Kuki walked alone in the park, she perched on the ledge of a pond and gazed at her reflection in front of her. She smiled as she stared at the multicolored fish below her.
"Thought I'd find you here." Kuki looked up to see Abby sit next to her. Abby wrapped her arms around Kuki.
"I never liked Jason anyway. He didn't deserve you. Now, quit thinking about Jason and go find a better guy." She told her.
"Abby…" Kuki tried to stop her but Abby didn't listen.
"Repeat after me…I don't need a guy to complete my life…"
"I don't need a guy to complete my life…"
"I'm perfect the way that I am…"
"I'm perfect the way that I am…"
"…And I hate Jason."
"And I…I don't hate Jason, I love Jason." Kuki sighed.
"Whoa, girl. You got it pretty bad this time huh?" Abby looked shocked at her announcement.
Kuki nodded.
"C'mon, we'd better get you home, your mom's worried sick." Abby told her, latching onto her arm as they stood up.
"Isn't that Joey?" Kuki nodded towards a small boy with his friends, he had blonde hair in a bowl cut and stunning green eyes which were visible from the distance which the two girls were standing.
"Yeah, you're right. It is."
"Wow, sure looks like Wally." Kuki sighed.
"Hoagie's parents still stay in touch with the Beatles, Mrs. Beatles is getting really depressed because apparently, Joey keeps talking to Wally."
"Keeps talking to him?"
"Yeah, Hoagie says that he holds normal conversations with him on a regular basis, he has done since Wally died. Poor Mrs Beatles wants to take him to a counsellor."
"Poor kid." Kuki gazed sympathetically at the boy.
"Anyway, we really have to go, I told your mom I'd find you and bring you straight back."
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"You see?...If that was all he wanted from you was he really worth it?" Abby asked as they walked into Kuki's house.
"Kuki! Where have you been?" Genki scolded as they walked into the kitchen. "Are you still sobbing about Jason?"
"She'll be okay Ms Sanban, she just needs a little TLC, you know, maybe the bath set I got her." Abby smiled at Kuki. "And she just needs a little cuddle."
"Cuddles are for teddy bears!" Genki sighed.
Abby sighed at Kuki's mother's lack of sympathy. She was never really seen as much of a motherly figure in Abby's eyes.
"You need me, I'm just a phone call away right?" Abby hugged Kuki and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before walking out.
"Bye." Kuki waved and lent against the door. Mushi was at camp for a week, so it was just the two of them. Most people would enjoy spending quality time with their mothers, not Kuki. Most children had mothers who were caring, nurturing and influential.
Kuki had always told Abby to slap her if she ever showed any signs of her mother's personality in her.
Deep down. Kuki wished that her mother was more like Wally's, whom she hadn't seen since a few weeks after the incident. She smiled again, Wally always used to get so irritated with his mother when Kuki was around.
Flashback
"Oh, Kuki dear! It's you! Come in darlin'." Mrs Beatles smiled at her.
"Hello Mrs Beatles, Is Wally in?" Kuki smiled politely, secretly wishing that she had a mother like his.
"Sure, he's in his room, go on right up pet." Mrs Beatles pointed up the stairs and made her way into the kitchen. "I'll make you a nice fresh batch of cookies."
Kuki walked slowly up the stairs. She reached the landing and knocked on the first door to the right. She waited for a second then walked in.
Wally was lying on his bed gazing at the ceiling. He glanced at Kuki as she walked in.
"Hey." Wally grunted, turning his attention back to the ceiling.
"Hi." Kuki smiled. She walked over and sat on the edge of his bed.
They didn't speak much, well, there's only so much you can say when you're around each other 24/7. They only spoke of random events which had happened to them in the last day since they last saw each other. After about fifteen minutes, Mrs Beatles came hurrying through the door.
"Here's those cookies I promised ya Kuki! Careful, they're hot from the oven, it's my quick bake recipe, and I'll have to give it to you before you leave. I know you enjoy baking don't you dear?" Mrs Beatles said without taking a breath. Kuki nodded politely and gratefully took a cookie from the plate.
"Wally hates cooking, he only ever enjoys it when it's somebody else slaving over making food for him. You know, sometimes I just think that…"
Wally decided to interrupt his mother.
"Mom!" He groaned. "I'm right here you know!"
"Oh, sorry Wallabee dear!" His mom pinched his cheek. Making Kuki giggle at his facial expression. "I'm going out to the shops now, keep an eye on your brother for me, he's down for his nap now. Your father's downstairs but he's fast asleep so don't be too noisy. Oh and Kuki dear, is there anything you'd like while I'm out? Do you want me to get the ingredients for you?"
"No, really Mrs Beatles, I'm fine." Kuki smiled.
The two children stayed silent until the blonde haired woman left the room and the front door was heard opened and closed.
"I'm sure she loves you way more than she loves me, her own son!" Wally groaned.
"Of course she loves me, she has two sons. I bet that she'd love to have a daughter, to do, you know, girly stuff with."
Wally just grunted in agreement. A loud and grumpy screaming could be heard from the next room.
"Somebody wants attention." Kuki giggled as she heard Joey rattling on his crib cage.
Wally jumped off his bed and disappeared out of the room. He returned with a miniature version of himself in his arms.
"Mom said he's gotta have a nap but you don't need some cruddy sleep do ya bro?" Joey laughed hysterically as Wally held him in the air and spoke to him.
"K…K…Kumi!" Joey gargled, holding out his arms, begging Kuki to hold him. Kuki picked him up and held him close. In a few seconds he was fast asleep.
"And you wonder why your mother likes me." Kuki laughed.
End of Flashback
Kuki's mother, on the other hand, had always been rather unsocial towards Kuki's friends. She would often put her friends down while they were present. The only one who actually visited Kuki's house was Abby, because she knew that Kuki was in need of her. Abby had managed to train herself to ignore Genki's harsh words, something which Kuki had yet to learn.
"Don't step on that carpet! I just had it shampooed!" Her mother yelled as Kuki went to step into the living room.
"Yes mother." Kuki chimed and started to walk up her stairs.
"I made your bed for you since you seemed so unable to do it properly."
"oh," Kuki said, ignoring her mothers comment.
"Oh? That's all you can say to me? Oh?"
"Thankyou. Mother."
"That's better. Goodnight."
Kuki walked into her room and got changed. She picked up the photo album and held it close to her as she lay in bed and drifted off to sleep.
