We gather here
We line up weeping in a sunlit room
And if I'm on fire
You'll be made of ashes, too
"Maybe I am crazy... Nobody believes me. Everyone thinks I'm crazy? Maybe I am—maybe I'm really crazy."
Whenever Dorothy had bad days, she turns to Rose for comfort. For her to show the naïveté her vulnerability. Every single time, Dorothy made no fear to cry in front of her, trusting her to tell nobody else her hindrances than Rose herself. Days prior, Dorothy asked Rose to fly with her to New York to finally know what kind of flu the teacher has since a few months ago. The results she had received from Dr. Budd made her disheartened. More likely, crushed—not to mention how Dorothy gets continuously dismissed by the doctor, explaining that what she has is "not scientific."
Now, Dorothy felt like a failure. She failed to know what she really has. It felt like Dr. Budd was her last hope ever since Dr. Stevens described him as the man "who could find anything" to any health problem. Dorothy really relies on Rose now to listen to her vent. It was if the teacher felt like she was on the verge of giving up—more likely, giving in.
Even on my worst day
Did I deserve, babe
All the hell you gave me?
'Cause I loved you
I swear I loved you
Till my dying day
"Dorothy, you are not crazy; I mean, you are absolutely not crazy."
Rose tightly wraps her arms around Dorothy, her warmth embracing the latter who savors it.
"I've seen the way you walk... I've seen how wiped out you get."
Dorothy looks at Rose, seeking for answers through her crystalline blue orbs that looked like the ocean.
"You're not crazy honey," Rose shook her head before she hugs Dorothy once more, laying her head on the teacher's shoulder, "You're sick..."
I didn't have it in myself to go with grace
And you're the hero flying around saving face
And if I'm dead to you why are you at the wake?
Cursing my name
Wishing I stayed
Look at how my tears ricochet
"Rose! I finally have a name for this flu!"
"Wha—Oh!"
yank!
Dorothy quickly entered the house and instantly saw Rose who stood up upon seeing her friend come through the door. The teacher twirled her roommate around the living room as she laughed and laughed, the naïveté following suit. After their doctor friend and neighbor, Harry, recommended her to Dr. Chang, Dorothy had a bit of hope left in her as she considered this appointment as another chance for her to know what kind of flu she had. When Dr. Chang finally diagnosed her with something that's real, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, the teacher was beyond delighted. She no longer felt what others thought of her: a crazy neurotic. She had a bit of faith in herself thanks to Rose. Frankly, she never realized how much the naïveté helped her until now. How Rose helped her in getting her hopes back up and reassuring her that she's not crazy.
When Dorothy puts Rose down, they just stared at each other, their cheeks beginning to flush a bit from the adrenaline and laughter... and perhaps a bit of something for each other. They just cannot name it somehow—
"Beat it, you two!"
Dorothy and Rose suddenly let go of each other when Sophia enters the Miami abode. The Sicilian lady just walks past them and tells them that she'll cook something for Dorothy, but suddenly stops short when her daughter told her that she'll treat them all out to celebrate. When they did, they were all thrilled that Dorothy had something real. Hell, she even gave Dr. Budd, when she saw him across the restaurant, a piece of her mind. What's even more thrilling is that Rose spotted a photo booth just outside after they ate, which made her yank Dorothy inside the booth.
"Rose, w-why did you pull me so hard!?"
"C'mon, let's take a few pictures together! Just for fun!"
"I'm not that good on camera!"
"Just this once, please?" Rose says with pleading eyes and hands.
Dorothy smiles a bit and chuckles in a low tone, "Alright."
snap!
We gather stones
Never knowing what they'll mean
Some to throw
Some to make a diamond ring
You know I didn't want to
Have to haunt you
But what a ghostly scene
You wear the same jewels
That I gave you
As you bury me
A few years later, out of the blue, Dorothy gets married to Blanche's uncle, Lucas.
