CHAPTER THIRTY SIX
Still Present Day…
I frantically text my wife that I am taking Alexander to school and ask her to come home for about an hour as soon as she can. She texts me back to ask if everything is alright as I tell her that I will talk to her about this when she arrives home. By the time I get back home from dropping Alexander off at school Calliope is home and talking to Bailey on the plasma screen. I walk into the library as Calliope catches me up on what Bailey has found. Bailey says we need to deal with this right away and I tell her that since we are all going to spend Memorial Day weekend in San Diego that we could discuss this situation then as Bailey strongly says "Mama's I do not think this can wait another four weeks".
I say to Bailey "Honey, both Theodore and Addison Barbara have final exams that they are now studying for and will have to take in the next few weeks as they finish their sophomore year at college. I do not want to pull them out of their classes, even though I know how important this matter is as I think it can wait a few more weeks" Calliope says to our daughter. "Bailey, you know that your mami is right. We will all talk about this when we see you, your grandfather and your brother in four weeks, alright baby" I say as Bailey settles down after talking with her mama's and says "Mamas, is it alright if I bring Samuel along to San Diego with us"? Calliope says grinning ear to ear "Of course mija, the more the merrier. Alright baby girl, we will see all of you in a few weeks. We love you" both Calliope and I say as we end the call with our daughter.
"So seeing the boyfriend with her family and interacting for the first time, sure hope we do not scare him away" I jokingly say to my wife as I notice that she is a million miles away lost in her thoughts while I suspect I know what she is thinking. I take my wife in my arms as I whisper to her "I know this is the first family holiday without her, but she is in every one of our hearts, so she will always be with us my love". Calliope says "I just miss her so much".
Seeing that all the Robbins-Torres family arrives in San Diego for the holiday weekend, Calliope and I begin to wonder why George has decided to come. Then when we see Bailey and Samuel arrive at my parent's home then things become clearer as Bailey introduces Samuel to her father. While my parent's with the help of Addie, Theodore and Timothy have dressed the table out on the veranda for lunch, we all take our respective seats and my father-in-law says grace. Carlos makes a reference to his late wife, the mother of Calliope and our children's grandmother, in the saying of grace as the mood at the table becomes a little more somber. While the food is being passed around and the conversation has yet to take any effect, Alexander Michael begins the luncheon conversation with a question "So Samuel, you have been dating our sister Bailey for over a year now and we all hardly know anything about you even though we have seen you a couple of times when we visit Miami. Why don't you tell everyone a little bit about you"?
When Bailey's face begins to turn a beautiful shade of Latin red as she says very loudly "Alexander Michael" and most of the occupants at the table smile and chuckle a bit at our baby boy's straightforwardness. But then my father agrees with his young grandson and that says "Yes Samuel, I agree with my grandson. Why don't you tell us all a little about yourself"? Then my mother says "Daniel, let the boy eat first please". Samuel says to my father and my son "You must all be a little curious about me as I am about all of you. Bailey has told me so much about all of you while she has told some of you about me. So as a sign of respect, I will tell all of you about me so that the polite luncheon conversation will continue". Samuel looks at Bailey as he smiles and winks at her then begins to talk.
"My name is Samuel David Ruiz and I am of Cuban-American heritage and my father's family lineage goes back two hundred years in southern Florida. Our family's business has been in the sugar cane industry for eight generations. On my mother's side of the family, her family has been in southern Florida for over a hundred years and my mother Abigail, Abby for short, is southern belle debutante from the Deveraux family tree originally from Baton Rouge Louisiana but ventured to southern Florida in the early 1900's cementing their financial success. I am the middle son of five sons and one daughter of Marcos and Abigail Ruiz. My oldest brother's name is Miguel Beau Ruiz it is as my father says "Beau is as gay as the day is long" and is the owner of Beau's Salons and you can find them up and down the east coast of Florida from Ft. Lauderdale to South Beach in Miami. Next is Ezequiel Roberto Ruiz and he is a professional baseball player now playing center field for the Boston Red Sox".
