Chapter 9

Takeo's POV

Lily and I left the house and took the bus to the car dealer that I purchased my car from. We went inside, and James gave me the keys to my new car. Then we got into the car and left for the city to go to the mall.

"What do you want to get first?" I asked. "Clothes or toys?"

Lily hesitated before answering: "I don't really care, but it might be easier to choose clothes than to choose toys."

I chuckled softly: "Okay. We'll get you some clothes first."

We quickly arrived at the mall and walked inside. There were not many people, but I still made sure to keep a firm hold on Lily's hand, since I did not want her to get lost. We headed to a store that sold clothes for children.

I grabbed a basket: "Just pick anything you like and put it in the basket. Okay, Lily?"

Lily looked surprised, but then she smiled and nodded.

I let Lily lead the way through the store, picking out anything she liked. I noticed that she seemed to like all kinds of clothes, which made it easier for her to find clothes. When she was done, we went over to the cashier, and I paid for all of the clothes and shoes.

"Let's go put these bags in the car before going to a toy store", I suggested after leaving the store.

I had bought a lot of clothes and shoes for Lily, and it was just too much to carry around for who knows how long. After all, Lily was still a child, and I was sure that she could spend hours in a toy store.

Lily had nodded, and we made our way back out of the mall to my car. I quickly put the bags in the trunk, before heading back inside with Lily to a toy store.

When we went inside and bend down to Lily's level and requested: "Lily, you can pick out anything you like. But, please, make sure to stay close to me, alright?"

Lily nodded: "Yes, dad... and thank you."

"You're welcome", I answered. "Now, go and find some toys."

Lily smiled and hurried over into the closest aisle. I quickly followed her after getting a shopping cart, knowing that it would be harder for me to stay close to her here than it was in the clothes store. I did not mind though; I was happy that she managed to keep her childish nature in spite of the abuse she had endured.

She chose some paper and colored pencils from the art section. Then she went over to a section that only held Hello Kitty toys, where she picked out an alarm clock, a CD player, a tea set, a rescue play set, a jet plane play set, a bin toy organizer, a bed set, a pillow pet, some plush toys, a liquid motion glow lamp, a backpack, a handbag, an umbrella, and a small table with two chairs. So, apparently she really liked Hello Kitty. Next, Lily went to a dress up section where she picked out a few princess dresses with matching shoes and hair accessories. After that, she went over to the Lego section, where she picked out a few building sets, including a vet clinic, a castle, a dolphin cruiser, and a fire truck. Then, she went over to the learning section, where she picked out some magnetic letters, and some activity books. I was a little surprised at how mature that action was, but I guessed that she just liked to learn new things. Next, Lily went to the game section, where she picked out a lot of different puzzles and some games. After that, she went to find some CDs and picked out a lot of different ones, some with music and some telling stories. Then, she went to the stuffed animals, where she picked out a variety of animals, from wolves to cats to penguins. Lily also went to the outdoor section and picked out a folding kick scooter. Lastly, she went to the doll section. She seemed the most excited in this aisle, so I guessed that she had saved this for last on purpose. She slowly went through and looked at all of the dolls, before picking out a simple doll. Then, she picked out everything she needed for her doll, including a bed plus bed set, a comfort seat, a potty, a stroller, a bathtub, a bottle, a pacifier, and a lot of clothes.

"Are you sure this isn't too much, dad?" asked Lily unsure, when she looked back at the shopping cart.

"Don't worry, Lily. This is just fine", I assured her.

She nodded slightly and smiled. We walked to the cashier, and I paid for all of her toys. The woman working there gave me a strange look at the amount of toys, but she did not comment on it, so I just ignored it.

Lily and I walked back to the car, and I put all of her new toys in the trunk. Then we both got into the car and left.

"We need to buy some groceries as well", I announced.

Lily just nodded: "Okay."

I stopped at a local grocery store, and we quickly went through, getting whatever we needed. I let Lily pick whatever she wanted as well. Then we went back to the car and drove home.

When we got home, I parked in the garage, and got out of the car. I walked to my trunk and opened it. Lily had walked over to the trunk as well to help carry everything inside.

"Lily, you may carry your clothes and anything that is really light", I allowed.

"Okay, dad", agreed Lily easily.

I made sure that she really grabbed some of her clothes, before grabbing some of the heavier bags and carrying them inside. It took quite a few trips to the car and back to get everything inside. When I finally got everything inside, I quickly put away all of the groceries, before going to Lily's room. I walked inside and noticed that she had cut off all the price tags from her new clothes, and she was just finishing up putting all of her clothes away.

When she noticed me, she smiled and ran over to me to hug me: "Thank you so much, dad!"

I quickly bend down and hugged her back: "You're welcome, Lily. You didn't have to put your clothes away by yourself though. I could have helped you."

Lily shook her head: "You were putting away the groceries."

"Well, I could have helped you put your clothes away once I was finished", I replied.

"I'm sorry", apologized Lily.

"No, don't be sorry. It's alright. I'm proud of you for doing it by yourself. I just want you to know that you didn't have to do it by yourself. You could have asked for my help", I explained gently.

Lily smiled: "Thanks, dad."

I smiled: "Now, how about I build your Hello Kitty table and chairs together and anything else you have?"

Lily nodded, and I quickly got the necessary tools out of the garage. Then I sat down on the floor and started building everything together. While I was doing that, Lily played with her doll. She put a diaper on her, changed her clothes, and fed her. Then she laid her doll down on her bed, and started setting up all of the things that she had for her doll at the foot of her bed. By that time, I had finished putting everything together, and Lily told me where she wanted it in her room. After that, I helped Lily organize all of her new toys in the Hello Kitty toy organizer. Lastly, Lily put her new alarm clock and liquid motion glow lamp on her bedside table, her CD player on her desk, and her tea set on the new table. Her new stuffed toys were all organized on her bed after I put her new bed set on. Her umbrella, backpack, handbag, and scooter were put into her closet for now.

I was still sitting on the floor, when Lily suddenly threw herself at me, almost causing me to fall on my back. I immediately hugged her tightly.

"Thank you, dad. Thank you so much", she whispered.

"You're welcome, Lily", I replied quietly.

We stayed like that for a while before Lily mumbled: "I love you, dad."

"I love you too, Lily", I responded smiling. "I'm going to go make dinner. Is there anything specific you want?"

Lily thought about it for a minute before exclaiming: "Pizza!"

I chuckled: "Alright. Pizza it is."

Lily crawled off of my lap, and I stood up and walked to the kitchen to make dinner.