This somehow crushed Rose to the core. For some reason, she doesn't know why her fists clench up and her toes curl when she sees the teacher in love with somebody else. How could she be so oblivious to the signs when they were just there all along? Rose had felt something for Dorothy, something she also felt long ago for her late husband Charlie. That feeling when her heart beats really fast when she is spooked by Dorothy's sudden presence at times. That feeling when her cheeks turn red when Dorothy holds her hands. That feeling when electricity just sparks and flows throughout her veins when Dorothy is just inches near her, so close that she could feel the urge to just kiss her right then and there. Most of the time, she ignores them, but it felt like Dorothy is giving her these signs. Why didn't she...
Why didn't she take a hint?
Before her wedding, Rose knocked on Dorothy's door and came in.
"Hi, Dorothy. Oh, you look so beautiful!"
Dorothy turns back from the mirror, all in her white glory, "Why, thank you, Rose! Oh, by the way, can you clasp this necklace around me?"
"Sure." Rose then tries to clasp the necklace around Dorothy. This may probably be the last time that Dorothy would seek help from Rose, just before she starts seeking help from her soon-to-be husband Lucas. When the naïveté was done, she started sobbing a bit, which made the teacher turn herself around to face her.
"Honey, what's wrong..?"
"N-nothing, I..." Rose says, her hands a bit shaky, "I wish you the best of luck with Lucas."
When Rose did her best to smile through the pain, Dorothy just hugs her back, telling her a dozen times not to cry since it'll ruin her make-up.
"Rose, I'll just have to go to Blanche's room for a brief moment."
"Sure, take your time. "
When Dorothy left the room, Rose happened to notice that one of her luggage cases are still open and laid on the bed. She fished something from her pocket and tucked it in one of Dorothy's clothes...
The photo they snapped back at the photo booth a few years prior.
"... Farewell, my Dorothy."
I didn't have it in myself to go with grace
'Cause when I'd fight, you used to tell me I was brave
And if I'm dead to you why are you at the wake?
Cursing my name
Wishing I'd stayed
Look at how my tears ricochet
*A few months later*
creak...
"Dorothy? Oh... yeah."
Rose swings the door open to Dorothy's room, just to see that her room is empty from her paraphernalia. The bed pristine clean from being worn out by the teacher who first laid down on it. The naïveté closed the door behind her and slowly walked towards the foot of the bed, gently sitting upon the edge and gently patting the space beside her. For Rose, it feels empty, like her presence still lurks around this room but she can no longer grasp its true form. She looks to the pillows that sat there before the headboard, all fluffed up and puffy. Rose feels tempted to leave the room so she won't feel the pain of her leaving the Miami abode to live with Lucas.
Though...
She can't.
Rose slides herself to the other end of the bed, fixing the pillows in her accordance so she will feel comfortable. She laid there, her arms wrapped tightly around one of Dorothy's pillows. It still smelled like her, the scent of lavender now started to wander around Rose's nose. The pleasantry of it all soothed her, but it was not enough. It's never enough. The naïveté curls her body even more, her vision now beginning to become blurry through the tears that protruded through her eyes. Rose now needs her. She needs Dorothy to comfort her, just like how she did for the teacher. As much as Dorothy showed her vulnerability, Rose also wanted to reciprocate her own vulnerability to her and sooth her with her baritone voice, her long and slender arms, and her words that worked like a charm.
sob!
The naïveté loses it. Her tears now fall down from her cheeks, the teardrops now staining the once scented pillow. Rose now regretted the opportunities that she had missed to show and tell her pain to Dorothy. It felt like she would be whacked in the head with a newspaper afterwards, even if for some reason that works for her to get her right back up to her feet. At nights when she cannot sleep, she usually looks up at the stars on the lanai. Sometimes she would scream at them, cry underneath them, or hug herself from the cold winds of the night. It's as if a part of her left like a breeze. A part that seemed all too important to her all along. Rose is filled with pain and regret that her coping methods seem all too maladaptive. That marriage a few months ago crushed her. Her love for that someone seems to fade into ashes.
Rose wants to move on, but she can't.
And I can go anywhere I want
Anywhere I want
Just not home
And you can aim for my heart, go for blood
But you would still miss me in your bones
And I still talk to you
When I'm screaming at the sky
And when you can't sleep at night
You hear my stolen lullabies
"I need you, Dorothy..."