Samuel takes a drink of his breakfast beverage and then continues with his family introduction "Then there is me and I will be graduating this June from FSU with a degree in engineering. I've been working for my father's company part time but after next month I'm moving back to Miami full time. Next is my twin sister Elizabeth Maria Ruiz and she is attending the University of Miami and will be graduating next month too with a degree in Business Administration. Next is my brother Rafael Santos Ruiz as he is a medical intern student at St. Mary's in Miami. Next is the baby of the family and his name is Marcos Henry Ruiz II who is attending The Ohio State University in Columbus Ohio on a baseball scholarship. He is a pitcher for the Buckeyes baseball team. There you have it Robbins-Torres family…my life in a nutshell. Does anyone have any questions for me"? Samuel asks as he passes pictures of himself and his family around. We all look at each other as we say "Hello" to Samuel with us taking turns shaking his hand saying how it is a pleasure to meet him as Bailey smiles at all of us with great joy and love in her eyes.
My mother asks my father to take himself, Alexander, Carlos, George and Samuel down to the shipyards to see all of the ships that have come home to San Diego for the Memorial Day festivities. After they all leave the house for a few hours of sight seeing, my mother comes into the den where we all are residing to tell our daughter Bailey "The house is now yours my dear. You may speak as freely and as frank as you need to my precious granddaughter". Addie, Theodore, Timothy, Calliope and I look a little bewildered at my mother's statement to our daughter. Bailey rises and takes what looks like several envelopes out of her briefcase and hands each of us our own envelope with our name inscribed in Lucia's handwriting as Bailey begins to say before we open each envelope "About a month ago, Grandpa Carlos, Timothy and I were clearing out Grandma Lucia's office when Timothy and I came upon these envelopes along with this manila envelope address to Theodore and Addison Barbara but it cannot be opened until the contents of these individual envelopes are opened". I notice that Calliope sees her mother's handwriting on the front of her envelope and she does not hear a single thing that Bailey has said. I see her trace her fingertip of her right index finger over her mother's handwriting as she is in her own little world now while Bailey and everyone in the room begins to see what I am seeing. We all give my wife a few extra minutes to gauge her surroundings and pull herself out of her thoughts. Then my Calliope looks into my eyes as I move close to her and hold her tight. When she regains herself and says to our daughter "Please continue baby girl with what you were saying".
Bailey begins again "There are a set of instructions that have been written by Grandma Lucia so that the reading of these letters go in a certain order. First, Timothy, Theodore, Addison Barbara, mami and then me have to read our letters first with mama reading her letter last. So, is everyone ready"? When we all say yes or shake our heads yes then the five of us begin. The first line of each letter begins with this statement from Lucia saying "If you are reading this letter that means that I have passed away". Each letter contains Lucia's own special way of beginning to tell each of us how much she loves us and how proud she is of each of us. Then each letter begins to tell each recipient about the one thing she has done in her life that she is not proud of but she felt needed to be done. Without going into to many details, Lucia Torres begins to weave a very devious plan that she has kept to herself for over twenty years. A plan that only she devised with all of the financial resources that were available to her and her alone. At the end of each letter there is one final statement from Lucia "After each of you finish reading your individual letters, Arizona, your wife and mama will have all the answers in her letter".
I am sitting next to my mother as we sit at the huge desk in the library and watch my wife and children read the letters from Calliope's mother Lucia. I am holding my mother's hands so tight I am in fear of cutting off her circulation. While I wait for my further instructions on the reading of my letter, I begin to see tears welling up in my wife's and my children's eyes. I truly do not know how much more of this I can take and just as I am thinking this to myself, I see my family finish with the reading of their letters. Then our daughter Bailey begins to speak "Mama it is now your turn to read your letter but the one stipulation is that you have to read it aloud to the rest of us. I am sorry mama but that is what the instructions say, I am so sorry". I walk over to our daughter and say "It is alright, Little Bee, we will all get through this, we will all get through this". I look around the room and repeat myself to everyone as I begin to read the letter from Lucia.
