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andrea-odown · 7 years
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Keep on Singing - Chapter 38
A Sing (2016)-fanfic.
Read it on FF.Net and AO3.
Description: A few months have passed since the grand re-opening of the Moon Theater. All in all everything seems to be fine. But under the surface, everyone has to deal with some problems. Ash is facing writer’s block with her new album, Rosita is enjoying her new life as a famous singer, but has less and less time for her family, Mike is still hiding from some angry bears, Meena may has overcome her insecurity when it comes to singing, but interviews are still a challenge for her, and Johnny wants to turn the garage he and his father used to live in into a youth center. And Buster has to keep the theater running while keeping Ms. Crawly from driving the new secretary crazy and writing a new play.
Chapter 38: Rosita
Too bad you can't put wheels under your home and take it with you.
Meena's words are circling in Rosita's brain, while they are on their way to the garage, while Rosita starts her work at the garage, even after she leaves to get ready for her show tonight.
Rosita doesn't even know why.
Why would she even think about it?
Yes, they were joking about it and it's still a funny thought to imagine her cooking dinner while trapped in a traffic jam.
Or her driving this vehicle through the city.
The picture in her head of her overtaking a car on the highway in this home-vehicle still makes her giggle.
Not that she'd be any good in driving such a big thing.
She does okay with a car, even a rather big car because having twenty-five piglets, she needs a big car.
But still, why does she still think about it?
Because she needs a good laugh?
Granted, she really needs that after thinking about a solution for her tour-problem for such a long time now.
Maybe…
"Rosita, you ready?" Gunter asks from the door of the dressing room.
"Ready as I'll ever be!" she replies, checking her reflection in the mirror one last time.
She likes the outfit she starts the show in. Something simple, like she usually wears at home.
But she can't wait to change into the sparkling stage outfit later! It's always so much fun.
She gives her reflection one last nod before she walks over to Gunter.
"About to start some major piggy power, no?" Gunter asks, doing a little dance.
"You bet!" Rosita replies with a laugh and then it's stage time.
Rosita has no idea what's going on, but it feels like tonight is one of her best shows ever. She always has fun singing, but she can't remember having such a blast!
Okay, she can. It was back at the concert in the ruins of the Moon Theater. And then during her very first show.
But then the feeling dampened down a bit because singing became a normal part of her life. She never saw it as work, though.
But tonight was like the concert in the ruins, like her first show, maybe it was even a little more amazing. She can't say for sure.
She just knows it was one of her best shows ever.
She's still giddy with excitement when she leaves for her dressing room, when she finds Mr. Moon looking at her.
He nods his head in approvement.
"Good job out there, Rosita," he says.
"Thank you, Mr. Moon!" Rosita replies.
"I don't what was going on, but I think this was one of the best shows ever!"
"Really?" Rosita can't believe what she's hearing. Yes, she had this feeling that this show has been special, too, but she was just regarding her feelings.
She did not think it did affect her performance.
But hearing it from someone which such great experience in this business like Mr. Moon means a lot to her.
"Really, Rosita," the koala assures her. "Great job!"
"Thank you, Mr. Moon!"
"Can't wait to see how you do on tour!" the koala tells her.
Rosita's heart sinks a little as his words.
"Yes, me neither," she says, hoping that Mr. Moon doesn't hear that some of the excitement is gone from her voice.
If he does, he doesn't let it show. He just nods.
"Keep up the great work!" he says before he leaves.
"Will do!" Rosita calls after him, although she adds in her thoughts, I hope I can…
On her way home Rosita can't help, but start thinking about the tour again.
And unfortunately, it's not the funny thoughts Meena brought up.
She's wracking her brain again on how to get this tour working.
She's thinking so hard about it, she almost misses when the traffic light jumps back to green.
The honk of a car makes her jump a little and she quickly sets off, holding up her hand as an apology to the cars behind her.
She really shouldn't think about this while driving. She doesn't want to cause an accident.
She does her best to concentrate on the driving again, and she does a good job for a few minutes, but then she starts thinking about the tour again.
She shakes her head when she realizes that, trying to concentrate on driving again.
When that doesn't work as she wants it to, Rosita allows herself to think about the tour a little while driving.
Although it makes her sad that she can't find a solution.
So she forces her thoughts towards what Meena said.
