Part1:One Week Later
>One week
>One week since everything changed.
>Well not everything.
>Surprising little has changed since that night.
>The earth still turns the sun and the moon still rise
>Pegasi fly through the sky and unicorns perform magic
>Ponies roam the streets throughout the day.
>Not much has changed with the world at all.
>Something has changed with you though.
>You still go to work and school throughout the week.
>But there is something different.
>You feel happier.
>You really can’t explain it though.
>You feel like it’s less of a chore going to classes in the morning
>Your work in the afternoon is still tedious, but it feels less so.
>Maybe it’s the magic all around you now.
>It does make the world a more interesting place to live in.
>Maybe it’s because you’re finally getting used to the idea of the magic around you.
>Or maybe, just maybe…
>The cold wind of a September night hits you as you leave work.
>It snaps you back to reality.
>You shiver and pull your jacket tighter around you.
>You start making your way back to your apartment
>And back to Rose.
>Rose…
>She is always happy to see you come back.
>Even though you are usually tired from a long day of classes and work.
> You always make some time to talk to her about how you day was
>She then talks about news about her pony friends.
>Maybe she is the reason…
>Only partially…
>It’s nice to go home and look forward to something.
>The conversation is always nice and it gives you a nice way to wind down from the day.
>You quicken your pace and begin to race your way home.
>You make your way up the stair to your apartment.
>As you approach your door you can hear the sound of voices coming from inside
>Must be the news you reassure yourself.
>As you open the door you see rose sitting on the couch, watching the news
>Like she always is when you make it home.
>Upon the door open she looks up and smiles at you.
“Hello, Anon! How was your day?”
>You smile back, hanging your jacket up on the coat hanger.
>“It was fine, how was yours?”
“It was good, what’s for dinner tonight?”
>You shrug, you haven’t really thought about dinner.
>”How do you like the sound of spaghetti?”
“Sounds good to me.”
>With that you start on dinner
>It isn’t long before the noodles are boiled and the sauce is ready
>You bring to plates of spaghetti to the living room and sit down next to Rose on the couch
>You settle in next to Rose and prepare to eat
>Rose smiles at you.
“So tell me about your day…”
>You smile and start talking about your morning at school
>She listens quietly and slowly eats her spaghetti.
>you launch into a long explanation about what you learned today
>You don’t know if she understands what you are talking about.
>But she never says anything and is happy to listen to you talk.
>You often wonder if she likes to hear about your schooling or if it’s you just talking
>You finish off with how your afternoon was at work
>Although there is very little you seem to be able to talk to her about from work
>Its always the same thing over and over again after all.
>But, she doesn’t mind.
>You finish the story about your day and smile back at her.
>”So anything new in pony society today”
>She frowns a bit at the question.
>”Is there something wrong?”
“They still haven’t found the princesses, or any news about how we got here.”
>You also frown at this.
>Right their princesses, Luna and Celestia. The ones who controlled their sun and moon
>No one has been able to find them in the past week.
>It has all the ponies worrying.
>Some even wonder if they might be still in Equestria
>And as far as the event that brought the ponies here.
>Well, an even bigger mystery.
>None of the unicorns have ever heard of a spell that would bring them to another world
>Although some good news has come out of this.
>As far as everyone can tell, all of the other ponies have been accounted for
>Save the princesses.
>You sigh as you remember the events from the past week
>”How is everyp0ny doing other than that though?”
>Everyp0ny, still need to get used to that.
“Everyp0ny seems to be fine. They are adjusting to your world.”
“There are a lot of differences, like the weather.”
>”Oh yeah, you mentioned that the pegasi control the weather in Equestria.”
>She nods
“Since weather happens automatically happens here, they are having hard time adjusting to the randomness.”
“It appears that the pegasi can still move clouds and stuff though.”
>”It seems like the unicorns’ magic is unaffected though.”
>She nods again
>By now both of you have finished you spaghetti
>You get up and bring the plate over to the sink
>You yawn as you place the plates down
>It’s getting late
>You turn to Rose who has been watching you since you got up
>”It’s getting late rose, aren’t you tired”
>At the mention of this she yawns herself
>She smiles and nods
“Anon? Can I ask you something?”