My Dearest Arizona,
If you are reading this letter then it must mean I am no longer with all of you and I have passed on. I first want to say how proud and grateful I am that I finally put my fears and differences aside and was able to focus on you being a part of our family. I know that for the first few years I was not a very nice person to you, Callie and to Bailey. For that part of my life, I am truly sorry to all three of you.
For the last twenty six years I have watched you become a wife and a mother. You have been an inspiration to me for the way you have handled yourself and every situation that you have risen above. You along with my daughter Calliope have raised five of the most beautiful, loving and respectful children a grandmother could have ever hoped for and for that I will be eternally grateful to you and your wife, my daughter Calliope.
Throughout the years I have heard you and your parents, Daniel and Barbara, use the words honorable, brave and family with such respect especially when you all talk about your brother, Timothy. I just want you to know that there is nothing in this world to me more important than the love of family. I also want you, Callie, Bailey, Timothy, Theodore and Addison Barbara to know that there is nothing on God's green earth that would have stopped me from doing what I had to do. To me, family is the most important thing a woman can create for herself. For me, I knew what I had to do to keep my family to be as close to Carlos and my creation as I possibly could. So please forgive me for what I am about to tell you that I have done over twenty years ago.
Callie brought you and Bailey home to Miami for Bailey's fifth birthday. Callie began telling her father and me about how the two of you decided to expand your family and how you were going to carry the next child through invitro-fertilization. How you both had picked a sperm donor and with the help of Callie's friend Addison, you both were going to fly to Los Angeles in a few weeks and have their specialist inject you with the sperm you both had chosen. I knew that I had very little time to devise a plan. With the help from Carlos's brother Javier and a medical resident from the wellness center that Addison worked at, it took less than three weeks for my plan to come together.
I made an appointment with Jake Reilly at the wellness center to have a consultation about invitro-fertilization. I used a fake name and a fake excuse to meet with him. Dr, Jake Reilly was all too eager to explain the process of invitro-fertilization to me. Once I found the young resident that worked at the wellness center to help me out with my plan, all I had to do was pay her the money I promised her and wait for you to become pregnant. Then Timothy came into our hearts and into our lives but after three injections you had still not become pregnant, I began to worry. Then at Thanksgiving of 2016 when you and Callie along with Bailey and Timothy told all of us that you were truly pregnant, I knew that my plan had worked. Then on July 4, 2017, you brought into this world two of the most beautiful tiny humans a grandmother had ever hoped for as both children looked like both of their mamas in every sense of the word.
I pause in the reading of this letter when Calliope rises from her chair and yells very loudly "I can't believe she would do this, that she would jeopardize your body and our lives like this". Just as Theodore knew exactly what his mami was referring to but Addison Barbara still was having difficulty grasping what was happening as she looks to me and asks "Mama, what is going on"? Before answering our daughter, I continue with the reading of the letter.
Arizona I switched the sperm donation from the one that you and Callie had chosen to the donation made by Carlos's brother Javier. I wanted to make sure that all of the Robbins-Torres children were truly related to one another and to their mamas and that they were truly Torres descendants. When I saw Theodore and Addison Barbara for the first time I knew that my plan had created the next generation of the Torres family name.
I know that Callie is probably freaking out right about now, just please tell her now that she is a mother she will realize that there isn't anything that she would not do for her children and her family. That is why I knew that I had to do what I did and I just wanted all of you to know. Two years after you gave birth to my grandchildren, Carlos's brother Javier died in a plane crash. I have never told Carlos and neither did Javier. I know that all of you will discuss this new revelation amongst each other but please I beg you do not tell Carlos. In this fragile stage of his life, I feel that he does not need to know but I guess that is all up to the four of you now. In the manila envelope are Theodore and Addison Barbara's original birth certificates.
I am truly sorry for my deceitful actions, but I just thought I was doing something that would keep all of us together, keeping all of you related so that no one could ever take any of the children away from their mamas. I truly love each and every one of you with all my heart and I hope in time you will forgive me for what I have done.
