Chapter 9
Sofia woke and saw that her clock read 12:07am. She was surprised she had slept that long, over seven hours. She was really hungry. Remembering the pizza that Dr. Bailey had sent home with them, Sofia decided to grab a midnight snack. As she walked to the kitchen she noticed the light on in her parent's bedroom; she peaked in. Her mother was sound asleep. The light by her bedside was on, and the book she was reading was still propped open.
Sofia made her mind up that this would be an ideal time to check her Facebook, since her mother had removed her laptop from her room. Grabbing a couple of slices of cold pizza and some ginger ale, Sofia sat down at the computer desk in the kitchen and logged into her Facebook account to find out what was happening with her friends over the last twenty-four hours while she was AWOL. She found her mother's consequences too far-reaching, and since Sofia still felt her mother had no business punishing her to this extent, particularly since she didn't even live with them, Sofia deemed her deviousness justifiable.
After fifteen minutes or so Sofia heard a loud crash coming from the master bedroom, she ran to the room and realized something was not right. Her mother was sitting up and talking, no - she was screaming. Panic stricken, Arizona knocked off everything from the night table next to the bed, breaking a glass and cracking the lamp. Her arms and legs were flailing as if she was fighting an invisible demon. Sofia cowered in the doorway, watching the situation unfold for over ten minutes. Then she witnessed her mother become inconsolable, dropping her head to the pillow, sobbing and after ten more minutes Arizona was sleeping soundly.
Sofia recalled seeing the tail end of a similar situation months ago, before her Mama had moved out. Callie was standing exactly where Sofia was, staying away from Arizona while the episode ran its course. Sofia had wanted to help her, she begged her Mom to do something, but Callie held firm, staying put. After the broken nose, Callie knew it was best and safer to let her wife be and let the night terror play itself out. Sofia remembered her mother's advice and reluctantly left Arizona alone.
It was clear to Sofia that both her parents have not exactly been upfront about all that was wrong with her Mama. Arizona had been vague, evading any questions regarding why she could not live at home. Sofia was just an eyewitness to a curse that had been plaguing her family – of course she was not certain that this was the only problem, there could be more issues for all she knew. Sofia was angry with both her mothers for their lack of honesty but she was also petrified watching the sheer fear and heartbreaking panic consume her Mama.
Whatever was going on affected her too, and Sofia felt she was old enough to handle the truth and deserved as much.
After deciding it was safe to enter the room, Sofia cleaned up the mess, picking up the broken glass, and placing the lamp, though cracked, back on the nightstand along with the book her mother was reading.
Realizing Arizona had moved into a deep sleep after the exhausting episode, Sofia carefully detached her mother's prosthesis, placing it near the bed. She had watched her mother do this often enough, she knew what to do. When she was younger, her mother even let her help. Sofia noticed some irritation on the limb, probably caused by the thrashing. She then retrieved the crutches from the closet, laying them down on the floor next to the bed.
Making sure the room was back in order and her mother was covered, she shut the light off and left the room. Sofia, laying down on the couch in the family room, acted as a sentinel should there be any more rumbling coming from the master bedroom. Sofia knew it was on her to handle any issues since they were the only two in the house.
Xxxxxxx
Callie woke up close to 10:00am on Sunday morning, feeling very well rested. It was the best sleep she had experienced in ages. She discovered that Barbara must have put Anna somewhere else to sleep last night, which helped since Anna is all over the place when she slept.
Before heading down to breakfast, Callie called her house to check on Sofia. Arizona said she was still sleeping, the two shared some small talk as well, 'How's the weather? What time do you leave?', and so on. Callie was glad Arizona was letting their daughter sleep in. Arizona sounded okay; the phone call was polite, and functional, nothing more. Arizona would have Sofia call once she woke.
Barbara had a hot breakfast waiting for her daughter-in-law. She greeted Callie with a fresh cup of coffee. "Sleep well, dear?" she asked?
"Barbara, it was great. I saw you put Anna somewhere else last night, thank you!" Callie answered.
"Daniel put an air mattress down in the boys' room for her. She slept right through the night. Daniel took the children to the playground this morning; they'll be back before lunch." Barbara told Callie.
