Love, Rosie (219 page)

Every
morning
I
rise
when
it
is
pitch
black
outside
(and
you
know
it’s

not
natural
to
be
up
if
the
sun
couldn’t
even
be
bothered
to
get
up),
the
flat
is

freezing,
I
hop
from
the
shower
to
my
bedroom
shivering
like
hell,
I
make

my
way
outside
to
the
world
where
I
have
to
walk
ten
minutes
to
my
bus

stop
in
the
wind
and
rain.
My
ears
ache
and
my
hair
is
in
strings
around
my

head,
I
may
as
well
not
wash
and
blow-dry
it
at
all.
My
mascara
is
running

down
my
face,
my
umbrella
has
blown
inside
out,
and
I
look
like
a

disheveled
Mary
Poppins.
Then
the
bus
is
late.
Or
too
full
to
stop.
And
I
end

up
late
for
work,
looking
like
a
drowned
rat
with
clothes
completely
soaked

through
after
having
at
least
a
few
fights
with
a
few
bus
drivers
already,

while
everyone
else
has
their
makeup,
clothes,
and
hair
all
perfect
because

they
all
got
out
of
bed
an
hour
later
than
me,
hopped
into
their
cars,
drove
to

work,
arrived
at
the
school
fifteen
minutes
before
classes
started,
and
have
a

cup
of
coffee
as
a
nice
start
to
their
day.

Singing
in
the
rain,
my
bum.

Notice
I’m
writing
to
you
today
and
not
e-mailing
and
that’s
due
to
the

guy
in
the
Internet
café
downstairs
catching
me
one
too
many
times
staring

328

Cecelia
Ahern

at
him.
I
think
he’s
on
to
me
so
I
decided
to
stay
home
tonight.
The
other

reason
for
me
writing
is
that
I’m
pretending
to
Katie
that
I’m
studying.
We

both
have
Christmas
exams
coming
up
and
I
told
her
she
needed
to
take

them
more
seriously.
Well
I
walked
myself
straight
into
that
one.
So
here
we

both
are,
crammed
at
the
kitchen
table
with
our
books,
folders,
papers,
and

pens
pretending
to
look
intellectual.

I
have
so
much
study
to
catch
up
on
that
I
haven’t
been
able
to
cook
din-

ner
all
week.
So
it’s
been
downstairs’
delights
for
the
past
few
days.
Luckily

Sanjay
is
giving
us
forty
percent
off
our
takeaway
meals
and
he’s
even
cre-

ated
a
new
dish
called
Rosie
Chicken
Curry.
He
sent
it
up
free
last
night

with
our
order.
We
tasted
it
and
sent
it
back
down.
Just
joking.
It’s
basically

chicken
and
curry.
All
he
did
was
add
the
Rosie.
I’m
flattered
all
the
same
at

the
sight
of
my
name
on
an
Indian
menu
and
it’s
interesting
late
at
night
to