Changed Your Tune
What should I do? Ally is a great kid, sure, but is any of this stuff legal? What would someone else do in my position? Who else would be doomed enough to get in my position? Why do these things always seem to happen to me?
Questions zipped around Jesse's mind as he lay in his bed, trying to get to sleep. He was trying to work out what to do. He would love to keep Ally, and not send her to be fostered, but there were so many things that prevented that from happening. He worked a lot, for a start, and never regular hours. And then there was the little matter of the fact that none of it was really legal, what he was doing. He should have reported the child to the social services long ago.
"There has got to be a way out of this," he mumbled to himself. "Something has got to go right for this kid." With that last thought in his head, he drifted off to sleep. He never heard the door to his apartment open and shut sometime later.
Sunshine was beginning to creep through his curtains when Jesse yawned, stretched, and glanced at the clock. "Just gone half past six," he muttered to himself, getting out of bed. He got washed and dressed, and as he made his way towards the kitchen, he passed the door to the spare room. It was open a crack, so Jesse peeked into the room. His jaw hit the floor to see an empty bed.
"What?" he stuttered, not quite able to get the words out. "Don't tell me they've got her!"
He looked around the entire room, and was about to give up when he came across a note on the side table.
Hi! Gone out, be back before 8am, Ally.
That girl is so informative, Jesse thought to himself. At least she wasn't skinned alive, as she had put it several times the previous day. But, whatever she was doing probably meant more trouble for him. He tried hard not to think about all the trouble he was about to end up in.
It was about half an hour before Jesse heard a knock on the door. He set his cup of coffee and breakfast on the counter, and opened the door.
"Like I said, I never break a promise," Ally told Jesse as she stepped into the apartment.
Jesse had planned to tell her off when she arrived home, but he thoroughly was lost for words.
"Wanna know where I went, and why?" Ally asking, reading the man's mind. Jesse nodded. "Well, you see, I know a few of Dad's friends here in LA, and they sorted everything out for you and me."
Jesse frowned, not liking the sound of what he was hearing. "What was it that you sorted out?"
"A few things, actually. I went to see Scott Wiley, a pal of my Dad's, and we went to see Zack Reninski, a computer genius. They sorted some stuff out for me. Here's the scenario. Dad and I were on the plane that crashed yesterday. Dad's body will be taken there about now. Me? No one knows. I am a mystery."
"Okay, and that legally helps me how?"
"Well, listen and I'll explain. Here," she said, showing him a piece of paper.
Jesse read it. The piece of paper was a legal document, showing that since Skelley was missing, Jesse had temporary custody of Ally.
"Hang on, if you're a mystery, how do you suddenly appear in my apartment?"
"This was not the easiest thing to plan, you know," Ally told him. "And besides, this is only if someone sees me."
"And if they realise that something doesn't fit? You can't lie forever, you know."
"Something has to work," Ally said. "I've got to stay with someone, or I'll be killed." That struck Jesse. It was the first time that she had used the word "killed" and he was really beginning to see the situation in a new light.
"I don't know," Jesse began. "I'm a busy guy, Ally."
"Hey, don't worry about that!" Ally persisted. "Just forget I'm here, I'll be good, I promise. No illegal stuff or anything like that, and you can have Dad's bike. I won't be a burden; you won't even know I'm here. It will be just like living with Dad again."
Jesse softened. He knew that Ally wasn't planning or plotting inside her head, trying to achieve something. This was her, pouring out her feelings.
It was then that the thinking Jesse did the previous night came to a conclusion. "Ally, as I said, I'm a busy guy. What I wanted to ask was, do you think you could live with me? Would you like to live with me, given that I am at work a lot? If you could, then I am ok with you living here."
Ally looked up into Jesse's eyes as he continued. "I know I got mad yesterday, and said that I'd send you off to the social services just because it wasn't playing by the rules, but I've changed my mind. You've been messed around in your life enough as it is, and I think that it's time you decide what you want to do. Playing by the rules doesn't cut everything."
Ally stood, taking in what Jesse was saying. When he finished, a smile broke across Ally's face. "You've changed your tune. What suddenly did that, eh? I mean, last night, you were all for throwing me into the hands of the social services. Now, you want me to stay?"
"I am letting you stay," Jesse told her, putting the emphasis on the word 'letting.' "I am allowing you to make up your own mind, for a change. It's up to you, what you want."
Ally sat and thought about what Jesse had said for a moment, and then said with a grin, "You know what, Jesse Travis? For a short, blonde guy, you are pretty cool."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Jesse said with a grin. "I also take it that you'll be staying?"
"This guy really is Sherlock Holmes, isn't he," Ally smirked.
