The Good Life

Chapter 38

I made a few changes after this since i wrote this so long ago, to make it more realistic. I changed the dog's name as well as Eric's daughter's name (because I gave him a second kid who is about Mila's age..physic much?) sOOOooooO. Read on. :) 

Come here, sunshine…” Marla said sweetly to her daughter holding out her arms to hug her.

”Mama…I love you…” she responded wrapping her arms around her mother.

”I love you too, Rosie.” she answered rubbing her head picking her up to put her in the kitchen chair. ”Here..you need to eat this…” Marla said taking the plate from the counter spreading out the green beans, macaroni and chicken.

”I don’t want that.” she said making a gross face that made Marla laugh.

”I know. But when you eat that you can have some graham crackers and nutella.” she said pointing to the other side of the kitchen where she had prepared her daughter’s favorite snack.

”Okay!” Rosie answered taking her small fork from the table. Marla turned around to finish washing the dishes taking a break to take everything in. Bruno was gone, again, but just for the two weeks that they always worked through. Never more than two weeks. She thought glancing at the calendar on the fridge seeing the next day circled. He’ll be here tonight…

”Rosalia! What are you doing?” Marla exclaimed seeing her daughter dropping the food on the ground right next to their Rottweiler named Geronimo. ”Geronimo! Go lay down…” Marla told the dog. She turned around with a disappointed face laying down in the corner to watch them. Marla took the fork from her daughter’s hand. ”Baby doll..who taught you that?” she asked.

”Liam…” Rosie laughed the same infectious Hernandez laugh that filled their house on a daily basis.

”Oh dear.” Marla said bending down to pick up the chicken on the floor. ”We’ll have to talk to your aunt about that…” Marla said. Rosie continued to laugh at her mother who was picking up pieces of green beans off the floor. Suddenly she felt a big cheesy piece of macaroni fall in her hair. This child. She thought to herself. Marla picked up her daughter not saying a word. She could see the tears starting to form in Rosie’s cheeks. Oh my god. I’m the worst mother in the world. I’m going to hell, now…no…no..it’s just time out. Just time out. For two minutes. She rationalized.

”Mammmaaaaaa…nooooooooooooooooooo.” her daughter screamed. ”Mommmyyyyy….nooooo….” Rosie got up from her time out spot to sit in the chair she was in to eat.

”You can eat after your time out…” Marla told her frankly picking her daughter up to place her back in the bright yellow, red and blue chair.

”Mammmaaaaaa….noooooo….I hate you.” she said stomping her feet loudly. ”I want daddddyyyyyyy…..daddddddyyyyyyyyyyyy…..saveeee me from mama…she’s sooo meaaannnn…” she started to scream. She continued stomping her feet singing ”I hate my mommy. I hate my mommy…” Marla went into the kitchen to clean up dinner trying to block out her daughter’s unknowingly hateful song and dance. She turned around a few seconds before the timer went off not hearing any noise from her daughter. Marla saw Rosie laying on the bench next to her chair playing with a drum stick. She twirled it around smiling up at it.

”Mammmaaaa…” she started to cry again. Oh, now that I’m paying attention she’s going to cry. Marla thought to herself. Marla walked over to her daughter taking the drum stick out of her hand.

”Rosalia…I put you in your yellow chair because you’re not supposed to throw food. And this is your food…not Geronimo’s. Okay?” Marla explained in a soft, yet stern, tone of voice.

”Lo siento, mommy.” her daughter said knowing that she needed to hug her mother after their conversation.

”I love you, Rosie…” Marla said picking her up to walk her into the bathroom for a bath.

Marla washed her daughter’s matted curly brown hair placing her in a little pink shirt and blue bottoms for bed after playing with the rubber duckies in the bathtub.

”Come on…let’s go to bed…” Marla said placing her daughter in the bed kissing her on the cheek good night.

”Mommyyy….daddy will be here tomorrow right?” Rosie asked.

”Yes, Rosalia. He will be home tomorrow. He’ll make you breakfast.” she told her daughter turning around to face the door. ”The faster you go to sleep the faster you’ll wake up and see him.” Marla told her closing the door slightly as she walked toward the living room to watch some trashy entertainment news before going to bed. Marla trudged into the master bedroom about an hour later to fall asleep. She rolled herself over into the same spot she always slept in when she knew Bruno was going to be home.

”Mammaaa….” Marla heard a soft voice pulling at her arm only seconds after the lights were turned off.

”What’s wrong, Rosie?” she asked.

”I had a bad dream, mama…” she said through her little tears.

”Oh…honey…come on. Come sleep here. I’ll protect you…” she said lifting her daughter into the big cushy bed. She has me wrapped around her little finger…Marla thought as she wrapped her daughter in the small blanket kissing her head good night.

**

Bruno dropped his bag on the bench his daughter was laying on during her temper tantrum early in the morning. He saw a piece of paper stuck to the fridge. I love her notes. He thought to himself reading it.

Te amo.

He took the pen that was sitting on the edge of the built in desk to write on it.

I love you more.

”There. Perfect.” he said as he walked toward the laundry room dropping his plaid shirt and socks in the dirty laundry. He walked slowly and lightly into the hallway where the bedrooms were located. He glanced into Rosalia’s bedroom to see her empty bed and blanket. Of course she’s in our bed. She is such a princess. Bruno smiled walking at the same slow pace into their bedroom to see his two and a half year old daughter stretched out across the bed with his wife pushed against the wall. He picked his daughter up kissing her on the cheek placing her in a small space between the two of them. After making sure she was in a safe position he walked over to Marla to kiss her good night. ”I love you, Marla….” he said kissing his sleeping wife on the lips gently before squeezing into the bed to sleep next to the two most important women in his life.