Love, Rosie (215 page)

He’s
OK;
he’s
on
the
school
football
team.
He’s
good.

You’ll
have
to
keep
an
eye
on
him
for
me,
won’t
you?

Absolutely!

Mum!
Now
he’ll
never
shut
up!

Did
you
have
sex
with
him?

Mum!
I’m
14!

I
see
14-year-old
girls
on
the
TV
who
are
pregnant
these
days.

Well
not
me!

Good.
Did
you
take
any
drugs?

Mum!
Stop!
Where
the
hell
would
I
get
drugs
from??!

love,
rosie

323

Rosie:

Katie:

Rosie:

Katie:

Rosie:

Katie:

Toby:

Rosie:

Katie:

Rosie:

Katie:

Rosie:

Katie:

Ruby:

I
don’t
know,
well
you
see
14-year-old
pregnant
girls
on
TV
who

are
on
drugs
these
days.

Well
not
me!

Good.
Did
you
drink
alcohol?

Mum!
Toby’s
mum
drove
us
to
the
school
and
collected
us,
when

would
we
have
had
time
to
drink?

I
don’t
know.
You
see
drunken
pregnant
14-year-olds
who
are
on

drugs
on
the
TV
these
days.

Well
that’s
definitely
not
me!

What
TV
programs
are
you
watching?

Mainly
the
news.

Well
don’t
worry;
you’ve
lectured
me
enough
to
know
that
it’s
stu-

pid
to
do
all
of
those
things.
OK?

OK
but
remember
kisses
are
nice
but
that’s
as
far
as
it
should
go.

Ok?

Mum!
That’s
all
I
want!!

Good,
now
you
two
get
back
to
your
work.
I
expect
you
to
get
A’s

in
this
subject!

Well
we
won’t
if
you
keep
bothering
us!

So
what
are
you
going
to
do
for
the
next
two
months
now
that
the

kids
are
off
school?
You’re
so
lucky
getting
such
long
holidays.

Randy
Andy
told
me
I’d
used
up
all
my
holidays
already
which
is

ridiculous
because
all
those
days
were
supposed
to
be
sick
days.
He

said
there’s
no
way
someone
could
have
been
sick
for
65
days
of
the

working
year
and
still
be
alive.

Rosie:

Ruby:

Oh
no,
so
you
can’t
take
any
holidays?

I
can
now,
I
told
him
that
if
he’ll
give
me
two
weeks
off
that
I’d

mention
Randy
Andy’s
Paperclip
Company
when
Oprah
invites
me

on
her
TV
show
after
me
and
Gary
win
the
World
Salsa
Champi-

onship.
What
are
you
going
to
do?

Rosie:
I’m
not
too
sure.
Julie
mentioned
something
about
being
able
to
do

adult
courses
at
the
school.
She
says
I
should
take
a
course
in
hotel

management
like
I
always
wanted
to
do.
Like
it’s
that
simple.

324

Ruby:

Cecelia
Ahern

Why
can’t
it
be
that
simple?
Look
Rosie,
you
don’t
know
until
you

try.
Ever
since
I
met
you
you’ve
been
going
on
about
working
in
a