2023: Rosie 01

"Sir, you have a two-hour lunch today at the Hilton with Mr. Jacob from MacKenzie, Lucas and Jacob. After that meetings with Mr. Walt, Ms. Nikki and Ms. Bennet at 3 pm, 4 pm, and 5 pm, respectively. And then dinner with Alejandro at 7 pm. I've booked a table at the Savoy, don't worry, sir. Alejandro has given me a hint that you should wear that Armani dark grey tux with the charcoal Italian shoes, because it's a waltz night." she informed.

The ex-model CEO chuckled quietly. "Has your friend always been this lovely?"

Rosie whipped back her thick long hair and smiled to the magazine mogul. "Of course, Mr. Winger. Since college he has always planned everything in detail, down to the colour of his undies."

"Good to know, Rosalie. How about you, what are you going to do tonight? It's valentine's day after all." asked her chiseled-face boss.

The woman that embodied secretary pretended to think for awhile, when she knew what she was going to do that night. "Dinner with Walt, of course. Don't know where, but he said it'd be fabulous."

"How's your Rosie's Roast? Still up and running?"

Rosie nodded eagerly. "Yes, It's been doing well. Thanks for asking. I may not have a kid, but that shop is my true baby."

"Yeah, Alejandro told me. Now get back to your desk, I don't want those people to start asking question about us."

The matriarch woman laughed and started to walk away. "Like they would believe you can cheat from Alejandro with me. They'd found my body in the back of an alley if you ever do."

Rosie had lied.

It was not the first time she had lied to people, but it was the first time she had ever lied to her boss. To Alexander. To Alejandro's Alexander. To her close friend's partner--almost husband, from what she had heard. It was a big deal. Keeping something from Alexander meant that she also had to keep secret from Alejandro. And for her, it was something that did not come easily. She may never told her friends about everything, but she could never be able to hide something this big.

Rosie actually had a daughter. Her name was Louise, after her previous husband's wife that died of cancer. Her previous husband had already died due to a plane crash several years ago when Louise was only two. Now that Louise was almost six, she often questioned her mother the whereabout of her dad. Asking her insistently why Darcy was not her actual dad. Asking why she had two dads.

Gazing at the framed picture of Louise looking to the camera with her pair of doe blue eyes and small pouty lips, she sighed. It was another thing that she lied to Alex. No one in her current life knew about the existence of Darcy. Of how Darcy had taken over the father role, albeit sporadically and without clear or constant schedule the way parents shared their custody over kids. It was not like that at all. It was, in fact, as if Darcy was Louise's uncle; being present in Louise's life but without being involved too much. Darcy and her never shared a house, but she constantly shared Louise with him when she could not handle her only offspring or could not take care of her properly, she would take Louise to his place and ask Darcy to look after little Louise. Louise never minded much, she loved her Darcy. Darcy was fun, she would always say to her mother. Darcy always showed her magic tricks and baked her sweet sugarless cookies. He would take her to places that her mother would never take her to. And he would treat her ice creams! With toppings. Another thing that her mother never allowed her to take.

But Louise could never understand why Darcy was in Rosie's life in the first place. Rosie told her daughter that she met Darcy long ago, when she was just a little girl, on the verge of growing up but not yet growing old like she was right now. It was during the times when girls were looking for boyfriends and Rosie found one.

To Rosie, and to some extent little Louise, Darcy was a patriarch figure without the neediness and presence of a father that constantly bored his child. Rosie needed that kind of presence since she was a matriarch figure to all, but she was not one for herself. She wanted someone that could be her for her. And he was exactly that, even though the way life stitched him more awful than the way life stitched her.

But what life had stitched her together, he tore it apart. He broke her open and put her together again the way he knew best. The same way he put himself together. Awful, everyone thought that way, since he was obviously was more complex and scarred than her. Nevertheless, it was the way she lived, the way she coped. Life could tear her apart, tear them apart from each other, but death could never do that. Death was something that was taboo for her. Something that would not destroy them as it would never exist to her. Grief over him was something that she would not witness or experience in her lifetime. Grief of losing him to the death's loving and calming embrace would never happen to her. It was something of taboo.

Her previous husband, Chuck, accepted that. He accepted the idea that there was someone that was more important than him; that she needed someone more than him. As he did the same to her too, loving the older Louise as if she was the essence of his very soul; Rosie sometimes thought she was because she could tell that Chuck was just a shell of what a person should be. Maybe that was why she agreed to marry Chuck, apart from the part that both of them needed a legacy, needed to feel like they were needed by an innocent soul that had not been tainted by the destructions and cruelty that they both witnessed daily. Someone that could be their own personal redemption if they raised them right. Someone like little Louise.

However, Rosie knew that she had to live in the present. With Chuck long gone, she needed to feel like she was wanted by someone again. Walt came into her life through Alex. Walt wanted her in the way even Chuck had never been able to utter. It was pure want and lust. She did not mind that. Walt wasn't innocent, either. He was another scheming leech, but an insanely rich leech that could provide her with luxurious life she used to have with Chuck. Paid her vacations with Louise. Invested in Rosie's Roasted.

It was wrong, she knew. To use someone that way. But this was her life now. She had grown. She had to stay strong, at least for Louise. It was not something that she wanted, she would never dream her life had turned this way so dramatically and drastically, but she could never be selfish now. She had Louise. And she had to face reality and slap it on the face while wearing a pair of blood red stilettos.

Her smartphone rang. The smartphone that Alex had given to her on her birthday. Darcy was on the caller ID.

"Happy valentine's day, kiddo." he greeted.

Rosie could only smile half-heartedly to her phone. "You too. And happy birthday."

"Shoot, I'm 31, aren't I? I'm getting old." he said.

"Of course. I'm almost 31, too, you know." she replied. "Who are you going to spend your Valentine's Day with? I heard all the fancy restaurants are booked."

"Who says I'm gonna spend my Valentine's Day in a boring restaurant? I'm at the hospital!" he answered smoothly.

"You're what?!"

"I'm having an open-heart surgery in about fifteen minutes, this is why I'm telling you. No worries, Drew's gonna be here. He abandoned his case just to be here with me. Ain't he a nice brother?"

"But--where?"

"Venice Hospital. Don't worry your pretty little head, I'm gonna be fine. Oh, and Louise is at my mother's. I think she is spoiling Louise like she is the granddaughter she'd never have. But, to come and think about it, she actually almost is, isn't she? With me still single and Drew is shooting blanks, Louise is her only chance to spoil someone that isn't Drew or me, or even you. But don't tell my mum, she doesn't know why I asked her to babysit Louise. The doctor is already here, by the way. So, adios."

Rosie hated Darcy with all her guts right now. She had never met anyone that was as selfish as him. He was selfish for not telling her this, not to make her at least felt like she was prepared for him if he left her. Not to make Louise felt like she was prepared for being left by her only patriarch role model. He could do whatever he liked, but not leaving her and Louise all alone. Just the same way Louise's father left them. It could not be. She could never be prepared. Death won't be something that can make him escape from her presence. Death was not something on their journey together. It just would not fit.

Rosie immediately asked to be dismissed for the rest of the day. She had to pick up Louise and go straight to the hospital, she could care less about what she was supposed to wear and where she was supposed to be tonight with Walt. She could never have him leave her this way.

As she hurriedly walked to the elevator, she met someone that she needed the most at time like this. A friend.