Callie was having a very mother confusing sort of day already without Gretchen making an appearance and referring to herself as Callie's mommy. This all lead to a very bold and stubborn Callie. "No. You are not my mommy. I am ten and I no longer even have a mommy as you say it anyway."
"Well, I noticed from the obituary that you were still Adams. I guess it didn't work out with the cop either. That doesn't really surprise me as I had already figured that their compatibility was almost nothing. Lena always had a leaving problem. I did think it was odd that you were still in California as that was sort of an emotional decision."
"Mama is still married to my mom, Stefanie Adams Foster. We do all still live in California. Things are going great for your information and I am an Adams Foster just like both of my mothers." Callie put her hands on her hips and stared straight at Gretchen. "Now, if you could please go away and leave my family alone."
"As far as I know this is still a free country, little one. If I want to go to the funeral of my daughter's birth mother, I am allowed. Any mother would be here. I would have taught you more respect, I guess I cannot expect that from Lena or from the stranger raising you, though…"
"I am not your daughter. My mothers are Lena and Stefanie Adams Foster, not you." Callie repeated louder." I don't want to say it again. You are a bully!"
This time when the door opened it was Lena surprised by the fact that Callie was still gone. They were expected to be loading up in cars to make the trip over to the cemetery and she was still not back. The scene before her was more shocking than she was expecting. "Hello, Gretchen. I was just coming in here to get my daughter. It was great seeing you." Lena said becoming a mother tiger and going around the woman to grab Callie's hand. "Now you will need to excuse us."
"Not so fast, Lena." Gretchen said standing in the way. "I really wasn't done talking to our daughter. I know now that she picked up much of her disrespect from you."
"We have a restraining order against you. You should know that means you are not to be this close to Callie nor are you to speak to her at all. I could have you arrested for this, but right now I just want to get my child, still not yours, out of here."
"You had a restraining order. Those things are only good for a short length of time. It expired years ago. Your wifey did not renew it. I just came her to support my daughter in her time of grief like any mother would. I saw her come in here all distraught and I followed to make sure was okay."
"I am not your daughter!" Callie yelled barely being restrained by Lena to keep her from hitting the woman similarly to go she had hit Jordyn months earlier.
"Calm down, baby." Lena said gently in Callie's ear despite her own anger threatening to boil over. "We still have a long day ahead of us and this would not be the best choice right now."
"I am guessing this anger issue that our daughter seems to have is a reflection of that cop you married?" Gretchen asked snidely seeming to want a reaction out of the girl. "You know, when Jude was first born, I might have been willing to take all of you back in, but I am not sure now. I can see that you all have some issues."
Lena took a few deep breaths and counted to ten inside of her head. "It is interesting that you bring that up. There has not been one single day since we broke up that I have wanted to go back to you. Even in the lonely days before I met Stef, I had absolutely no desire to go back to my cheating girlfriend. My children and I are worth more than that. We deserve the best and that is what we have found. Now if you will excuse us."
Gretchen took a step back in shock clearing the doorway for long enough for Lena to usher Callie out of the bathroom and towards the lobby. Callie's tears started back as soon as she was safe again. She didn't want to give Gretchen the satisfaction of seeing her cry, but now the tears flowed freely. Jude, who had been waiting outside the bathroom, put his arms around his sister. "It is okay, Buggy. We are all a little sad, but we will be okay, right, Mama?" He asked looking up at Lena for reassurance.
"Certainly. Today is just a very emotional sort of day. Now, we need to go get in one of the cars headed toward the cemetery. This might be harder than the funeral itself. Do you remember how there was a box at the front of the room that I said Colleen's body was in?" Both kids nodded. "Well, we call that a casket. When we get to the cemetery, there will be a large hole dug and that casket will be put into the ground to be buried. You might be asked to lay a flower down there or to put some dirt on it before it is buried. Different people do things differently."
"We can play in the dirt in our nice clothes?" Jude asked sort of shocked.