Love, Lucia
Addison Barbara finally comes to realize what her abuela Lucia is saying in the letter that she begins to pace the floor along with her mami, both speaking in Spanish as Theodore corrals both of them up in his arms and holds them tight as he says, "Listen…Listen both of you, it does not matter whose contribution it was for us being here with our family, the only things that matters is how we are loved and we are raised. You and mama have loved us for who we are and who we will become. I do not need our abuela to tell me how I came to be because I know in my heart that if weren't for the two of you wanting a child together that Addie and I would have never even been born. So for you both, I am the one who is eternally grateful. I love you all with all my heart and grandma's dying confession is never going to change the way I feel about being a Robbins-Torres descendant…ever. Do you both hear me"? Then I walks the three of us to our mama and the four us hold each other tight as Addie says "Yeah, what he said" as we all giggle a little but never let go of the hug for a while. Then mami says "I just cannot believe that she would ever do anything like this let alone keep it to herself for so long without telling your grandfather".
With my mother sitting at her desk watching all of this matter unfold before her, she finally speaks after listening to Calliope's last statement and says "Well my beautiful family, I can only say for myself that I see where Lucia is coming from with what she did but even though I do not agree with her actions. I can see how her love of family may have misguided her feelings to do what she had done. But as our beautiful grandchildren here have come to say, to them it does not matter how they arrive into our lives it only matters how they are loved and are raised. Even Lucia finally came to realize that as she states in her letter". Calliope says to my mother "You are right Bar…mama" as my wife kisses my mother on the cheek.
With the seven of us getting together in a group hug, Addie says "What are we going to tell grandpa"? While none of heard Daniel, Carlos, George, Alexander and Samuel come back from the excursion as both Daniel and Carlos ask together "What is there to tell"? We all turn to see the four men and our son standing in the doorway. Then Calliope says to all of us "Could all of you leave the room so that I may talk to my father alone?" I say to my wife "Are you sure"? And she nods to me as my parents and our children leave the room so my wife may to talk to her father in private. Calliope begins "Daddy, I need to tell you something".
Carlos and my wife each take a seat on the sofa in my parent's study. When Calliope takes her father's hands in hers, she begins to tell him of the devious plan that his wife conspired and sought out to change the course of our children's lives. Silence fills the room after Calliope tells her father of the discovery by Bailey and Timothy. Then like someone switched a light on Carlos stands and begins screaming in Spanish so fast that even Calliope along with me and the children had a hard time keeping up with what he was saying that finally Carlos just stops talking for a moment as he then tells my wife Calliope to ask everyone to come back into the study. When all of us came back into the room, Carlos began to apologize for his behavior. My mother was the first one to tell Carlos that he had nothing to apologize for and that his anger is understandable. Carlos then thanks my mother for her kind words and for the hospitality that she and the Colonel have shown to him and our family for all these years. Then he asks for me and Calliope to come and stand next to him. With both my wife and I standing on each side of my father-in-law, he begins to say the two of us first as he holds each of close to him.
"First I would like to say to my beautiful daughters, with Barbara and Daniel's permission" as my father and mother nodded their approval Carlos continues "I do not care what any letter says from my wife because you both have given me five of the greatest grandchildren a man could ever want in his life. You both have given birth and raised and cared for these wonderful children that I do not care how they came to be a part of our lives, I only care that I have lived long enough to watch them grow into the beautiful human beings that they all have or will have become". He then kisses my wife and I on our foreheads as we both kiss him on each cheek and the three of us embrace one another, my father-in-law continues his speech now facing each of our children "the five of you have become my most prized possessions, after your mother's of course and it has been and my honor and my pleasure to be a part of your lives everyday. I just want all five of you to know that I am your grandfather and you are all my grandchildren and no piece of paper is ever going to change that. Do I make myself perfectly clear "? Then with smiles adorning their faces, all of the Robbins-Torres children announce their approval with a resounding "Yes Sir" in unison as they all wrap themselves around my father-in-law in one big giant family hug.
