Amy POV
I don't consider myself as a mean person. I don't. I am nice to strangers, polite (most of the times), friendly, I have helped older people to change tiers and cross the road, I make a mean pasta, I think I smile a lot too. I am a nice person, I work at job that makes this city safer. I am a good person.
But watching how Callie has been pacing around the whole house this morning, all worked up and anxious for the call from Stef that says we can go and see her brother, made me laugh at her a bit.
And she took it as if I was being mean to her. But honestly, seeing her so nervous and worked up, she has changed her clothes for the 10th time now, I couldn't help but chuckle, as she now stood by the stairs showing me her next outfit to wear.
"Are you laughing at me!" she threw her arms up as she said to me in accusing tone, as I let out a small chuckle again seeing just how cute she was right now "Seriously mom! This is important to me and you are laughing. I can't believe you!" she said being frustrated with me and turns on heel around and stormed up again.
"Callie! Come on! I didn't mean it!" I call after and then I hear her bedroom doors slam close. I dip my head down and follow her up. I knock and when I enter she was by her closet, looking for yet another outfit to wear.
"I am sorry Callie. I wasn't laughing at you. You are just so worked up about meeting him, you are cute when you are so anxious, sweetheart" I say meaning it, walk over to her and wrap my hands around her, she stops going thought her closet "I'm sorry Callie. I'm sorry"
"Fine, fine…forgiven" she gets out my hold and turns to me holding a new shirt up "What about this? Does this tell them – I have not been to Juvenile Detention?"
"I didn't know clothes can say that" I say carefully not wanting to hurt her feelings yet again briefly scratching my temple
"Then tell me what to wear!" she drops the shirt to the bed. The room right now looked like a mine, shirts and pants were on the bed, on the table, the floor. It was complete mess.
I sight and walk to the closet, pulling her away from it "Okay…" I dig thought the drawer now, and pull out a simple black and white sweater that have buttons in front and she can close it or walk with it open "How about this?"
She quickly takes off her current shirt and puts on the one I was holding "Good?" she looks down to the shirt then up to me
"Perfect" I smile to her
"Perfect for you or for them too?" she asks me back. This right now, was me over 25 years back when I was asking my mom the same thing when I was going to my boyfriend's house to meet his parents
"Callie, you need to relax. I don't understand why you are so worked up" I say calmly and walk to bed to sit down, still keeping my eyes on her
"What if they don't like me?" she pulls lightly on her sweater
"Honey..." I say not believing she thinks so low of herself "They already know and like you"
"What if Jude won't remember me?" she looks with such sad eyes to me, so scared of that
"How can he forget you?" I say with certainty back
"Will hate me?"
"He won't!" I keep my tone the same
"Won't like me?"
"He will!"
"What do I talk to him about?"
"Anything. Anything at all. It will all come to you when you will see him," I say and walk to her to put hands on her shoulders for support, but my phone rings
"Pick it up, pick up!" she ushers me not standing still, bouncing up and down
"Don't jump out of your short, Missy" I say picking up. I do just a little talking, just few mm-hmm, aha, OK and then I hang up. "
"Well?" Callie asks still bouncing up and down, rubbing her hands together
"We can come in hour or so" I say putting my phone away
"In hour! Oh COME ON!" she whines "What am I going to for an HOUR! FRAK!" she looks down to herself, lifts her arm up "I have sweat like Mike Tyson after 4 rounds or something…I will take a shower" she runs out to corridor
"You had shower" but she is already in bathroom, and I hear the water running when I finish my statement "-this morning " shaking my head I take few steps back and fall down on her bed, put my hand over my eyes and rest.
Jude POV
Flashback this morning
I was sitting opposite moms in the kitchen "Am I in trouble? Because I didn't do what Jesus said I did! He is lying" I ask as I was staring to break under moms intense looks
"We will talk about what you and Jesus did or didn't do later" mama says after she shares a look with mom smiling at her "Right now, me and mom want to talk about something different" I briefly look away from both of them
"Is it my grade card? I know I can do better in math…but the teacher is mean and she said she can't give me B+…" I say as I think this is the only other thing moms could want to talk about
"Baby, it is not about your grade card either. Can you please let me and mom talk?" mama ask softly and reach over for my hand on the table, softly rubbing thumb over my palm
"Okay" I agree slowly not really wanting to know what comes next
"We are not sure how to say it bud" mom starts "so I am just…going to say it out, okay" I just nod back, holding my breath "We know you have a sister" mom says and honestly I felt relived. Like a big rock was off my shoulders. But I was also confused, as to know they knew.
