When Adi went in to see the little boy the next day, she almost didn't recognize him. The hair that had hung in dirty matts almost to his waist was entirely gone, now only a slight fuzz was on his head. He was curled in a ball, tears rolling down his face.

"What's the matter, sweetie? Are you in pain?" She asked.

"Th...They took my hair..." He whimpered.

"Ohh, sweetie...It'll grow back. It was all dirty and knotted."

"It was the only thing Mommy and Daddy said was good about me...Now no one will ever love me!"

"No, honey. That's not true. That's not true." She reached to stroke his face and he flinched away, crying out in alarm. "Shhhh... It's okay. Remember I promised we'd never hurt you?"

"It hurt when they cut my hair! It...It felt like they were ripping it out!"

"Ohh, honey. Can I see your head?"

"Mm...I g...guess so..."

Sure enough, big welts were rising on the little boys head. She imagined it was where the clippers had pulled on a knot. "It'll be better in a few minutes, honey. Hey, you're gonna have a very special visitor today."

"W..Who?"

"My husband!" She proclaimed gleefully. The little boy fidgeted, looking uncomfortable. "He went through the same thing you did when he was a kid."

"R...Really?" He peered at her.

"He did. And he's been really sad lately. Do you think you could cheer him up? Maybe making someone happy will make you feel better!"

He smiled shyly. "Maybe..." He cocked his head. "You...You mean I'm not alone?..."

"No, honey. I know what happened to you is horrible, but so many other kids have gone through it too."

He hung his head. "I'm sad for them...But it's nice to know I'm not weird..."

"No, sweetie. You're not. You're very, very special." She smiled sweetly, stroking what was left of his hair.

Around lunch time, Otis wandered in to her office. "Hey, mama."

"Hey, sweetie!" She pecked him on the lips.

"Mmm. You're always so excited to see me." He said, smiling softly into her hair.

"Because I love my handsome, sexy, smart, wonderful man! Sooooo much!"

"You're so cute..." He said, squeezing her.

"You ready to go see him?"

"Yeah. How's he doing today?"

"He's okay. He's sad because they cut his hair. Otis, it was all in one big knot. We couldn't do anything with it...But he was crying about it."

"Mm..I know that feeling." He grumbled.

"I know, honey..." She kissed his cheek.

Otis entered the room slowly, letting Adi go ahead of him.

"Hey, honey! Remember I said you would have a visitor? He's here! This is Otis, my husband."

"Hey, buddy." Otis sat in front of him slowly. "How're you feeling today?"

The little boy blushed, suddenly bashful. "I...I feel okay..."

"Come on, buddy. Man to man. You don't have to be embarrassed in front of me. I went through the same thing, remember?"

The boy nodded, suddenly more confident. "I...I hurt. Did you hurt?"

Otis nodded. "I still hurt sometimes. But I never got fixed up like you are. I was stupid and never got anyone to patch me up."

"Why did they hit you?" The little boy asked.

"H...Huh?" Otis stammered. "I-I..." He felt Adi's hand on his back, warm and comforting, bringing him back down to earth.

"They hit me because they didn't want me...They said I was stupid and never should have been born...That they should just kill me and that I was worthless."

"None of that is true. None of it." Otis replied. He spoke with such conviction, it startled Adi. "Don't you let a single word they said leak into that brain of yours, kid. Because if you do , it'll rot your whole body. And it's not worth giving them another second of your life."

"Then why did they say it?"

"Because they're mean, awful people. Do you think good people would have hit you? Would have not fed you? Your parents are supposed to love you no matter what. And my parents didn't, and your parents didn't. Do you think my parents were good people for doing what they did to me?"

"No..."

"Then neither were yours. YOU are a good person. YOU can be a good person. The less like them you are, the better of a person you are. And you're NOTHING like them."

The little boy nodded, fidgeting with his blanket. "...I like your hair, mister..."

Otis snorted. "Thanks."

"They shaved mine off this morning."

Otis sighed. "I know buddy. I'm sorry. But you know what? It grows back. I didn't have long hair until I was 18. You know why?"

"No...?"

"Because see how white it is?" Otis asked. The little boy nodded. "See my eyes?"

"Whoa! They're red!"

"Yeah. That's why my parents hit me. Because they thought I was a freak. And because of that, my mom shaved my head. I had long hair when I was really little, like 3 or 4. Maybe 5, even. But then she thought that if she shaved my head, I would just look sick."

"You're not a freak, mister..." The little boy reached out to touch Otis's hair, but Otis flinched back. "I...I'm sorry...I know why you're flinching, though. I wouldn't hit you, mister. I wouldn't do that."

Otis smiled slightly. "I know buddy." He leaned closer, letting the boy touch his hair.

"Did you leave when you were 18?"

"No. I left when I was 13."

"Why did you wait so long to let your hair grow?" He asked, twirling Otis's locks in his hand.

"Because I let what they said get to me. I never had anyone to tell me it wasn't true."

"...Thanks, mister...You're makin' me feel better..." He hesitated a moment. "Do you have any scars?"

"Yeah." Otis took his cap off. "Give me your hand." The little boy obeyed, and Otis ran his tiny hand over the scars embedded on his scalp.

"Ow...I bet those really hurt..."

Otis shrugged. "Yeah..."

"Do they still hurt?"

"No, not anymore."

Otis felt the boy push his head down, and Otis obliged, then feeling the little boy press his lips to his head. Otis pulled away questioningly.

"Now they'll never hurt again. I made them all better."

Otis smiled softly. "That all it takes, huh?" He placed his cap back on his head.

"Sure wish I had a hat to cover my head...I hate my hair..." He mumbled, running his hand along his shorn hair.

"Here, kiddo." Otis adjusted the hat so it would fit the boy's head, and plopped it onto him.

"Really?!"

"Sure. I've got a ton of 'em."

"Thank you mister!"

Otis laughed. "Don't you remember her tellin' you my name?"

"...No..." The little boy blushed. "Sorry. I was scared."

"It's okay. It's Otis. Call me Otis."

"Otis." He repeated.

He stayed and talked for a while, until Adi was done with her shift. "Okay, buddy. I'm gonna go."

"Will you come see me again?"

"I can, yeah."

"Can you come back tomorrow?"

Otis turned to Adi, as if asking her. She nodded, smiling. "Yeah. I'll be back tomorrow, buddy."

"Okay...Otis?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I give you a hug? You sure made me feel better today..."

"Okay, buddy. But I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't! I'm used to hurtin' anyways, but you won't hurt me!" He wrapped his frail arms around Otis's neck as the albino bent down to him. "Bye, Otis!"

"By, kiddo."