Baby trouble

17.3 Frank Cage

Autumn 1997, Frank's place

Frank was surprised Mae came over, after all. She had told him that she had to visit some other friends today. And she even brought the girl.

Mariella had asked for Bella, before even saying hello.

Frank liked her, too.

"Over here! Lana is playing with her now!", he led his new guests in the yard, where some of his friends had gathered already.

Diana sat down on the floor, watching her daughter to not go overboard with the small dog. 

"Careful, Sweety!", she said, "Bella is still little."

Lana babbled happily, while trying to get a grip on the excited puppy, that jumped around like crazy.

"Awwww, she's so cute!", Mariella cried out, bending over it.

Lana cried out her discontent about the disturbance.

"Oh, hello, you two!", Diana greeted them, standing up.

"The dog isn't seriously called Bella?", Mae laughed.

"Yep, exactly like our grand countess!", Diana confirmed, laughing and picking up her now whining daugher.

"Can't help it if the grand countess has a dog name", Frank grinned.

Mariella wasn't interested in that. "Where did you get the puppy, Frank?", she asked, holding it already. "I want one too!"

"I found her last week in a box on the street. She was starved...", he told her.

Mariella made a pitying noise.

"Frank always had a thing for the lost puppies!", Diana teased him. "But I never thought he would actually bring one home!"

Frank just wanted to reply, when Rosa interupted him. "Frank? Could you come a sec?", she said in her sweetest voice.

"Sounds like trouble", he thought, sighed, and turned towards her.

"What is it?", he resigned.

"Why did you let her in?", Rosa hissed at him.

Not that again...

"Mae? She's cool", he said casually.

He wasn't in the mood to discuss who he was friends with, and who not.

"Frank... I hate her!", she went on, in a low voice. "I'm worried what will happen if Francesco meets her again!"

"Didn't you say he said Mae doesn't mean anything to him?", he asked her.

And that guy wasn't around here, ever, anyhow.

"Even so... I know she will go after him as soon as she has a chance!", she went on.

"Come on... she just got happily married!"

Ever since Rosa had that idea with that stupid song, she went nuts only on the sight of Mae.

Frank didn't know why he still kept trying to talk some sense into her.

Maybe a different approach would help.

"And why are you even still married to that guy if you trust him so little? Does he jump on any woman that offer herself to him?", he asked her.

"Of course I trust him! Just not her!", Rosa insisted.

Nope, didn't work.

"If you trust him, you should not worry about it! Look... if he wants to cheat on you, he doesn't need Mae for that."

"...This is really not helpful, Frank!", she pressed out.

He guessed so, but he really didn't care anymore.