Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

It was a bustling June in the lab, and Roseanne had been going nonstop for two weeks before finally getting a day off.

She had just finished feeding her fish early in the morning when Norris called.

"Is Anne up?"

"Yeah, I'm up."

"Why not sleep in? I thought you said you had the day off from the lab to rest."

"My internal clock's set, I guess. How's mom?"

"In her study."

"Working on her novel again?"

"Yep! You know her; mornings are when her muse speaks loudest."

Roseanne's thoughts drifted to the matter of the contract, her gaze intensifying, "Dad, has mom's publisher been around lately?"

"Not that I've seen. Why? They do most of their communicating online these days."

"Just curious."

up, Roseanne headed to the kitchen to whip up some

busied himself in the backyard tending

over the keyboard, crafting line after line into thrilling narrative

was calm

from their cozy suburban home, in the faculty housing area where their old house stood, a

dressed to the nines in a Chanel suit, clutching a

Such surroundings!

Such conditions!

a

nearing renewal,

could have renewed online, avoiding this hassle. But after their

spats over the years, but Madge always came crawling back, ready to compromise.

was confident. Resistance would eventually give way

a matter of

I know

"Open up!"

but where's your basic courtesy and respect?"

reddened from the effort, but the door remained unresponsive. "Knock,

door, Louisa emerged in her pajamas, her hair a mess, clearly just

hips, glaring at