Chapter 14: Thunderstorm
Stef unlocked the door to the hotel room and pushed the door open. Upon entering, the trio found the room to be small, modest in its decorations but not cramped or claustrophobic in any way. The two beds were nestled against the far wall, clad in white sheets and cream comforters.
The Adams Fosters engaged in a moment of silence as they surveyed their surroundings. Stef broke this momentary silence by tossing her bag onto the queen bed and turning to face the other two. "Alright, my lovely ladies, let's drop off these bags and head to the art museum. You ready, Callie girl?" Callie nodded and Lena spoke up.
"Well, this room is pretty cute, but I'm ready to see some fine art." She grabbed her wife's hand and led Stef and Callie to the door. "Let's get going." She said, her flashing them a smile.
And so the little family headed to the art museum, guided by Lena's directions. They walked through exhibits, Callie remarking on every brushstroke that suited her taste. Stef and Lena trailed a little behind her, beaming at each comment she made and the very genuine smile she wore on her face.
After they reached the last exhibit, Callie turned to the moms. "Hey," She started. "Can we grab some dinner, maybe? I'm getting kinda hungry." Lena and Stef grinned at each other; it was incredible that she was opening up enough to ask them for something directly.
"Of course, sweet baby. What are you in the mood for?" Stef said, her arm finding its way around Callie's shoulders.
"I dunno." She pondered it for a minute before picking her head up again. "Maybe just some classic American? I'm kind of craving a burger." She said, blinking her eyes at her mothers.
Stef laughed and pulled Callie closer, pressing a kiss to her temple. "You don't need to use the puppy dog eyes for this one, sweets. If you want a burger, I'm going to get my daughter a burger. I love you, silly girl." She said, gently poking Callie's nose. The three Adams Fosters playfully strolled back to the car and Lena dictated the proper directions to get to the restaurant that Callie had picked.
Once they were seated inside at a corner booth, Stef picked up the menu and scanned it for something to order. From the other side of Callie at the edge of the booth, Lena cleared her throat to indicate the presence of the waiter.
"What would you ladies like this evening?" He asked, a pen hovering over his notebook.
Stef started. "I'd like the French dip please, with a chef's salad as my side." He scribbled a simplification of the order on his notepad.
"I'll have the walnut salad and smoked salmon please," Lena ordered. The waiter jotted this down as well before turning to Callie.
Stef gave her a mischievous smile before speaking up. "She'd like a signature cheeseburger with lettuce, onion, swiss cheese, and a pickle. No tomato. Plus, a vanilla milkshake. Thank you." The waiter smiled and walked away.
"How did you…" Callie began to ask, flabbergasted.
"I'm your mom. I know these things." Stef tucked a few strands of hair behind Callie's ear.
"Now for a far more important question: Did you have fun today, baby girl?" Stef asked peering carefully at her daughter's features. Thankfully, she saw nothing but a genuine and beaming smile.
"Yeah. This has been awesome!" Callie looked to each of her moms lovingly, gifting them both with her charming smile.
"Wow. You're all smiles today, Miss Callie." Stef remarked as Callie took a gulp of water.
"Not so much when I saw her walking to history class this afternoon, huh Cal?" Lena brushed a speck of water off Callie's cheek.
"Yeah… history is fine… It's just my teacher is kind of an a…" She caught herself before uttering the profane word, but judging by Stef's expression, she wasn't fooling anyone. "Sorry," She continued. "He's kind of annoying and uptight."
"Nice save." Lena whispered to Callie while Stef turned to retrieve something from her purse.
"I can hear you. And I know what you meant, Cal." Stef mumbled.
A few minutes later, the food arrived, and the family tucked in to their dinner. Callie finished her food quickly, and silently observed her mothers' conversation, listening intently and looking back and forth as the two spoke, but rarely said a thing herself. She was spacing out when she felt a hand on her knee that pulled her back into the present situation.
"Hey, love. You ready to go now?" Callie nodded and followed Stef out of the booth and out the doors of the restaurant.
"I'm beat." Lena said, buckling her seatbelt.
"Me too. Let's just go back to the room and relax for the rest of the night. That sound good, Cal?"
Callie nodded. "You've barely said a word since we ordered. You okay, sweetheart?" Lena asked, concern flooding her voice.
"I'm fine. I promise, I'm just tired." Callie said truthfully. The day had worn her out. As they sped down the moderately congested streets, large raindrops began to smack against the windshield. Callie sighed and leaned her head on the window.
As the car approached the little motel, the rain picked up, soaking the roads and roofs. They pulled into the parking lot and Stef drove up to the parking spot closest to their room.
"Damn it!" She yelled. "Room 42! This is our parking space! God, who would steal our parking spot like this? That son of a bitch…"
"Stef…" Lena warned.
"Well now we have to find another parking spot! From here, it looks like the whole damn lot is full…"
They circled around until they found a place to park, at least fifty feet away from the room. The rain beat down on them as they rushed across the parking lot and into the warm, dry room.
"Callie, you're soaking wet." Lena observed, looking her daughter up and down. Why don't you go change? I brought an extra pair of clothes for you, just in case."
"Mama's always prepared." Stef grinned, hanging her wet coat in the closet to dry. Callie did as she was told, pacing to the bathroom and peeling off her wet t-shirt before taking off her jeans and pulling on the pajama pants Lena had packed for her. As Callie made her way to grab her dry t-shirt, she slipped on the wadded-up clothes and fell towards the wall. Her had extended instinctively sprung forward, but slipped from her hold on the wall, falling down hard onto the counter with a smack. She cried out, and in a second, Stef had the door open and came over to Callie, who was sitting on the floor, cradling her newly-healed arm.