Too bad you can't put wheels under your home and take it with you.
It makes her giggle again.
And then, out of nowhere, she hears Norman's voice saying the words he told her during their date.
And I always wanted to be a bus driver when I was a kid.
A home with wheels, a bus driver…
And suddenly it all clicks together in Rosita's brain.
She's so surprised, she hits the brakes, bringing her car to an abrupt halt.
She gazes into space, her eyes wide, her jaw dropped. She doesn't even care about the honking and the curses the other drivers send her way when they pass her. Actually, she doesn't even hear them.
She only sits there, and then she starts laughing.
It's so simple!
Why hasn't she thought about that before?
She laughs and laughs and laughs until she's panting for air.
Then she sets off again, shaking her head at the solution.
Really, it's so simple!
When she's home she can't park the car fast enough and darts to her apartment.
Before she can tear the door open, she reminds herself that her kids are already asleep, so she carefully enters the apartment and tiptoes up the stairs to her and Norman's bedroom. She silently opens the door and slips inside.
Norman's already asleep, but Rosita has no problem with waking him.
She quickly walks over to the bed and sits down on the edge.
"Norman," she addresses him, but Norman doesn't even flinch.
"Norman," she says a little more loudly. He stops snoring for a moment, and she thinks he's finally waking up, but he goes right back to sleeping and snoring.
"Norman!"
With that, he finally jumps awake, looking a bit shocked.
"Rosita?" he asks, immediately calming down and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," she replies with a little laugh. "I just know what to do!"
"To do what?"
Now that she thinks of it, she might have to work out a few details before she tells Norman about her amazing solution. Also, talking to him in the middle of the night when he isn't even perceptive and then ask for his opinion and his help to set her plan into action probably wasn't her brightest idea.
"I'll tell you in the morning," she says then.
"Then why did you wake me?" he asks.
Yes, another thing that probably wasn't one of her brightest ideas.
"I-I'm sorry," she says quickly. "I was so excited and had such a great time with the show today, I guess I just got carried away. Sorry!"
She forces her mouth into what she hopes look like an apologetic smile and it seems to work.
At least Norman is smiling back to her.
"Come here," he says as he leans forward and pulls her into a kiss.
Rosita has to admit, she didn't see that one coming, but she doesn't mind at all.
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andrea-odown · 7 years
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Keep on Singing - Chapter 17
A Sing (2016)-fanfic.
Read it on FF.Net and AO3.
Description: A few months have passed since the grand re-opening of the Moon Theater. All in all everything seems to be fine. But under the surface, everyone has to deal with some problems. Ash is facing writer’s block with her new album, Rosita is enjoying her new life as a famous singer, but has less and less time for her family, Mike is still hiding from some angry bears, Meena may has overcome her insecurity when it comes to singing, but interviews are still a challenge for her, and Johnny wants to turn the garage he and his father used to live in into a youth center. And Buster has to keep the theater running while keeping Ms. Crawly from driving the new secretary crazy and writing a new play.
Chapter 17: Rosita
Rosita sighs as she hangs up the phone. Well, at least she and Norman have been able to agree when they would meet. The only thing that Rosita doesn't like is that it's going to be on Friday.
Yes, Johnny said he would babysit, but she doesn't want to impose on his kindness. Friday nights are for dates, aren't they? And Johnny is so nice and sweet, he for sure must be out on a date on Friday night.
Yet she doesn't remember him talking about any dates. Which isn't that unusual. Johnny never talks about himself. Music, yes, how the others from their group are doing, yes, but what's up with him? Only when he's asked.
And Rosita has to admit, she sometimes forgets to ask. Yes, it's probably because there's so much going on in her life right now, but that's just an excuse.
She makes a mental note to amend.
But it doesn't help her with her recent situation. Norman insisted that they meet on Friday for dinner because that way, he wouldn't have to think about work so much with the weekend just around the corner.
It's not that Rosita doesn't understand him. It's just that she wishes she would know more about Johnny's plans for Friday. His true plans. Because if she asks him now to babysit, he'd say he's free for certain.
Maybe if she would have called Norman when she intended to call him - right after talking to Johnny in the park - she'd feel better because it wouldn't be so close to Friday, but when she had looked at her phone that day, it didn't feel right to call him. And it didn't feel right to talk to Norman after dinner at home. Or in the next day after breakfast. It took her too long to realize that everything felt wrong. And maybe, just maybe it has something to do with the fact that she's spending her nights at the hotel now. At least she realized today, swallowed down the not-right feeling and called Norman.
