"Goodbye Curly Head"

"Inside My House; Some Place I Keep Dreaming About"

He kept running and running, past the binding doors, past the gate to freedom. Once again, Andy found himself on the bustling streets of Laterano. Past the liberi salesmen and saleswomen, past the newspaper boys and past the dessert stands. Diving into the ocean of worried souls, all hurrying off along their own path. The warmth of the sun breaking through the cold, reflecting off the flocks of their halos and dimming the wings of pure light.

"'Scuse me... 'Scuse me..."

Andy kept wading through the crowds, with a single destination in mind. A chance to visit his sick, probably bedridden friend. A chance to finally give, instead of taking.

After narrowly avoiding being trampled by the crowd, he broke away from the angelic masses and jumped into a narrow alleyway. A shortcut he knew all too well. It took him a mere couple of minutes before he found himself standing in front of an incredibly familiar, marble lined, single story house.

Knock, knock.

The door soon swung open, revealing a forty something year old woman with locks of long, crimson hair cascading down her figure. A warm, familiar smile immediately stretched out on her face as she noticed the little scoundrel on her doorstep.

"Drewie!"

"Hello miss-..."

"Hello, hello, it's ten degrees outside and you're out without a coat?! El's sick already, that's enough worries for me... C'mon, come in, come in..."

She hurried him inside and locked the door. Andy felt a wave of pleasant familiarity wash over him. This place was kind of like his second home, after all. Warm, rhubarb colored wallpapers, lazy, snug furniture, pictures of a happy, perfect family scattered all over the walls. A younger Andy even made a guest appearance on some of them, usually graduation photos. As the sweet smell of pie filled his nostrils, all the guilt and unpleasantries connected to this place, the idiotic feeling of being a leech and a pest disappeared in an instant.

This wasn't the time for self righteousness and playing martyr.

"Oh, you're just in time, Drewie. Made us some apple pie, for El and I. You know how she likes her sweets. It's still cooling down, but... Give it a minute or two. Anyhow, how was school? Good? Got notes for Lemuel? She could use some, judging by her grades... Oh and how's your dad? Haven't heard from him in a while, must've been real busy with..."

Her sweet voice filled Andy's ears and made him drift off a bit. Sweeter than any pie he could've ever tasted. Good thing she loved waffling so much.

"Uh-huh... Yup, everything's fine, uh-huh."

She joined her hands together and glanced down at the little rascal with a warm, loving, almost pitiful look. She clicked her tongue.

"The mere fact that your dad let you leave this morning without a coat! What a... What a... Ah, forget it. Anyway, I bet you're just itching to see Lemuel, hm? I'm such a chatterbox, pardon me. She's in her room, just don't get too close, it could be infectious, whatever she has. Haven't yet made a proper diagnosis, see, our family doctor's on leave, away in Iberia, visiting some relatives, oh that woman just always picks the worst times, ah... Oh, but don't worry, it's not oripathy, can't be. I would've ripped those crystals out myself, had I seen any! Ah, but I digress again, sorry, Drewie..."

With a goofy grin on his face, Andy kept nodding along, agreeing with each sweet word that was spoken to him. His hair received a second ruffling of the day, before Lemuel's mother finally left him to himself.