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| "Hey."
"Hey. What's new wit chew?"
"What are you, urban?"
"Yes, I live in the ghetto, you know that."
"Oh yeah, the Lexington, Kentucky ghetto. I know it well."
She laughed, "Shut up, you don't know what you're talking about."
"I could. They had seen each other nearly everyday for the last 2 weeks. Listen, my mom really wants to meet the girl I've been spending so much time with. You want to
come over for dinner tonight?"
"Sure. Where do you live?" she asked even though she knew. He gave her his address. "Okay, I can't wait to meet your family."
"I can."
"Oh come on, give them a break."
"No, my dad is a freak when it comes to the girls I date. If he doesn't like you it's adios mi novia, just to warn you."
"Thanks, now I'm gonna freak."
"Don't worry, I think he'll like you. In fact, I know he will."
"Thanks for the support. Why'd you have to tell me in the first place?"
"Sorry. Well, come over around six then?"
"I'll be there. But guess what."
"What?"
"I finally got that job I wanted at Sears."
"Really? Congrats. When do you start?"
"Tomorrow. I'm scared."
"You'll be fine."
"Thanks. Well, I'll let you go then."
"Okay, see you tonight."
"See ya." They hung up.
She pulled up to the familiar driveway and parked her car. Before she reached the doorbell, Brian had already opened the door for her. "Come on in." She slowly walked in.
"Nice place you got here."
"Gee, thanks. Here I'll introduce you to my parents. They walked into the kitchen. This is my mom Jackie," he said pointing to his mom cooking. "And this is my dad, Harold." He was sitting at the counter reading the newspaper. He looked up when he heard his name and saw Natalie and Brian standing there. He put it down and offered his hand to shake. "Natalie, I guess?"
"Nice to meet you, sir," she said shaking his hand.
"Please, call me Harold."
Brian leaned to whisper to her, "He likes you, he's letting you call him Harold." She turned to him and smiled. Jackie came over to them.
"Natalie?"
"Yes, that's me. Nice to meet you Mrs. Littrell."
"Aw, it's Jackie. Come give me a hug," she said with open arms. Natalie did as asked.
"Ma, can you cut it out?"
"Brian, if I want a hug I can ask for one. Or do you want one too?"
He just shook his head. ''What's for supper?"
"Pork chops. You do eat meat, don't you Natalie?"
"Yeah, don't worry. I don't know how some people can not eat meat!"
"You're a smart girl, Natalie. Are you sure we've never met? You look so familiar."
"I thought that too," Harold chimed in.
"I don't know. Maybe in another life we have." It was true. Her life as Lillian they had.
"Why don't you take your coat off? Make yourself comfortable."
"I'm fine really. She was dying of heat, but she wasn't taking her coat off for anyone.
After supper they all sat in the living room and talked. "So Natalie, you're from Wisconsin?"
"Yeah."
"What's Kentucky got that Wisconsin doesn't?"
"Wisconsin doesnt have a Brian," she joked.
"Aw thanks," Brian said.
The parents just laughed. "No really, why'd you move here?"
"I don't know. I just felt like it I guess. Is that a picture of little Harold?" she asked trying to change the subject by looking at a picture on the endtable.
"Yeah. He moved out a few years ago. Too bad you couldnt meet him too."
"Yeah."
"Hey, I'll be right back." Jackie ran up the stairs and came back down with a medium-sized tupperware container. "Here's a whole bunch of pictures. If you want to look through them, of course."
"Sure. Why not?"
"This is Brian and Harold with his cousins at their camp. That ones Kevin, and Tim, and Jerald Junior......Oh and this one is one of Brian and......" She looked at the
picture carefully, then back at Natalie. "And his old friend Lilly. She used to live next door with her mom and dad. Then one day she and her mom just up and left. Lillian sent a letter trying to explain as well as an eight year old could. She never told us where she was going, or give us a phone number. We asked her dad, but he didn't know either."
"Does her dad still live next door?"
"No, he left a few months after they did, to go look for them. We don't miss him. But he wasnt a very friendly guy anyway."
"What do you mean?"
Brian cut in. "He abused her. I know he did."
"How?"
"Well, she never told me. She always had an excuse, but I could tell she was lying. I had seen him do it one time. One time I finally got to go into her house, but her dad came home and didn't like me. I supposedly left, but I was actually hiding in their washroom. I saw him try and pour a kettle of boiling water on her. I'll never forget that sight. I had nightmares for months about it. I was mostly afraid he was going to do that to me, but then he left, so they went away. He was a scary guy. I know that's why Lilly and her mom left. I just wish they would've let us know where. I wonder what ever happened to her..." he trailed off.
"That's so sad." She had no idea he had seen that last day at her dads. The next day at school, he knew she was lying. *Why didn't he say something?* She knew she
couldnt show him her arms ever. She realized she hadn't changed at all from the pictures. They knew it too, they just didn't know for sure.
"My goodness Natalie, I'm sorry, but you look so much like her."
"Weird," she said casually. "Well, they say everyone has a twin." She paused for a few moments and then said, "Maybe I should get going."
"Okay, we'll all walk you to the door." They got up from their seats.
"Well, Natalie, it was nice to finally meet you," Jackie said as she and Brian walked towards her car.
"It was nice to meet you all too."
"Goodbye Natalie," Harold said from the front door.
"Bye," she waved to his parents. They went inside. Brian and Natalie stood at her car door. "How'd I do?"
"What?"
"Do they like me? Do they like me with you?"
"I told you already, they like you."
"Good, thats a relief."
"I wonder about you sometimes, girl. Kind of like how you resembled Lillian."
"I wonder about that too. Weird huh?"
"Yeah, tell me about it. Well, I guess I'll talk to ya tomorrow then?"
"Better." They leaned in and kissed each other. She walked around the drivers door and opened it. "I'll see ya then."
"Bye." They both leaned over the roof of the small car and kissed again.
"Bye." She got in and took off.
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