She still doesn't like that it's Friday, but her alternatives would have been Saturday or Sunday which felt even more wrong. And to be honest, it can't be changed now, Rosita finally decides. Although she still doesn't like it.
But Johnny was right about one thing - she and Norman need to talk. And if Friday is the best time to talk to Norman, then so be it.
With another sigh she grabs her phone and dials Johnny's number.
"Hello, Johnny!" she says as cheerful as she can when the call is answered. "It's Rosita. I just talked to Norman, and we decided to meet on Friday night."
"That's great, Rosita," Johnny says.
Rosita listens very closely if she can hear any hint of disappointment in his voice, anything that tells her that she ruins his plans for Friday night.
She can't find anything.
"So, if you're still free on Friday, that'd be great," she says.
Rosita pricks up her ears even more. She wants to be sure that she doesn't miss any discord in the music of Johnny's voice, as slight as it may be, that tells her that he did have plans for Friday.
"I am," Johnny says, and his voice sounds as friendly and calm as always.
"Really?" Rosita asks. "It's okay if you have plans, Johnny. I'll find someone else" - actually, she doubts that - "if you are otherwise engaged."
"No, Rosita, really, I'm free."
Again, she listens closely, again, there's no sign of disappointment.
Rosita can't say she isn't happy about it.
"Good." She nods. "I'll fill you in on the details on Friday, okay?" Then a little wave of doubt runs through her.
"You sure you can handle it?" she asks.
"Yes, Rosita, I'm sure," Johnny replies with a little laugh.
"Okay." Rosita sighs. "Thank you, Johnny!"
"You're welcome, Rosita!"
The female pig ends the call. She still isn't sure if Johnny has an idea how much work babysitting twenty-five piglets actually is. But it can't be changed now.
Also, if Johnny believes he can do it, shouldn't she believe in him, too? She probably should. Although it's not that easy. It's twenty-five piglets after all. Twenty-five. Period.
Rosita closes her eyes and takes one deep breath.
Besides, there are other things she needs to take care of.
She dials another number on her phone.
"Hello, Gunter?" she asks as soon as the other pig picks up. "It's Rosita. Hey, are you free for some shopping this afternoon?"
"What about zhis, Rosita?" Gunter asks, holding up a golden sequin dress. "It's hot, no?"
It's the third sequin dress Gunter has chosen and Rosita is starting to think that asking him for help to find the perfect dress for her dinner with Norman could have been a bad idea.
"It is," she replies. "For stage. Not for a dinner with my husband."
Gunter looks the dress over one more time.
"You sure?"
"Yes, Gunter."
Gunter gives a little shrug and hangs the dress back.
"Maybe we should go for less stage-y and more candle-light dinner?" she suggest, although she isn't sure if the words less stage-y even exist in Gunter's word pool.
"But sequins are great for candle-light dinner, no?"
Rosita decides to take a different approach. Problem is she can't think of one.
"Well, Norman has seen me so much in sequins lately because of my costumes, I want to try something else, okay?"
Yes, this could work.
Gunter frowns, and Rosita wracks her brain for a different explanation, when he smiles.
"Got you," he says with a wink. "No sequins, but still hot. Difficult, but we can do it." He does a little dance and bumps his hip into Rosita. "Because we are Rosita and Gunter, and zhat's major piggy power!"
Rosita laughs, releasing the breath she's been holding when Gunter dances away to find a new dress for her.
Now this looks nice, doesn't it? Rosita checks her reflection in the mirror. She's wearing a black dress, short and rather simple. Too simple, how Gunter told her five times at least, but she likes it. When she's not on stage, she always prefers simple.
"So what do you think?" she asks, stepping out of the changing booth.
Gunter looks her over. "You look nice, Rosita," he says, and Rosita waits for him to say something about the simpleness of the dress. Instead, he holds out his hand, showing her a necklace that looks more like a collar. Of course, there are tons of sequins on it, silver, this time.
"Try zhis," Gunter says.
Rosita mentally rolls her eyes, but takes the necklace-collar-thing anyway to put it on.
Her eyes widen when she looks at herself in the mirror now.
