George's POV
It's been about five years since Kara's death. It has been a long, hard haul.
The boys and I split up as a band. We'd just all grown apart musically. John and Cynthia went through a nasty divorce. She walked in on John with another woman. She claimed that there was no point in fighting it because John and the other woman seemed in love. That broke my heart. Julian stayed with me and Alli for a couple weeks while Cyn and John tried to figure out the details of their divorce. It was really messy. For a while, John shut all of us out - even Paul. Eventually he warmed back up to us, throwing a celebration of some sort. Paul Ringo and I had managed to stick together while John was having his little tantrum. Since he got over it, we've had a couple gatherings but we all talk on the telephone pretty regularly.
I'm sitting on the front porch waiting for Allison to come home. Allison is turning 11 this October. Time sure has flown.
I stand when I see Ringo's car pull up the drive. I wave as the car stops and Alli pops out. Ringo waves back. During the whole break up and all the drama that happened, Ringo and I stayed true to our friendship.
I watch as Allison runs up to me.
"Hi sweetie." I say as she bounds into my open arms.
She hugs me tight.
"Hi Daddy." She says into my shirt.
I pull back and take her hand as we walk inside.
Each time I see her I'm taken aback at the striking resemblance she has to Kara. It's both wonderful and terrible seeing so much of Kara in Allison.
For a couple years after Kara's death, Alli was a nightmare. Which, according to a couple therapists I hired, was totally natural. Most children deal with their pain of a lost parent by lashing out.
Eventually, through serious counseling, she made it through. And while I know Allison's not fully over the death of her mother, she's much more at peace with it. She's much more at peace than me. I spent so much time and effort getting Allison better, than I neglected help myself. I probably should have gotten some help. I often cry myself to sleep. I have read the note Kara wrote so many times it's begun to tear at the folds. I have left everything in my room the exact way Kara left it. I will lift things up and touch them but I always put them back exactly how I found it.
I called Allison down for dinner. I decided to let Miss Judy go of all her duties. She still lives close in case there's anything I need from her.
"Where were you bug?" I ask as she enters the room and sits at the table.
"Uh doing homework." She said.
"Okay..." I say, unsure.
I put a plate in front of her and one at the chair across the table from her where I sit.
We eat as she tells me about her day at school.
Once we've finished she clears the plates and washes the dishes. It's a sort of system we've developed; one makes dinner the other cleans up.
I walk into the front room and flip on the telly. It's quite nice not seeing my face all over the news pages. I notice I spilled some spaghetti sauce on my shirt so I decide to go upstairs and change. I walk into my bedroom and stop short. That's when I find out what Alli was up to. My jaw drops as I look around my room.
"Allison Rose!! Get up here right now!" I yell.
She's upstairs in moments, breathless from running.
"What is the meaning of this?!" I ask, pointing into my room.
She peeks in.
"It needed to be cleaned up a bit." She said innocently.
I run my hands over my face. My equilibrium is thrown out of balance. Everything was put away, cleaned and organized. The bed was made, the clothes put in the hamper, Kara's vanity spotless. It threw everything off for me. I liked looking around and seeing Kara's mess. It gave me comfort. And Allison took that away.
"Daddy?" She said quietly.
I look to her.
"It needed to be done." She said to me.
"You've been moping about Mommy for so long now. But I never see you cry. I never see you sad. I just know it because of how neutral you act. You show no emotion Daddy. It's okay to. It helps to." She puts a hand gently on my arm the same way Kara used to.
I walk over to my bed and sit. I can't believe those words just came out of my daughter's mouth. She hesitates a moment before coming and joining me on the bed.
"I know you're sad Daddy. But it can get better. It will get better. It did for me. You just gotta think to yourself that it will. That's the only way."
"You're so smart Alli." I say, leaning to kiss her forehead.
She smiles.
"I have an idea." She says.
She stands and holds her hands out to me. I take them and she helps me up. She goes into my closet and pulls out a light jacket. She hands it to me. I follow her as she goes into her room and grabs a jacket for herself. We walk down the stairs and out the door.
It isn't long before I realize where Allison is leading us.
We walk in silence.
When we reach the street, Allison crosses it, continuing to the building. She pulls open the door of the coffee shop and steps back for me to enter.
I haven't been since that last time with Kara. A man comes around the corner.
"Mr. George! Welcome back!" The owner says.
"Hi Michael." I say, waving.
Allison smiles, walking up to the counter and orders two hot chocolates as I sit at the table I sat at last time. Michael prepares the hot chocolates, adding extra whip cream on top. He carries them over to us, smiling as he sets them down.
I take a sip, savoring the sweetness of it.
Allison and I chit chat as we drink. Once we are finished I stand, reaching for my wallet. Michael waves me off.
"On the house." He says.
"Thanks." I reply.
I follow Allison out the door.
I grab her hand as we cross the street, heading back towards home. I smile into the crisp air.
Everything is going to be okay.
