Flushed away: Love Story

Chapter 3: Rita's cousin

This third chapter is when Rita's cousin, Brennan, comes to visit the Malone's house from Wales. Rita gets along with him very well, but Roddy doesn't know he's her cousin and thinks he used to be one of her boyfriends, causing him to be jealous.
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One day at the Malone house, Rita's mom has been teaching Roddy how to make stuff out of yarn whether knitting, crocheting, and even making quilts out of some fabric. She was also teaching him how to make and sew a stuffed animal. "Now make sure you put the stuffing in your stuffed animal before you sew the rest of it together." Mrs. Malone said, sewing up a new doll while Roddy had just finished stuffing up his white teddy bear before sewing the rest of it together. Once he made it to his last stitch, he snapped the thread off the needle with his teeth, holding up his teddy bear to show it to his girlfriend's mother.

"Alright, what do you think? Did I do okay?" He asked.

Mrs. Malone looked at Roddy's new creation and smiled. "Aww, that's adorable. Good job."

"Thank you. Do you have any more buttons or beady eyes? I think I lost one of my eyes to the bear."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Roddy, but those were my last ones. I'll have to order some more. I think it looks great. Who are gonna give it to?" Mrs. Malone said.

Roddy turned to find Rita, walking in the house, carrying in some envelopes and a newspaper, closing the door behind her. He smiled before turning to look at the bear and back at her. "I think I know who to give it to." He said before Rita set the mail down, sliding the newspaper over to her father.

"Alright, here's the mail, here's your newspaper, Dad. The rest are just bills." She said.

"Alrighty, girl, thank you." Mr. Malone said, snatching the newspaper with his grabber before reaching to turn a page.

Rita sighed of relief before turning to find Roddy had walked up close to her, holding his hands behind his back, surprising her. "Oh, Roddy, hi. I didn't expect you to sneak up on me. You having fun, sewing toys with Mum there?"

"Oh, I'm loving it. I just finished making you something." Roddy said.

"Oh, you don't have to make me anything." Rita scoffed.

"Well, it's just one thing. I promise."

"Okay, what did you make?"

Roddy pulled his hands out, handing Rita the white one-eyed teddy bear. Rita chuckled to the sight of it. "You made me a bear?" She replied.

"Yeah, I mean, it's not my best work. I mean, he's missing an eye. We ran out of buttons and beady eyes." Roddy said.

Rita looked at the bear, thinking for a moment. "You did really well. Although, he's missing something." She said before pulling out what appears to be an eye patch, wrapping it around the stuffed bear's head, covering up the eyeless spot, smiling at it. "There. Now he's finished."

"So you like it?"

"I love it. Thank you." Rita said, kissing Roddy's cheek just before her brother, Liam, called to her.

"Hey, Rita, you got mail." He said, holding up a green envelope, catching Rita's attention.

"I do?" She asked, grabbing the envelope from her brother, looking confused but shrugged to Roddy. "Okay, let's see who it's from, I guess." Rita opened up her envelope to find a letter before she started reading it.

The letter said, "Rita, what's up? How are you doing, cuz? Guess what? I'm coming over to your house from Wales tomorrow! I'll only be there for a week since I'm taking a break from hiking for now. Can't wait to see you and the rest of the clan! Love you, cuz!-Brennan."