so sad! It’s just that, no one has ever said such nice things about me while also trying to pry into my past, you see?” Wiping a tear from the corner of her eye, Rosa propped her head up on one hand, her large breasts straining against the taut strap of her bra. “Si, An-on, I have had boys in the past who were interested in me. Mama did not like any of them, though; they were too irrespetuoso, too inmaduro. I always felt like they wanted something from me, too.” Rosa’s eyes were downcast now, her hand idly tracing on my chest. “With you, An-on, it’s easy: I can just be me. You don’t find my singing off-key, or get annoyed at how I slip in Spanish like some sort of mujer loca. And with Mama too, you were so kind, so understanding of how sick she is. You didn’t try to tell me to just leave her alone, or…or try to convince me to just let the doctor’s do their work. An-on, you know how I need to help her! Dios Mio, An-on, she is my Mama, I can’t just leave her…” Rosa’s voice began to crack, her lips quivering, eyes still downcast.
Wincing, I turned myself to face her, ignore the pain in my chest as I rested my head on my hand. I could just reach my arm around Rosa to give her a gentle squeeze, mindful to not pull her too close. Those breasts could do some serious damage, pressed against my bruises.
Planting another soft kiss on her forehead, I searched for the words to let Rosa just how grateful I was that we were together. “Rosa, I don’t know who those guys were, but they were all retarded to pass on you. I’m serious, Rosa!” Rosa’s snort was soft, my words continuing straight over it. “You have so much love to give, those guys were idiots too ignore that. If you choose to give me just a fraction of the love you have to give, I would consider myself the happiest man in the world.” Rosa was blushing now, slightly embarrassed by the mollifying praise I heaped onto her. “And if you want to help your mom, if you need too, well… I’ll be here for you, Rosa. I’ll support you no matter what happens.”
Rosa lifted her face to mine, the beginnings of a tear shining in each eye. The smile she gave me looked sad, as if the idea of helping her mom get through whatever sickness she had frightened her deeply. But still she smiled, locking those deep crimson eyes on mine as she shuffled her body closer to mine.
“Gracias, An-on. I know I help too much, put too much of myself into others. It’s nice to have someone who wants me to, for once. Even Mama and Papi try saying it’s nothing, that they’re fine. But I just want to help.”
It was my turn to laugh. “Rosa, if you ever need someone to help, just turn to me. I’m probably so messed up, you could spend your whole life trying to fix me. Ow!” Rosa poked me hard in the chest, her finger digging into my skin; the fact that she was cautious enough to avoid my injuries did little to take the strength out of her poke. Angrily, she glared up at me, all sadness banished from her face. Lowering her voice, Rosa inched her face close to mine, eyes narrowing.
“An-on, if you ever say you are messed up again, lo juro por Dios! You are so sweet, mi novio, so kind…” Our faces were very close together, now. “I don’t need to fix you, An-on. You are perfect, just the way you are. Oh, mi pequeño amor…” Our lips joined again once more, the passion of our kiss momentarily banishing all my aches and pains. Rosa was tender at first, content to meet my gentle kisses with ones of her own. Soon, however, her kisses grew fiercer and fiercer, until finally forcing her powerful herbivore tongue into my mouth. Smearing drool across my face, Rosa began to suck my lips greedily, gently biting them as she did. Her free hand grabbed mine, forcing it onto her ample chest even as her other hand slide down my body, going lower and lower until…
The crunch of tires on gravel echoed through the open window of Rosa’s room.
It was like cold water being dumped onto a pair of horny cats. At once Rosa pushed me away hard, ignoring my cry of pain as she flew to the window. Careful to not expose her nearly-naked body to the outside world, Rosa peeked around the curtain, her room possessing a decent view of the house’s open-air garage.
The look Rosa gave me when she turned around nearly froze my blood in my veins.
“An-on! It’s Papi! He’s home early!”
Whelp, I didn’t need that erection anyways.
And I’m sure my balls will retract from my body.
…
Eventually.
Amid frantic mutterings of “mierda!” repeated over and over, Rosa began frantically putting back on her clothes, her hands shaking hard as she pulled the dress back over her head. Still partially crippled from my injuries, I searched around for my shirt, ignoring the stabs of pain as I doubled-over to look underneath the bed. Rosa finds it at least, throwing it at my face as she adjusts her hair in her bedroom mirror.