>”Sure rose what is it?”
“I was wondering if tomorrow we could go out and see the city…”
>You think back, has she even left the apartment since we went to the park…
>Probably not, maybe a day out on the city would do her some good.
>See the sights and sounds,
>Maybe experience our world first hand.
>You smile at Rose
>”That sounds like a great idea for tomorrow”
>”As a matter of fact, I’ll get up early and get everything going.”
>”We’ll make a whole day of it”
>She smiles back at you and slowly lays down on the couch.
“Thank you anon, goodnight.”
>”Goodnight rose…”
End of Part 1
 
Part 2:A Musical Morning
>You awake bright and early the next morning.
>You quickly dress and stroll into the kitchen.
>As you do you take a quick glance over at the couch where Rose
>Still asleep
>You shrug, might as well start on breakfast.
>You open up a few cabinets and retrieve the pancake mix.
>Pancakes, always a good way to start off a Saturday morning.
>It isn’t long before you’re flipping pancakes over a hot skillet.
>Above the hissing of the skillet you can hear Rose beginning to stir
>”Good Morning Rose, how many pancakes would you like?”
>She blinks a few times and yawns.
“Good morning Anon, just three please.”
>You hear her get up and trot into the bathroom
>The sound of running water makes you realize something.
>You have never heard her use the shower before.
>As a matter of fact, this was the first time you have ever seen her enter the bathroom
>Your almost too caught up in your thoughts to catch the next sound that comes from the bathroom
>Humming
>No a little more than humming, singing a melody.
>No definite words, but singing nonetheless.
>It is this that brings an all too sudden realization to you.
>You know next to nothing about the mare that is living with you.
>You know about her other pony friends; you know a little about their society, you even know a few names of their important people.
>But you know next to nothing about Rose.
>You resolve to change that today
>After all, with the way things look, you two might be stuck together for a while.
>You really should get to know her.
>You finish up the last of the pancakes and put them over on the living room table
>You wait a few minutes for Rose to finish while enjoying the music summing from the shower.
>Eventually the singing and the water stops and you can hear in the process of drying off.
>She slowly walks out of the bathroom slightly damp from a shower and joins you on the couch
>As she sits down next to you, you are once again greeted with a strong smell of roses
>How does she always smell like roses…?
>The thought casually slips from you mind
>You smile at her, “So, you have a beautiful singing voice.”
>She blushes a bit and looks embarrassed
“I didn’t think you would hear it, I usually just sing to my flowers back at home…”
>She looks down at the pancakes, and smiles.
“The pancakes look delicious.”
>”Thank you; they are a secret family recipe.”
“Oh? What’s so secret about them?”
>”If I told you that, it wouldn’t be a secret anymore…”
>She laughs at this.
>”I have never seen you take a shower before.”
>That was a stupid comment to make
>She coughs slightly on the pancake she had in her mouth.
>The look that she gives is one of worry.
“I’m sorry, should I have not done that..?”
>”No it’s perfectly fine, I’m actually thankful, I wouldn’t want a smelly pony running around my apartment.”
>You chuckle at this, but she seems less than amused
>Good one knuckle head now try and save it.
>”I just didn’t know if you ponies used showers or not…”
>”I guess there is a lot I don’t know about you…”
>She nods.
“There is a lot that we don’t know about each other.”
>”I guess you’re right. But, anyways I want to let you know that you shouldn’t be embarrassed about taking a shower or making yourself something to eat. Mi casa es su casa.”
>She tilts her head at this.
“What does that mean?”
>Mental note, there is no Spanish language equivalent for ponies.
>”It means that ‘my house is your house.’ Basically, you should feel completely at home while you’re staying with me.”
>She smiles broadly at this.
“Thank you so much, Anon.”
>She immediately springs on you with a hug.
>You are overcome by the smell of damp fur and roses.
>You hug her back, running your fingers through her silky mane again.
>”It really is not trouble at all. I am glad to help.”
>She releases her hug and goes back to eating her pancakes.
>You both quickly finish up your breakfast and start getting ready for you day out in town.