"Only if you are told to and only this once." Lena answered with a smile as they made their way to a waiting car. "Then at some point, someone will make a marker out of stone where she is buried to let everyone know who is buried there. Maybe we can come back and see it sometime."
"Why, Mama?" Jude asked sincerely. "Why would we want to see that?"
"Well, sometimes people visit later to say goodbye again. Some people like to talk to their loved ones there because it makes them feel a little better inside. Kind of like how people were crying at the funeral. Sometimes it brings healing."
"But Colleen is dead. She wouldn't be able to hear us. Isn't that kind of crazy?" Callie asked sort of recovering.
"Even the funeral itself is not really for the person who died. It is for the people who are still alive. She might not be able to hear you, but it is not crazy to talk to her anyway. When my grandmother died, I wrote her letters. I knew she couldn't ever read them, but it helped my sadness. I just want to help you two develop healthy feelings towards life and death. That's part of my job."
Lena got both kids into the car and considered the discussion closed for right now as they were not alone in the car and it was a sensitive subject. Even at six, Jude had a pretty good grasp on being quiet. Callie was trying to process all that her mother had just said. "After we are done here, may I use your phone to call Mommy again?" Callie whispered not even noticing that she had used the same term she was angry at Gretchen for using.
"Sure, baby. I also need to talk to her a little so you will play with Jude when we get back to our hotel for a while I will talk to Mom. Then when I am finished I will take him back to the pool or something while you talk. How does that sound?"
"I want to talk to Mommy." Jude said realizing they were making plans without him. "I didn't get to talk to her much yesterday and I miss her, too. Please, Mama?"
"Sure, Bud. You can talk today, too. I know that Mommy would love to hear from her Little Man. In fact, you may talk first this time. Then me and then Callie last." Lena knew that Jude's phone conversation wouldn't last more than a few minutes. It would be easier to give him time before the harder talks rather than when the rest were emotionally exhausted. She also knew that she need to tell Stef about several things before Callie.
The kids were asked to lay down roses on the casket, but were not asked to put dirt on top. Lena guided them to carry out their task. Both looked a little unsure, but followed after Linda and a few other family members they did not know before coming back to their mama. Lena sensed that perhaps the family meal was not in the best interest of the kids. "It was really great meeting you, Linda. I would love to stay in touch with you if possible. Here is my email address."
"Thanks. I would like that. Are you all not staying for lunch?"
"Not this time. I think the kids are looking tired and we have had a long day already. We are flying home tomorrow." Lena put aside her differences for a moment and hugged the woman tightly. "I am very sorry for your loss. I cannot imagine what it would be like to lose my daughter like this. You will be in our thoughts. Thank you for giving my kids pictures of their birth mother. We will treasure them."
"Thanks. Take good care of my grandchildren." Linda said with fresh tears.
"I will." Lena turned to the kids. "Go say good bye to your grandmother."
Jude walked over and hugged Linda. "Good bye."
"Bye, Jude. I want you to listen to your mother here and to your big sister. They are going to help you grow up well."
"I know. Mama is so smart." He said grinning at her.
"Yesterday, I said you looked like your daddy, but you have your mom's smile." Linda said referring to Colleen.
"Really? I like that!" Jude answered once again only thinking of his real life and thinking she was talking about Stef.
Callie came over a little slower. She reached out a hand to shake Linda's hand. She felt uncomfortable hugging, but wanted to be polite. Linda took her hand and just squeezed it. "Callie, protect your little brother. You are all he has in this world, take care of him like he was your own. Let him remain innocent as long as he can."
"I will. I will take care of him and protect him always." Callie said seeming to take on the responsibility. "Thanks for the pictures. We looked at them together last night. Mama is going to frame some for our rooms."
"You are welcome." Linda shifted her hand squeeze to a very awkward hug. "Good bye, Callie." Linda said with some finality that showed she knew that she probably wouldn't ever see the girl again.
"Bye." Callie got out of the hug as quickly as she could.
Lena took Callie's hand. Jude looked back to wave one more time. "We should invite her to our house for Christmas this year so she can meet everyone else. She could make cookies with Grams and I could show her the park."
