His Girl

Chapter 2

"Where are we going?"

I glance over at her, catching her before she can trip on the curb. How is she so clumsy?

"Be careful. We are going to the park. That house gets too loud for me." I've decided that she shouldn't be left there without someone who has her back, what with her being on Mrs. Kolfer's hit list.

"Oh! Okay," she beams, practically skipping down the sidewalk beside me.

Just then, a thought occurs to me. I pull my phone out of my back pocket, "What's your number, Dolly?"

Innocently, she blinks up at me, "I don't have a phone."

D*** it.

I sigh in frustration and mutter to myself, "We need to fix that, don't we?"

"What?"

"Nothing," I sigh, deciding that a phone is, in fact, a necessity. It doesn't need to be anything special, just something that will call and text. I can't put my trust in the one payphone in town, she won't always have access to that.

Despite my low budget, I have enough for a little phone. That should definitely be my top priority.

After the park, of course. She seems really excited about that.

+++

I never thought that a person's laugh could be beautiful until now. Having warmed up to me, she now laughs over most things, bringing a smile to my face every time.

Currently, she is giggling as she holds her hand in the duck pond at the park, letting the fish nibble her fingers. "They're coming right up to me, Grayson! Oh my gosh, look at this one! It's so beautiful! And that one! They're all beautiful, actually!"

Reclining next to her, I point to an ugly brown splotchy one, "What about that one?"

"Especially that one!" She glances up at me before looking back towards the odd fish. "Look at him, he is such a beautiful color of brown entwined with the black. Such a unique beauty, he even has a pure white underbelly. But he's a bit shy, maybe because he gets picked on," she reflects thoughtfully, sounding sad. "He's my favorite," she declares, suddenly happy again.

Enjoying her sweet chatter, I ask calmly, "What's his name?"

"I haven't decided yet," she ponders, studying the fish who hesitantly edges closer to her. "Maybe Housten or Jackson."

"Do you like naming fish after cities," I inquire, playing with her long braids that are draped down her little back.

"I like naming all animals after cities and countries," she confirms mindlessly, slowly swirling her hand around in the cold water.

No fowl have visited this park in years, so the bank is free of droppings and full of cleanly mowed grass, thus the reason we can lounge on on it like we are. Earlier, she dragged me around to all the park equipment, until she grew tired. I'm just waiting till she's ready to go so I can take her to the phone store.

"See," she continues, gesturing to a robin with her dry hand, "Her name is Madagascar, but I just call her Maddie for short."

I hum in approval, feeling oddly tranquil. "Beautiful name."

"Thank you."

Eventually, she pulls her hand out of the water and wipes it onto her pants. She twists around onto her back, gazing up at the fluffy white clouds. 

Without much thought, I lay down as well, resting my head on her flat stomach. Momentarily, I freeze, thinking that I've crossed some invisible line.