Dreaming of Roses

Chapter 2

Caitlyn opened the door to her bedroom and stopped dead in her tracks. What a mess! Unlike most of her friends, Caitlyn preferred cleanliness and tidiness. What had happened? There were clothes all over the floor, her jewellery box was tipped over and everything spilled out on the dresser, and her bedspread was half lying on the floor. There was a big lump in the middle of the bed, and Caitlyn had an idea what had happened in here.

She grabbed the bedspread and threw it off the bed. "Clover! Look at the mess you made! MOM!!!" Caitlyn was yelling. "GET YOUR DOG OUT OF HERE!!!" Clover came crawling out from underneath the sheets, with a look in her eyes, as if she wanted to say 'I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself.' "Aw you goofy dog, you can't do this, you're not a puppy anymore."

Caitlyn pointed out the open door. "Go downstairs, go find Mommy. That's a good girl." Clover slinked down the stairs. "Its ok Clover, I still love you." Caitlyn felt bad, the poor old dog looked so pathetic with her tail between her legs.

"What's going on up there Caitlyn?" Eileen called from the bottom of the stairs.

"The dog got into my bedroom again, it looks like a tornado blew through here." Caitlyn was snippy.

"Sorry honey, I couldn't find her earlier, and thought she was with your father. I guess I locked her in your room by accident."

"Its ok Mom, I needed to do a purge anyway, I've got too much junk in here." Caitlyn knew her mother was often distracted and daydreaming, and although she sometimes resented it, she understood.

"Alright. Supper should be ready in about an hour. Theo sent your father a text saying Trish was coming for dinner too, so be prepared."

"Great, thanks for the heads up. Maybe I'll head over to Chloe's, she talked about going out to grab a bite to eat tonight."

"Tonight's ok, but Sunday dinner will not be optional, your Dad is making a roast beef, and Trish and Theo will be here. You can invite someone if you want, Chloe would be ok."

"Yes Mom."

Funny how her mom knew Caitlyn had no boy in mind for Sunday dinner. Caitlyn looked around her bedroom, and realized how different it was from most teenage girls. There were no posters of hot Hollywood hunks, only lots of family pictures from good times past. Her closet wasn't full of the latest and greatest clothes from the mall, but had a good mix of comfort, sensibility and dress up. She had an antique dresser that had belonged to her grandmother Evelyn since before her Dad's birth in Winnipeg.

As Caitlyn started putting the clothes from the floor into her laundry hamper, she turned and stared into the mirror that had been a gift from Theo (and therefore her parents) on her sixteenth birthday. She didn't want anyone to make a big deal on her birthdays, but for all of Caitlyn's practicality she had a vain streak. She was a girl after all, sensible or not. The six-foot mirror was perfect, she could see herself from head to toe.

Some days her reflection surprised her. Today was not one of those days. At five feet five inches, Caitlyn didn't expect to grow any taller. She was wearing faded jeans, a pair of purple ballet slipper shoes, and a dark pink tank top with spaghetti straps. Her brown eyes were nothing special, and her long brown hair was pulled into a ponytail. Her bangs were getting too long, and kept drifting into her eyes.

'Ugh! It's time for a haircut, although maybe I can wait a little bit longer. Mom can cut my bangs for me again.' The last time Caitlyn had her hair cut she came home looking like a pixie, and she hadn't returned to a salon since then.

Caitlyn looked around her room, and decided clean up would wait until later. She grabbed a sweater, her purse, made sure she had her cell phone, and headed downstairs. "Bye guys, I'll see you later!" she called as she was leaving through the front door. "I'll call you and let you know if I'm going to be late!"