This is the day

 

Rosie had a plan, but she wasn't so sure her Aunt would like it. Actually, she'd read up on how to go about making a move as soon as school was over at the end of the month. However, she hadn't exactly talked to Chance about it, but was certain he'd be up for it. She hoped.

As it was Prom never came. Hope against hope the school put it off until May, but it didn't happen in spite of restrictions being lifted. It was safer this way. And another year of online graduation. It would soon be over by the end of the month.

And then it came in the mail, she'd been accepted to move into the tiny house community. 

"What is this?" Her Aunt Ellie wanted to know.

"A place to live. I won my own home!" Rosie's smile was weak, but somehow someone read all the e-mails she sent and the letters. She wanted a place of her own. Well, with Chance of course. After all, she'd been on birth control for over a year and hadn't even started a sex life. She knew all along who she wanted to be with.

"How did you do this?" Her Aunt only winced as she read over the letter as if it might be a hoax.

"I don't know," she shrugged. Naturally, she'd used a lot of vocabulary words and read up on how people got in.

"Maybe it's a mistake." Ellie looked at her as if not to get her hopes up.

"It can't be," Rosie pointed to the address. Her tiny house was waiting for her. Of course, her Aunt was looking at her as if she was from STRANGER THINGS or just a hopeless romantic.

"It's in the city," Ellie reminded her it was for homeless people. Rosie wasn't completely homeless. Ellie shook her head. 

"Why are you so against me, finding my own way?" She was practically in a stomp.

Her Aunt drew a breath and put her hands on her hips and gave Rosie a glare. "All right then." She said she wasn't against Rosie moving in with Chance. "It'll be a learning experience for both of you. You might find out you don't get along as well as you think you do." She said if she wanted to go through with this. Then why not. 

Her Aunt got on the phone then to tell Chance's brother the news. Rosie winced hard as if she might be praying. She hoped Chance's brother wanted him to move out.

Ellie still wasn't sure how Chance felt about this whole ordeal. She didn't really get a chance to talk to him, but his brother sounded as if Chance was with Rosie he was OK with it. Now the next step was to call Rosie's father. Naturally, he didn't answer his phone. She left a message that his daughter was moving out on her own.

"I don't know why he's this way," she told her husband, Drew. "He wasn't like this growing up." She practically winced tears. Why was this all up to her? Sure, she knew he was in and out of rehab as of late and she was glad she could help with Rosie. But still, he was MIA at the moment.

Drew kept assuring her that she meant a lot to Rosie. After all, who had cared for Rosie's health and her future. She was there for her for what a girl needed growing up. They always talked. 

Ellie finally got a hold of Rosie's grandmother to ask about Kyle. But she didn't seem aware of his whereabouts. "You know, he lost his job."

Suddenly, it felt as if Rosie was the grownup, not her dad. But he wasn't living at his mother's. For all Ellie knew, maybe he was in a homeless shelter. "Well, if you see him, can you tell him his daughter will soon be moving out with her boyfriend."

She was certain the news would shock anyone, but Kyle's mother. "Oh, I forgot all about her graduating this year." She sounded sad. "I'll send some money right away."

"That's OK, you don't have to, but I know she'd love to hear from you," Ellie told her she was quite mature and was taking some courses to help her at the daycare that had hired her. But Ellie was careful not to say much more to Kyle's mother. Ellie doubted the woman would remember her now. But once upon time Ellie's dad was with Kyle's mom. It seemed a lifetime ago.