>”So Rose, anything in particular that you want to do while we are out today?”
>She brings her hoof up and scratches her head.
“Well, I was hoping we could find somewhere with lots of flowers. I haven’t seen any since I’ve gotten here.”
>You nod, that’s right she loves flower.
>You make a quick mental note of that fact.
>”Anything else?”
“Well, since it does seem like I’m going to be here for a while, I was wondering if we could go shopping for some boots, and warm clothes. The News has been talking about how winter is coming and how cold it’s going to be.”
>Chicago winters get pretty chilly, you remind yourself
>”I don’t know if we will be able to find clothes that can fit you. I’m sure that we can make a good try to find some though.”
“There is also one other things I would like to do.”
>”What that…?
“I would like it if we could go see, what is it called, a movie.”
>You smile. You haven’t been to a movie in a long time.
>”Sure, a movie actually sounds great today.”
>”Well, let’s get a move on; looks like we have a long day ahead of us.
>You both make your way out of the apartment complex and down into the city streets of Chicago.
End of Part 2
 
Part 3: A day in the City
>You and Rose step out into the morning streets of Chicago.
>And you are both immediately met by the chilly morning breeze
>Rose shudders against the chill and looks up at you.
>”Right first order of business, some warm clothes.”
>You both set off down the street toward the Mag Mile.
>Even at this semi early hour the streets are just starting to fill with people and ponies
>You notice that most of them aren’t that dissimilar than you.
>Usually a group of maybe two or three.
>Almost all of the groups have at least one pony with them.
>You occasionally see a lone pony walking along.
>Or you’ll hear the flutter of feathers above and see a pair of pegasi pass over.
>But most are exactly like you.
>It brings relief to you that you’re not the only one escorting around a pony.
>You notice that Rose is once again at awe with the city.
>You smile at the mare walking besides you.
>”If you have any questions, please ask…”
>Rose looks back up at you
“Tell me about the city.”
>Such a broad topic
>Where to start…
>You begin by telling her about most of the major landmarks around the city.
>Millennium Park, Navy Pier, The Willis Tower, all the major sports stadiums, Union Station, The Mag Mile, and any others you can name off the top of your head.
 >You then launch into a brief explanation of some historical events from the city.
>By the time you are done with your history lesson you have reached the beginning of the Mag Mile
>As you turn and walk down the Mag Mile most of the stores are just opening for business.
>The streets are more crowded with people here.
>Now it’s your turn Anon…
>”Tell me about Ponyville.”
>You hear Rose sigh…
>She launches into an explanation of ponyville and the surrounding areas.
>You try and keep up with all of the terms she is talking about
>But to be honest you head is still swimming with the reality of it all
>You remind yourself that she probably feels the same about you and your world
>You try and soak up as much information as possible
>As you near the end of the talk you spot a store with a bunch of coats and boots in the shop window
>It’s rather a small and modest store, but they have a nice selection of clothing
> You and rose make your way over to the store and are greeted by one of the employees.
>You smile at the clerk, “Hello, I was hoping you can help me and my friend find some warm clothes that will fit her.”
>The store clerk sighs as he looks down at Rose.
“You aren’t the first Pony that has come looking for clothing…”
>The clerk walks into the back and returns a few minutes later with a few jackets
“These should fit you, although they are kind of hard to closes up since most of them are made with zippers.”
“If you’re looking for boots, you aren’t going to find much luck anywhere. Until someone makes some custom boots; human boots don’t fit comfortably on ponies…”
>You thank the store clerk
>You help rose try on some of the jackets.
>At first she even has a hard time getting them onto her body.
>You can see what the store clerk meant by having trouble with them.
>Roses hooves weren’t made to grip small object such as zippers.
>Maybe with enough practice she could use her mouth to zipper it up, but for right now, she will need some assistance.
>After picking out a few jackets, a scarf, and warm hat you two make your way out onto the streets again
>After walking down a few stores you notice something that catches your eye
>You guide Rose into a store that specializes in hand bags.
>You start talking to the sales woman about a bag that would be comfortable on Rose.