It was the morning light. The rays of sunlight shone through the closed blinds, even if it kind of irked Rose because she never needed sleep more than now. She spent all night weeping for Dorothy. The naïveté doesn't know if she really misses her or not. Better yet, if she really loves her. She cannot go back and unwind the clock to the past—rewind back to the years they had spent together with Blanche and Sophia in the house. She has no choice but to move forward. Move forward and forget that all this had happened. Maybe she will continue on with her dreadful decision to leave Blanche and Sophia just to live with her daughter Kirsten. It was sheer hell. Painful, as a matter of fact.
But she has no choice...
When she turned around to the other side, her arm suddenly felt warmth. A familiar warmth. She instantly opened her eyes and tilted her head upwards to see the woman she needed the most.
Dorothy..?
Rose's heart ached. Her eyes started to water again upon seeing the familiar figure peacefully sleep, her long and slender arm wrapped around her petite waist. She wiped her tears and shook her head, thinking that this isn't real. It was as if she's lucid dreaming. Rose did a reality check... once... twice...
Until she stopped and saw a piece of paper on Dorothy's other hand next to her own head. Rose doubted for a minute if she will brace herself to read what's written in the paper. As she looked around the room, she saw all of Dorothy's suitcases sitting on one side of the room, her books now returned from its former shelf, and across the room, a picture frame of the both of them hugging each other after Dorothy's relief and joy from the news of her sickness—the picture from the photo booth that Rose tucked inside one of Dorothy's clothes. The naïveté then shifted her gaze back to the paper, now taking a deep breath before she sat upright and discreetly pull the paper out of the teacher's hand. Rose unfolded the paper and started to read...
Rose,
I didn't have it in myself to go with grace
And so the battleships will sink beneath the waves
You had to kill me, but it killed you just the same
Cursing my name
Wishing I stayed
You turned into your worst fears
And you're tossing out blame
Drunk on this pain
Crossing out the good years
And you're cursing my name
Wishing I stayed
Look at how my tears ricochet
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry if I left like that out of the blue. I was happy when I married Lucas, but frankly... It didn't feel like I was happy to marry him. It felt like I was in love with a stranger. So, I talked with him and... we decided to get a divorce because of how I feel.
The truth is, I feel more happy with you than anyone else.
I need you, Rose.
Not to mention: I am very fond of you.
Dorothy
Rose brings the letter with her as she discreetly leaves Dorothy's room and go to the kitchen for something to drink. A coffee, perhaps. As she waited for the coffee machine to brew a new pot of coffee, she takes a few steps while contemplating the contents of the letter. She then stops dead in her tracks, halts just right beside Dorothy's chair. A load of tears begin to fall from the naïveté's face as she clenches and hugs the letter to her chest. It felt like a wave of relief hit her that Dorothy also felt the same way. All the madness and sadness are all gone. In the midst of crying so hard, Rose just mumbles something under her breath.
"I am very fond of you, too..."
"Rose?"
The naïveté opens her eyes in shock as she sees Dorothy from the kitchen door. Rose just stands there for a moment... giggles... and puts the letter to the side of the table before she makes a run for her true love all along.
"Dorothy!!!"
"OOF—Mm!"
Rose can't help but to passionately kiss and tighly hug Dorothy the minute she showed up, the latter suddenly taking a few steps back towards the living room from the former's sudden impact. Rose's tears continue to fall down her cheeks, but it felt like tears of joy and relief. She doesn't hesitate one bit to express how much she wants Dorothy through the kiss. When the latter got the message wide and clear, she also kissed back and held her as tight as she can. Dorothy finally feels Rose's touch that she had craved for so long. She always gives hints to the naïveté, but somehow gave up later on. Finally, Dorothy became successful as Rose finally understands these hints the moment she saw Rose with her letter.
When they both break their kiss, Rose just stood there in awe and... in shock of what she did. Her cheeks suddenly get flushed and quickly wipes her tears away just before absentmindedly scratching her nape.
"I-I made some coffee... Do you want some?"
"Sure. I craved for some from the jetlag earlier..."
As they both cross the threshold between the living room and the kitchen, Dorothy intertwines her hand around Rose's. When they both looked at each other, they just smiled warmly and let their foreheads touch for a second. After a few years...
They finally had each other.