THREE MEN AND A LADY II
Chapter Two
"Popcorn?" Cal passed
the bowl over to Rose. The two of them had spent the last week watching TV
together, and Cal had memorized Rose’s snacking routines.
She was a light snacker, as
opposed to him, a heavy snacker. The daytime programs had since been filled
with the sounds of mass munching rather than the usual sounds of Cal wailing
like a banshee.
"Ooh! The new season of Crank
Yankers!" Rose squealed excitedly.
Cal began hopping in his seat.
"I just love those puppets! They’re so cute!" He clapped his hands
together rapidly.
"Uh…guys?" Fabrizio
stood in the doorway.
"Yeah?"
"Where’s the mop?"
Cal sighed. "Why would you
need the mop?"
"Well, I was making pudding
and decided to mix some tea into it, and then the water boiled and the pasta
began to slide off the cabinet, and--"
"That’s quite enough,"
Rose said, holding her hand up.
"Well, can you get me the
mop?" Fabrizio shifted from foot to foot.
"No."
His face fell. "But I have
to clean up the mess--"
"No. I will clean it."
"Why?" Rose asked.
"He can do it."
Cal looked at her. "Are you
insane?"
"I’ve been told I am."
"That explains why you would
want Fabrizio to clean something!"
Fabrizio interrupted the
argument. "Uh…I really need to clean this stuff up."
Dinner, the Same Day
"Uh…Rose?" Jack was
nervous.
"Yeah?"
"Why haven’t you been going
to work?"
"Work?"
"Yes, Rose, work. We had
this talk a long, long time ago. A job."
"How would you know if I was
staying home?"
"Well…"
Rose darted a venomous glance at
Fabrizio, who only shrugged. "So?"
"Shouldn’t you, like…get
another job…or something?"
The Next Morning
Rose sat on the couch. Cal sat in
the chair, his eyes glued to the TV. Jack was preparing to leave for work, but
stopped off in the living room.
"Rose?"
"Yeah?" She didn’t
move.
"What are you doing?"
"Watching The Brady Bunch."
"Ah."
Two Days Later
"Rose?"
"Yes?"
"Uh…how long are you going
to sit on the couch, watching TV?"
"I don’t know."
"TV rocks." Cal
giggled.
"And you’re doing it with
him"
"So? Am I such a bad
person?" Cal looked offended.
"No, but she…I…God!"
One Week Later
"Rose, I love you."
"I love you, too,
Jack."
"Good. Will you please get
off the couch?"
"Why?"
"‘Cause."
"‘Cause why?"
"‘Cause I fucking miss
you!"
"I’m here."
"But you’re on the
couch."
"So? I like it here."
"Rose, I want you to
remember that I really do love you, and I say this for a reason."
"What?"
"Get. Your. Ass. Off. The.
Couch. Rose."