>The sales woman doesn’t look exactly thrilled with the idea of having a pony in her store.
“I’m sorry but I have nothing that would be suitable for that thing. Please leave.”
>You feel anger build inside of you as you quickly escort Rose out of the store.
>Once outside slowly put your emotions in check.
>”I’m so sorry, you had to hear that Rose…”
>Rose is looking at the ground and barely even acknowledges you.
“It’s ok, I know that some humans don’t view us as you do, I just didn’t…”
>You reach down and slowly pet her mane.
>”I know, I think that enough shopping for today. Let’s make our way to the park.”
>You walk off of the Mag Mile and start to head for Millennium Park
>It is one of the closet places that you know of that has flowers that are in bloom right now.
>If it was earlier in the year, you would have probably have taken Rose to the Botanic Gardens.
>But, the park will have to do.
>On your way to the park, Rose asks the question you have feared
“Tell me about the Earth and Humanity…”
>You might as well be blunt with her.
>She has already seen the cruelty of a human, and she has been watching the news all week.
>She should know the rest of the story.
>”We aren’t all like that…”
>”Most of us are good natured, hardworking, and mean the world good.”
>”It just seems that the bad are the ones who stand out the most.”
>Using that as a starting point, you launch into an abbreviated history of mankind
>You lightly touch on the differences of the beginnings of mankind.
>You go through the rise and fall of the great empires of mankind
>You move on to the discovery of America and the history leading up to present day.
>”Our history is marred with blood of the innocent and wicked, all in the name of the survival of the species.”
>”On top of all that we don’t take care of the planet and we continue to hurt others for our own personal gain.”
>By now, you are just reaching the park.
>”But even though all of that, there are the bright points in our history that make it all worthwhile.”
>You reach down and pat Rose on the head.
>”I believe that when man looks back and writes about the day when ponies came to the earth, it will be written as one of the brightest points in our history.”
>”Well, here we are, the closest in the city you are going to get to blooming flowers…”
>In truth there aren’t many flowers in bloom.
>But the ones that are bloom in patches on the side of the walkways that run through the park.
>You see Rose gallop over and take a deep breath over by the flowers.
>She looks the happiest she has been since she has arrived on Earth.
>For some odd reason, that makes you happy…
>You spend a few hours walking through the park admiring the flowers.
>Eventually, you two rest on a park bench.
>Your turn again, Anon.
>”Tell me about the Land of Equestria, about the history of the ponies.”
>Rose smiles at you
“I guess that’s a fair question…”
“In all honesty, we aren’t that different.”
“Ponies have had wars and there are somep0nies that can be just as mean as humans.”
“The only real difference I can see is that we take better care of our land…”
>She goes on to explain that there might be a difference between our lack of magical ability
>She then jumps into an explanation of the land of Equestria, and its history.
>She was right of course seems like the human condition can be applied to ponies.
>Maybe it should be renamed as the living condition.
>Since all living things apply to it.
>You are so engrossed with her stories about Equestria that you nearly forget to check your watch.
>Its almost time get you should be leaving to get to the movies.
>You relay this to Rose
>She nods and gets up and follows you out of the park.
>On the way to the movie theater you decide it is a good idea to tell Rose about the different kind of movies.
>You give her a summary of movie genres and what each entails.
>By the time you reach the theater you think she has a pretty good understanding about movies
>You point out each movie and tell her the genre that the movie falls under
>You also give her a mini summary about the movie making sure not to spoil anything.
>After you do this you ask her which movie she wants to see
>She takes a long look at the list of movies on the board and eventually point to the movie
>You chuckle to yourself about the movie selection
>”Ok, if you’re sure, I’ll tell you though, it’s a long one, we might want to get a big bucket of popcorn for this.”
>You walk up to the ticket counter
>”Hello, I would like two tickets to the next showing of Titanic please.”
End of Part 3
 
Part 4: The best in the City
>You and Rose exit the movie theater a few hours later
>You can tell that Rose really enjoyed the movie
>She can’t seem to keep still as she talks about every scene in great detail
“It was so sad at the end, when Rose had to let Jack go…”
>You nod, only half listening to her go on about the movie.
