Super Woman

“Ohh, Izabelle. Your daughter is getting scarier every passing day,” Ruby lamented.

“Only to you,” Izabelle flicked Little Rosie on her forehead causing her to flinch and frown.

They laughed.

“Sorry Sie Sie, it was a slip of the tongue, hmm? I won’t take your mummy anywhere, okay?”

“En.”

Ruby swallowed and turned to Izabelle. She felt scared to ask her what she wanted to ask. If she did, the little girl was going to get angry. Ahh, such an obstacle to their friendship. They would always have to get Rosie sleeping if they want to do something or go somewhere. She mustered up her courage and asked.

“Where should I take you guys? Would you like to spend some time in my apartment?”

“No. You can just drop us at a hotel. I don’t want to bother you. Besides, I know you’re with your parents nowadays.”

“It’s fine. I can stay because of you. You’re my bestie after all. I’m not bothered at all.”

“It’s okay. We’ll just spend the night at a hotel. You’ve done enough for me already and I’m so grateful.” If she was grateful to anyone in this life, then it was to her friend, Ruby. She was a good friend indeed. They have been friends since their high school days and to say that she was supportive was an understatement.

Back then when she got pregnant with Rosie, she had run away from home and had spent some days at Ruby’s before leaving the country. Ruby would come to see her at times during her pregnancy and she was the only one there for her all these years.

Even when she wanted to give up on herself, Ruby encouraged her to fight hard for herself and her baby.

When Rosie was born, though she wasn’t around, she sent gifts and made video calls. She was a friend. One she would always stay grateful to.

“Okay, fine then. If you insist.” They stayed quiet for some minutes before they got to a hotel and Izabelle climbed down with Rosie in her arms.

Ruby opened the truck of the car and carried their luggage out before handing them to Izabelle.

“Mommy will carry our luggage and I’ll carry my new storybooks,” little Rosie came down from her mother's arm and ran to the other side of the car. She opened the backseat before gathering the books and getting them in her arms. They were heavy but she didn’t care. These were her new treasures for the next few weeks.

“Be careful Rosie or they’ll drop.”

“Yes, Aunty.”

“Thank you, Ruby. We’ll get going now. See you some other time,” Izabelle informed and started walking towards the entrance of the hotel.

“Bye. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

“Bye, Sie Sie.”

Rosie’s foot stopped for a while and she turned to look at her aunt who was waving at them.

“Aunt Ruby, will you buy me more gifts and goodies when you come to visit us again?”

“Of course, I will. I’ll buy lots of goodies even though you already forgave me. Anything for my cute little goddaughter..”

“Hmm, better then.” She smiled as she turned her back to her and followed her mother into the hotel. This would be her new way of getting goodies from her aunt. She planned to suck her dry.

*****

The next day, Izabelle walked out of the bathroom only to see her daughter with a spoon, getting ready to dig into the food a hotel staff brought in a few minutes ago. She rushed to her side and snatched the spoon from her before putting her hand on her waist.

“What do you think you’re doing, Rosie?”

“Mama, I’m hungry.”

“The first thing you do after waking up is to eat? Did you bathe or brush your teeth?”

“Can’t I do that after eating? I’m so hungry. I’ll faint in the bathroom,” Rosie cried, batting her eyes at her mother. Izabelle rolled her eyes and walked to the other side of the room before picking a small box up and walking back to Rosie who frowned hard at the sight of the box.

If she wasn’t so hungry, she would run away from there because she knew whenever her mother brings this box out, she means business with her.

“Mamaaa,” she whined.

“That frown or eyes isn’t going to work on me today. I’ll let you eat without bathing or brushing your teeth since you’re so hungry but you’ll have to take your drugs first. I guess you know what this box contains.”

Of course, she knows. It contains the things that keep her living. Her heart monitor, medicines, everything a patient needed.

“But Mommy, these drugs are so bitter,” she stared at the box in disgust.

“They won’t if you take them in one go. You’ll take them in one go and you won’t even feel it,” Izabelle sat close to Rosie on the couch and dropped the box on the floor.

“I don’t want to take them.”

“Rosie, you have to take them to get better.”

Rosie stood up from the couch and walked to the bed to climb and lie on it, covering her face. She wasn’t going to take those drugs anymore.

“Why do I always have to take them when other people don't? It’s only me. I have to wear these heart monitors whereas other people don’t need them. I don’t want them anymore. I want to be like every other child.”

Izabelle sighed. Whenever Rosie threw tantrums like this, it was always hard to convince her. She had to keep lying to the child day after day and convince her to take the drugs so she could be fine.

The last time Rosie refused to take her medications and wear her heart monitor, she had told her she was a superwoman and a warrior, and only after telling her that did she finally agree to take the drugs. What would she use this time? Rosie can’t skip her drugs else it would be fatal.

Just then, she heard a knock on their door. She stood up from the couch and walked towards the door to open it. It was a hotel attendant and he handed her an envelope.

“This came in for you, ma’am.”

Izabelle slowly took the envelope and walked back into the room. Rosie was still sulking. She should check what was in this envelope and go convince her. The envelope was blank without a name and she tore it open, bringing the letter out.

The words written on it shocked her to the core.