Margie McMullen had always placed family at the top of her priority list. From the time she was 13 she was already making promises that would later change her life forever.
It was 1983, Margie laid across her bed looking down at Rosaline sitting on the floor pouting. The room smelled like Royal Crown grease and burnt hair. Margie could no longer hold in her laughter. She laughed so hard tears ran down her cheeks and she snorted. Rosaline looked up, giving her the death stare.
Pouting, "It's not funny Margaret!"
Mimicking her, "It's not funny Margaret!"
Rosaline reached over and pinches her, "Stop being so immature."
Margie rubbed her arm, "You should stop rushing to be a grown up."
Rosaline rolled her eyes, "If I was a grown up, I could have stopped my step mom from destroying my hair."
Now feeling bad, Margie looked at what used to be a head full of thick, auburn natural curls. It was now a greasy mess of stiff hair that smelled like burning tires. After having no choice and being forced to let her stepmother hot comb her hair, Rosaline's head looked like a hot mess.
"My dad even had the nerves to tell that witch she did a good job." Rosaline leaned her head back onto the bed.
"Oh no you don't, if you don't get that off my bed before you have grease stains on my cover."
Rosaline laughed, "I hate you."
"No, you hate Gwen,that's who you hate."
"M, I swear on my life my children will never have to suffer the pain of having a stepmother that makes it her mission to make them miserable."
"Children? Rose, we are 12 baby. Why are you jumping so far into the future?"
"If you lived in the environment I live in you would be rushing too."
"I understand but you're over here all the time anyways. It's like you live here."
Rosaline jumped up grinning, "And that's why your mom should adopt me."
"Oh no ma'am. I got 8 brothers and sisters."
"So, what's one more?"
"A bad situation."
Rosaline crossed her arms, "You call me your best friend, but you wouldn't want me as a sister?"
"It's not that Rose, you know my mom would actually try to adopt you, but she can barely handle the kids she got now."
Rosaline pouted once again, "You right."
"Think on the bright side. When we get older and graduate college and become doctors our kids will never have to struggle for anything."
"And we could be neighbors and our daughters would be best friends like us."
Margie laughed. "That's the plan."
Rosaline smiled, she walked over to the bed and laid down next to Margie. She held up her pinky finger. "Margaret Dixon promise me something."
Margie wrapped her pinky finger around Rose's. "Anything."
"Promise that if anything happens to me, you will adopt my kids and be the best mother you could be."
Margie tried to turn her head to look at Rose, but her hair covered her face. "I promise but nothing is going to happen to you."
Rose laughed, "Yeah I know but I just want a backup plan for my kids. I refuse to let them have a stepmother."
"You are something serious."
"I'm just being realistic."

Little did Margie know fate had a strange way of coming true. Years later Rosaline died in a car accident, leaving behind her husband, Eddie, and daughter, Rose. After the accident, Eddie was mentally unstable. He blamed himself for the car accident and couldn't bear to look at Rose without seeing Rosaline, so he gave Margie the responsibility to raise her but only if Margie swore never to tell Rose about how her mother died. 13 years have now passed and Rose and her mother could go for twins with the same curly auburn hair and light skin. Rose had her daddy's hazel eyes but everything else came from Rosaline. There were many days where Margie would forget she was talking to Rose and not her best friend. Her heart stuttered at the reminder. When Rose left for Maryland and didn't return or answer her calls, depression had gnawed at her making her feel like she had failed Rosaline. Now that Rose was back, she was going to make it her mission to right her wrongs and fulfill her promise. Starting with her hard headed oldest.