“Anon, did that all really happen?”
>The question catches you by surprise.
>”Huh? What was the question…”
>She sighs
“Have you been listening?”
>You shrug, “No not really, I’m sorry”
>She bumps into playfully
“You told me that the movie was about an actual event in the past.”
“I asked if it all really happened.”
>”Well, it’s based on actual events. There was a ship that was named the Titanic.”
>”That ship also went down after being struck by an iceberg.”
>”The love story between Rose and Jack is fictional though.”
>Rose looks slight disappointed by this
>”Is something wrong?”
“It was such a great love story though, it’s just a shame that it was made up.”
>You smile and pet rose’s head.
>”Somewhere, there is a great love story that is similar, and it actually happened.”
>Suddenly you feel yourself grow hungry.
>You remember one of you favorite restaurants is near by
>”Rose, are you hungry?”
“I am a bit hungry; do you have something in mind?”
>You smile and continue on down the road
>”You have told me a lot about your friends and Equestria, but I still don’t know much about you.”
>You see Rose turn her head away from you
>What is that about…
>It’s almost as if…
“There is nothing to really tell about me.”
“I have already told you about my shop and my garden back at home.”
“I have also told you about my cutie mark…”
>”You have never told me how you got it…”
“I haven’t? It’s not that great of a story…”
>”I want to hear it.”
>She turns back to you and smiles broadly
>”Ok, It all starts with my mother’s garden…”
>She tells you about her mother who also grew and sold flowers.
>How there was a particular bush in her Mother’s garden that wouldn’t bloom
>Her mother had given up on the bush
>But Rose didn’t
>She kept taking care of the bush watering it and singing to it everyday
>One day while she was singing to it the bush began to bloom beautiful red roses.
>It was at the same time that her cutie mark appeared; the exact same rose that bloomed on that bush
>”That is a great story”
>Rose smiles and turns her head away again
“Thank you.”
>You arrive at the restaurant.
>It’s a local pizza joint
>And by your opinion the best pizza in the city
>You hold open the door and let Rose in and follow.
>You smile at the waitress.
>”Hello Joy, table for two and a vegetarian special please.”
>Joy raises an eyebrow at you and rose.
>”Is there something wrong?”
>She shakes her head and leads you both to a table in the back of the restaurant.
“Anything you want to drink?”
>”I’ll have a Bud, please.”
“And for the pony…”
>Rose turns to you and shrugs
“What is a Bud?”
>”It’s a type of beer, an alcoholic drink.”
>She nods and looks down at the menu
“Hmm, an appletini sounds nice…”
>”Are you sure about that…”
“It has apples in the name, how bad can it be…”
>”Well it is alcoholic, I don’t know if Equestria has alcohol or not.
“We have cider, it is made of apples.”
>”Ok, one Bud and one appletini then Joy.”
>Joy shrugs and walks off to get the drinks
>You turn back to rose.
>”Do you have pizza in Equestria?”
>She shakes her head
“No, what is it?”
>”It’s an Italian dish. It has a pie crust, tomato sauce and cheese.”
>”Chicago has the best pizza in America and this pizza parlor has the best pizza in Chicago.”
>”So it’s the best of the best here.
>Rose nods and the drink arrive a short time later.
>Rose delicately picks up the martini glass
>How do they pick up stuff like that…
>Ponies hooves must not be like normal hooves…
>Maybe they are made of marshmallows…
>She slowly sips from the glass
>”Well, how does it taste?”
>She smiles
”It’s delicious”
>She takes a bigger drink from it.
>”You may want to slow down; you wouldn’t want to get drunk…”
>She nods again and puts down the glass.
“You haven’t told me a lot about yourself either you know…”
>You chuckle
>”You’re right, what do you want to know?”
“Well, I already know humans don’t have cutie marks. How do you all know what you’re good at?
“More so, what do you do? You tell me about your work and everything, but I want to know more.”
>”Well, we kind of learn through school and life what we are good at.”
>”Humans don’t have a specific skill. We are more versatile. We can be good at a wide range of things.”
>”With me, my current job is something to get me by until I get done with college. Then I hope to start my own business.”
