Among the Cattails

What's Her Name

    "I don't know why your mama decided to name you Jamie," Rose asked, taking long, loping steps on the cobbled roads in the town.

    It was after all of the quarters had been spent, all the pancakes had been eaten, and after all the stories of how the children got their names were told. Louise clipped behind at a leisurely pace, conversing with her daughters at her feet, while Jamie and Rose stepped ahead with BJ clasping onto his father's arm.

    Jamie shrugged. "Don't ask me." 

   Rose laughed. "So you two have everything figured out. Compared to you, I'm just the idiot from town who never did anything."

   "Oh, you'll figure it out. Not everyone is destined to have a dragon hunter for a son." Jamie grinned at his son, who looked proud, then dashed off down the street. "That's just what happens, and you know, everyone's different."

   "I'm so glad that my best friend married someone with a higher IQ than her." Rose laughed, glancing back at Louise, who looked up and glared at her playfully, then resumed having and invisible tea party. "Louise woulda just told me that if I had stayed in town and married Ryan Tyler, then the whole 'kids-and-family-life' woulda followed."

    Jamie laughed and Louise remarked from the back that she was right. "I don't think so; Ryan's too busy keeping up with his shop to have a bunch of mini-me's running around. Much less with you."

    Rose aimed a face of offence towards him. "Why not?! It's not like I'm in any hurry to or anything, but what's wrong with me?"

   "Oh, just everything-" Jamie laughed, and Rose hit him in the arm. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding- ouch! stop! I'm just kidding! He's got his eye on someone else, that's all."

    As though by nature, Rose's heart sank. For some unknown reason, she might add. "What?"

    Jamie nodded. "Yep, he's got himself his own fancy debutante-turned-city-slicker, just like you."

    Rose folded her arms and walked more stiffly. "Well, he failed to mention that last time he saw me. Would've been nice to let your old best friend know."

   "You're not his best friend, and you don't have the right to know about everything he does." Louise retorted. "You've moved on, he's moved on, it all works out."

    "Well number one, there's nothing to move on from-" (Louise shook her head) "and number two, It just would've been polite to say 'Hey! Rosie! I've found myself a girlfriend!'" Rose stomped her foot with each syllable.

     Louise just shook her head again, much to Rose's irritation.

    "Look, I'm just kidding. I've got Dylan, he's got - whatever her name is - and there's nothing to discuss. Good for him, actually." Rose muttered.

    Jamie took a break from staring at the sidewalk. "You're treating this like you and Ryan are a couple."

    Rose immediately turned red. "Well we aren't, and never were. So who cares." Immediately feeling a rush of relief, Rose remembered that she had to be home to save Dylan from the overbearance of her parents.

    "Well, I gotta go. Don't tell ANYONE what we discussed here today." Rose said, and with a hug to each member of the (impressively) large Jones clan, she was off in a flurry.