"Bye Landon! I'm gonna miss you!!!"
"I'm gonna miss you too Lea!"
"Malea?"
"Dean? Hehe, hi!"
"You know you could have called later if you were busy right now. Unlike many think, I'm pretty patient."
"Sorry, just got done with my date with Landon!"
Death choked on the very air he was breathing.
"W-what? Date? I thought it was just a play date."
"It was, silly! Landon just said to call it a date because it's easier to say."
"This bastard us already a player, damn." Death mumbled, low enough Malea didn't hear him.
"Huh?"
"Nothing, princess. What did you do on your, um.... date?"
"Oooooh it was so much fun, we ate ice cream and played house, I was the mommy and he was the daddy. I told him that my mommy and daddy kiss, and that we should cause it's more real. He-"
Death started coughing, his face red. He wouldn't be able to tell you whether it was from embarrassment, loss of breath, or red hot rage.
"Dean? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, just caught off guard. Aren't first kisses suppose to be special?"
"That's what Landon said too! So we didn't kiss, but oh well!"
"Thank God."
"Malea? How's it been going with your father?"
"Oh, uh..."
"What is it?"
"Daddy said I was a bad word and, and..."
"Do you know what bad word it was?"
"You really shouldn't ask a kid to repeat a bad word, Death. Unless you want her to end up here, if course." Lucifer snickered as he walked in one door and out the other.
"That's not the only thing that gets you here, asshole!"
"What's an asshole?"
"You're welcome!"
"Shut the fuck up Lucifer!"
"Dean, stop being mean."
"Yeah Dean, stop being mean to me!"
"Goddammit. Sorry, Malea."
"Its okay Dean!"
"So, what bad word was it that your father called you?"
"Um, it started with an H I think. Hore?"
"You mean Whore?!"
"Yeah, that one!"
Death put her on mute for a second.
"The fuck is wrong with this dude, calling a fucking kid a fucking whore."
"Dean?"
"What else did he do, princess?"
"He hurt my finger, mommy said he broke it. Guess that's why it hurts so much."
"HE BROKE YOUR FINGER?!"
"Say what now?"
"Stop shouting, you're scaring me..."
"I'm sorry Princess. Have you given it any more thought to going to the authorities with me?"
"Yeah, but I still don't want to."
"Malea, you can't keep denying everything that happens. Would God want you to be hurt?"
"No."
"Then you shouldn't have to put up with that - that crap!"
"One more week, pwease Dean!"
Her voice trembled, causing Death to stop for a second. She loved her parents more than anything, yet her father hurt her. But still she loved him more than herself. "That's true love if ever I heard it."
"One week. No more, alright?"
"Thank you Dean. I'm glad I have you on my side. "
"Me too, princess. Me too."
CALL ENDED