After we all go out for dinner and then when we all arrive back home, Arizona and I are downstairs in the rec room getting ready for bed when Alexander comes down to talk to us. He does not quite understand all of what happened this evening and he has some questions. My wife and I tell our son about the letters we all received from my mother and what my mother had done. Our baby boy seems satisfied with our answers to his questions and how we explained the situation to him that he kisses us both good night and then scampers upstairs to bed. When he reaches the top of the stairs, my wife and I hear him talking to his older brother. Then his older brother Theodore comes downstairs to ask if he could talk to us but Arizona has jumped up to use the restroom when Alexander left. Theodore lays down beside me in bed and when Arizona returns she just slide in behind me propping her head up on the pillows as we both turned to face Theodore and he begins his conversation.
He just wants us both to know that he is not quite sure he understands why his grandmother did what she did but that he is quite sure that he loves all of us very much and is very glad that he is part of this family. Then he begins to tell Arizona and I that he too has a secret and that after what happened this weekend, he no longer wants to keep his secret to himself. When Theodore, Arizona and I sit up in the bed when I begin to raise my voice and tell our son that he better explain himself. That is when Arizona holds me close and asks me to calm down and let Theodore talk. Theodore begins to say that he decided a long time ago what he wanted to do with his life but he did not want the added pressure that he might receive from the two of us so he did not tell us of his plans until now. "Mama's, I have been attending Stanford University but I have not been studying accounting or pre law. I enrolled in the pre med program and am studying to be an orthopedic surgeon like you mami"?
After the initial shock wears off the two of us, we both grab our son and hug him so tight…so very tight while we pull him back onto the bed with us. My wife and I pepper his face with kisses and the three of us laugh and carry on for about five minutes. Then when the laughter and silliness dies down Theodore apologizes again for keeping this a secret from us as he tells us goodnight and he goes to up to bed.
I maintains my hold on my wife as we ease back down into our bed I whisper in her ear "We have had a busy day today haven't we my love". Arizona turns in my arms to face me she says "Yes we have my dear, now why don't we just do something for ourselves, just for me and you". Then my wife kisses me deeply and tenderly. For the next couple of hours, Arizona and I make love to one another then we lay in each others arms and discuss what went on today with my mother's letters and of Theodore's surprise about attending medical school. Then we make love again as we fall asleep in each other's arms.
We have been asleep for a few hours when I turn over on my other side and snuggle back into my wife's arms but I open my eyes for a brief moment when I see our daughter Addie sitting beside our bed and just staring at the two of us when I prop myself on my elbows and say "Addie, what are you doing sitting there in the dark"? Addie seems stunned that I am awake she says "Mami, I can't sleep and I need to talk to someone"? I then gently remove myself from my wife's embrace and slowly leave the bed.
I take our daughter upstairs to the kitchen as I make both of us some hot tea as we take a walk on the beach because Addie does not want to wake anyone else in the house. I leave a note just in case anyone else becomes awake and cannot find the two of us. The two of us take a walk down the beach as it is a cool night with a full moon so our path is illuminated by the moon light. Addie begins by asking me what my thoughts are on why her grandmother did what she did. We walk down the beach and back up the beach as we made our way back to the house. We talk about what we both thought about what my mother had done. Just before we arrive back to the house Addie stops to say that she had to tell me something…something that she had been keeping from everyone in the family except for one person.
The only person she thought she could really trust because this person was keeping a secret too. Addis begins to tell me that since the fiasco with Andie and the whole magazine article that she did not want to study journalism any more so she changed her major to medicine. She applied and has enrolled in medical school at San Diego State University. She has just completed her first year of medical school. She is studying to be a surgeon…a pediatric surgeon…like her mama. I envelope our baby daughter in my arms as I cry on her shoulder telling her how proud I am of her with her decision to follow in her mama's footsteps. Then I pull myself from her embrace and tell her "That is what your mama and I told your brother Theodore when he told us of his career change too earlier this evening".