"See?" Gunter says. "Now it's perfect!"
"Yes," Rosita replies, still surprised by how well this sequin-collar goes with her dress, how it adds a little extra to the simple dress. "Yes, it is."
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andrea-odown · 7 years
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Keep on Singing - Chapter 8
A Sing (2016)-fanfic.
Read it on FF.Net and AO3.
Description: A few months have passed since the grand re-opening of the Moon Theater. All in all everything seems to be fine. But under the surface, everyone has to deal with some problems. Ash is facing writer’s block with her new album, Rosita is enjoying her new life as a famous singer, but has less and less time for her family, Mike is still hiding from some angry bears, Meena may has overcome her insecurity when it comes to singing, but interviews are still a challenge for her, and Johnny wants to turn the garage he and his father used to live in into a youth center. And Buster has to keep the theater running while keeping Ms. Crawly from driving the new secretary crazy and writing a new play.
Chapter 8: Rosita
Rosita had it figured out pretty soon when she and Meena became friends that the teenage elephant likes baking. It seems to cheer her up when she’s down. And even when someone else is down or she just wants to give someone a treat, she bakes. Sometimes, she even bakes a cake or muffins or cupcakes just because she feels like it.
So it is no surprise that Meena’s mother sends her right to the kitchen when she arrives at their house.
It was a bit weird the first few times when Rosita came by to visit Meena because actually, she’s more the age of Meena’s mother, but the thing is, there are a few things Meena’s mother doesn’t really understand when it comes to music and performances. So the elephant pretty soon accepted Rosita in their house as Meena’s friend.
Rosita still feels a bit awkward, but she shrugs it off. She’s here to help Meena, and as soon as she enters the kitchen it is obvious that she didn’t arrive a minute too soon.
The kitchen is a battlefield of baking ingredients and bakewares. Rosita can see muffin forms on the kitchen table right next to cake pan, both covered in flour.
The pig suppresses a sigh. If Meena hasn’t even decided what to bake yet, her assistance truly is needed here.
She doesn’t say anything when she walks up to the kitchen counter. Given Meena’s excellent sense of hearing, the teenager knows she’s here anyway.
Rosita shoves one of the kitchen chairs over to the counter and climbs it.
Then she looks at Meena for the first time.
The teenage elephant has her eyes lowered, holding a bowl in her massive hands while using her trunk to stir dough with a mixer.
For a moment, Rosita thinks of asking Meena what’s wrong right away, but that would be too soon. Meena needs time before she opens up and actually talks, and Rosita decides to give her the time she needs.
“So,” she says in an as cheerful voice as she can muster up, “what are we baking today?”
“I… I…,” Meena stutters before she turns off the mixer and looks at the dough. “I don’t know.”
“How about some chocolate chip cookies?” Rosita suggests. “My kids love them! Think we can make enough so I can bring them some?”
Meena turns her head to look at Rosita.
“Sure,” she says, and while it still sounds sad it doesn’t sound as sad as before.
“Good,” Rosita replies, pretending to roll up her sleeves which is kind of unnecessary since she’s wearing her usual short-sleeved blouse, but she does it to emphasize her words. “Let’s get to work!”
“I don’t think you need to worry that much, Meena,” Rosita says as they are seated at the kitchen table, each of them having one steaming cup of tea in their hands. “If Mr. Moon said he’s going to help you, then he’s going to help you.”
Rosita never fails to wonder how what an amazing job baking does to Meena. Once the cookies were in the oven, the teenager started talking about the upcoming interview and her worries and how everything could go downhill really easily.
“But it’s national TV!” Meena replies. “That’s huge!”
“Granted, it’s not nothing,” Rosita admits. “But I am sure you can handle it. If Mr. Moon thinks you can, I am positive you can. He’s the one who got you singing in front of an audience after all.”
“Yeah, but … but that’s not singing, that’s  talking!”
“You know what?” Rosita says. “You stop worrying for a bit and wait what Mr. Moon has planned to help you out. And if that doesn’t work, then you can worry. Sounds like a plan?”
“Well, uhm, I can try.”
It’s obvious Meena isn’t convinced. And it is obvious that she isn’t going to stop worrying, but if she only worries a little less, it’s still more than Rosita got when they started talking.
“Good.” Rosita smiles. “Now let’s see how these cookies are doing, shall we?”