“¡¿Cómo pude haber hecho esto?! ¡Ay ay ay, Papi me va a matar! An-on, hurry up!” Rosa was at my side, rapidly helping me to pull my shirt over my battered body. Somehow my arms had gotten tangled in the opening of my shirt, slowing the entire process down. I felt like my heart was going to leap out of my throat any second now. “Papi can’t see you in here!” Shirt still covering my face, Rosa began to usher me out of her room, each shove eliciting another muffled cry of pain. Why the hell couldn’t I get this shirt on?!
Halfway down the hall I finally manage the herculean task of putting a shirt on, something five-year-olds accomplish with no issue. Not bad job, considering the circumstances, even if it was backwards. Rosa was practically dragging me by the arm the at this point, desperate to get me out of there before anything happened. Rosa looked terrified; her eyes wide and panic-stricken. I thought her dad was supposed to be cool with me? Something about her mother smoothing the way, or something. Maybe that wasn’t true, or maybe Rosa was just freaking out over having a boy in her room without her parents knowing, but Rosa was clearly dreading her dad’s sudden arrival.
“An-on, come ON! Before he-“ The sound of keys in the lock cut her off, her face growing pale. We had just reached the entryway, hoping to grab my stuff and go; now, we were trapped, the…thing in my shirt digging into my back like a twin-pronged pair of talons. Rosa just stared at the door, like her executioner was about to walk through.
Well, maybe not HER executioner.
Reaching out, I have Rosa’s hand one quick squeeze before the front door opened, revealing the source of our horror: Rosa’s dad. Whereas Rosa was the spitting image of her mom, her dad bore only a superficial resemblance to her: The same crest of horns poked out from his head, more numerous than his wife or daughter, and the same tail dragged behind him, albeit one that looked like it could crush the life from my body with one squeeze. But that’s where the similarities stopped. Rosa’s dad lacked the peach-tone scales of the rest of the family I had seen, instead sporting a brownish-coloring across his exposed arms and face. His beak jutted further out of his stern face than any ankylosaur I knew, and evidence of his long time spent laboring in the field had given him a chiseled physique. His clothes were plain: just a simply pair of dusty workboots and jeans accompanying his light-plaid button-up. The mesh cap placed just-so between his horns read “Soy Eggscellente”.
His face was downcast as she stepped into the house, glancing down at his phone as he opened the door. “Rosa, bebita, I’m home! Did your madre get anything for-“ His words cut off at once at the sight of us, just standing there. I became suddenly very aware of just how close I was standing to Rosa, but it was too late to take a step away now. It might’ve been too late for anything, now. “Oh! Rosa, who is this? Rosa?” His voice, surprised at first, had dropped to a dangerous level, and frankly I didn’t blame him. If I came home to find a strange person in my house, let alone a human, I would want some answers.
“Papi, welcome home!” Rosa hit her dad at full-speed, her hug knocking some of the wind out of him. A distraction attempt, I was sure, a way to momentarily get his focus off of me. “This is An-on, my friend from school, remember? The one Stella and I told you about when she was over for dinner?” Releasing her dad, Rosa took a step back, placing herself between the two of us.
Stella, I swear to all that is holy, if you put a good word in for me, I will watch whatever anime you want.
“Oh, si, si…” Rosa’s dad looked more confused than anything, his red eyes darting between Rosa and I. “It’s… nice to meet you, An-on.” His words sounded clipped, as if he wanted to say something else entirely and thought better of it. The large ankylosaur crossed around Rosa, holding his hand outstretched. Attempting a weak smile, I accepted his handshake with as much composure as I could muster. His hands were nearly twice the size of mine, engulfing my own, the man’s many calluses making me suddenly aware of just how soft my skin really was.
“It’s uh, nice to meet you too, sir. Rosa just invited me over to… to, uh…” My words began to fail me under the inscrutable gaze of Rosa’s dad. He still hadn’t let my hand go, despite out handshake being over: He just held me in that powerful grip, not crushing me, but letting me know that there was no way I could break out of it. It slowly dawned on my that what I mistook for confusion in his eyes was actually judgment, a cold and calculation look that could only mean one thing: I know what you and my daughter were doing, and I am not happy about it. Rosa’s dad probably knew a lot of isolated places out on the farm, plenty of plants that needed some extra… fertilizer.