After few seconds of silence I speak up quietly "H-how…did you found out?" I ask looking between moms
"Well, you know my friend Amy, from work. My partner?" mom asks me, I just nod back "Well, Amy has a daughter, who she adopted just like we adopted you. That daughter is Callie and both of them have been looking for you ever since she has been adopted. I found out yesterday when I went to see Callie after she called me late last night. That's when I found out and I told mama when I got home"
"Callie…looked for me?" I ask as I remember her promise that she will look for me.
"Yeah, she did. For a long time, love" mom smiles at him
"Baby, why didn't you tell us, you had a sister?" mama ask gently looking into straight to my eyes
"Callie said to never tell anyone. She said people could use it to hurt me. She made me promise. Callie never broke any promises so I couldn't break my" I explained to both of them. There was no more reason to hide it. The truth was out. I ask back "Is she okay?"
"She is good honey. She is in a good home. Loving home. She just real badly wants to see you" mom replays and takes my other hand
"I want to see her too" I quickly add back to that
"Good because, we thought we could invite Amy and Callie over to our house" I briefly glance to mom, I think practically jumped up
"Yes, yes, yes please. Can she come over today?"
"That's what we thought too, bud" mom smiles at me and so dose mama.
End of flashback
I stood in front of the mirror for some time now. My tie looks crooked and it looks not tied the right way, mama taught me to tie it. Mom usually leaves the ties tied up, but I had opened it up, wanting to tie it myself.
I take of my tie and open it up. I sit on my bed and open the top drawer and take out the small paper that had step-by-step instructions on how to tie it. After trying for some 10 minutes I give up. It does not look right. I take the note and my tie and walk downstairs. I hear B and Jesus bickering as they play a game in living room. But I head to kitchen where I knew moms where in.
"Mama?" I say walking up mama, she was by the stove making dinner for us and Callie and Amy. She turns and I see her eyes light up when she looks at me "Can you help me tie my tie?"
"Baby…" she looks down to me "I don't think you had to wear your best suit for this"
"I wanted to look nice" she crouches down to me and crease my cheek gently , she then looks over my shoulder to the nook I guess "Honey look at our sweet baby boy" she says to mom and I hear footsteps over to me and also little ones too, Frankie was with mom
"Love" Stef crouches down too "I don't think you need to dress all formal." mom says slowly to me
"I want her to like me" I say back looking to my tie in my hands
"Baby, she already likes you. Callie is your sister. I doubt she would care if you are all dressed up or if you wear swimmers, or dressed in one of those hot dog costumes. She doesn't care about that. She loves you already, unconditionally" mama says to me and I see mom nod, agreeing to what mama said too
"You are pretty" Frankie says and reaches for my sleeve to pull on it
"Handsome. Boys look handsome. Girls look pretty" mama corrects her
"Well…what do I wear then?" I ask them back
"Let's go find something for you" mama stands up "watch the sauce Stef" she says to mom and I follow her out and up.
Mama hangs up my suit and gives me my dark jeans and light blue and grey shirt.
"How can you be sure she will like me?" I ask pulling the shirt over my head and then comb my hair with my hand, ruining fingers thought them.
"She is your sister. She loves you and she has been trying to find you for the last two years. There is no doubt in my mind she will like you" she says and sounds so wise like always. I can't not believe her, she is always right. Always has been.
"Do you think I should paint my nails blue?" I ask looking to my nails and then up to her
"If you want to, of course. You can probably ask Mariana, she will be happy to help you with that" with a hurried step I walk to the girls room in search for Mariana
"What's up Judicorn?" she asks from her bed as she was painting her own nails
"Can you paint my nails?" she looks up as she puts the nail polish away after finishing her left hand
"Blue?" she asks knowing my style, I nod back "Of course. Get your color I will just dry my and then I will do yours"
I hurry to her box and find the right kind of blue, sit on her bed "This one" I put it down
"Excellent choice" she smiles at me "I don't think you have a reason to be worried Jude" she says reading me like an open book
"I haven't seen her for 6 years. How can I not be nervous? Were you and Jesus ever separated in foster care?"
"No, we were always together through it all" she says slowly "In a way we were luckily, but in a way we were not"
"What do you mean?" I ask and pull up my legs up and sit on them
"Well…um, we were luckily because we were always together, but that kind of put us in bad homes before we got to Stef and Lena, because rarely foster parents want two kids. Let alone two kids at our age. So we were unlucky at the same time," She takes the nail polish and starts to paint my nails.
I never knew why we were separated. Bill just took me away from Callie. He never said why. Does Callie knows why?