"Yes, it's true, Mom and Dad are not in love anymore.
But I'm sure it could be better than this.
How can they fight so badly
when I love them both so much?
All I wish is that they could watch me play hockey
without snarling at each other the whole time."
Life for Rosalie, a child of divorce, can be very trying. The problem, beyond moving back and forth from one parent to the other, is exacerbated by the way the parents continue to argue every time they see each other.
Rosalie's first-person voice is pragmatic and often humorous, as she describes her parents and their treatment of each other. She knows they love her, and she certainly loves them. Still, she has great difficulty understanding their inability to get along at all. As Rosalie speaks directly to readers, she explains what she needs from them.
"I don’t care who is right and who is wrong.
I just want to be free to love them both, and to
love them loudly, all the time."
Each has their own strengths. They just cannot get along together. She knows - and they do not - that each loves the same song. It is special to Rosalie because it reminds her of them, and always will. When Rosalie hums the song while with them, both parents are more than pleased.
"I have two houses, but only one heart.
My parents live in it together."
Perhaps one day, the two will celebrate their daughter together. It's a wait-and-see situation. There will be children who see themselves in Rosalie, as sad as that may be.
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