To My Dearest Roseanne

Chapter 11

Roseanne couldn't even recall how she left the damn hospital, got on a bus, and arrived at her doorstep. Having shut the door with a slam, she leaned against the wall and broke down in tears. The sobbing went on and on, and it was so violent, her whole body was shaking. Eventually, the knees gave up and she slid down on the floor.

"Mom, oh, mom. I don't want to lose you!" she cried out through swollen lips and watered nose.

The incredible headache also took a toll on her. Whenever she took a deep breath, her skull was imploding.

Life is so unfair. If God exists, he is unfair as well. Oh, please if my dad could come back! Roseanne thought to herself.

But she knew she couldn't call her father. She wouldn't risk jeopardising his job. She considered contacting Auntie Dana, Liz's cousin, but she lived in the Tatra Mountains, and it would take her two days to get here. That is, if she would pick up the phone deep in the woods where she had a cottage.

"Goddamit, why was I left all alone?!" Roseanne screamed.

Then, a horrifying thought hit her as she looked around the empty corridor.

"Jesus Christ, Enzo!"

The girl sprinted around the apartment, bursting into every room, searching for her dog. It was impossible, but it happened: She forgot about Enzo. And now her mind was preoccupied with the horrific image of the dog on the brink of exhaustion, lying in his excrement.

Thankfully, she found him in the kitchen. Roseanne got hold of the dog and hugged him tightly. Much to her surprise, Enzo was completely fine. He grunted happily at her sight. There was no urine or droppings around, and the bowls in front of him were half full of meat and water.

"My friend, my boy. I'm so sorry, I forgot about you!" Roseanne hid her face in the dog's thick fur and shed more tears.

Still, the wheels in Roseanne's mind started turning and she found it quite strange that nothing bad happened to Enzo. She was gone the whole day after all. It was difficult to believe that the dog ate and drank a little, let alone withheld the need to relieve himself.

Roseanne composed herself, got up, and looked around the house. Perhaps she was seeing things, but everything was spick and span, including the bathroom, the tiles of which had no signs of Liz's blood from the fall.

"What the hell is going on here?" she asked herself.

In her room, the military uniform was neatly folded and placed on the bed, whereas the backpack was already equipped with sandwiches and a bottle of tea.

I must be losing it, Roseanne thought. Unless...

She heard a lock turning in the door.

Dad!

With one swift jump, she got through the entire length of a corridor and swung the front door open. Nevertheless, in her wildest dreams, she wasn't prepared for what she was about to see.

Roseanne froze in the doorway. In her mind, the doorway transformed into a mirror because she saw herself. However, she knew it wasn't her. Roseanne wore a hoodie and had her hands free. Whoever this person was, she had a hanbok costume on herself – the one Roseanne once saw in a picture book – and shopping bags.

But the face was exactly like hers.

"I'm in the ass... again!" Roseanne shouted and charged at the intruder.