Chapter 25.

The day had finally come. The day Brandon would leave home for Julliard. Mike came mid-morning to pick him up for their trip. Callie watched, sadly, as he hugged and kissed everyone goodbye.

"Callie," he said, looking over at her.

"Yeah?"

He tossed her his car keys. "These are for you, kid."

"Thank you," she smiled, cradling the key ring in her hand. "This means a lot to me." She looked down shyly. "I have something for you, too."

He looked at her curiously. "What is it?"

She passed him the frame she'd made. It was already fit with a picture of the family, taken with her new camera.

Brandon held it carefully, smiling. "Thanks, Cal."

"It's nothing," she shrugged. "I stole the idea from Mariana and Jude."

"No," he insisted. "It's great, because you made it."

He reached out to hug her, pulling her to him. Callie was surprised when he burst into tears, and her heart ached. "I'm going to miss you so much," she told him, brushing her own tears away.

"I'm gonna miss you too," he told her. "But, hey- I'll be back for Thanksgiving."

She nodded. "I know."

"B., we've gotta run," Mike piped up, looking at his watch.

"Okay," she nodded. He gave Callie one last squeeze. "You're the oldest around here now, so... take care of everyone while I'm gone."

"I will."

"Bye, Cal. I love you."

"I love you too."

Brandon turned and gave Lena, then Stef one more hug. Then, he was gone.

"I finally have my own room again!" Jesus cheered. Brandon had told him he could take over his room while he was away.

Stef smiled through her tears. Then, silently, she went upstairs. Once she was alone in her room, she pulled Brandon's baby book from the shelf. Her hands shook as she opened it, and saw the black and white image of his sonogram. She wept as she looked over each and every picture of her little guy.

"Mama?"

She looked up to see Callie and Mariana in the doorway. "Hi, babies," she said, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue.

"Are you okay?" Callie asked, her face softening with concern.

"I will be," she nodded. "I'm just missing Brandon."

Callie and Mariana sat down at either side of her. Callie gently rubbed her back in slow circles, trying to comfort her while she cried. "What's that?" she asked. She rested her cheek against Stef's shoulder.

"Oh," she shrugged. "It's Brandon's baby book. You want to see it?"

"Sure," the girls agreed.

Stef turned back to the beginning, to the sonogram image.

"He looked like E.T.," Mariana observed. "Look at his big head!"

Stef laughed. "All babies look that way in the womb."

"I think he was cute," said Callie.

"He was adorable," she told her. "Look. This is the day he was born."

In the photo, Brandon was wearing a blue knit cap, wrapped in a blue blanket. Stef cradled him in her arms, and Mike stood next to them, looking proud. His hair was jet black, rather than the salt-and-pepper it was now. "Aww," Callie gushed.

"Here's another cute one," said Stef, pointing down.

Callie and Mariana both snorted. The photo showed baby Brandon, butt-naked, laying on a rug. "He had butt dimples," Callie giggled, pointing. "Wow. He was so chubby. He looked like a Cabbage Patch Kid."

Stef set the book aside, and put her arms around her daughters. "You know, I've always wanted a big family, ever since I was a little girl." She kissed them each on the cheek. "And I'm so glad I got the one I have."

"I want a big family someday," Callie told her. "Maybe six kids? I like even numbers."

Her mother laughed. "You're gonna have your hands full. I wouldn't mind having lots of grandchildren. You might change your mind about having six kids after you feel that pain, though."

Callie shrugged. "Maybe I'll adopt them?"

"You can do whatever you want," Stef told her. "It doesn't matter where your children come from as long as they're loved. You girls, and your brothers, didn't grow in my tummy like Brandon did. You grew in my heart."

Callie wrapped her arms around Stef's waist. "I love you, mama."

"Yeah," Mariana nodded. "I love you mom."

Stef hugged her girls, and slowly she began to feel better. "I love you too, babies."

Callie lay awake, staring at the dark ceiling. She'd been tossing and turning for over an hour, trying to fall asleep, but as hard as she tried, she couldn't drift off. This was a problem, because she had to get up early the next morning, for her first day of college classes. She couldn't help but feel nervous, even if she wasn't leaving home. It was big step. And even though she'd started at new schools so many times in her life, it was always scary.

Finally, she gave up, and slipped out of bed. She went to her moms' room, and let herself in.

"Mama?" she whispered quietly, rubbing Stef' arm. "Mama, wake up."

"Hmm, what is it, baby?" Stef mumbled, her eyes half-closed.

"I couldn't sleep," she explained. "And you told me I could wake you up, so I just thought-"

"No, no. It's fine, honey," she yawned, now more alert. "Get in."

Callie climbed up on the bed, and settled herself between her moms.

Stef brushed back her hair and kissed her forehead. "Goodnight, love bug."

"Goodnight," said Callie. She curled up on her side, and finally, she fell asleep.

When Callie woke up, the first thing she noticed was that her moms were gone. The second thing she noticed was the smell of bacon. She hurried to her room and got dressed, then went downstairs.

"Good morning, angel," said Stef. "Sit down. We made you a big breakfast."

"Thanks," she said, sitting down at the table. The twins and Jude were apparently still asleep. It was still Summer vacation for them.

She poured herself a glass of juice, and Stef set a plate in front of her. There was bacon, of course, as well as waffles and eggs. He stomach growled, and she picked up a piece of crisp bacon and bit into it.

