Julie & James

Julie bought the baby home and just two nights later Julie decided to move away - far from where her life had failed. Gary kept the house with Janet, and welcomed Julie and the baby any time.
Julie began to look for places to go, and by November, she knew where she was headed. Honolulu.
She was young, so I accompanied her to visit a few houses in Hawaii, but she fell in love with a small apartment in the city center. Gary bought the house for her, and put her name on the deed. Within six months of buying the house, she was a month away from being seventeen, a single mother and owned her own house in Hawaii. I barely saw her during the run up to her move, and before I knew it, she had asked me to move in with her.
“What if we don’t work?” I complained slightly.
“I, myself, will give you the money for a flight and accommodation.” She stared blankly to me, whilst packing her things in a rush. “If you don’t want to come, then don’t. I just want to give us a chance as a proper family. We’re young, yes, but you’re so great with her...don’t you want to try and be our Chaddy?”
I shook my head and sighed. I couldn’t let her down - she was fragile and emotional. I agreed to stay with her for 3 months - a very long holiday - and if we didn’t work I would never come back. If we did, I would go back to America, rake up all my savings and move out with her. That was the deal we had.
Gary wished us luck the day we left, and told her to stay in touch. We landed - the apartment was as we remembered it. We settled in quickly. Julie got a job as a waitress, and was a barkeep on weekends. I stayed home, and looked after my baby girl - the newly christened Liliha Hill. Julie was sure she’d stay here, so she chose a name that would fit in. By then, it was her seventeenth birthday. We celebrated it together - along with little Liliha.
We were both fairly happy - but not enough to stay together. Our love disintegrated - and soon enough I was leaving. The three months had passed, and Liliha was nearly one. I was sad I’d never see her grow up - and was sad I’d probably never see Julie again - but we were barely friends now, and we both knew - without having to even say it - that it was time for me to go. I got myself a cab, flew back to Rockport, and never looked back.
Julie - to me - was a teenage love; nothing more.
I was perfectly happy leaving, and never seeing her again.
But I knew I’d always miss my daughter - biologically or not - she was mine, and I was hers. I’d never forgive myself for leaving the little’n behind.

--

Chad had left, and Liliha just wouldn’t shut up. She cried all night, screaming for Chaddy. Luckily we’d not been stupid enough to call him daddy - or that would have hurt her. We’d just said he was a friend of Mamma’s. I didn’t want to see him again. He was a drain on my money, and a complete bore to live with. I wanted to save like mad - I’d seen a beautiful little plot of land and I wanted to badly build on it. I’d save my money, and I would build my own house for us to live in.
This is where my adult life now began. I was alone in the big wide world and nothing was going to stop my little family from being successful and happy.
This was our future.