The Downside of Popularity

13|Rosa

Pablo
✯—————✯

 "Do you want to have pancakes or lasagna for dinner?" I asked Rosa, grabbing a frying pan from the cabinet.

She bit on her lip for a while, her face twisting into a thoughtful look. "Lasagna,' she signed. I tossed the pan back and replaced it with a pot.

"Oh, okay." I watched her hop on the kitchen island. "Take it easy Rosa, you shouldn't be climbing that. . ." There was worry in the tone of my voice which made her smirk secretly.

"Don't worry Pablo, I won't end up in the hospital because of this," she signed when she was well balanced, an assuring grin covering her face.

I felt guilty that instead of giving Rosa support and helping her forget how fragile she was, I was acting like the child, and she like the older brother—reversing our roles.

Placing the pot in the sink, I cranked on the tap, got a packet of pasta out of a cupboard, and walked over to the fridge to get what was left of the Chicken sauce Mama had prepared about a week ago.

When I turned around, Rosa was staring at me with a bored expression, spanking her chin with her little fingers.

"What's the matter, too hungry to wait for the food to get ready? You know, we could save everyone the trouble and just stick to my idea," I raised a brow, jutting my chin upwards as if to ask, "what do you think?"

Rosa scowled, swaying her head left and right with so much force, I feared it would fall off her neck.

"Okay, let's not order Pizza then." I accepted, sighing.

Rosa smiled, glad she had gotten her way once again as I tied one of mom's cooking aprons on. "What do you want to do instead?"

Her dull look disappeared into thin air the second the words tumbled out my lips. "I want to watch TV" She signed.

I turned off the tap, sparing her a side glance. "What show do you want to watch Rosa? It better not be The Power Puff Girls," I said in a threatening tone.

God knows that's the only show Rosa ever watches. I have no idea why she likes that show so much. But one thing I'm sure of is that if I'm forced to spend another hour watching a bunch of floating dolls with superpowers, I'll go crazy.

Like evil laughter and clown pants crazy.

Rosa hopped off the kitchen island, smiling at me shrewdly. "Don't worry Pablo, I'm over that show now. Besides, that show is for babies and I'm a big girl now." She made emphasis on how big she was as she signed.

Of course, you're a big girl. You turned ten last month, didn't you?

I returned her smile with one of my own, barely as shrewd as hers though. "I'm happy to hear that. Just give me a minute here and I'll join you shortly."

"Okay, but hurry up with that,' She signed in response.

I bowed at her. "As you please, your majesty."

She bobbed her head back and burst into a fit of giggles, frisking all the way to the living room.

When I was done making the lasagna, I carried two plates and a pack of orange juice on a tray before heading to our family room.

Rosa lay on a couch, her head resting on one side of the armrest with the rest of her body cuddled up foetus style and her eyes glued to a T.V that— surprise, surprise! —wasn't displaying the floating cartoon dolls I was expecting, but a movie, with real humans. Maybe Rosa really was a big girl...