Meredith had her hair pulled back in a tight high ponytail. Dressed in pressed trousers and a starched collared shirt, she adjusted her bronze nametag and hurried out into the dining hall, at the impatient beckoning of her clients.
"Waitress! Waitress! Over here, this instance, if you'd please!" Lady Bizzy Montgomery called out.
"Bitch, I have a name," Meredith muttered under her breath.
Bizzy pointed at a kiwi and mango Pavlova cake. "Take this cake back to the kitchen, would you? I can't imagine it's supposed to be so appallingly sweet."
"As you wish, Madam." Meredith replied.
"Mother, there's nothing wrong with the cake. Stop harassing the staff," Addison whispered, embarrassed.
"Don't worry Miss, it's no bother at all," Meredith said hastily, scooping up the cake.
It was true, it was no bother at all, because it meant an extra dessert for Meredith's upcoming party. Oh yes, every single crew member and third class resident of the ship knew there was no party like a Grey party. Meredith hosted the hottest budget parties known to mankind.
"Waitress, while you're at it, replace this wine. While it boasts of being an 1700s bordeaux, its flavour is pallid at best," Lady Bizzy Montgomery complained. Addison rolled her eyes.
"Only too happy to oblige," Meredith grinned, plucking the almost untouched bottle of premium alcohol off the table. A little social lubricant for my party, why the hell not? She leaned over the table, reaching for the other bottle of supposedly pallid wine.
"No, no. Leave it, I personally have no problem with it," Sir Carlos Torres muttered.
"As you wish, Sir." Meredith replied.
Scanning the table, she saw a young woman seated next to him, similar in age to herself (late teens or early 20s). This girl had tan skin, long wavy black hair, dark sullen eyes, full pouty lips. Ohh there was no doubting it; it was none other than Arizona's flame.
As Meredith cleared away the empty desert plates and refilled the wine glasses, she scooted over to the Hispanic girl, leaning closely to her ear.
"Callie, third Class foyer, midnight. Be there," she whispered inaudibly, before hurrying away with free cake, free wine and a pile of dirty dishes.
Callie shook her head vigorously, wondering if she'd heard correctly. Had the waitress even spoken to her? It was so quick, quiet and discreet, Callie was left bewildered and perplexed. She scoured her mind, trying to pin the face to a name. As far as she could remember, she had never met this petite blonde before.
How did the girl know her name? Well, there was only one person on this Ship who called her Callie, aside from her fiancé… Suddenly Callie smiled. A wide, salacious winner's smile. This girl must be a friend of Arizona's; she thought gleefully.
Carlos frowned at his daughter, "What's gotten into you, child? You're grinning like a Cheshire cat. Pray tell, what amuses you so."
"Nothing, father!" Callie sang.
"Nothing, nothing, nothing. That's all you ever reply to any of my questions these days. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you're hiding something from me," Carlos snapped.
"I'll not dignify that accusation with a response," Callie retorted, hiding her excited smile behind a silk handkerchief.
Oh my, going to a secret late night crew members' Bash! My life is turning out to be significantly more exciting that even that of my fiance's! And best of all… a chance to see Arizona again…
Addison caught Callie's eyes from across the dining table. "Who was that? Tell me later!" she mouthed at her friend. Callie nodded slightly, winking at Addison. Mark stared at his wife's strange giddy behaviour through narrowed eyes.
"What secrets and silliness are you girls sharing?!" Bizzy laughed.
"Nothing!" both girls answered simultaneously.
Bizzy shook her head, smiling. "Ah the jovialities of girlhood."
"So?! Show me your stash, Mer!" Izzie Stevens squealed.
"Settle down, woman," Meredith replied, tugging open a number of ice coolers. Izzie's eyes widened at the number of half-poured or rejected bottles of wine piled inside each cooler.
"This is enough to get a herd of elephants drunk," Izzie applauded.
"It'll do for now. I'm hoping Derek will be able to collect a lot more alcohol, particularly the heavy stuff like tequila, vodka and such, since he's working a function at the Sea Lounge tonight," Meredith shrugged.
"Ohhh the perks of marrying a bartender!" Izzie squealed. "Okay, okay! Now what about food?!"
"Chill Iz, I've got that covered," Meredith laughed, pulling open the staff room fridge. It was filled to the brim with various beautiful untouched cakes, tarts and pastries, all rejects from the First Class Banquet.
"Yeah you got that covered alright, well done you!" Izzie enthused. Suddenly her smile faded and her eyes clouded over.
Meredith frowned, "Whoa, Iz, what's up? You okay?"
"I have nothing to wear," Izzie sighed forlornly. Meredith burst into laughter.
"Oh God, you're so freakin' vapid!" she accused. "You really are a life-sized Barbie!"
"Shut up! Alex is gonna be there, alright? I can't just show up in… this!" Izzie complained, gesturing to her puke-green polyester cleaning-lady pinafore.
"Oh like I'm doing any better in this she-man waiter getup?" Meredith laughed.
Izzie's moody face lit up suddenly, a wicked grin spreading across it. Meredith raised her eyebrows, quizzically. "Iz? Wanna tell me what's going on in that pretty little head of yours?"
"Shut up, don't patronise me." Izzie pouted. "I have a plan. Now, you say the tycoon's fiancé is joining us tonight, right?"
"Yep, Callie, Arizona's date," Meredith said.
Izzie burst into giggles, "Haha that two-timing harlot! And here I was thinking the gentry had manners!"
"Don't let Arizona hear you say that, she'll kill you!" Meredith laughed. Izzie shrugged nonchalantly.