“What kind of business do you want to start?”
>You lean back in your chair.
>”I don’t know, I guess I always told myself I would figure that out when I get my degree.”
>The pizza arrives at your table; rose finishes her appletini and orders another.
>It’s a deep dish vegetarian pizza, topped with all sorts of fruits and vegetables.
>Personally you don’t mind vegetarian, but you would rather have a nice sausage and peperoni pizza.
>You help yourself to a slice and help serve rose a slice.
“It looks great!”
>”It tastes even better”
>You both dig in
>Always the best pizza in Chicago
>As you eat you can’t help but notice that Rose finishes her second martini and orders a third.
>”You really need to slow down Rose, it will make you sick if you drink that fast.”
“It’s no problem really”
>You can hear a slight slur creeping into her voice.
>As you both finish the pizza, she finishes her third and begins to order her second.
>”You have had enough, you don’t need anymore.”
“Awww, but Anon I’m fine perfectly fine.”
>Her speech is heavily slurred.
>”Right… it’s time to get home, check please Joy.”
>After paying your bill you start your walk back to the apartment.
>A walk for you, more so a drunken stumble for Rose.
“Anon, the lights in the city are so pretty…”
>”Yes they are Rose; they are beautiful.”
>Rose leans against you as you continue to walk
“I think you were right Anon; I have had one too many…”
>You arrive at the apartment and help Rose up the stairs
>You help her over to the couch and sit down on it.
>She moves and lays her head down on your lap
>The smell of roses fills your nostrils…
“Pet my mane, Anon, it feels nice when you do that…”
>You slowly start to run your hands through her silky mane.
>You feel Rose relax in your lap and slowly drift off to sleep.
>You sit there petting her for a while; feeling yourself grow more and more tired.
>It wouldn’t hurt anything to fall asleep here.
>You wouldn’t want to disturb Roses peaceful sleep
>You lean back into the couch and close your eyes.
>It’s just like falling asleep with a cat or a dog in your lap.
>She’s just a pony after all
>She’s just a friend after all
>You slowly drift off, the smell of roses help fill your head with flowers.
End of Part 4
 
Part 5: The Morning Revelation
>Your eyes flutter open with the morning light
>The nostrils are still filled with the smell of roses
>You look down and see Rose still fast asleep on your lap
>You slowly move her head off of your lap to try and get up
>As you do you feel her stir in your hands
>You stop quickly to see if she has awoken
>She is still asleep
>Get up and begin the day
>A quick shower, a change of clothes, and you are ready to begin breakfast
>You start scramble some eggs, toast some bread, and quarter an apple
>You also make a few cups of coffee, you sense somep0ny will need it.
>As you finish up you hear a groan come from the living room
>”Good Morning Rose, how do you feel?”
>Another groan comes from the living room
>”I told you to slow down on the appletinis last night”
>Another groan and something about equestrian cider never doing this
>You chuckle and pick up a plate of food and coffee, and deliver it to Rose
>She looks between you and the food with half closed eyes
”Why does it hurt…?”
>”It’s called a hangover, it happens when you drink a lot of alcohol to a point where it dehydrates you.”
>”Usually it comes with a headache, nausea…”
>She covers her ears with her hooves
 “Too loud… too loud…”
>You drop you voice down to barley above a whisper
>”Sensitivity to light and sound.”
>”The best way to take care of this is with a good breakfast and a strong coffee.”
>She eyes the coffee again and grabs her stomach and groans
>You chuckle again
>”No rush to eat it, but it will help in the long run.”
>”I’ll be right back; I’m going to grab the paper from down stairs.”
>She nods and continues to groan and hold her stomach
>You walk out of the apartment and down the stair and pick up a morning paper
>You flip it open and start to read it as you ascend the stairs
>Adorning the front page is news about ponies from around the world
>It is nice to see such uplifting news there instead of the usual fare
>A piece of news catches your eye
>A word from Mayor Mare
>She first addresses the concerns about the missing princesses
>She then goes on to state about the possibility of going home
>As the paper quotes ‘With no princesses in sight and out unicorns unable to determine source of what brought us here, I am urging the ponies to beginning to settle in for a longer stay on Earth.’
