Rosie
After returning home, Madison went somewhere and I headed to the kitchen. An elderly woman was bustling around inside. When she saw me, she smiled warmly and wrinkles appeared on her face.
- Good morning, Miss Rosie - she said. - Dinner will be ready soon.
- Good morning. Are you Beatrice? - I asked.
- Oh yes, yes - she went back to stirring something in the pot. - I heard you're having dinner tonight with the Andersons.
- Maybe so - I replied, sitting at the counter.
- Anderson's sons are handsome - the woman said, turning to me with a smile.
I laughed.
- About that, I'm not looking for a boyfriend.
- Of course. No man in this family would allow that to happen.
The door slams.
- When is the dinner ? - Leo entered the kitchen.
- It will be ready soon - the woman replied
- Good. Rosie, come with me for a while.
- I'm coming - I stood up and started to leave the kitchen. I smiled at the woman and married Leo.
We sat down in the main living room, and Leo started talking:
- I'm telling you this because I would forget later.
- Mhm - I murmured.
- Do you know that you are still too young for boys? Which did not ?
I laughed out loud, taking it as a joke, but he still looked serious.
- You're kidding me.
- NO. Now sit quietly and listen to what I have to tell you - so I listened to him. - Neither my father nor Noah and Adrien would like you to date anyone. - I widened my eyes very wide. - You're definitely too young for that.
- I'm already 19 years old.
- I'm telling you, because boys only think about...
- About ???
- REALLY ! Really... Really - I got up from the couch. Leo was still looking at me with a grave look on his face.
After a while, he also stood up.
- If you don't listen to me, you will be punished for your actions. - he now sounded like some strict parent not allowing his child at least a little freedom.
MY FATHER.
- Father will find out about everything, and he told me to tell you this.
- I don't believe it, really...
I left the living room, furious and dazed, heading towards the dining room, where I could already hear the voices of my mother and Thomas talking. They were already sitting at the table.
- Sit down, child - said mother. - Where's Leo?
- He'll be here soon - I sat down at the table.
We were all eating together in silence when Thomas started:
- I was wondering... Maybe you wouldn't like to take over my duties in one of the charity organizations I co-founded, Rosanna? - He asked.
I wondered in silence. I don't really have anything interesting to do except study, so...
- There's not that much work there... mostly you'll just go to balls.
So...
- All right
- Thank you very much - Thomas said. - Aiden Anderson is coming for dinner today, he also took over shares in this company from his father, but he has been in it longer.
- Mhm - I muttered, chewing the salad.
-Who's coming?! - Leo asked in a raised voice.
- The Andersons - Thomas replied calmly.
Leo stood up abruptly from the table, shuffling his chair.
- I have to make an urgent call.
-Leo! - Thomas shouted.
But he has already left.
***
After lunch, I visited the library and then took a shower. I was lying in my bathrobe reading some romance novel I found there and waiting for Madison to come help me get ready for dinner. After a while I heard a knock on the door.
- Please ! - I shouted, putting the book aside.
- I'm here - Madison said, entering the room.
She was wearing black pants and a black and white plaid jacket.
- Are you stressed?
- A little - I answered truthfully.
- There's no need to stress. Dress first?
- I didn't know which one to choose - I sighed and stood up, heading to the dressing room. Madison followed me.
- And which one appeals to you the most? What material of dresses do you like the most? - Madison asked, looking at each dress in turn.
- Hmm... - I was wondering
- I love satin, for example - Is it short or long now?
- Long ! - I shouted immediately, afraid that Madison would come up with the idea of dressing me in a short dress that I hated for one reason, a big reason.
Madison looked at me, raising one eyebrow slightly, but didn't say anything.
- Okay, so which one - Madison showed me four dresses. They were all satin, long and of course black. - Forgive me, but I don't know all these shades of black.
- Me too - I laughed - After all, black is black, right?
- Exactly. So which one?
- It'll be a countdown. - I laughed, starting to count as if I were a 5-year-old child, but I liked such moments when I could reminisce about that period of life, which, although it didn't seem so to me at the time, was one of the simplest in my not so long life.
- So this one - Madison lifted up the dress on the left. - Get dressed and call me. - and she left the dressing room, closing the door behind her.
I quickly changed, and when I was dressed, I looked at myself in the mirror. The dress exposed a large part of my back, but it didn't bother me, it made the whole dress more beautiful.