Meena just nods in reply.
Rosita wishes she knew how to bring the tour up to Norman. Why can’t it be as easy as it was with Gunter?
She had called Gunter on her way home, and as expected, he has been psyched and kept talking about “piggy power” and “feeling zhe music”. But Rosita is one-hundred percent sure that Norman isn’t going to be psyched, rather the opposite.
So all the way through dinner, giving out Meena’s cookies as dessert and getting the kids ready for bed, she was thinking about the right way to bring it up. And now the kids are fast asleep and Rosita enters the kitchen again to help Norman with the dishes, and she still has no idea how to say what she has to tell him.
Norman already is at the kitchen sink, wearing an apron and doing the dishes. Rosita grabs a clean dishtowel and positions herself next to her husband, drying the dishes he’s handing her.
They are doing their work in silence, and Rosita’s brain is still working really hard to think of the right way.
“I had a meeting with Mr. Moon today,” she finally says.
Norman just mumbles something that sounds like approval.
“My show is really successful,” she goes on. Her heart starts pounding in her chest. Why is this so hard? “And that’s why …” - she takes a deep breath - “...that’s why he’s sending it on a tour all across the country.”
“I see,” Norman says.
Rosita blinks a few times. That’s all? No protest? No nothing!?
“Who’s taking your place?” Norman goes on, and Rosita understands why he’s so calm. He didn’t get what she meant.
She lowers her eyes to the dish in her hand. “No one,” she whispers.
“What!?”
When Rosita turns to face him, she finds him staring at her with wide eyes, frozen in movement. Now that’s more the reaction she’s been expecting. She’s almost glad.
“What does that mean, Rosita?” he asks, narrowing his eyes.
“It means that no one is taking my place because I am going on tour with this show.”
“You have to be kidding me!” Norman bursts out. “Without even asking me? Without even thinking about your family?”
“I have been thinking about my family!” Rosita replies as she feels the anger rising in her chest. “And I thought my family would support me in something as important as my career!”
Norman just shakes his head. He dries his hands on the apron before he pulls it off and throws it over one of the kitchen chairs.
“You can’t say I haven’t been supporting you!” he yells. “I started working part-time so I can look after the kids while you do your singing! Do you know what this is like? You know how they look at me at work? Like I were some henpecked husband! Maybe I am! But I didn’t care because this is so important to you! But this is too much, Rosita! You can’t leave to go on tour just like that and leave me and the kids behind!”
“I never said I’d leave you behind!”
“Then what did you think? You’d have us all packed in the car and drive from city to city behind the tour busses?”
“I … I don’t know that yet!”
“I don’t believe this!” Norman calls out. “In all your interviews in these fancy magazines you talk about how important it is to share the work in a marriage, yet it’s just me who does the work!”
“That’s not true!”
“Oh yes, it is! I look after the kids, I make sure they leave on time to catch their bus to school, I come home early to get dinner done before they arrive! That’s not sharing!”
“But it is!” Rosita yells back. “All these things you mentioned? I was doing them for the past seven years! So for the next seven years it could be you and it would still count as sharing!”
She can feel the tears prickle in her eyes, but she swallows them down.
Norman looks at her with his mouth open, his eyes wide. She doesn’t know if he got it, but she doesn’t care.
She has done the job he seems to hate so much for the past seven years without complaining. She’d been a housewife, a mother, a wife, and yes, she’d loved it. But now she’s a singer, too, and it feels so unfair that Norman is complaining now. Did he think this was going to be a cakewalk when he gave in so easily to support her career? Did he know  nothing about how hard it is to raise kids and keep the house nice and tidy?
This just isn’t fair. She has given up her dreams for him, for their family, and now that she has the chance to catch up on it, he starts complaining?
The tears are trying really hard now to break their way free, but Rosita doesn’t want to cry in front of Norman.
He’s still looking at her with that shocked look on his face.
“You know what? I’ll get a hotel room for the night,” Rosita says. She just wants to get away from him for a bit. She needs the distance to wrap her mind around all the things he said. “I’ll be back for breakfast. I don’t want the kids to notice.”
And with that she turns around and leaves.
She can hear Norman call her name, but she doesn’t stop, she just keeps walking, faster and faster, and only a long way down the street does she realize that the tears are running down her cheeks in streams.
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