"Hmm, maybe, sweetheart." Lena said unwilling to commit to invite the woman anywhere after her odd experience with her over the last two days.
"That's what you say when it's a no, Mama. How come?" Jude asked.
"Because we really didn't get along with her, Jude. Mama didn't even give her our full names. That lady can't come to our house. We aren't friends." Callie blurted out before Lena could answer.
"That isn't right, is it, Mama? I thought she was family now. Remember how we sat with her at the funeral and did that thing with the roses? You gave her your email address and said to stay in touch. We let Mike come to family things. We call him family…"
Lena opened her mouth, but once again Callie got to it first. "We don't invite her to things the same way we don't invite Ana to anything and we never invited Colleen to anything. It is not the same kind of family, doofus." The last part she said under her breath knowing it was over the line.
Jude started silently crying. "Callie that is enough! I know you are having a bad day and I am willing to let some things slide, but you may not treat your brother like that or call him names. We have some fun things planned for later tonight, but I think we are going to look for a light lunch and then go back to the hotel for naps."
"I am just telling him the truth! I don't need a nap, I just want to talk to Mom!" Callie said back with some frustration.
"Me too, Mama! I need to talk to Mommy, too." Jude said still crying.
Lena sighed trying to work out all the pieces of the puzzle. "We are going to get a cab to take us back to the hotel. I will find some sort of food that delivers while Jude talks to Mom. Then, you two may eat while I talk to her and then Callie. When we are done, we are all having a nap, no exceptions." Lena said looking at Callie who promptly rolled her eyes. "We have a surprise tonight that you need to be well-rested for. If someone's attitude isn't any better we will cancel. Is that understood?"
The trip back to the hotel was silent. Callie was trying not to say anything that would get her in trouble because she knew she was close to the line. Jude was upset that Callie had been so hard on him earlier. Lena was overwhelmed by her own emotions over seeing Gretchen as well as dealing with two grieving children. It was a relief to pull up to the hotel in some ways.
As in the way of most six year olds, Jude had mostly forgiven Callie by the time he had changed clothes and was talking to Stef. Most of his conversation centered on trying to figure out the surprise and hearing around Jesus's new ramp. The food arrived and Lena was able to get the phone from Jude. She took it back to the bathroom like she had the night before.
"Why does Mama want to talk to Mommy in the bathroom and not with us?" Jude asked taking a bite of his sandwich.
"Because she doesn't want us to hear what she is talking about." Callie answered becoming nervous over the conversation, hoping that her name was not coming up. Callie casually slipped off the bed and walked towards the bathroom door.
"Whatcha doing?" Jude asked watching carefully.
"Shh, I am just going to listen for a second." She carefully leaned her ear against the door to see what she could hear like she had done many times before.
"Yeah, I know, Stef. I am just so frustrated with both of them right now… No, you are right, at least tomorrow when I fly home I can leave all of this behind. I mean I may never even see either of them ever again..."
Callie quickly scampered away from the door and back to Jude. She knew that Lena was irritated with her, but had no idea that she was considering leaving her and Jude in Chicago tomorrow. Just this morning Lena said she could never do that, but Callie guessed that today must have somehow changed everything. Maybe it was seeing Gretchen or maybe it was her bad attitude. It all the sudden came back to her that her grandmother had just told her to take care of Jude and then she was unkind to her little brother, maybe that is what set Lena off. "I am sorry I was mean to you earlier, Jude. You know that I love you, right?"
"Yes. You are my big sister and I love you, too. I know you didn't mean it." Jude said happily munching on his sandwich.
"Listen, Jude, we need to talk a little. Lots of confusing things happened today. The most important part to remember is that I am your only real sister and just like Linda said I am all you have now. So, you need to listen to me to stay out of trouble. We need to work hard on being really good and not a problem to Mama for the rest of the day. If you need something you can ask me, that way Mama can just have some time to herself." Callie decided that if her bad behavior could make Lena want to leave her here, her good behavior could change things back.
"Okay, buggy." Jude realized his cup was empty and he reached over for Lena's to get a drink.
