Chapter 4.
The next morning, Callen awoke slowly. It was early out still and the clock on his nightstand said 05:20. He stretched and blinked as he had slept the whole night. He was in a bed in new PJ's!
Slowly it came back to him. Coming home from the police station. Aileen signing the paperwork with the Rostov's and Callen having the biggest meal of meat and potatoes he had ever eaten and a loaf of bread - a very strange loaf of bread. It was round and decorated with a lighter dough that had a picture of fields and wheat on it. It was surrounded by a dark wicker basket. Papa Rostov had told him it was a celebration as he now had a son.
There was a knock on his door and Callen sat up in bed.
"Good morning my son, do you wish to play your baseball with me before zavtrak?" Toli asked.
"Zavtrak?" Callen asked.
"Breaking your fast?" Toli asked trying to get it right.
"Oh, breakfast." Callen grinned.
'Ok, breakfast is Zavtrak' Callen said to himself.
He had learned fast to fit into environments, but this one was kind of fun with the learning of a new language. He got dressed as Toli in his usual loud way, roamed the halls of the house waking up the family.
Callen walked into the kitchen to find Sveta already cooking. He kissed her on the cheek and helped himself to a glass of milk.
"G!" Toli's voice came from the garden; he flinched a bit and then smiled as he saw the large man standing there with two baseball gloves and a ball. "You teach me baseball, yes?" he asked.
Callen looked at Sveta for permission, "May I please Mama Rostov?" he asked.
"Da, Moy syn," she replied nodding her head.
Callen looked at her, "Da means yes, right? But Mama, what does moy syn mean?" he asked.
"Why it means my son. That is who you are and Alaina is moy doch', my daughter," she said
Callen grinned and ran out to join his foster father throwing the ball around before breakfast.
After breakfast, Toli went to work as a dockworker and Sveta got on with her household chores, while Alaina and Callen sat in the garden. Alaina pointed to things and said them in Russian. Callen repeated what she said and then told her what the word was in English.
"Drevo," she said pointing to the tree.
"Drevo. Tree!" he said seriously.
"Zlak." She pointed to the ground.
"Zlak. Ground?" She shook her head. "Path?" Again a no. Callen focused. "Grass. Zlak. Grass," he said as she smiled.
"Malen'kiy sestra," she said pointing solemnly to herself.
Callen thought about it. "Girl. No? Small girl? Look at me?" He was stumped.
"Little sister silly," Alaina jumped into his arms, "and you are, Bol'shoy brat-big brother," she giggled tickling him until he too laughed.
His outlook on life after being there for a month had changed.
He was rapidly picking up Russian, he felt a part of the family, and his schooling had improved although he did at one point get a telling off from his teacher after being late for school one morning a month after arriving at the Rostov's
He had dropped Alaina off as Mama had a small cold and he was three minutes late for class.
"Mr. Callen, you are late to my class again," Mr. Bishop said as Callen tried sneaking into his class."
"Sorry sir," Callen said
"Sorry?" Bishop sniped; he was a small annoying man who liked to make examples out of pupils who didn't play by the rules.
"I suppose that's all I can expect of an illiterate foster kid." He laughed. A few of the class laughed along with him.
Callen looked annoyed and turned to his seat. "Glupyy uchitel' dumayet, chto on znayet vse!" he snapped as he walked to his chair.
Bishop stopped and looked at him, "What did you say boy?"
"I'm sorry sir, I'm just an illiterate foster kid, don't speak English," Callen snapped.
"Of course you do, stop being stupid and get to your seat boy," Bishop growled.
For the whole day Bishop would ask questions and as far as he knew Callen was speaking nonsense, so he had the principle sit in for the last lesson.
"Very well class, I want you to discuss your opinion of the Vietnam War. Mr. Callen do you have anything to share with the class?"
Callen glared at Bishop knowing that he was just pushing his buttons.
He stood and walked to the front of the class, "Voyna vo V'yetname velas' v kontse shestidesyatykh, i mnogiye iz lyudey umerli ..." He stopped as the principle stood up.
"Mr. Callen, my office," he ordered and even though the other kids laughed Callen grabbed his bag and walked past Bishop on his way out. "Drochili!" he said as he walked past.
Bishop got up and followed them.
Waiting outside the office, it wasn't long before he heard the familiar sound of his foster mother's brisk walk.
"Moy syn, what has happened?"
"Mrs. Callen?" the principal asked as he looked out to see the blonde woman hug the boy.
"Mrs. Rostov." She corrected him and they both walked in. "Why have I been called here?" she asked.
"Mr. Callen has been misbehaving in class today," the principle said.
"He has been stubborn, rude, belligerent and talking nonsense all day," Bishop snapped.
