“Hello, Dad, Ive come for my present,” the woman announced.
John and Catherine were sitting down to a quiet supper when the front door swung open. A disheveled woman strode inside, carelessly tossing an old backpack into the corner before spreading her arms wide.
“Alright then, old man,” she said, grinning.
John choked on his food, coughing violently, while Catherine glared.
“And who might you be? What do you mean, old man?”
The woman squinted. “Mind your own business, love. Im not here for youIm here for my dear old dad.” She turned to John. “Dont tell me youve forgotten me? Its me, your little girl, Rosie. All these years, and I still couldnt rest easy, wondering how my dad was getting onhoping he wasnt poorly, God forbid.” She sniffed theatrically.
John finally managed to wheeze out, “Why” Another cough seized him. “Why have you come?”
“For my present, Dad. The doll you promised me twenty years ago,” Rosie smirked.
Her mother had passed when Rosie was seven. John lasted six months before bringing home a new wife, Catherinealong with her two boys. The first thing Catherine did was kick Rosie out of her room and shove her in with the others. “The lads need it more,” John muttered, avoiding her eyes. The boys were older and troublemakers, constantly tearing up her schoolbooks. Night after night, shed rewrite her homework by moonlight, tears smudging the pagesCatherine wouldnt allow “wasting” electricity.
Then, on Rosies eighth birthday, her father took her to an orphanage. “Its just for a bit, love. Ill fetch you soon. Ill visit every weekendand Ill bring you the big doll from the shop window, just like you wanted!”
Rosie waited. He never came.
Now, she dropped into a chair and barked, “Oi, Auntie, dish me up some soup. Starving, I amnowhere decent to kip last night.” She cackled at her own joke.
Silently, Catherine slapped a single ladleful into a bowl.
Rosie shook her head. “Years go by, and youre still stingy, eh? Come on, more than that!” She turned to John. “Right, Dad, break out the savingslets toast our reunion!”
John glanced at Catherine, who hissed through gritted teeth, “We dont drink.”
Rosie slapped her knee. “Knew it! But unlike my old man, I dont turn up empty-handed. Auntie, fetch my bag.”
Catherine flushed. “Get it yourself!”
Rosie arched a brow. “Youre missing the point, love. Im not just visiting. Im moving in. Fairs fairyou chucked me out once, packed me off to some institution. Now its your turn. Clear outor behave, and maybe Ill let you stay.”
Catherines voice rose shrilly. “John! Are you just going to sit there while she mocks me?”
He shifted awkwardly. “Rosie, dont be rude. Catherines mistress here.”
Rosie sighed. “Oh, this is pathetic. Well done, Auntiegot him properly under your thumb, havent you? Dont worry, Dad. Me and this onell sort things out. Might even send *her* packing somewhere!”
Catherine shrieked, “Im calling my son! Hell toss you out, you little”
Rosie cut her off. “You mean Jimmy? Bloked trade you for a bottle in a heartbeat. Tough luck, Auntieyour boys didnt turn out so well, did they? The eldests gone, yeah? Heard he couldnt leave the drink alone. And the younger ones headed the same way.”
Catherine crumpled into hysterics. “Dont you dare! Look at *you*living rough!”
“Thanks to you,” Rosie snapped. “You landed nicely, didnt you? Snatched up a widower, booted his kid out for your own. Bet you never gave me a second thought. But Im back, and Ill make your life hell. Got big plans, I have. Theres my blokethree stretches inside. Hell be here in a week, and well all live cozy. Youll have grandkids, Dad! Proper family reunion. You *did* miss me, yeah?”
John nodded, eyes downcast. Rosie smirked at Catherine. “See? Now, make up a bedIm knackered. And when I wake, Ill want the bathhouse fired up. Need to scrub off the grime.”
Pretending to sleep, Rosie eavesdropped as Catherine whispered fiercely, “Spineless! Shes moving inbringing some ex-con! Theyll rob us blindor worse! Throw her out!”
John mumbled, “Shes my daughter. You made me abandon her once. I cantI wont. Im ashamed enough.”
Rosie mentally cheered. *So hes got a shred of guilt left.*
A rustling made her crack an eye. Catherine loomed over her, clutching a pillow.
“Youll go to prison, Auntie,” Rosie said loudly. Catherine jumped.
“II brought this. For your head.”
Rosie laughed. “Cheers. For a second, I thought you were up to no good. Bath ready?”
Catherine fluttered nervously. “Your dads heating it. Hungry? Ive made pancakes.”
Rosie stared. “Now youre playing nice? Trying to poison me? Wont workIve got an iron stomach. Youre still the same snake.”
For a week, Rosie worked Catherine ragged until the woman begged, “Have mercy, girl. Im not young anymore.”
“Where was *your* mercy,” Rosie snarled, “when you tore a child from her home? Ashamed? Im not. Youll pay for every tear.”
Catherine dropped to her knees. “Forgive me, for Gods sake! Havent I suffered enough?”
Rosie waved her off. “Fine, get up. Seems its sunk in. Live your life. Im leaving. No present after all, eh, Dad?”
John scrambled up. “Love, let me give you moneybuy whatever you want!”
Rosie shook her head. “You still dont get it. I didnt come for money. Just one wordthat you loved me. But never mind. Goodbye.”
Shouldering her bag, she walked out. No one followed, though she hesitated.
A car waited beyond the village. Sinking into the seat, she burst into tears like a child. Her husband pulled her close.
“Told you it was a bad idea. Why dig up the past when youve got now? Disappointed, love?”
Rosie looked up, eyes wet. “Yeah. Thought hed loved me all alongjust slipped up once. They never even *remembered* me.”
He hugged her tighter. “Shouldve listened to your husband, Rosie. Come onlets go home. The kids miss you.”
Wiping her face, she managed a smile. “Miss them too. Drive fast. First thinga shower. Wash it all away. But lets stop by Mums grave first. Picked flowers on the way. As for Dad? Never had him, dont need him.”
“Past stays pastyou were right. But I had to try. Gods will, I suppose…”
