Where Rainbows End (15 page)

Love, Rosie

Dear Alex,

OK, so as you probably no, it’s mum’s 30th next month and me and Toby are arranging a surprise birthday party for her. So will you come?

So far we have invited Grandma, Granddad, Aunt Stephanie, Uncle Kevin (even though we didn’t want to because he scares us), Ruby, Teddy, Toby’s mum and dad, Toby, and me. That’s all so far. Oh yeah and Greg too if he’s here. He’s always working and Mum is always giving out to him about it. The other weekend Mum was off work and she was real excited about it all week because she had stuff planned with Ruby and Greg. I no how she feels because I hate school and I love when the weekend comes.

Anyway Greg had to go away again last minute. Then Ruby called her and said she was sick so Mum stayed in and watched TV with me and Toby and she let him stay over.

Toby got this cool new flashlight. It’s like the best one you can get.

When Mum went to bed we were shining it out our window and it reached all the way up to the clouds and everything it was so strong. Well we were shining it across the road and we could see Mr. and Mrs. Gallagher across the road. Toby thinks they were playing leap frog. It was real funny except Mrs. Gallagher came across the road in her dressing gown real mad at us and she was banging on the door shouting at Mum. Mum was so mad she said she wouldn’t take us to the parade. But she did.

134

Cecelia Ahern

Me and Toby got our faces painted in town and it looked really cool. We even got Mum to get a little shamrock on her face as well and she did but then she wished she didn’t because it started raining and the green, white, and gold face paints were running all over our faces. They looked like rainbow tears. Loads of Toby’s got in his hair and I rubbed my eyes by mistake and all the green got in. They were stinging so much I couldn’t keep my eyes open and I couldn’t see so Mum and Toby held my hands and brought me home. We had to leave before the parade even started.

We were soaking when we got home and Mum’s new outfit was covered by the green stuff. The lady that put it on our faces said that it washes off clothes. It doesn’t. Toby has had green hair for the whole week in school and Ms. Big Nose Smelly Breath Casey isn’t happy. Can you believe she is the principal now? Mum says the school must really be desperate. Anyway, when we got back from town we just watched the parade on telly but we only got to see the end because it took us so long to get home because of all the bloody tourists. That’s what Mum said.

So will you come to the party? You can bring Josh too, we need more people anyway. Aunt Stephanie can’t come because she is due next month and I don’t think the pilot will let her fly because she’s too heavy or something. Grandma and Granddad are going over to visit her, Pierre, and the new baby if it comes, Uncle Kevin can’t come because he’s starting his new job as a chef in a new hotel down the country. So it’s just Ruby and Teddy and Ruby says that she can’t promise Teddy will be there, because she doesn’t like to plan dates with him that far in advance. It’s only two weeks though.

I wanted it to be kinda special for Mum, because she’s been really sad again this week. Things have been kinda weird these days. I think it’s because the telephone is broken. Every time the phone rings and Mum answers it, no one is there. It happens when I answer it too. It doesn’t happen when Greg answers it.

Greg said he would get someone to fix the phone and Mum just spilled her drink on him. I don’t really think it’s broken. I think that whoever is ringing just wants to speak to Greg and not me and Mum.

It would be good if you came over, you’re loads of fun. You can even love, rosie

135

sleep here but you can’t sleep in the spare room because that’s Greg’s room now I think. You can sleep on the couch or I have a pull-out bed in my room.

Remember, don’t ring because it’s a secret and Mum just keeps hanging the phone up without saying hello anyway. E-mail me if you want.

Love,

Katie

from:

Alex

to:

Katie

subject:

Re: Rosie’s 30th

Thanks for the letter. That’s a good idea of yours and Toby’s but I won’t wait until your Mum’s birthday if you don’t mind. I’ll be over as soon as I can.

HAPPY 30TH SISTER!

SORRY WE CAN’T BE THERE,

LOVE STEPHANIE, PIERRE, AND JEAN-LOUIS!

FOR OUR DAUGHTER,

HAPPY 30TH.

SORRY WE CAN’T BE THERE, ENJOY YOUR DAY LOVE AND WE’LL SEE

YOU WHEN WE GET BACK.