After breakfast, she grabbed her new backpack, ready to leave.

"Here's your lunch, sweetheart," said Lena, with a smile. She handed Callie a brown paper bag. "I guess I'm not through packing lunches for you, yet."

"Thank you," she replied, tucking the bag in her backpack. She wrapped her arms around Lena gave her a kiss. "Bye."

"Good luck, honey," said Lena. "See you later!"

"Thanks," Callie smiled. She turned to Stef and gave her a hug. "Bye," she said, planting a kiss on her cheek.

Stef returned the kiss with tears in her eyes. "Drive carefully, yes?"

"Of course," she nodded.

"And don't talk to strangers."

"You mean everyone?" she teased.

"You know what I mean," said Stef. "Text me when you get there?"

"I will," she promised.

"And by 'when you get there,' I don't mean when you're almost there. I mean when the car is safely parked. Okay?"

"Okay, mama," she laughed. "Listen. I'll be fine. You can trust me. Responsible one, remember?"

Stef nodded. "I have every faith in you, honey."

"I really have to go now," she told them. She gave Stef another quick hug. "I love you, mama."

"I love you too, baby."

She gave Lena one more hug before leaving. "I love you, mom."

"I love you too, sweets."

She waved before going out the door. "Bye."

Callie sat down at a table in the cafeteria. She'd seen a few kids she knew from Anchor Beach in the halls, but they weren't really friends. All around her, kids talked and laughed as if they already knew each other. But for her, it was a sea of unfamiliar faces.

She opened her lunch bag, and by habit, the first thing she grabbed was her napkin. Her eyes welled with tears when she saw that Lena had taken the time to jot down a note, like she always had:

Callie,
Hope your first day is going great! If you're feeling stressed, try eat your dessert first. It will make you feel better :).

Have fun and be safe!

-Mom

She smiled, and dug through her back until she found the Rice Krispies treat Lena had packed. She tore the wrapper and bit into it, her mouth filling with sweetness.

"Can I sit here?"

Callie looked up to see a girl standing in front of her. "Sure," she shrugged. "Go ahead."

The girl sat down. She was about Callie's age, with long brown hair. "I don't really know anyone here," she apologized. "I feel kind of lost."

"Me too," Callie confided. "My name is Callie, by the way."

"I'm Leah," the girl replied. "Nice to meet you. What's your major?"

"Human Services," she told her. "What's yours?"

"Early Childhood Ed. I want to be a preschool teacher, eventually."

"Cool," she nodded. "That sounds fun."

"I love little kids," Leah replied. "I have two little sisters at home."

"I have three brothers and a sister," Callie told her.

Leah nodded. Then, she smiled as she noticed Callie's note. "That's sweet."

"It's something my mom always does," Callie explained, blushing.

"I think it's cool," the other girl told her. "Your mom sounds nice."

"She is."

"We should hang out some time," Leah suddenly piped up.

Callie smiled. "Yeah. We really should."

Callie pulled in the driveway, and went through the yard to the back door. The kitchen was lit up bright. She could see the activity inside, as she headed to the porch; Jude and Mariana setting the table, and Lena making dinner. The scent drifted through the screen door as she came up the back steps, and her mouth watered.

"Hey, everybody!" she called, coming into the kitchen. She planted a kiss on Jude's forehead.

"Hey, honey," said Lena. "How was your first day?"

"It was good," Callie nodded. "I actually made a friend. And I like my teachers."

"That's great!" her mother replied, sweeping her hair back. "I'm glad you liked it."

"When's dinner?" Jesus asked, coming into the kitchen. "My stomach is digesting itself."

"We're having lasagna and salad," Lena told him. "We'll be eating in a few. We're just waiting on mom."

Minutes later, Stef came in through the back door. "Hi there, my babies!" She gave Lena a kiss, then hurried to Callie. "So, how was your day, slug-a-bug?"

"It was fun," she replied. "I liked it. I have a new friend. Leah."

"Cool," Stef nodded. "I'm glad to hear that. You should invite her for dinner sometime."

"I will."

Stef reached out to Callie and gave her a hug. "I'm so glad you decided to stay with us, sweetheart," she told her as she held her. "I love you so much. And this house would seem way too empty with both you and B. gone."

Callie wrapped her arms around her mother even tighter. "I love you too."

"Dinner's ready," Lena told them.

Everyone crowded at the table to sit down, and began serving themselves. Brandon's chair was noticeably empty, like the space left by a missing tooth. Callie felt a pang of sadness as she looked at it. Then, she turned away, as Jude set a square of lasagna on her plate. "This smells awesome," she breathed.

"Mom, look how much dressing Jesus is putting on his salad," Mariana whined.

"Save some for the rest of us, buddy," Lena gently scolded.

"Eww! He put ranch dressing on his lasagna," Jude laughed.

"It's delicious this way," Jesus told him, through a mouthful of food. "You should try it, man."

Jude pretended like he was gagging, and accidentally bumped his glass, spilling red kool-aid across the table. "Oops."

Stef sighed, grabbing a dish cloth. "No big deal, kiddo. We can clean it up." She began sopping up the mess.

Callie couldn't help but smile as she ate. Their house was full to the brim with kids, noise, and chaos, and privacy was nonexistent. But the house was also full of warmth, comfort, and a family who loved each other more than anything. And after a long day, there was nothing like coming home to it all.

The End- thanks for reading!