Love, Rosie (153 page)

I
had
to
muster
all
my
strength
to
stop
myself
from
punching
him.

Katie
was
so
nervous
about
meeting
him
that
she
was
shaking
like
a

236

Cecelia
Ahern

leaf
and
clinging
to
me.
She
was
expecting
me
to
be
the
strong
one.

Imagine.
Someone
was
relying
on
me.
We
met
him
in
the
coffee

shop
in
Jervis
Street
Shopping
Center
and
I
have
to
admit,
as
we

were
approaching
his
table
I
felt
sick.
Sick
with
anger
that
the
mis-

erable
little
man
who
I
was
going
to
have
to
force
myself
to
be
nice

to
for
the
next
hour
and
help
to
become
a
part
of
my
daughter’s
life,

was
the
very
same
person
who
caused
me
so
much
heartache
in
the

past.
I
had
to
help
him.
It
also
felt
odd
that
as
weak
as
I
felt
bring-

ing
Katie
into
town
on
the
bus
that
morning,
as
tired,
nervous,

angry,
and
disappointed
as
I
was
to
be
doing
what
I
was
doing,
I

realize
that
these
two
people
needed
me
to
bring
them
together.
So

for
the
sake
of
Katie’s
relationship
with
Brian,
whatever
feelings
of

resentment
I
have
for
him
need
to
be
kept
to
myself.

Ruby:

Rosie:

You’ve
done
a
good
thing
Rosie.
It
must
have
been
difficult,
it
will

probably
be
difficult
for
a
long
time
watching
them
grow
closer.

I
know.
I
have
to
bite
my
tongue
to
stop
myself
from
telling
Katie

just
how
much
of
a
hero
her
father
isn’t
when
she
tells
me
about

some
of
the
things
he
has
done
in
his
life.

Ruby:

Rosie:

What
was
he
like
with
her?

He
was
even
more
nervous
than
Katie
so
it
was
up
to
me
to
get
the

conversation
started
between
them.
It
was
an
odd
situation
but
you

know,
being
the
strongest
out
of
the
three
really
helped
me
to
see

that
the
decision
I
made
about
not
moving
to
Boston
was
the
right

one.
Katie
needed
me.
They
both
needed
me.
He
seemed
genuinely

interested
in
my
life
and
in
Katie’s.
He
wanted
to
know
everything

about
her
and
I
quite
enjoyed
sharing
our
stories
from
over
the

years.
At
first
I
was
telling
each
story
with
anger
because
he
wasn’t

around
for
any
of
them
and
then
I
realized
I
was
bragging.
It
perked

me
up
in
a
strange
sort
of
way
and
made
me
realize
how
lucky
I’ve

been,
as
much
as
I
moan
and
whinge
about
the
responsibility
of

motherhood.
It
also
helped
me
see
the
“specialness”
of
Katie
and