Barbara poured herself a cup of coffee, and sat down across the table from Callie. "Tell me, how are things really going?"
Callie knew this question would be asked eventually. 'I guess sooner was better; just get the concerns out in the open. Arizona certainly was not her mother's daughter in that respect.', thought Callie. Barbara Robbins did not shy away from a difficult conversation.
"Well, I'm not sure to be honest. Arizona has implied that she might not be ready to move back home in the near future. Actually, she has encouraged me, in not so direct terms, to move on without her." Callie, clearly discouraged, shared.
"Callie, regardless of how this goes, we will always be here for you, for the children. We are family. Arizona, at least in the past, always figures it out. It just takes her more time to process things." Barbara reasoned.
"Barbara, it has been four months. All the signs are pointing to the fact that she is no closer to getting back to the person I married. I want her to be happy or at least content. Living with me, at home, does not make her happy right now." Callie tearfully explained.
"How about the counseling, is that helping? Barbara asked.
"It could, but Arizona is not fully committed to it. She needs to open up and share, and she is not willing to do that yet. We have had some good sessions but we are just scratching the surface." Callie noted. "I'm not quitting here Barbara; I'm just saying that Arizona appears to be moving in a different direction. I love you and Daniel and I appreciate all the support you have given us. Thank you. This time away will hopefully help both of us figure it out."
"So, what time is Addison picking you up?" Barbara inquired in an effort to change the subject. She could sense Callie's despair, and decided to stop probing.
Callie, happy to have the topic switched, "Noontime. Oh, I should go get ready." Callie stood up and approached her mother-in-law and gave her a big hug, "You are the best, you know that, right?" Callie sincerely told the older woman, who smiled warmly at the compliment.
xxxxxxxxx
Sunday morning Arizona woke up and immediately knew something was off. Her body ached. She looked around the room and noticed the cracked lamp; her book was shut and placed on the nightstand. She realized her prosthesis was off and she did not recall removing it. She searched for her wine glass, but it was not where she left it. Arizona Robbins was distressed to once again be unsure of what transpired, all signs pointed to a night terror. Unfortunately, she acknowledged the right triggers were in place: stress, anxiety, and fatigue. She scolded herself for not anticipating this.
Using the crutches conveniently located by her bed – crutches she did not recall placing there, Arizona made her way to the kitchen, and noticed a half-eaten slice of pizza by the computer and an empty glass.
Arizona clicked on the mouse and saw Sofia's Facebook page open. Sofia was not careless, she would not leave food out and she certainly was shrewd enough to not leave her Facebook account open on the computer, especially since she had been forbidden to use the computer without permission. Something did happen.
Arizona checked the computer history and noticed that Sofia signed on at 12:30am. While throwing the half-eaten pizza slice in the trash, Arizona laid eyes on the shards of glass. Arizona immediately went to Sofia's room to check on her, she was alarmed to find the bed empty. She checked the family room and was relieved to see Sofia asleep on the couch. Arizona covered her daughter with a throw, deciding to let her be.
A few hours later Sofia woke. Arizona was working at the dining room table. "Hey" she greeted her mother. Sofia was not sure what else to say and left it at that.
"Hi" Arizona replied, wondering how much more challenging could this week get? She hoped that things truly did happen in threes, and this would be the end of this week's string of bad luck: the school meeting, the party and the night terror. "About last night…" Arizona started.
"Forget it, it was no big deal." Sofia cut-in, hoping to avoid a conversation on this. What she saw was frightening enough, she did not want to talk about it and relive the experience. Plus she worried about her mother's reaction if she heard the true details.
"It is a big deal, I don't remember what happened but I think you know what happened," Arizona explained.
"You talked a little; you must have knocked some stuff over. You were already asleep by the time I went in. It was over before it really even started." Sofia nonchalantly responded.
"That's it? Arizona skeptically asked.
"That's it." Sofia confirmed.
"Thank you for picking up." Arizona said
"No problem." Sofia replied.
Happy to avoid the subject any further, Arizona suggested Sofia shower and eat, so the two could start on some schoolwork.
"Before you shower, call Mom. She checked in while you were still sleeping, she wants you to call her back. You can use the phone in the kitchen or study." Arizona added.
