Moving In Part 2
A loud crash made Kali jump, bringing her back into reality. She looked out the window and saw it was just the construction outside that caused the loud noises. Luckily for her, she’d get to hear that sound just about every day.
Instead of waiting around listening to the obnoxious work next door, Kali stood up and walked outside. When she looked up, she could see the tops of several buildings over the short dog wood trees. One such building was city hall. She could see the rounded rooftop and the flag flying high above everything else in the city. Perhaps she would go there and see if she could learn anything about Mason on the internet.
Since she didn’t have her bike and she used a taxi to get here, Kali’s only option was to walk. Although she wasn’t exactly athletic, she loved to be outside and her legs really needed a good stretch. The day was warm but not entirely unpleasant, and she enjoyed the sights and smells of a new town. Luckily for her, in her fast choice of homes, she had chosen a friendly neighborhood. All around her were families walking the dog, taking their baby out in a stroller down the street, or kids playing hopscotch in the road. Any cars that came by went slowly, not like at her old home where cars flew by as if they had some important life altering mission to get too. She realized this place would be the perfect place to raise a family.
Thinking of raising a family only brought up the horrible actions of him. She wanted to raise a child with him; at least she did before he began drinking each night. When she brought it up, it would send him into fits of rage, and they would fight. He was nearly twice her size, and his military training made it impossible to fight him back. She wondered often if she was to blame for his violence, since he was not at all like this when they had first met. Things only changed when she moved in with him, and they were spiraling down ever since. She was still surprised she had the courage to run away when she did, before he did too much damage.
“Hey miss, look out!” a child’s voice called. Kali snapped back into the real world, when suddenly a bike came flying right past her, slipping and causing its rider to fly forward, over the handles and into the grass behind her. Kali gasped and raced to the scene. The child that had called to warn her also ran over, pulling the bike out of the road and keeping his friends back away from the injured girl.
“I’m so sorry, are you okay?” Kali asked urgently. She was somewhat afraid to touch the girl. “Somebody call for help!”
“No no, I’m fine! Just help me up!” The girl awkwardly climbed to a sitting position. There were small scrapes on her arms and legs, but a large gash on her knee was clearly seen. Some of the young girls screamed at the sight of blood and ran off to play elsewhere. Once of the young boy fainted and his friends drug him away. Now it was just Kali, the injured girl, and the little boy that had warned her.
“You’re knee looks bad. We should get you to the hospital.” Kali told her, putting an arm under her arms to help the girl up.
“No, I’m fine really. This happens all the time you see, just help me up and I’ll find a band aid or something.”
“This will need more than a band aid. Maybe even stitches.” Okay, she was entirely sure what it needed, but it needed something.
“Really, I know when to go to the doctor, and I don’t need to go now. I’m very clumsy, you see, I practically know all the doctors by heart. I go there much too often.”
“Well at least let me take you home and get yourself bandaged up. Where do you live?”
“Oh it’s much too far away from here for me to walk. What about you, kid? You live around her, right? Mind if I go to your place and get bandaged up real quick?”
The child began to fidget nervously. “You know, I really shouldn’t be out here, you know, with strangers. I should go…” The child scampered off, his tail between his legs. “Oh, and uh, get better miss!” he called over his shoulder. He ran until the he got to a line of shrubs on the opposite side of the street, which he hoped over without much trouble. Then he was gone.
“Alright well, can I go to your place?” The girl asked, trying to use her jacket to stop the bleeding.
“Of course, but it’s a good walk too.” Kali replied, balancing the girl on one shoulder while pulling the bike along with the other. As they walked, or for the girl, hopped, towards Kali’s home, she tried to get the girl talking.
“So, what your name?”
“Well, my real name is June, but everyone at works calls me Ditsy.”
Kali looked at her questioningly. “Why Ditsy?”
“Oh, you know. I’m just so clumsy.” As the girl said so, she tripped on a stone with her only good foot, stumbling forward a few feet. When she had righted herself, she said “See?”
Kali couldn’t help but giggle. The girl was a few years younger than her, but seemed to be as excitable and hyper as a child. “I think June suits you more.”
“Really?” June’s eyes brightened at the compliment. “No one’s called me June since my dad died. He would call me ‘June bug’ sometimes.” She smiled at the happy memory, but then her face grew dark with sadness. It made Kali uncomfortable to see such a bright girl so sad.
“So…” Kali said, trying to break the awkward silence again. “Where do you work?”
Thinking of work made June smile. “I’m a veterinary assistant. I could be a full time vet, but I’m so clumsy, I’m afraid that I’d mess up during surgery and really hurt an animal.”
“Maybe you just need some more practice, is all.” Kali told her encouragingly.