- Already ! - I called.
The woman entered the dressing room.
- Oh my God - she moaned, covering her mouth for a moment, probably in shock at my appearance - How beautiful you are - she squealed - And you have such a beautiful waist. I'd like one too. Are you exercising or what?
- Yes, well, I try to go to the gym at least once a day.
- I envy your mobilization.
- Now shoes? - I asked.
- Yes. I understand that high heels?
- I love high heels - I squealed.
- And that's understandable. Black or gold? - she asked, entering the depths of the wardrobe where various styling accessories were located. Shoes, handbags, jewelry.
- Of course gold - I replied, looking at myself in the mirror all the time.
I finally felt like a real woman. I felt really beautiful. I felt this was how it should be. It should be as it is now. PERFECTLY.
In addition to high heels, we also chose a gold necklace and a gold bracelet.
I didn't count how long it took us to put on makeup, which was light anyway. Madison also slightly curled my hair, which now looked even more beautiful than ever.
The guests were supposed to arrive at 7 p.m., so half an hour before Madison had to go to see if everything was ready to receive these guests. I was left alone in the room. Madison hadn't had time to paint my lips yet, so I had to do it myself.
But before I did that, I sat down at the dressing table and called my friends on Facetime.
- Oh god, Rosie. You look so beautiful - Caroline moaned.
- I agree with Caroline - Alex said.
- Thank you very much - I said.
- And what occasion is she dressed up for? - asked the boy.
- I'm having dinner soon with some of my new stepfather's friends. Thomas even asked me to take over from him at this well-known charity. In which one boy who will come here today also took over his father's duties. But what was the name of this organization? - I wondered aloud.
- Are you talking about Lorves? - Caroline asked.
- Oh, yes, thanks.
- That's sweet, - she squealed.
I laughed.
- Now help me, because I don't know what to choose.
- This lip gloss or rather this pink lipstick? - I asked, showing them two products.
- I don't know anything, don't count on me - said Alex, raising his hands up.
- Lipstick is better. It will last longer.
- Okay - I said and started painting my lips.
- How's your brother? - Alex asked
- Oh, don't ask, he told me today that I was "still too young to have a boyfriend" - I made quotation marks in the air with my fingers.
- I don't believe it... Really? - the girl asked quietly.
I nodded.
- And now I have news for you, important news - So you better sit down.
- Let's sit down - said my friends at the same time.
- Now I've really given up on Charlie!
- Finally - they sighed together again.
- We're happy, babe. Finally - said the girl.
- Well, very much - Alex agreed.
Someone started knocking on the door.
- I'm sending you kisses and I have to finish - I said and said goodbye to my friends who did the same and hung up.
- Please! - I shouted, getting up from the dressing table.
I saw Leo in the doorway. He was wearing suit pants and a white shirt that had one button unbuttoned. He bowed to me.
- Hello, beautiful lady, and also my sister - and he bowed to me with a wide smile. - So it's satin.
I couldn't stand it anymore. I started laughing and he started laughing with me.
- You look beautiful too - I said when we calmed down a bit.
- Guests will be arriving soon! - my mother shouted from downstairs. I was wondering how loud her voice is that you can hear her here.
- Okay. Listen to me now, Rosie.
- I'm listening
- I'll go downstairs now, and you have to go into the corridor, but don't show your face at first, only when the Andersons come inside and take off their jackets, coats, or whatever else they have, you start going down the stairs. You understand ?
- I see.
I wanted to give him a kiss on the cheek, as I usually did, but at the last moment I remembered that I had lipstick on my lips.
We went out into the corridor together. I waited hidden in the shadows, and Leo went downstairs to his parents.
A moment later, the doorbell rang. I heard the door open and everyone greeting each other, and once they had probably put away their covers, I started walking towards the stairs. My heels clicked terribly, and when I started going down the stairs they clicked even more.
Everyone was standing in the hall, next to the door, and they were all looking at me too. However, my attention was caught by an older boy, probably in his 20s, who was leaning on the door frame of the vestibule and talking on the phone. He looked at me too. After a while, I turned my gaze to the others. Apart from my mother and Thomas, there were also two married couples their age standing there. And a young boy, probably around Leo's and my age. Mom smiled tenderly at me, and I don't know if I imagined it, but she almost had tears in her eyes.
Now I just prayed that I wouldn't trip. Fortunately, it worked. I reached the bottom safe and sound.