The Definition Of Love (Book 1) [Gxg]

Chapter 6

Every part of him hurt. He was shaking. Badly. There was dirt in his dark hair. His palms were striped with streaks of crimson. His t-shirt was torn. His jeans were more ripped than socially acceptable. His face was splattered with tears. But each droplet was stained red. His tanned skin almost merged with the orange/red sunset that surrounded him. The ground was coloured with mud. The sky was painted with blood. And he was lost. Lost in his own mind. But he knew one thing for sure. No one was ever going to find him.

After school Haley rushed home. She hardly even talked to Linda. She hardly even THOUGHT about Linda. Her dad had texted her. He had come home early that day. And he was panicking. She didn't know why. But she was eager to find out. She fumbled with the keys and unlocked the door. She was immediately introduced to darkness. "Dad..." she called out, fear lacing her voice. She went to the light switch and turned the light on. She gasped at the scene before her. Blood. It was streaked all over the floor. There was dirt on their white rug. "DAD," she said, a little louder this time.

"Hal... is that you?"

"Dad! Dad! Oh my gods... where are you?"

"Balcony... balcony."

She rushed over and pulled open the balcony door. And there he was. Slits spewing red trailed across his arms. She didn't say anything. She went back inside, got a towel and cleaned up his wounds and then bandaged them. After making sure she had taken all the hygiene precautions, Haley sat on her dad's lap and hugged him. Her arms slipped around his neck, drawing him closer.

"Hals... oh Haley," he started sobbing.

Buckets of salty water escaped his eyes.

"Daddy, its okay, tell me daddy, tell me what happened. Little Haley will make it all better."

"Sweetheart I don't know. Why do her blue eyes keep coming back. Haley why?"

She stroked the back of his palm.

"Those lifeless blue orbs, they used to breathe life into others in their own time. But she never realized, she never realized that one day the life in them might run out."

She hugged her dad tighter, his sobs resounding in her eardrums.

"Even now, the only thing I see is the sky. Painted with blood. Her blood."

"Daddy no, the sky is clear blue."

"As blue as her eyes?"

"Oh Gods," Haley muttered.

'Only if he agreed to go to the therapist. But he would never openly agree that he was emotionally disturbed. He would never openly announce that the death of his wife has scarred him beyond repair,' she thought to herself. He might have not been her actual dad but both their coloring was almost the same. She had his brown eyes and dark hair, but his skin was tanned in a more Hispanic (though he wasn't Hispanic) rather than Indian (like her) manner.

"Yes daddy, as blue as her eyes," Haley said. This soothed him. She patted his back and got up. She pulled him up after her.

"Okay Daddy, what about some nice Mexican food, including nachos of course, and some good movies."

"Alvin and the Chipmunks?" His eyes brightened and his ears twitched like an excited child. She laughed at this, "We watched that yesterday silly."

"Part 2 then..." he said with puppy dog eyes.

"Oh alright," she said giving in. She went to the kitchen and got nachos and whipped up a quick guacamole as she called her dad's (and her) favorite Mexican restaurant for some quesadillas. She went and sat down next to her dad. He had, surprisingly, cleaned out the blood and the dirt. Well that was a first. He had also gotten the movie ready. That wasn't really surprising. They'd almost finished the nachos by the time the food arrived. She got the food and they both finished watching the movie as the sun set around them in a normal yellowish, orange colour.

Haley sat on her bed. Tears threatened to trip and fall over her eyelids but she didn't allow them to. She had just tucked her dad in bed and then she had come up to her own room. She felt as torn apart as her dad's arms. She really had to do something. But she had no idea what. She tried to piece together a memory with her adoptive mom. It wasn't too hard but one kept playing in her mind in a loop. It was the day that she had met the first lady. Yes, she, Haley Moores, had met Michelle Obama, with her mother, Kira Moores. Kira had been a renowned reporter. And after months of hard work, patience and eagerness for Mrs. Obama to accept, Kira had gotten an interview. And she had taken Haley with her. She had been just eight years old. It had been exactly a year before she died. They had gone into the White House. Kira walked with confidence in her strides while Haley bounced up and down, excited to see such a lush garden and such a magnificent building. Haley had even bumped into one of the security guards, who had politely nodded and smiled at them. Kira had smiled at her daughter's playfulness. Kira had a smile that... Haley gasped. That's why she loved Ms.Ross's smile so much. She had the same smile as her mother. Her eyes, though, a completely different colour, had held the same warmth. She had to make sure that her dad met Ms.Ross. At this thought, tears started forming in her eyes all over again. Sometimes she couldn't help but wonder who had adopted who. Her dad might have adopted her thirteen years ago, but she'd had to adopt him, when she was just nine. One tear betrayed her and flowed down her cheek. It landed on her lips leaving a salty taste in her mouth. She needed Linda now. She wished Linda was there.

Definition #6: Love is found between two people who have the strong need to confide in each other during the darkest times, in hope that they will be their light. A light that would lead them through the darkness.