Sofia picked up the kitchen phone and dialed her mother's cell phone number. "Hi Mom…I feel fine…Really, no problems…I'm gonna shower and eat …..I think Mama wants me to get the history out-of-the-way first…I will…Love you too…Bye." Sofia hung up the phone and went to shower.
Sofia did not mention the night terror to Callie, so maybe it really was a nonevent Arizona thought. Preferring to avoid any more talk on the topic of night terrors, Arizona opted to not bring up the use of the kitchen computer last night to Sofia. Avoidance was easier to manage these days. Instead, the next topic of conversation would be AP History; at least with history there were no surprises Arizona chuckled to herself.
Xxxxxxx
Callie showered, changed and repacked her bags. When she went downstairs of the Robbins home, she found her children giggling at the kitchen table eating peanut butter and fluff sandwiches.
"Hey, look at you, with your marshmallow mustaches!" Callie exclaimed. "You three remember that I am going away in a little bit with Aunt Addy for a few days? I will be seeing you on Friday at Disneyland."
"Okay Mom" "Yes Mom" "Bye Mom" was the response.
"Bye Mom. Really Anna? Are you trying to get rid of me already?" Callie feigned annoyance at her young daughter.
"But Mom, Grandma said we are not going to get to do any of the fun stuff until after you leave?" her daughter pouted.
'Boy, did Anna look like Arizona', Callie thought. "Okay, I get it." Callie cheerily replied. Just then the doorbell rang.
"Come in Addison" Daniel said in welcoming Addison. The two had met only on a handful of occasions, but they still remembered each other.
"Great to see you again Colonel." Addison replied with a smile.
"Addy!" As Callie embraced her friend, Callie said, "It's been too long. My bags are packed, the kids are anxious for me to leave so their fun can begin,"
Callie and Addison gave hugs and kisses to the three children. "Have fun Mom! By Aunt Addy." the three shouted.
Callie thanked her in-laws and embraced them. Barbara picked up on Callie's last minute jitters. "Callie, we have this, we have both yours and Addison's cell phone number, we know where you are staying. You are not going that far away. I promise we will call if there is an issue. Go. Have fun, you deserve this break."
Callie nodded, agreeing with Barbara's logic. Tears were starting to form, so Callie waved goodbye, grabbed her bags and headed out the door before the teardrops were flowing more frequently. Callie did not want the children to see her sad. With that, Callie and Addison were on their way.
xxxxxxx
Once in the car Addison asked, "Hey, are you okay?"
"I am, or I will be. There is just so much happening. Nothing is simple." Callie said sadly.
"These next few days will be. I promise. Let's talk about what's happening at home right now; let's get it out of your system. By the time we get to the place, promise me that you will try very hard to leave 'home' in the car. At the resort the days and nights are about you, and only you. Got that?" Addison urged.
"Alright, sounds like a plan." Callie reluctantly agreed.
Over the next hour Callie explained to her good friend what was happening at home, including the recent issues with Sofia and how Arizona is alluding to the fact that she may never be ready to return home.
Callie honestly shared "Having everything up in the air is taking its toll on me. It's hard to manage the four kids and Arizona's unpredictability. Is she visiting the kids or not? Can I count on her to be there when I'm working late or not? Arizona gets anxious and changes her mind at the last minute, and the kids keep getting disappointed."
Callie told her good friend in confidence "I'm afraid of the answer I might get if I push this, but it would be easier on me if Arizona made a decision one way or another regarding her living situation. I'm constantly making excuses for her, and lying to our children is killing me."
"Do you know what you want to do?" Addison asked.
"I know what I want to do. But I'm not sure if it's what I should do. Addy, I have four kids to think about. I need to do what's right for them; they need to come first right now." Callie confessed.
"Well, hold that thought. We're here." Addy responded. "This conversation is on hold until Friday morning. Maybe by then your answers will be clearer. Okay?"
"Okay." Callie concurred. "Let's check in. I think there is a Margarita with our names on it." Callie stated, determined to have a good time. It was the first time Callie had candidly opened up to anyone on the topic to this extent, she felt some of the weight of her problems had been lifted in sharing.
The two women parked the car, grabbed their bags and entered the land of five-star living.
