Love, Rosie (152 page)

returning
my
calls.

Ruby:

Rosie:

Just
give
him
time,
he’s
disappointed
how
things
worked
out.

I’m
sorry,
he’s
disappointed?
He’s
disappointed?
I
think
me
and
the

rest
of
the
world
seem
to
be
having
a
communication
problem

here—does
everyone
think
that
I’m
ecstatic
by
these
new
revela-

tions?
I
mean,
I’m
really
not
looking
for
sympathy
or
anything

but—

Ruby:

Yes
you
are.

love,
rosie

235

Rosie:

Ruby:

Rosie:

Excuse
me?

Sympathy.
Looking
for
it.
Yes
you
are.

Thank
you
for
decoding
that
for
me.
OK
so
maybe
it
would
be
nice

if
at
least
some
people
acknowledged
the
fact
that
my
husband
has

had
an
affair,
my
marriage
has
ended,
I’m
still
a
million
miles
away

from
Alex
and
will
never
know
how
I
feel
about
him,
my
child’s

runaway
father
is
back
in
Ireland,
and
I
HAVE
NO
JOB!
A
pat
on

the
back,
a
sympathetic
smile,
and
a
bit
of
a
cuddle
would
be
quite

nice
actually.
A
few
months
spent
in
my
bed
curled
up
into
a
ball,

smothered
by
blankets,
in
a
room
darkened
by
drawn
curtains,

dressed
in
a
pair
of
big
unflattering
pajamas
would
be
my
idea
of

heaven
but
unfortunately
I
can’t
do
that
right
now
because
I
have
a

daughter
who
is
hyperventilating
over
the
fact
that
her
father
who

she
hasn’t
met
for
thirteen
years
is
back
in
her
life
and
I
need
to
for-

get
about
me
and
be
strong
for
her.
But
a
bit
of
sympathy
would
be

nice
too.

Ruby:

Rosie:

Ruby:

Rosie:

Breathe
Rosie.

No
that’s
how
all
my
problems
happen.
If
I
wasn’t
breathing
then

everything
would
be
fine.

Don’t
talk
like
that.

Oh
shut
up,
I
haven’t
got
time
to
kill
myself;
I’m
too
busy
having
a

nervous
breakdown.
Brian
booked
a
flight
over
here
as
soon
as
he

got
off
the
phone
from
me
so
it
seems
he
is
very
serious
about
his

new
role
of
fatherhood.
He
tells
me
he’s
been
living
in
Spain
for
the

past
thirteen
years
where
he
owns
a
nightclub.
Providing
the
highly

sexed
underage
drinkers
of
Ireland’s
youth
with
some
binge
drink-

ing
memories.
Now
he’s
back
in
Dublin
to
work
on
another
project.

Ruby:

Rosie:

Is
he
all
tanned
and
gorgeous?

Well
never
before
would
I
have
put
the
words
“Brian
the
Whine”

and
“tanned
and
gorgeous”
all
in
the
same
sentence.
He’s
pretty

much
the
same
with
less
hair
and
more
belly.

Ruby:

Rosie:

How
did
you
feel
when
you
saw
him?