“Is that a proposal?” I ask, unbuttoning his shirt.
“What do you think?” He kisses my shoulder before pulling me into a hug.
“I think you’re going to have to do better than that.” I’m smiling, enjoying the way we are teasing each other.
“I can do that. Come on.” He takes my hand and walks me into the spare bedroom.
“I like that sound of that.”
38
I’ll Make It AWESOME
Rosie
How bad is this going to hurt?” Cole whispers as we walk into the tattoo parlor.
“It’ll hurt…some.” I shrug. It’s the kind of pain I like. Especially today, on the anniversary of my parents’ deaths.
Tony steps up to the counter. “Back again, huh?” His eyes sweep over me, and then he glances at Cole.
“Yeah.” I nod. “This is Cole.”
“Good to meet you, son. What kind of tattoo are you interested in?”
Cole shows him a piece of paper. On it he’s drawn a pair of wings with the tips on fire. He won’t tell me what it means, and I don’t pry. Tattoos are private. “I was hoping to get this. Only better, of course.”
“I think we can handle that. Ben will be your artist.”
At the mention of his name, Ben comes over. Tony hands him the paper. “Think you can work your magic and create something like this?”
“Oh yeah, I’ll make it awesome. Come on back.”
Cole mouths the word awesome to me, and I shrug. He follows Ben over to a cubicle. Ben has a sketchbook out and is asking Cole questions as he draws. When he’s finished, he’ll scan it into the computer and render a tattoo.
Tony gives me another once over. “And what about you?”
“I’m thinking a phoenix with the word hope somewhere in the wings,” I say somewhat tentatively.
“Cool. Let’s get to work.” I follow him to his workstation, which is a cubicle with a computer and some art books sitting on a desk. We discuss what I have in mind. Tony pulls up different ideas on his computer. He rearranges things so the tattoo is to my liking. When he’s finished, he presses Print. “Where do you want it?”
I stand and point at my right hip, below the bone.
“Cool.” He nods.
“What does it mean? This one.” He taps on the screen.
“Nothing,” I answer, since it’s none of his business.
Tony snorts. “Whatever, kid.” He pulls the special tattoo transfer paper off the printer. “Come on back.”
I follow him into the room with the yellow curtain.
“Take off your pants and lie back, Rosie.”
“You got it.” I slide down my pants and hop up on the chair. Tony goes through the motions. Gloves. Gauze. He moves the strap on my underwear and wipes the area on my hip with rubbing alcohol.
“What the—,” I hear Cole shout from the front.
Tony looks at me. “Your friend’s first time.”
I laugh. “Yeah.”
He puts the transfer below my bone. “Right here?”
“Perfect,” I say.
He turns on the gun. I close my eyes. Brace myself for the pain. And though I’m still looking forward to it, I also know I’m done. Because in the past year I’ve learned a lot, but the biggest lesson is that death is part of life. I can’t get away from it, but that doesn’t mean I should stop living. It means I need to live each day to its fullest. I can’t control when my time will come, but I can control how I spend the time I have.
Epilogue
Rosie
The cemetery is peaceful. A light breeze pushes the leaves. The sound reminds me of the ocean at sunrise, its waves rolling lazily to shore. The sky is clear and blue. There’s no one around but the chirping birds, the dead, and me. Cole is waiting in the car, giving me the time I need.
I weave my way through the gravestones. My parents are buried under a giant oak near the back of the cemetery. Their headstone is in the shade, away from the summer heat. In my hands are a bunch of daisies, my mom’s favorite flower. I’ve placed them in an empty beer bottle—my dad’s favorite kind.
“Hi, Mom and Dad. Sorry it’s been so long. It was really hard to visit you here. Knowing I can’t see you. Wondering…” Tears build and roll down my cheeks. I don’t bother wiping them away. Crying is part of grieving, and I know it’s necessary. I sniffle. “But I’m trying. No, actually I’m doing better than trying. I’m living my life the best way I can. I know you loved me. There isn’t a doubt in my mind about that. I don’t know too many people who would’ve kept a child born of rape and raised her with love the way you did me.” I bite back a sob and place a bouquet of flowers in front of their headstone, before kneeling. “I still don’t understand why. I can’t put the parents I knew together with the people who were part of something so awful. It makes no sense to me. But I’m going to do my best to find out. I have to know the why and how behind your decisions. I’ve already started digging through old boxes at the storage unit. I hope there’s something in there that can explain why you went from travelling the country, sharing your story and dad’s theories about coma patients as well as teaching to people involved with—” I can’t finish. It’s painful. I taste salt from the tears falling from my eyes and into my mouth and I wipe them away and change the subject. “Cole is in my life. He’s all grown up, and he’s amazing. Better than I ever imagined. With him by my side I know I’ll be okay.” I pause. “I also have a great friend. Her name is Gina. She’s had the same thing happen to her that happened to you, Mom, and it messed her up. There for a while I was worried about her, but she’s just finished rehab and has a great new therapist. She’s working on following the twelve-step program and taking care of herself. She seems to want to get better so I have a lot of hope she’ll make it. She deserves only good things in life. She’s been through a lot too, which is why I know we were put into each other’s lives for a reason.
“You always used to say everything happens for a reason. After talking to Gina, I believe that what happened to you, my being born the way I was, was so I could help Gina. She’s said more than once my life is way more messed up than hers and if I can make then she can too.” I shake my head and smile. It’s hard to believe how much I love Gina like a sister.
A breeze whips past my face and I imagine it’s my mom and dad, hugging me. When it passes, I stand, crossing my arms. “Aunt Eliza and Uncle John have been great to me. They aren’t the same as having real parents, but they’re close. Aunt Eliza is always telling me to live a little. Well I intend to do that. Live each day with hope. With love. And without excuses.”
THE END
Books by RaShelle Workman
DEAD ROSES SERIES
Sleeping Roses
Kissed by a Rose
BLOOD AND SNOW SERIES
Blood and snow
Masquerade’s Moon
Love Bleeds
The Cindy Chronicles
Vampire Lies
A Beauty so Beastly
Vampire Secrets
Asha’s Kisses
Vampire Nights
Vampire Fate
Alice in Demonland
Alice Fights Demonland
Alice Takes Demonland
ACROSS THE AGES SERIES
Across the Ages
The King’s Paranormal Inquiries Division
Past the Ages
THE IMMORTALS SERIES
Exiled
Dovetailed
THE FAIRYTALE SELECTORY: Cinderella
About the Author
RaShelle Workman is the bestselling author of multiple novels and short stories. Her books have been nominated for multiple awards and several have been translated into Turkish. Two of her books: Blood and Snow and Alice in Demonland are text-choice adventure games. Download the apps and start playing today!
RaShelle lives in Utah with her amazing family. To find out more about her, visit her website at www.rashelleworkman.org.
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Workman, RaShelle, Kissed by a Rose: A Dead Roses Novel
Kissed by a Rose: A Dead Roses Novel Page 23
