Roses & Thorns
Especially when you'd planned to use Sunday to recuperat e from a sleepless night spent with your friends after a rowdy concert. "Come on , Rose . I want to hit the sales at Kohl's before all the good stuff is gone. They 've slashed prices on all their swim wear , and I'm in serious need of some new suits."
    I watched her dark hair sway just below her shoulders a s she bounced towards my closet .
    "Alright, alright. But can you g ive me a few minutes to actually wake up first?" M om's cocked hip and the angle of her head as she spun around and threw a dress onto my bed was an indication that her answer was no. I narrowed my eyes at her as I jumped out of bed, grabb ed the dress, and stomped into the bathroom.
    Fumbling through a rushed version of my morning routine, I quickly combed through my long blonde hair and stuck a hat on my head. A little mineral powder on my cheeks and some tinted lip gloss w as going to be the extent of my makeup efforts this morning . I emerged dressed and ready to go in just a few minutes.
    As I made my way downstairs , I heard a commotion in the kitchen and headed in the direction of the noise. I suddenly wished I had taken longer to get ready. Mom and Dad were saying their goodbyes for the morning , but from the way his hands were grabbing at her and the intensity of their kiss, you'd think we were leaving for a yearlong safari in Africa , instead of an afternoon of shopping a few miles away.
    I cleared my throat as I slipped on my flip-flops. "Okay, I'm ready."
    Mom broke off their passionate kiss and back ed out of Dad's embrace with a huge smile on her face. " Okay, let's hit it ." She gave Dad a little wave as she headed out the door. It must have been her who initiated their dramatic goodbye scene, because Dad stood there frozen in place and then he started laughing.
    I shook my head and grabbed my purse from the hook next to the wooden credenza by the door. "Bye Dad, catch ya later!" I said as I rushed to follow Mom to the car.
    "Bye , honey. Try to keep your mother's spending in check for me, will ya?" he hollered out the door.
    I knew he was kidding because he never did anything to "keep mother in check . " My parents loved each other so much , and they both had successful careers , so money wasn't really a big de al. It's not like we were super- rich, but we didn't have to wor ry about overspending on a sale at Kohl's , that was for sure.
    "So, what else are we doing today besides shopping for swimsuits?" I asked.
    "Well, I thought we could get some lunch and you could tell me all about your concert. I talked to Adrienne this morning and she said you guys were all pretty excited when you arrived at her house."
    "Yes, we had a really good time. The concert was great . " I only debated a moment before deciding to tell her about Christian. My mom and I have always had a really close relationship. " But I was actually more excited about the guy I met on the way home. "
    "Oh , really?" Her coy smile was the first indication that this shopping trip was actually just a reco g n izance mission. She must have found the business card in my things already.
    "Yes. If you don't already know, his name is Christian , and he works at The Rising Pit. As a matter of fact, I'm suppose d to call him tonight."
    She giggled as we turned the corner and headed towards the end of the shopping district that had the best little breakfast café in it . "Yes, I found the business card in your things when I was cleaning up this morning, a nd that 's why I thought we could buy y ou something nice to wear today. " She glanced in my direction, probably to see if I was mad that she had "cleaned" my things, but I wasn't. Like I said, there was n't much that I hid from my parents.
    "That sounds great. Didn't you just love his little poem?" I asked.
    "Yes, it reminded me of when your dad and I first met and the little romantic thing that he did to win my attention."
    "Aha...is that why you practically attacked him before we

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