Rosie

Chapter 17 - Sam

After another minute-long discussion in the parking lot, my parents finally agree on letting Rosie and me drive a separate car.

We've been following them for about five minutes. There has been a dead silence in the car until Rosie decides to speak up. "Are you okay?".

I slowly shake my head not trusting my voice. There are all kinds of emotions battling inside my head and body. I feel defeated, annoyed and angry terribly angry. I'm so focused on the road and on myself that I don't notice Rosie reaching for me until she grabs my right hand of the steering wheel. I look at her and she sends me a soft smile before intertwining our fingers and leaning our elbows on the armrest between us.

I swallow before speaking up "I'm sorry tonight didn't go as planned". I went grocery shopping at the end of the day to be ready for my date with Rosie. When I came back to the dorm my parents were waiting by the front of the door. They were the last people I would have expected to find standing in front of my dorm room. I haven't seen them in almost two years.

The reason they were here was absurd if you'd ask me. When I was at my grandma's for Christmas, I saw an old schoolfriend. We hung out for a bit. Turns out over Christmas dinner he told his parents he saw me. His parents told mine when they saw each other at some posh gathering. My parents didn't have a good enough explanation for why I spend Christmas with my Grandma and not with them. I guess explaining that they send their son away to never have to see him again in exchange for a cheque every month wasn't acceptable. My mother's brain went into overdrive, she freaked out because she couldn't control the situation, she got so pissed that after New Year she dragged my father into a car and drove all the way over here to yell at me.

"Don't worry about it." Rosie squeezes my hand "If we survive this dinner, we can always watch a movie after".

I hope to god that we will survive this dinner. I know my parents and I also now Rosie. I don't want to drag her into this, after growing up with them I can stand my ground. I'm not sure the kind-hearted girl next to me can. My parents, mostly my mother is sharp and isn't afraid to attack where it hurts, she figures people out quickly and after that she pushes them to their breaking point to get what she wants. Rosie, on the other hand, is soft, she would do everything not to hurt people and I'm afraid she won't stand her ground against my mother.

We arrive at the restaurant and to my dismay, I need to let go of Rosie's hand to change gears and to park. She was giving me comfort. The kind of comfort I don't know and never felt before. I know it is incredibly selfish to think this way. But with her by my side I know I will get through this dinner easier than every other one before it. Even though this will probably be the worst she will ever experience in her life.

Once I park the car I stay still for a few minutes. Rosie patiently waits for me to move and to give a go. After another five minutes, I exit the car. It had started raining really hard earlier, so I quickly grab an umbrella and go over to Rosie's side to shelter her from the rain as soon as she comes out. We make our way inside the restaurant. We hand over our coats to a member of the staff and make our way over to my parent's table. I take my seat next to Rosie and on the opposite side of the table, I'm facing my mom.

You can cut the tension with a knife. There is nothing but silence at our table. It is like we are living in our own bubble of tension and quiet. We order our food and when the first dish comes around my mother decides to speak up.

"Rosalinda was it?" she looks at Rosie.

"No Madame just Rosie" she answers my mother politely.

"I see" she judgingly takes a sip of her white wine. Don't even ask me how she manages to drink in a judgingly way, but she does "Did my son tell you about our disagreements?".