"Pfft, like she could take me on. I grew up in the trailer parks. Plus I'm like 3 feet taller than her," she scoffed.
"Izzie, your plan," Meredith reminded. Izzie giggled cheekily. "We ought to sneak over to this Lady Calliope's suite, and coax her to lend us some of her fine dresses!"
"Are you insane? You realise she's got that tycoon fiancé of hers in the penthouse, don't you?" Meredith laughed.
"So what? That's what these uniforms are for, right? Just lend me a waitressing outfit, and we can both pretend to be room service."
Meredith grinned, "Isobel Stevens, you're onto something."
"Damn, we are going to look like knock-outs! God knows I've never touched a silk dress, let alone worn one," Izzie sighed wistfully. "If Arizona's gonna date Gentry, we ought to benefit somehow."
Meredith threw a set of waitressing garments at Izzie. "Well get a move on, then. I plan on stunning Derek silly tonight in fine garments he could never afford mixing drinks!"
In the Third Class sleeping quarters, Arizona lay upon a thin foam mattress on the bottom bunk of the steel bed, with her arms curled around the back of her head. All around her, everyone was busy getting ready for Meredith's party, buzzing about the Third Class corridors like bees to flowers.
"So roomie, how'd it go with Rich-Girl? Did her fiancé order your assassination?" Alex demanded. "Cuz that's the rumour, y'know. That he does that kinda shit. God, I wish I had that kind of power," he sighed wistfully.
"It was fine," Arizona replied shortly.
"Fine? That's all I get?" Alex complained, spritzing cheap cologne all over himself. Arizona ignored him.
Alex laughed cynically, "Fine is a synonym for Shit. But hey, don't beat yourself up. These Catholic virgin types are prudes. You could do her in the broom closet or in the First Class Penthouse, wouldn't make a difference, she'd still be crappy in the sack."
"I didn't bed her," Arizona corrected irritably.
"Ohh so the night was a total failure, then. We all know the only thing worse than bad sex is no sex," Alex teased.
"Sharing cheapens the experience," Arizona whispered.
"Yeah whatever, keep telling yourself that. I say, a prude is a prude, end of story," Alex laughed.
Arizona ignored his raucous chatter, choosing instead to picture Callie, last night, singing in the engine room. As always, the seemingly withdrawn reticent suicidal girl never ceased to amaze her.
...
"No time like the present to chase your dreams, Callie."
"Goodness, I've just said I have Stage Fright, Arizona. I cannot just sing on command. Least of all out here, in the middle of nowhere."
"Callie, could you step outside the engine room for a moment?" Arizona asked quietly.
Callie looked instantly crestfallen. "Christ, Arizona. I meant no offence. It seems I've upset you, I didn't mean to. It's a beautiful gesture you've-"
"I'm not upset, silly. I just want you outside so you can hear for yourself that no one outside the engine room will be able to hear you," Arizona chuckled.
"Oh right… My goodness, if you insist," Callie laughed nervously. Arizona shut the steel door behind her, locking Callie out.
"Calliope Torres, I want to do horrendously naughty things to you that would make the devil scream! I yearn to make love to you every minute, of every hour, of every day, for all eternity!" Arizona yelled at the top of her lungs.
Callie pressed her ear against the door, listening hard. She could hear nothing over the incessant loud whirring and churning of the engine room. Suddenly Arizona opened the door.
"Well?" Arizona asked.
"I um… I could hear you, I heard everything you said," Callie lied, hoping to avoid singing.
Arizona grinned wickedly, "You're lying."
"I am not! Where do you get off accusing me-" Callie huffed, blushing. "Ohh bugger it. How did you know?" she sighed.
"Because if you had heard what I said, you would've been… reactive, to say the very least. Perhaps you'd slap me, even," Arizona said salaciously.
Callie's eyes narrowed, "Now you've got me curious. What the devil did you say?"
"Something that I hope you'll feel the same way about in time, let's just put it like that," Arizona said, ushering Callie in.
"You can close your eyes, Callie. Pretend you're up on stage singing in an auditorium full of people who've paid good money just to see you. Remember, you best sing, lest they hurl rotten tomatoes and boo you."
"Great way to reduce my Stage Fright, Arizona, with mentions of booing and thrown vegetables," Callie muttered.
"Oh right, sorry!" Arizona laughed.
"Well, where shall I stand, then?" Callie asked.
Arizona pointed indiscriminately at nowhere in particular. "Uh Over there. Let that be the Stage."
Callie obliged, feeling very self-conscious and quite the fool. Taking a seat at the back of the engine room, Arizona spoke emphatically. "Remember, as I've proven to you, no one outside these four walls can hear you, so sing at the top of your lungs, to your heart's content."
And sing to her heart's content, she did. Except, not with closed eyes as suggested. Rather, she kept her dark serious eyes locked onto Arizona's till it was as if they were the only two people on the Titanic. Nay, the only two people on Earth.
Callie's voice burst through her lungs like a prisoner set free, sheer reckless abandon, coming from a deep secret place within her, a centre of raw emotions, she never knew existed. Her voice cut through the air like a crisp clean bell, as beautiful, full-bodied and powerful as the Titanic slicing through the waters of the Pacific Ocean.
That was the moment Arizona knew. She had fallen hard, wholly, deeply and irretrievably in love with Calliope Iphegenia Torres.
Searching - China Black
Searching for that something that I can believe
And without a doubt that I can see
All the many roads I've traveled
None so far and none so much
It leads me back to you