Rosa’s Surprise for George

Sybil takes Brenda for a walk along the beach

“Hi daddy! I have a present for you,” said Rosa as she walked through the front door of the nest, dropping her book bag and handing her father an envelope, instead of allowing him to wrap his large wings around her. Rosa then continued walking towards the kitchen. At first, George was a little alarmed at his second eldest daughter’s behaviour. But instead of asking her to come back, he watched to see if she would hug her mother instead, which would mark a giant change in her behaviour. However, she waved to her mother and continued into the kitchen where Julia was waiting for her with a snack she had prepared. Rice Krispy Pie. George finally had to say something as this behaviour was so uncharacteristic of Rosa, and so he called her back. Rosa sighed as she was looking forward to a slice of Rice Krispy Pie and turned around, walked out of the kitchen and stood by her mother. Sybil of course was delighted with this change in Rosa, misreading it as she normally did.

“Yes, daddy,” she asked but before he could continue, she added. “I’m hungry daddy.”

George nodded and then looked at the envelope, “are these your grades?”

“No, daddy, it’s a present for you.”

George managed a smile and opened the envelope. He read it first to himself and then found there was good reason to read it out loudly. “Dear daddy,” he began looking up at the little crowd gathered in the hallway. “Dear daddy,” he continued. “You’re a good boy. I’m glad you’re my daddy. Love Bella Rosa.”

George instinctively smiled and appeared to have a tear in his eye when he looked up from the letter at Rosa who stood not very far from him. The others remained stunned by what she had written. “What is this for young lady?” It’s beautiful.”

“Mrs Cooper wants us all to write letters to our parents, because she said no one knows how to write letters today. They only know how to email.”

“That’s very true,” remarked George, but before he was able to continue Sybil cut in.

“I assume you will be writing me one soon then. Because you have two parents.”

“Yes I know,” replied Rosa beginning her walk back into the kitchen with Julia leading the way.

Sybil shook her head, walked up to George who was still holding the letter in his wing and snatched it away from him. She noticed immediately that Rosa had erased a word where the word daddy was now. She immediately thought that Rosa had originally addressed the letter to her. She was ecstatic. She promptly walked into the kitchen where Rosa now had a beak filled with Rice Krispy Pie. “Rosa darling,” she began, “did you originally want to send this letter to me?”

“Why do you say that mummy?”

“Well, because where daddy is written now, you had another word written before you erased it.”

“No, mummy,” replied Rosa spewing out some of her Rice Krispy Pie. “I had put dear Brenda first, but Mrs Cooper said it had to be a parent’s name and not my sister’s.” Julia beamed and began to laugh. “Sorry mummy,” added Rosa seeing her mother’s look of disillusionment. “I’ll send you one tomorrow. Is that ok?”

“Yes Rosa, that will be fine,” and with that Sybil walked out of the kitchen into the hallway and then into Rosa’s room to check on Brenda, who had been asleep for longer than usual. When she got there she was followed in by both Rosa and Julia and they found Brenda sitting up in her little cot playing with a feather. Brenda saw the others walk in and once she saw Rosa, she let out a squeal of delight.

Over the past few weeks, Rosa and Brenda had become very close. Originally, Rosa didn’t want Brenda to share a room with her, but now that she was there, they had become the closest of friends. Rosa waved to Brenda who she had renamed Brenda 3 because she already had two dolls named Brenda. So, in order to distinguish them, she had numbered them with the latest edition, the little chick, as number 3. No one else abided by that method. Brenda jumped up and down in her cot holding out her wings for her mother to pick her up and put her down on the floor. But Sybil wasn’t having any of it. The last time she did that, Brenda ran over and hugged Rosa bypassing her completely. So, Brenda was going to stay in the cot a little longer until Julia had prepared her supper.

Brenda was visibly disappointed and laid back down in the cot and threw the feather up in the air. She was then fascinated how a small breeze off the ocean blew in through the open window, got hold of the feather and whisked it away laying it right at Rosa’s feet. Sybil immediately walked out of the room in a huff.

“If I had known,” she complained to George, “if I had known that Brenda would turn out to be a Rosa 2.0, then I would’ve never called you back to bed.”

“2.0?” repeated George somewhat amused by his wife’s use of a computer term. “So now we have Brenda 3 and Rosa 2.0. We are going to have to agree on a proper name for Brenda before she starts saying her first words. Can you imagine her wondering am I Brenda, Brenda 3 or Rosa 2.0?”

Sybil couldn’t be bothered by that riddle and decided to fly down to the ocean and take a slow walk along the beach, now that the waves were on their way out so as to clear her head. Melody watched her for a second and after inadvertently overhearing the conversation from the nest, decided it would be best to leave Sybil alone for now. George felt badly for his wife and flew down and walked by her side.

“You know what George,” said Sybil sounding sad. “Had I known the way our children would turn out when we first got married, I would’ve said no when you asked if it were time to start a family.”

“Oh come on, Sybil darling,” he replied putting his wing around her shoulders. “I didn’t know that either. But they are such wonderful chicks. I could not have asked for a better family, and of course you are a great mother.”

Sybil stopped walking and turned to look at her husband. “You’re nuts!” she said. “You don’t believe that for a second.”

“That you’re a great mother?” asked George.

“No. That you would’ve said no if you knew the chicks would turn out the way they have.” Melody didn’t look up but groaned. She closed her eyes, “oy vey!” she said out loudly which caused the two sandpipers to turn around.

“Did you hear that?” Sybil asked George.

“Yes, I did. Finally, Melody is thinking like us.”

“That’s dangerous,” Sybil replied and they both decided to fly back into the nest where Brenda was busy jumping up and down in her cot while Timmy, Julia and Rosa were standing around her laughing.