Ahhh, Aunt Rosy! If you've read the first Perception and Deception book, you'll remember this character well. Crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside (haha). This scene was one of my favorites, and it ended up being the script I used while auditioning voice actors to play Aunt Rosy in the upcoming full cast audiobook! I ended up finding the perfect actress who just nailed the part, I offered her the role, and she accepted! More details to come!
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“Anything we need to know about this woman before we go in?” Juro asked.
Ashton cleared his throat. “She’s not that nice. And she didn’t sound that welcoming when I told her I was coming to visit her.”
“Does she know you have company?” I asked.
Ashton got a nervous smile. “Hey, I thought I’d leave some surprises, right? Let’s go.”
He opened the door and climbed out. Juro glanced back at me from the front passenger seat.
“Surprises are always nice,” I said nervously.
I quickly got out of the car and caught up to Ashton, who was cautiously walking up the front sidewalk.
“Is she super evil?” I asked. “Do I need to call for backup?”
Ashton laughed.
“I’m not joking,” I said.
“We’ll be fine,” he replied. “She’s just an interesting character.”
Juro caught up with us just as we reached the front door.
"Are you sure we should do this?" Ashton asked.
Juro furrowed his dark eyebrows. ”How come you’re so scared of her?"
"Shhh!" Ashton hissed as though she might be standing right there. "I'm...I'm not scared of her. Fine, we'll just knock."
Ashton's hand seemed timid as he reached toward the door. But then he squared his shoulders and knocked confidently.
A moment later, the door opened quietly to reveal an older woman about the age of my grandmother. She had an average build and gray hair that was pulled back into a tight, low bun. Her clothes looked slightly wrinkled and worn as though she had been wearing the same few outfits over and over for years, washing them and washing them until the deep lavender her shirt probably used to be was now an uninteresting shade of pink.
The woman crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame. She kept the door partially shut, preventing us from seeing inside. As an undercover agent here on business, this made me extremely cautious.
"You said it was just you that was coming," she said gruffly.
"No I didn't," Ashton replied.
"Well, who are they?”
"They're..." Ashton trailed off.
"College friends," Juro said calmly. "We were on a road trip when Ashton here told us his aunt only lived a short ways from where we were heading, so he wanted to stop by and visit."
Ashton's aunt eyed us all with an odd suspicion that made me uneasy.
"Well," she said, stepping off to the side and opening the door the rest of the way. "You might as well come in."
We followed the woman inside who did not even glance back and introduce herself. I realized that Juro and I didn’t even know her name.
"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name," I said.
When she didn’t turn around and reply, Ashton replied for her.
"Rosy," he said. "Aunt Rosy."
Ashton answering for his aunt seemed to be the norm in their relationship.
"You planning on spending the night?" Rosy asked.
Ashton looked to us for an answer, but I wasn’t sure myself. Being at her house would probably be safer than staying at a high traffic hotel. But if our enemies were keeping an eye on Rosy, we would be putting ourselves in the line of fire.
Ashton seemed thoughtful and I knew he was considering the same possibilities.
"We don't know," he answered.
I was carefully observing my surroundings. We were standing in the middle of a small living room with two white couches that had several pillows. The pillows were made of dark embroidered fabric, and I could tell that no one had ever been allowed to touch them. They had aged from natural causes.
"Sorry, I forgot to introduce you to my friends," Ashton told Rosy. "This is Felix."
He gestured toward me. I reached out to shake Rosy's hand, but she just stared at it.
"I don't shake hands, it spreads germs," the old woman said.
"It also spreads false positivity and supposed acquaintanceship," Juro said.
I stared at him.
"And who's the smart mouth?" Rosy asked.
"Juro," Ashton replied blankly.
She studied Juro for a few moments. "I like this one.”
Ashton and I glanced at each other.
"Do you do dishes?" Rosy asked him.
Juro raised an eyebrow. "No. One of these two probably do though."
Rosy looked at me up and down.
"Alright," the woman said. "In that case, I'll fix you guys something to eat."
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