"No, Jude, this is one of the things I was talking about being a problem. If you need a drink you can have mine. Remember that we are trying to make things better for Mama. If you drink all of her tea she won't have anything to drink. That would make her sad." Callie explained.
"But Mama never minds when I share her drink just a little." Jude protested. "I don't want your lemonade I want Mama's tea."
Callie knew she had to act fast before Jude got too loud and alerted Lena. "Look, trust me on this one. If you just drink mine I will go swimming with you later."
Jude shrugged and reached for Callie's cup in agreement. He took a big drink and Callie remembered at once that she didn't like to share a drink with him since he is a drink hog. "That's enough! Leave some for me!" Callie heard the bathroom door opening. "Oh and Jude, don't tell Mama about any of this."
Jude was quite confused but went along with it since Callie was so adamant.
"Well, Callie, Mom wants to talk to you next. I thought I could just have my lunch with Jude while you talked with some privacy." Lena picked up her cup and was a little surprised. "I left my drink out with you and it is still full? What's wrong, baby?"
"Nothing…" Jude said unconvincingly. "I just wanted to drink from Callie's so that you would still have some. It was sort of her idea."
Lena glanced over to Callie quizzically and she just smiled. "Hi, Mom."
"Hey, Bug. How are you feeling?"
"Fine. How are you?"
"We are all good. Jesus is skateboarding on his new ramp. He said he couldn't wait until you were back. He even said he would let you use his skateboard! He must really miss you."
Callie swallowed a lump in her throat and tried to hold back the tears. Obviously Stef was trying make her believe things were okay. "Yeah, I want to go home, too."
Stef mistook the emotion in Callie's voice for the hard day that Lena had described earlier. "Oh, Love Bug, I didn't mean to make you cry again. Mama said you saw Gretchen. Do you want to talk about that?"
"No…"
"What about the funeral?"
"I don't want to talk about that either."
"Okay… Well, Mama said you were anxious to talk to me. So, I guess you can choose the subject." Stef said making another attempt to get Callie to open up.
"No, I am good." Callie answered not really fooling her mother.
"Well, then, Mariana, Brandon, and Jesus want to talk to Mama. Will you hand her the phone so they can talk?"
"Sure."
"I love you, Callie!"
Callie handed Lena the phone without answering and sat back down next to Jude. "Hello? Oh, Hey…. I think we are going to have naps before tonight, we both know that helps. If not, tomorrow is just one day away, right?"
Callie did a double take and then looked at the still unaware Jude. She pulled him over to the bathroom area and whispered to him as Lena was now obviously talking to the other kids. "Even though we don't need naps, we need to lay down just like Mama wants us and pretend to sleep."
"Should we do that right now?" Jude asked more confused than ever.
"That would probably be okay. You need to come lay down with me on my bed, though. Okay?"
"Not with Mama?" Jude asked sadly.
"No. Remember that I am taking care of you now and we are giving Mama some space to help her. Trust me on this one, Jude. I am ten and I know these things."
"Okay, Callie…"
Callie took Jude over to the bed and helped him get into the sheets. She tucked him in and gave him a kiss much like Lena would have. Then she went over to the other side and got herself in the bed. They both closed their eyes tightly at first. Jude was the first one to relax and actually fall asleep, Callie was shortly after.
"I love you, too, Jesus. Could you give Mom the phone back? Hey, Stef. Callie just put Jude down for his nap and laid down herself. They both seem to be asleep now. I knew they were tired, but I thought she would be more difficult. At first, they reacted just how I predicted they would, but now I am more concerned. This morning we had a great conversation about life and death. Then she seemed to just shut off… She is still wearing the locket. That is a great idea… We might call again later. I could never do this parenting thing without you…. I know, we are a team. I love you very much, Stef!"
Lena walked over to her two children. She tucked them both in a little tighter and gave them gentle kisses to the sides of their heads. "I love you both more than you understand right now…." Then she got into the other bed, a little disappointed to not have a child or two to snuggle with, and closed her eyes.