Love, Rosie (192 page)

Well
let’s
see,
where
should
I
start?
Hmm
.
.
.
should
I
tell
you
about

the
fact
that
it’s
a
second-floor
apartment
over
a
group
of
shops,

among
them
being
a
tattoo
parlor
and
an
Indian
takeaway
which

has
managed
to
leave
the
stench
of
Tikka
Masala
all
over
my

clothes
already?

Perhaps
I
should
tell
you
about
the
gorgeous
1970s
green
and
gray

floral
wallpaper
which
is
just
dangling
off
the
walls,
and
I
wouldn’t

want
to
forget
the
fact
that
there’s
matching
curtains
too.

Hmmm
.
.
.
actually
maybe
I
should
start
with
the
brown
carpets

which
have
very
curious-looking
stains
embedded
in
the
pile,
as

well
as
cigarette
burns
and
mysterious
odors.
I
think
it’s
been
there

for
about
thirty
years
and
has
never
been
vacuumed.
The
kitchen
is

so
small
that
when
two
people
stand
in
it,
one
person
has
to
back

out
to
let
the
other
leave.

No
wonder
the
rent
is
so
ridiculously
cheap;
no
one
in
their
right

mind
would
want
to
live
here.
It’s
also
no
wonder
that
they
were
in

such
a
rush
to
move
out,
why
anyone
would
want
to
raise
a
child
in

this
tip
is
beyond
me.

Ruby:

Rosie:

You
are.

Yes
well
I
won’t
be
here
for
long.
I’m
going
to
magically
save
loads

of
money
and
get
us
out
of
here.

290

Ruby:

Rosie:

Ruby:

Rosie:

Ruby:

Rosie:

Ruby:

Rosie:

Ruby:

Rosie:

Ruby:

Rosie:

Ruby:

Rosie:

Ruby:

And
open
a
hotel.

Yes.

And
live
in
the
penthouse.

Yes.

And
Kevin
can
be
the
head
chef.

Yes.

Cecelia
Ahern

And
Alex
the
in-house
doctor
so
that
he
can
save
the
lives
of
those

you
poison.

Yes.

And
you’ll
be
the
owner
and
manager.

Yes.

So
what
I
can
be?

The
head
cleaner.

Your
downfall.

Only
joking.
You
and
Gary
could
be
the
evening
entertainment.
You

can
salsa
till
you
drop.

Sounds
like
heaven
to
me.
Well
Rosie,
you
better
get
your
ass
in

gear
and
get
this
hotel
business
off
the
ground
before
we’re
all
old

and
gray.

Rosie:

I’m
working
on
it,
but
in
the
meantime
I
start
work
part-time
(with

the
work
experience
kids)
which
consists
of
printing
up
the
school

letters
explaining
the
return
dates
for
the
kids
next
month,
we
put

them
in
envelopes,
stick
a
stamp
on
them,
lick
them
closed,
and

post
them.
I
don’t
know
about
you
but
I’m
enthralled
by
that
idea.

But
at
least
it’s
only
for
a
few
weeks
and
when
the
kids
start
back
at