LOVE MUM AND DAD

HAPPY 30TH SIS,

SORRY I CAN’T BE THERE BUT THANKS FOR GETTING ME THE JOB, I OWE YOU ONE.

ENJOY THE NIGHT.

KEVIN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ROSIE,

SORRY WE CAN’T BE THERE BUT WE’RE STUCK COVERING YOUR SHIFT!

LOVE FROM EVERYONE AT WORK XXX

136

Cecelia Ahern

To Rosie,

I’m so sorry, please forgive me; I have been a complete fool. Please let’s put this behind us and enjoy your birthday weekend.

Love,

Greg

HAPPY BIRTHDAY,

LET’S GET PISSED.

LOVE RUBY

Rosie,

I’m returning to Boston tomorrow but before I go I wanted to write this letter to you. All the thoughts and feelings that have been bubbling up inside me are finally overflowing into this pen and I’m leaving this letter for you so that you don’t feel that I’m putting you under any great pressure. I understand that you will need to take your time trying to decide on what I am about to say.

I no what’s going on, Rosie; you’re my best friend and I can see the sadness in your eyes. I no that Greg isn’t away working for the weekend. You never could lie to me; you were always terrible at it. Don’t pretend that everything is perfect because I
see
what’s going on. I see that Greg is a selfish man who has absolutely no idea just how lucky he is and it makes me sick.

He is the luckiest man in the world to have you, Rosie, but he doesn’t deserve you and
you
deserve far better. You deserve someone who loves you with every single beat of his heart, someone who thinks about you constantly, someone who spends every minute of every day just wondering what you’re doing, where you are, who you’re with, and if you’re OK. You need someone who can help you reach your dreams and who can protect you from your fears. You need someone who will treat you with respect, love every part of you,
especially
your flaws. You should be with someone who can make you happy, really happy,
dancing on air happy
. Someone who should have taken the chance to be with you years ago instead of getting scared and being too afraid to try.

I am not scared anymore Rosie. I am not afraid to try.

love, rosie

137

I no what that feeling was at your wedding—it was jealousy. My heart broke when I saw the woman I love turning away from me to walk down the aisle with another man, another man she planned to spend the rest of her life with. It was like a prison sentence for me. Years ahead without me being able to tell you how I feel or hold you how I wanted to.

Twice we stood beside each other at the altar, Rosie.
Twice
. And twice we got it wrong. I needed you to be there for my wedding day but I was too stupid to see that I needed you to be the
reason
for my wedding day. But we got it all wrong.

I should never have let your lips leave mine all those years ago in Boston.

I should never have pulled away. I should never have panicked. I should never have wasted all those years without you. Give me a chance to make them up to you. I love you, Rosie, and I want to be with you and Katie and Josh.

Always.

Please think about it. Don’t waste your time on Greg, this is
our
opportunity. Let’s stop being afraid and take the chance. I promise I’ll make you happy.

All my love,

Alex

Ruby:

I’ve decided. I’m putting my Gary on a diet.

Rosie:

You’re
putting
him
on a diet? How on earth can you control what your twenty-one-year-old son eats?

Ruby:

Oh it’s easy; I’ll just nail down everything to the floor.

Rosie:

So what kind of diet is it?

Ruby:

I don’t know. I bought a magazine, but there are so many stupid diets out there I don’t know which one to pick. Remember that ridiculous one that you and I did last year? The alphabet one where we had to eat foods beginning with a certain letter every day?

Rosie:

Oh yeah! How long did we do that for?!

Ruby:

Em . . . that would be 26 days of course Rosie Rosie:

Oh . . . right . . . of course. You
put on
weight on the third day.

Ruby:

That’s because the third day was the lucky letter “C” . . .

Cakes . . . mmmm

Rosie:

Well we made up for it on the last day. I was bloody starving on

“Z” day; I was practically chasing zebras with a kitchen knife around the zoo. Could have eaten the zoo I suppose . . .

Ruby:

You should have done what I did, I ate like a queen. I became Ger-man for the day and ate “ze cakes” and “ze buns.” Oh I don’t know Rosie. I think I’ll just invent a diet of my own and give those stupid magazines a run for their money

love, rosie

139

Rosie:

So what’s your idea then?