“I just invited him over because he hurt himself, after school. Isn’t that right, An-on? Right after school was over, you tripped down the stairs, si? An-on needed help getting better and he doesn’t have a car and he’s too poor for the bus so I took him here!” Rosa’s words pour out of her in a high-pitched, anxious voice. Moving to stand next to me, Rosa claps me on the back for good measure, causing me to wince in pain. I didn’t dare break my gaze with her dad, however, the towering man in front of me cocking an eyebrow quizzically.
“Tripped, huh?” It’s clear that Rosa’s dad doesn’t believe a word she’s feeding him. I’m really starting to sweat now, withering under his unflinching stare. “Rosa, did you push your novio down the stairs again?”
Wut.
At once, his features split into a warm smile as he threw his head back in a booming laugh. Rosa’s expression was as shocked as my own. “Aww, Bebita, you didn’t think your Mama would forget to tell your old man about your new novio, did you? Come her An-on, let me greet you properly!” His long arms wrap around my back, lifting me up into a big bear hug. Stars dance in front of my eyes from the pain before I’m released, nearly collapsing to the ground before I can catch myself on Rosa’s outstretched hand. “So, An-on, you’re dating my daughter, eh? I hope the two of you weren’t doing anything our savior would disapprove of…” He pats something underneath his shirt, something that hangs on a chain on his neck.
Before I can gurgle out a weak protest, Rosa comes to my rescue. “Ay, Papi, why didn’t you say something! Eres un gran malvado, making An-on think he was in trouble. And no, I did no push him down the stairs, some estúpido at school caused this.” Now that the immediate danger of her father disliking me is gone, Rosa gladly takes my hand, smiling towards me as her father laughs once more. “Papi, don’t laugh! It isn’t funny!”
Chuckling, Rosa’s dad puts a hand on either of our shoulders. “Bebita, when you are older, with niñas of your own, you will understand. Maybe An-on will be there too, ehhh?” Rosa’s dad and I share a grin as Rosa rolls her eyes, blushing despite herself. “Oh, now don’t be like that! You are a beautiful woman, Rosa, and it’s time you thought about starting a family. Your madre wasn’t-“
“Yes, Papi, I know: When Mama wasn’t much older than me, she was already married. Geez, Papi, you’re embarrassing me!” Rosa gives her father a playful punch in the shoulder, causing him to laugh again. “Anyways, Papi, An-on probably needs to get back home, to rest up. Here, An-on, let me drive you home.”
“Ay, Bebita, you are too kind! Always looking out for others, eh? Alright, go on, get your novio home. An-on, nice to meet you; come over anytime for dinner, okay?” Another paternal handshake later and Rosa and I are out the door, her supporting me to her car. Although the hug and Rosa’s insistent shoving during our flight out of her room didn’t help my injuries, the creams and balms that were applied earlier seem to be having some effect.
“You dad seems nice,” I say as Rosa walks hand-in-hand with me to the car. “Way nicer than I was expecting.” Rosa pauses as she helps me into the passenger seat of her car.
“Si, he is a nice man. But I am his little girl, he is normally so protective of me! Mama must’ve put in a good word for you for him to like you right at the start, An-on.” Rosa joins me in the car, sliding into the driver’s seat before keying the ignition on. “Sorry if he embarrassed you with those familia comments. He always likes to tease me.”
“That’s what families are for, Rosa. My dad is always saying shit like that. Not the family comments, I guess. I don’t think my parents ever thought I would give them grandkids.”
Rosa blushes slightly as we drive down the main gravel driveway. Glancing at me sideways, Rosa seems more than a little embarrassed at what she says next. “An-on, about what Papi said: Do you… do you think about those things? About having a family, when you’re older?”
I glance out my window before responding, watching as the rows of crops fly by. Turning back to Rosa, I give her my warmest smile, reaching over to place my hand on her thigh. Rosa pauses before getting on the main road, smiling back at me.
“Only with you, ‘mi amor’. Only with you.”