The two girls decided to go to 'Don't Kill it; Don't Grill It'. It was a vegan restaurant at the very edge of the town, the one that Kelly's parents were opening, which meant that they were able to talk during the walk there.

And talk they did. They walked and talked and talked, about everything, it seemed. Lisa asked Kelly about her family, and Kelly told her that her parents were young, having given birth to her when they were only eighteen. They worked at the same restaurant together, and once she was born they had to start making sure that one of them could be home with her at all times.

"It was either that or pay a babysitter," Kelly explained. "Part of me thinks that they could have found some desperate teenager to do it for less than they lost out on by not going to work, but, they did what they thought was best."

Lisa smiled and nodded encouraging. "I'm sure they did! It wouldn't have even had to be a teenager. I've done a bit of babysitting, in my time."

Kelly looked to be impressed by that. An eight-year-old, babysitting? It was one thing for them to keep an eye on their sibling while their parents were in the other room, but for the parents to actually go out and leave their child with another child? Either the parents in Springfield were incredibly stupid-which, given what she had seen so far, she wouldn't have been surprised by-or Lisa was even more brilliant than she had given her credit for.

"Do you like kids, then?" she asked curiously, shifting her trombone case from one hand to the other.

Lisa, without even thinking about it, did the same with her saxophone case. "I guess I do. They're okay. I've got a little baby sister; her and I get along. Really, though, I think I prefer-"

"-Animals?"

"Animals."

Both girls said the word at the same time and laughed. Lisa preferred animals because they were innocent. They only hurt others in self-defense or out of self-preservation, not because they were mean. Unbeknownst to her, that was the same reason that Kelly liked them.

"Have you got any other siblings?"

Lisa hesitated before answering. She didn't want to talk about Bart. She loved Bart, but Bart was...he was challenging, very much so. "I do, yes," she finally said. "An older brother. You'll probably meet him before you want to." She smiled and attempted to laugh, but the sound came out as being very obviously forced.

Kelly smiled, and before Lisa knew what was happening, the auburn-haired girl had taken her hand and was holding it.

"It's okay. I haven't got any siblings that I'm embarrassed by, but I have a cousin-my mom's brother's son-who is an absolute monster."

She's trying to make you feel better! Lisa realized, fighting to suppress a smile. The only person who's ever tried to make you feel better about Bart is Mom. This girl is fantastic!

Lisa had already decided that today was one of the best days of her life-so far-but it only got better when they arrived at the restaurant. It wasn't open to the public yet; there were boxes of plates, knives, forks, spoons, bowls, all sorts of dishes stacked up in the dining area, which was in the midst of being repainted. A young couple-in their mid-to-late twenties, judging by Kelly's age-emerged from the kitchen. Both of them had tattoos on their bodies of flowers and various fruits and vegetables, and they had piercings in their ears, nose, and lips.

"Hi, Kelly!" the woman greeted, looking from her daughter to Lisa. "Oh, and you've brought a friend for dinner, how wonderful!" The woman wiped her flour-covered hands on her pants and extended her hand to Lisa. "Hi! I'm Korey, Kelly's mom."

Lisa smiled at the woman, immediately entranced by how kind she was, how original her name was, and she went to hold out her own hand-only to realize that she had still been holding Kelly's! It made her blush, and she began stammering.

"Oh, I wasn't holding-that is-she and I-we aren't-"

Kelly's father laughed and held up his hand to silence her.

"Relax, darlin'. If our little girl wants to hold hands with another little girl, we ain't gonna make a fuss about it. I'm Rex. What d'ya like, tofu, tempeh, or straight beans? I'm thinkin' barbeque."

Rex was obviously a Texan, and a Texan that was vegan. Lisa was even more impressed now than she had been before.

"Tofu's fine," she answered, then looked to Korey. "Can I borrow a phone? I've got to call and let my mom know I'll be home late."

"Of course," Korey answered, and she reached into her pocket for her cell phone. She held it out for Lisa to take.

The background of the phone was a photograph of the Macintosh family sitting under a tree, enjoying a picnic of raw fruits and vegetables. They all looked so happy, and nobody was strangling anybody or embarrassing the rest of them.

Lisa decided she would try and come here for dinner more often.