Ruby:

Hmmm . . . OK you should only eat . . . whatever food you look like.

Rosie:

I bet those magazines are quaking in their boots . . .

Ruby:

No really! I think I’m on to something here! Teddy always reminds me of a tomato with his big ripe fat juicy red face. The two hairs on his head that stick up remind me of the stalk . . . I always feel the urge to stick his head in a blender and mix with vodka and Tabasco.

A bloody Teddy. Simon from the office reminds me of a Brussels sprout. He’s smelly and . . .

Rosie:

Green?

Ruby:

No, just smelly.

Rosie:

What do I look like?

Ruby:

Good question . . . Hmmm, I think you’re a bit of an onion.

Rosie:

An onion?! Why, do I stink and make people cry? An onion?! Why, do I stink and make people cry?

Ruby:

Why did you just repeat yourself?

Rosie:

Onions do that don’t they, they repeat on you?

Ruby:

A funny onion too. No I think it’s because there are many layers to you, Rosie Dunne, and as the years go by, another one is peeled away. I think there’s a lot more under there than people think. So what am I?

Rosie:

Hmmm . . . a cake.

Ruby:

A
cake??

Rosie:

Sweet as sugar with a cherry on top. Sweet as pie!

Ruby:

And fat and unhealthy.

Rosie:

Look Ruby you invented this diet. If you look like a cake then all you can eat are cakes . . . Think about it . . .

Ruby:

Yes I take your point . . . I always thought secretly that I had a touch of the banoffi pie to me alright. Well this is a stupid idea, it’s not a proper diet at all unless you look like a vegetable or a fruit and my Gary (although he may have the
qualities
of a vegetable) ain’t no fruit or vegetable.

Rosie:

What do you think Greg looks like?

140

Cecelia Ahern

Ruby:

Ah that’s easy. A cow’s testicle.

Rosie:

HA! Since when did people ever eat cow’s testicles?

Ruby:

It’s a tribal thing . . . OK then a slug. A slimy, disgusting, slow slug.

Rosie:

I don’t think Greg would eat a slug.

Ruby:

Who cares what the cheating bastard eats. What do you think Alex looks like?

Rosie:

A Skye.

Ruby:

You think your six-foot-tall, brown-haired, brown-eyed, white-skinned friend looks like a chocolate bar with nougat inside?

Rosie:

Yes

Ruby:

Now
that’s
stupid . . .

Rosie:

Well excuse me Ms. I think Teddy has a tomato head . . .

Ruby:

Look, all this talk of dieting is making me hungry, I’m taking an early lunch OK?

Rosie:

OK! You cheered me up Ruby.

Ruby:

Ooops sorry, I wasn’t supposed to do that was I?

Rosie:

No, but you’re forgiven.

Ruby:

Oh good. Bye honey.

Rosie:

Bye . . .

Ruby has logged off

from:

Alex

to:

Rosie

subject:

More time?

Alex here, it’s been a while since I’ve heard from you . . . I was hoping you would have been in touch by now. If you need more time, I understand.

Please let me no what’s going on.

love, rosie

141

from:

Rosie

to:

Alex

subject:

Re: More time?

Hey there Skye! Sorry I haven’t written in a while, I’ve been up to my eyes at work. It’s been really busy around here for some reason. Probably because the sun is beginning to peek its big head up again; the country is so much nicer when the sun shines. What do you mean do I need more time? It doesn’t take very long to accept I’m thirty!

Thanks for coming over for my birthday, by the way. It was really sweet of Katie and Toby to organize it even if you and Ruby were the
only
people there. Sorry I was a bit of a sour puss, I suppose I was just down because I turned thirty and most people were away. It just would have been nice if more people had come but never mind, it’s not the end of the world. You were there and that was good enough for me. I was so happy to see you. You are always there for me, Alex, and I appreciate that. You keep me strong when I don’t feel like it.

Anyway how are things with you? How’s Josh? Give him a big huge sloppy kiss and a hug from me.

from:

Alex

to:

Rosie

subject:

My letter