>’This includes a more permanent living and work.’
>You fold the paper up and soak in the news
>Permanent
>They must know something they aren’t telling us, it’s only been a week and they are calling for ponies to settle down…
>This isn’t the first time that the ones in power have hidden something for the public’s own good.
>If you had to guess, maybe they did discover something…
>Maybe something connecting the missing princesses to the event…
>Maybe the discovery that there is no way back to Equestria…
>The thoughts spin in your mind you barely notice you are standing in front of your door
>You have yet to even think about how to tell Rose
>Easy enough, just tell her the truth
>She has handled this fairly well
>You just need to discuss with her getting a job.
>And then when she is better off, you can discuss a more permanent living arrangement
>You flash back to Rose crying on your shoulder
>Asking you what would happen if they were stuck here
>How you assured her you would cross that bridge when it came to it.
>Well here is that bridge.
>Now it is time to cross it
>You take a deep breath and enter into the apartment
>Rose is still lying on the couch, but it looks like she tried to eat some of the food on the plate
>She seems to perk up when you enter though
>”Looks like you have at least eaten something.”
>She smiles and looks at the food again
“Yes, I still feel a bit queasy, but the food tasted great.”
“I think the coffee is helping.”
>You notice that the cup of coffee is now empty
>”I’ll get you another cup”
>You quickly pick up the empty cup and refill it.
>You hand it back to Rose and sit down next to here on the couch
>She takes a sip and looks at the paper in your hand
“Anything new?”
>You look down at the paper
>”Yes, there is actually something that we need to discuss”
>She looks at you worried
“Is there something wrong?”
>”Nothing is wrong, there is just something we need to discuss”
>She looks at you patiently
>You take a deep breath and explain to her what you read in the paper
>She quietly listens to you as you tell her about what the paper said
>And then about what you think might be going on behind the scenes
>Her expression is unchanged
>When you finished, she only nods
>”Rose, I’m going to help you find a job. And then, we shall find somewhere for you to stay on a longer basis.”
>At this she turns away from you.
“I’m going to take a shower.”
>She gets up and goes into the bathroom; leaving you puzzled on the couch
>You hear the water start and wait for the singing to begin
>No song reaches your ears
>Only the sounds of heart break
>Over the sound of falling water comes the quiet sound of tears
>Maybe she couldn’t handle it
>No, she was perfectly fine about taking the news.
>There was something else
>You go over what you said in your mind one more time.
>You will help her find a job and a place of living
>How can that be bad?
>Your puzzlement continues echoed only by the hollow sound of falling tears
>You pick up the newspaper again and flip to the want ads
>Let’s see, all the normal job offerings…
>New paperboy needed, dog walker, a cook for a local diner, florist needed…
>Wait go back
>Florist…
>Rose is great with flowers!
>You quickly rip the add out of the paper and place it off to the side
>You slowly hear the crying subside and the sound of water falling quickly stops
>Rose walks out of the bathroom and sits down next to you.
>”Good news, I found a job you would be perfect at.”
>”It’s a job at a local floral shop; it’s not far from the apartment either.”
>She stares blankly at you.
“That nice.”
>The coldness in her voice cuts through you like a hot knife through butter
>Ok, now you know it is something you said.
>Before you can even ask about what might be wrong she is already on the move
>She grabs the piece of paper from you hand with her mouth and trots over to the coat rack
>She start to put on her jacket but she has trouble getting it on
>You move over to her to give her a hand with zipping it up
>She moves away from you as you approach
“Don’t worry about me; I can handle it.”
>Wow, sadness and anger
>You really fucked up.
>You try to stop her from leaving
>But she rushes from out of the door
>You hope in your head that she will return
>Why wouldn’t she, this is where she is staying after all…
>Ding, Ding, Ding…
>Yeah, you’re an idiot.
>She has to return
>And when she does you’ll explain everything.
>Why are you so worried though…?
>She is just an animal
>She is just a pony
>She is just a friend
>She is just…
End of Part 5
End of Chapter 2