Chapter 37 Rosalie
Chapter 37
Rosalie
Rosalie’s sprawled across her mother’s bed, watching her put on makeup. She studies her as she applies moisturizer and foundation, a hint of blush. She’s yammering on about the hike, complaining about their limited time together.
“You know, Rosie, this summer trip was meant to bond us, and all you’ve done is avoid me.”
Rosalie doesn’t want to fight, so she doesn’t bring up her mother’s drinking. She thinks maybe now might be the best time to tell her. She’s sober, for one. But first, she checks her email. Nothing. Her father still hasn’t written back. She doesn’t even know if he got her message. She opens the Ancestry app just to be sure she hasn’t made a mistake, which is ridiculous, because she’s checked at least a hundred times already. He’s still there. Still 50.2 percent of her DNA.
“What are you so immersed in?” Cassidy asks.
Tell her. Tell her.
Instead, she counts and then says, “Nothing.”
If her father responds, she thinks it might be easier to tell Cassidy. Then she wouldn’t be in this alone. But then she has another thought. Maybe he got her email and isn’t interested in having a daughter. She banishes the notion, tells herself that he didn’t get the message. If he did, he would have written her back.