To My Dearest Roseanne

Chapter 29

It took Roseanne a good 15 minutes of explanation to clarify the whole affair to Emily, yet she wasn't sure if the friend really understood what was going on. She just stood around, nodding her head, as if she were at a company meeting. When Roseanne finished, her friend asked if she could come up to them and take a better look.

After carefully examining their hoodies, and pinching around their faces, as if they were made from Play-Doh, Emily took a step back. She began comparing Cho and Roseanne, trying to find differences, but she couldn't.

"You're the same picture! Like in the meme!" she exclaimed with joy, which blossomed into an uncontrollable belly laugh.

"Is she okay?" Cho asked.

"It's normal for her. She always behaves like a kid in a candy store when she's excited."

Cho thought that Roseanne's remark couldn't be more accurate. Emily's neverending spring of laughter carried an irresistible flair of cheerfulness and innocence. It was more typical of a 7-year-old rather than a 17-year-old.

"I'm a queen and you are my clowns!" Emily announced out of the blue, jumping on a bed and pointing with pride at the girls. "Amuse me!"

"Oh God..." Roseanne muttered.

However, Cho succumbed to the contagious joy of a friend and joined the bed racket.

"Where's thy sceptre, your Highness?" Cho asked.

"I dunno. It must be with my loyal companion, the Ninja of the Kawasaki House!"

"It's more likely stuck up her ass, Cho."

"Don't be a killjoy, Rosie. Play some music," said Emily.

"Like what?"

"Like Kanye West, baby!"

"I ain't playing gangster music in my house!"

"I've got something!"

Cho jumped off the bed and searched through the music library on her phone. Eventually, she hooked up the device to the audio jack and music began flowing from the speakers.

"It's no Kanye, but it has a good beat," Emily commented.

"What the hell is this, Cho?" Roseanne asked.

"I Know by Seo Taiji and Boys."

"Am I the only one around here who has a normal taste in music?"

"Your music is not normal, just old-fashioned like tea biscuits," Emily said.

Roseanne just stood leaning against the wall with her arms crossed while Cho and Emily bounced together to the rhythm of a 90s K-POP song. Even Enzo swirled around their legs, filled with curiosity and excitement at the sight of their dance.

"You're such a life of the party that I need a pocket version of you!"

"And I need a pocket version of you, easy rider!"

The girls kept stirring around faster and faster until Emily hit a plant on a shelf, the pot of which shattered to millions of pieces.

"Look at what you did, Emily."

"Calm down, Rosie. I'll pay you back."

"Of course, you will, with interest!"

"Let's grab some pizza. I'm starving."

***

The trio cleaned the remains of a pot. As Roseanne was sweeping the dirt on the dustpan, she found a card advertising a bookstore: 'Madame Yoshida's Literary Emporium' with an address in Seoul. The girl figured out the card must have slipped out of Cho's pocket when she was dancing like a wild elephant. Roseanne wanted to give the card immediately back to Cho, but Emily grabbed her forcefully by the neck and, before she knew it, the trio left the apartment in search of a pizzeria.