“Oh, I don’t think that will help much. I’ve passed all the exams and stuff; I just never took initiative to getting my veterinary license yet.”
Kali was at a loss for words, and again the two fell into an awkward silence. She never thought she’d be happy to see her little shack of a home. As the two girls walked up to the door, Kali couldn’t help notice June looking around at her plain, dying grass, lack of flowers, and the door with paint chipping off. In an attempt to explain herself, Kali said, “I just moved in today. I haven’t exactly had time to do much yard work… or home renovation.” She added, knowing the same look would occur in her home.
“Oh, really? That’s cool.” June said lightly, feeling awkward as well for staring around her home. “Maybe you, uh, could use some help sometime? I really owe you for helping me get better.”
Kali was touched by the girl’s offer. “Thanks, but aren’t I the one who got you into this mess to begin with? I mean, you swerved to avoid hitting me, right?”
“Oh no, not at all. I swerved to miss a butterfly that landed on the sidewalk, but I ended up… well, you know…”
“Wouldn’t the butterfly have just flown out of your way?” Kali giggled at her strange actions. She sat June on the couch and went to get medicine and gauze from the kit she had packed.
“Probably, but what if it hadn’t? Then I’d feel really sad.” The girl peered over at Kali as she attended to her knee. “Wait, I never got your name.”
“I’m Kali,” she told her, smoothing out the bandage. “There, that should hold long enough for you to get to the doctor. You don’t want it getting an infection or something.”
“Thanks,” June smiled at her. “So where were you headed before I had to crash into you?”
“I was just going to city hall to look up someone.” Kali said automatically. She didn’t really want the girl to know, but it just sort of, came out.
“I have a friend who works at the police department. He could probably help you look up someone!” June’s excitement made Kali laugh.
“Well, I think the guy is dead. It was a long time ago.”
“Jason could still find him! Come on, let’s go!” June jumped off the couch, but immediately fell back down, moaning loudly. “Or not.”
Kali laughed. “Why don’t we hang out her for awhile? At least until that knee gets a little better.”
“Yeah, maybe you’re right.” June grinned at her. Kali went in to the kitchen, hoping to fix snacks for the two of them, when she realized she had no food at all in the house. June noticed her empty cabinets, and remembered she had just moved in.
“Hey, I know a great organic food place we could go to, and it’s not far from here. You could get your groceries, then we could catch lunch, and maybe go to the store and buy some paint at the hardware store.”
“Some paint?”
“Yeah, for your house! I’ll help you paint the outside, and then we can decorate your lawn with stuff! I have a bunch of things in my shed I don’t use anymore, maybe we could put some on your lawn!”
June’s enthusiasm made Kali happier than she’d been for awhile. She shrugged her shoulders and said “Sure, why not? Let’s go.” Kali helped June to her feet and the two girls limped back down the sidewalk. Despite her injury, June was a happy-go-lucky kind of girl and made Kali feel great just to be around her.
As they walked down the sidewalk, they saw the same boy from before. He was digging in a trash can, sending wrappers and paper flying out onto the road. When he popped his head back up, Kali called to him.
“Hey kid, what are you doing?” At the sight of the girls again, he tried to scamper away, but Kali caught up to him, grabbing his shirt collar. “Kid, why do keep running from us?” She looked the young boy over carefully and noticed he was filthy. His hair was a mess and his fur was grimy. She could tell he was a small raccoon, his eyes even blacker than they should be. He was covered in fleas and ticks, and quite skinny.
“I really need to get home, miss, my mom will be missing me! It’s almost lunch.” The boy tugged awkwardly, shying away from Kali’s stare. Suddenly, an elderly woman’s voice yelled out a window.
“Kid, are you bothering people again? I already called the cops on you! Stay out of my trash!” the old woman went back inside, but poked her head out to yell at June and Kali. “Hey girls! Just hold on to that kid for a bit and the cops will be here to get him. He’s always escaping that orphanage and causing ruckus on the streets! A little trouble makin’, law breakin’ thief is what he is! Oh look, I hear the cops now! There uh coming for you, kid!” her cackling laugh sent chills down Kali’s back as she thought of the old woman’s words.
“An orphanage?” She asked. His lack of home explained his filth, at least. “You said you had to go home to your mom?” Kali pulled the kid closer. “Why would you lie?”
“Please miss, let me go! I gotta get out of here. I can’t stick around, not if the police are coming!”
June came up from behind her. “You should let him go. He looks harmless, Kali. I feel kind of sorry for him.” Kali looked up at June and back to the boy.
“Go,” she told him, releasing his collar. “Don’t do anything stupid, you hear?”
“Yes miss, thank you miss!” The boy scampered off quickly, disappearing behind the bushes again.