What should I do? Ally is a great kid, sure, but is any of this stuff legal? What would someone else do in my position? Who else would be doomed enough to get in my position? Why do these things always seem to happen to me?
Questions zipped around Jesse's mind as he lay in his bed, trying to get to sleep. He was trying to work out what to do. He would love to keep Ally, and not send her to be fostered, but there were so many things that prevented that from happening. He worked a lot, for a start, and never regular hours. And then there was the little matter of the fact that none of it was really legal, what he was doing. He should have reported the child to the social services long ago.
"There has got to be a way out of this," he mumbled to himself. "Something has got to go right for this kid." With that last thought in his head, he drifted off to sleep. He never heard the door to his apartment open and shut sometime later.
Sunshine was beginning to creep through his curtains when Jesse yawned, stretched, and glanced at the clock. "Just gone half past six," he muttered to himself, getting out of bed. He got washed and dressed, and as he made his way towards the kitchen, he passed the door to the spare room. It was open a crack, so Jesse peeked into the room. His jaw hit the floor to see an empty bed.
"What?" he stuttered, not quite able to get the words out. "Don't tell me they've got her!"
He looked around the entire room, and was about to give up when he came across a note on the side table.
Hi! Gone out, be back before 8am, Ally.
That girl is so informative, Jesse thought to himself. At least she wasn't skinned alive, as she had put it several times the previous day. But, whatever she was doing probably meant more trouble for him. He tried hard not to think about all the trouble he was about to end up in.
It was about half an hour before Jesse heard a knock on the door. He set his cup of coffee and breakfast on the counter, and opened the door.
"Like I said, I never break a promise," Ally told Jesse as she stepped into the apartment.
Jesse had planned to tell her off when she arrived home, but he thoroughly was lost for words.
"Wanna know where I went, and why?" Ally asking, reading the man's mind. Jesse nodded. "Well, you see, I know a few of Dad's friends here in LA, and they sorted everything out for you and me."
Jesse frowned, not liking the sound of what he was hearing. "What was it that you sorted out?"
"A few things, actually. I went to see Scott Wiley, a pal of my Dad's, and we went to see Zack Reninski, a computer genius. They sorted some stuff out for me. Here's the scenario. Dad and I were on the plane that crashed yesterday. Dad's body will be taken there about now. Me? No one knows. I am a mystery."
"Okay, and that legally helps me how?"
"Well, listen and I'll explain. Here," she said, showing him a piece of paper.
Jesse read it. The piece of paper was a legal document, showing that since Skelley was missing, Jesse had temporary custody of Ally.
"Hang on, if you're a mystery, how do you suddenly appear in my apartment?"
"This was not the easiest thing to plan, you know," Ally told him. "And besides, this is only if someone sees me."
"And if they realise that something doesn't fit? You can't lie forever, you know."
"Something has to work," Ally said. "I've got to stay with someone, or I'll be killed." That struck Jesse. It was the first time that she had used the word "killed" and he was really beginning to see the situation in a new light.
"I don't know," Jesse began. "I'm a busy guy, Ally."
"Hey, don't worry about that!" Ally persisted. "Just forget I'm here, I'll be good, I promise. No illegal stuff or anything like that, and you can have Dad's bike. I won't be a burden; you won't even know I'm here. It will be just like living with Dad again."
Jesse softened. He knew that Ally wasn't planning or plotting inside her head, trying to achieve something. This was her, pouring out her feelings.
It was then that the thinking Jesse did the previous night came to a conclusion. "Ally, as I said, I'm a busy guy. What I wanted to ask was, do you think you could live with me? Would you like to live with me, given that I am at work a lot? If you could, then I am ok with you living here."
Ally looked up into Jesse's eyes as he continued. "I know I got mad yesterday, and said that I'd send you off to the social services just because it wasn't playing by the rules, but I've changed my mind. You've been messed around in your life enough as it is, and I think that it's time you decide what you want to do. Playing by the rules doesn't cut everything."
Ally stood, taking in what Jesse was saying. When he finished, a smile broke across Ally's face. "You've changed your tune. What suddenly did that, eh? I mean, last night, you were all for throwing me into the hands of the social services. Now, you want me to stay?"
"I am letting you stay," Jesse told her, putting the emphasis on the word 'letting.' "I am allowing you to make up your own mind, for a change. It's up to you, what you want."
Ally sat and thought about what Jesse had said for a moment, and then said with a grin, "You know what, Jesse Travis? For a short, blonde guy, you are pretty cool."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Jesse said with a grin. "I also take it that you'll be staying?"
"This guy really is Sherlock Holmes, isn't he," Ally smirked.