Sveta looked at Callen confused, "Mama, ya byl grub i voyuyushchego vsego dnya, uchitel' pozvonil mne glupym i togda on skazal, ya ne mog chitat', ni pisat," he said looking as his feet in shame.
Sveta looked sternly at her boy, "Zachem ty vedet sebya kak eto?" she asked.
"I'm sorry, I just got angry," Callen answered.
The principal and the teacher looked on amazed as 'mother' and son had their conversation.
"I am sorry; it isn't in your records that you are bilingual," the principal said.
Callen shrugged, "I'm not, I just learned since I moved in with Mama Rostov and her family," he admitted. "I'm sorry sir's I was out of line. It's just I took my little sister to school and she was playing. I was only a minute late and Mr. Bishop insisted on making an example out of me. I was out of line."
"Yes you were. You will report to detention all week," Mr. Bishop said. Sveta and the principal agreed with him.
As Callen and Sveta left the office Callen lagged behind, "Mama? What is my punishment?" he asked. He couldn't help but start shaking as he imagined that now they would send him away - or worse.
Sveta leaned against a wall and pulled her son gently face to face with her, "I will talk with my husband."
Callen's heart sank - he had blown it.
"But I think he will agree with me, no television for this week and you young man will wash up every night."
Callen looked amazed and even though there were other kids and Bishop walking past, he launched into her arms and hugged her.
"Really? You're not going to get rid of me?" he asked with amazement.
"I will not get rid of you, you are family."
Arriving home his heart constricted as Aileen was sitting inside the living room as he took his jacket and shoes off. "Should I bother?" he asked resigned as he looked over at her.
"Of course, I'm not taking you; it's your looked after child review."
"Aren't you supposed to tell me in advance and they are supposed to be at the office?" Callen inquired suspiciously.
"Yes, but Mr. Lennox wanted to have one here, as he wanted to meet the people you have finally settled with. No one is moving you G, you are staying right here," Aileen informed him.
Callen relaxed. He walked into the living room and Alaina jumped into his lap.
"Will you watch TV with me?" she asked.
He bounced her on his knee and she giggled, "I can't, Mama says I cannot watch TV for a week. I was bad in school," he admitted.
"Oh!" she said her eyes going wide "Do you not get a story too?"
Callen smiled, he didn't have stories but she didn't know that, "Nope. But I have to wash up after dinner."
She giggled again as he bounced her on his knee and Aileen smiled at the interaction between them.
The door knocked and Mr. Lennox stood there with a big black briefcase in his hand and a coffee mug in the other, "Afternoon Mrs. Rostov," he said to Sveta as she opened the door.
"Mr. Lennox, welcome to my home," she said and they sat around the table as Alaina played in the back garden.
They started going through the paperwork, Callen looking as bored as ever, when the front door crashed open.
"YA doma moikh detey!"
Callen shot out of his seat and crashing into Alaina, who came running in from the back garden, he picked up his little sister and they both ran up to Toli.
"Papa!" they yelled in unison and gave Toli a hug.
John Lennox nearly spat out his coffee. Callen, G. Callen, the one kid who showed no emotion had just run from the table and was hugging the huge bulk of a dockworker - and smiling!
Toli walked into the kitchen and looked at the man with the briefcase.
"Who are you?" He asked his face going darker, "You are not going to take my son?" he asked.
Mr. Lennox looked up at the man whose face was fierce but fair. He could see the concern for Callen in his eyes, "Mr. Rostov, I can assure you that we have no plans to remove Callen from your care. I have never seen him so settled and happy," he said.
Toli broke out into a huge smile as Callen stood beside him. He turned and sighed, "Mama said to tell you I am on punishment. I was angry at school and I talked back to a teacher. I am to have no TV for a week and I am on washing up," he said.
Lennox sat stunned. And now he confessed to misbehaving? He watched to see how the father of the house would take it.
Toli looked crestfallen, "I am sorry my son, I should have made sure you were ready for school earlier. I will amend my way, but you are responsible for what you said to your teacher and you will make amends tomorrow."
"Yes Papa," Callen said looking admonished and confused, He knew Papa was a smart man, but he hadn't told him he was late for school. "Papa, how did you know I was late?" He asked.
Toli laughed, "You think malyshem that your mama and I do not talk to each other."
Toli looked expectantly at his wife, "You did not ban him from baseball - did you?" He asked as he joined Svetlana and Callen at the table with John and Aileen.
Sveta laughed, "No, you too may still have your baseball," she said.
Callen looked at John, "I am teaching Papa Rostov to play baseball," he said proudly, "and Alaina, Mama and Papa are teaching me Russian. He grinned.
"Callen, I am happy to recommend that your placement here be permanent, if that is what you wish."
Callen grinned, "Yeah, I really love it here. I have a home."
