Road To Acceptance

Billie gaped at Kali.

"What?" Kali took a shaky breath.

"Daddy was mad at Mommy... They were yelling and fighting... I was in the corner, crying... Daddy kept saying 'I'm her father,' and everytime he'd say that, Mommy would say something like 'unfit.' He kept yelling at her." Billie wrapped his arms around her.

Mommy said, "I don't know why you thought this would work... why you thought adoption would fix everything,'" she sniffled.

"Then Daddy saw me...or heard me...I don't know...but he came over to me and said, 'Hey Kali-baby. Shh, it's okay. You and Daddy are going on a vacation.' Then Mommy yelled at him, and he said, 'I'm her fucking father!' And she called him unfit again... And he said she was the unfit one, that she didn't deserve me... He called her a... a 'pathetic excuse for a mother.' They yelled some moe, and he put his hand to his head and just... sort of... fell down..." Kali trailed off.

"What was it?" Billie asked softly.

"Cerebral hemmorhage. A blood vessel burst in his brain."

"Oh Kali..." she started crying.

"Ali just stared at him. I had to call the ambulance. Neither of them moved. Daddy was just lying there and Mommy was just staring at him... She says he was dead before the paramedics got there."

"Wow...do you visit his grave?"

"I can't. Ali says it's in Pennsylvania. Ali says that's where his family is."

"And she won't let you visit?" Kali shook her head.

"We can't afford it."

"God.... That's awful..." he kissed the top of her head as she calmed down and stopped crying.

"Do you want to go ahead and go back to my place?" She nodded. They went back downstairs.

"Mike, we're going now," Billie said. Kali hugged Mike.

"Bye Mikey."

"Bye, Kali-Ali."

"Bye..." John said from the corner of the room.

"Bye." Kali waved and followed Billie out the door.

He sighed as he put his arm around her.

"Today has been... eventful..." he murmured.

"Yeah... a bit too eventful."

"Tomorrow you just want to hang out with me?" She smiled.

"I'd like that."

"As long as you don't cause no drama," Billie said and snapped his fingers. Kali laughed.

"You're such a loser." Billie gasped dramatically.

"What? How could you say something like that?" She giggled and kissed his cheek.

"Because I love you." He glanced at her.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." He grinned cheekily.

"How much?"

"More than you will ever know." He stopped walking and turned to face Kali.

"What?" she asked quietly. He shook his head and pressed a finger to her lips, and she realized he was speechless.

He stared into her blue eyes and removed the finger, replacing it with his lips briefly.

"I have decided that you must come live with me," he whispered.

"What?"

"I can't spend another day without you." She smiled and kissed him. They walked the rest of the way in silence, Billie's arm around her waist.

Billie fumbled with the key, trying to get it into the lock with his left hand. When he finally got it, the key wouldn't turn. Billie looked at Kali in shock.

"Please tell me she didn't change the lock..."

"Your house has a lock?"

"Haha, very funny. It's always had one. And this key has always worked." She thought for a minute.

"Your basement has a window, right?"

"Yeah..." She grinned mischevously and walked around the side of the house. When she didn't return, Billie started to worry.

Then he heard someone mess with the door handle. Finally they gave up and went to the window. Kali poked her head through.

"The door is fucked up. You'll have to go around back," she whispered.

"Through the window?" She shrugged.

"If you want. It'd be easier to go through the door, since your ass is so fat."

"Hey! That's not nice."

"I love your fat ass. Now go."

"Did you unlock it?"

"No, but by the time you get there, I'll have already done it. Go, slowpoke." He laughed and walked around back. Kali let him in. He took her hand and led her to his room.