The look on Addie's face was priceless as she has just learned that her brother one upped her again by telling both of his mama's first of his decision to go to medical school. I then take our daughter's hand in mine as we walk back to the house laughing along the way we both were brought out of our laughter by my wife asking "What is so funny that would make you both think it was a good idea to go off for a walk down the beach at this hour"? Both Addie and I hear the fear in my wife's voice as we make our way to the veranda where Arizona has been waiting for us to return.
Arizona rises from her seat as she begins to cry and I take a hold of my wife and say as I wrap her in my arms "Baby, we're sorry for scaring you but quite honestly we just did not think that anyone would wake up and worry where we went". Then Addie says "I'm sorry mama, it was my fault. I just needed to talk to someone and when I came downstairs I woke mami up and we just went for a walk. I am sorry if we scared you". Arizona says wiping her eyes "it's alright baby girl, you are both home safe and that is all that matters". I kiss my wife and say to her "Arizona, our daughter has something to tell you and I will leave you both now so that she may tell you her news". I kiss my wife and our daughter again as I make my way back into the house.
I pour myself a glass of water as I am standing in my in-laws kitchen when I hear my wife scream with delight and I just smile and make my way downstairs to wait for my Arizona to return to our bed. After about another twenty minutes I hear the sliding glass door to the veranda close and lock then I hear my wife descend the stairs. After she uses the restroom she slides back into our bed where I slide my body into hers as she can no longer contain herself as she pushes me onto my back and she tops me and begins to pepper me with kisses. She is so giddy with excitement at what Addie has just told her that she has forgotten all about the walk on the beach that Addie and I had taken earlier. I begin to sensually kiss my wife to calm her down before I say to her "We make some beautiful babies, you and I, Dr. Arizona Michelle Robbins-Torres, don't we"? Then my wife straddles my body and we look deep into each other's eyes as she says "Yes Dr. Calliope Iphegenia Robbins-Torres we do…and smart ones too". I pull Arizona into me again kissing her with all the passion I have as we make mad, passionate love to one another again and again.
The next morning after breakfast while everyone was helping with getting the picnic supplies ready for the Memorial Day parade, Samuel asks George, Calliope and I if he could have a minute of our time. The three of us follow Samuel outside as we walk away from the house and down the beach a ways. Samuel abruptly stops in his tracks as he is sweaty profusely as he begins to stutter and say "I…I…want…to…ask…" . Calliope senses this is something important on Samuel's part as she takes Samuel's hands in hers and says "Samuel, take a deep breath and then begin". George, Calliope and I watch Samuel do what Calliope has asked of him as he begins again "I would like to ask the three of you a question"? Calliope and I show Samuel and George our huge smiles as Samuel pulls out a little black box from his pocket and I grab onto Calliope's arm as she wraps her arms around me and Samuel begins again. "I would like to ask for your blessing as I ask your daughter Bailey for her hand in marriage".
Samuel then shows the three of us the engagement ring that he has purchased for our daughter. Calliope and I wrap our arms around Samuel's neck, peppering his face with kisses as we scream "Yes, Yes". Then Calliope continues "You may ask our daughter for her hand in marriage" then George extends his hand out to Samuel, shaking his hand and then says "Welcome to the family, son". After we exchange congratulations to Samuel I ask "So, when are you planning on asking our daughter"? Samuel smiles at the three of us to say "Well, first I had to ask the three of you for your blessing and once I achieved that feat I am planning on asking her after she takes the bar exam in a couple of weeks so I think I will wait until we hear that she has passed the bar, then I will take her to her favorite restaurant in Miami and ask her to marry me". When the four of us head back to the house, George pats his hand along the back of Samuel as he says "Good plan young man, good plan" and Samuel says to his future father-in-law "Thank you, sir".
The rest of the spring into the summer are filled with birthday and anniversary celebrations as Calliope and I arrive home from work on September 1 when I am checking my email as I see that there is a message from Timothy. I call for Calliope and Alexander to meet me in the living room as I turn on the large plasma TV that is attached to our wall. The last time that Theodore was home he hooked up all of our TV's to our computer system in the house so that we are able to go to our emails, our social networking, our music, photos and just about anything we can do on our computer we can watch on our TV. I begin to open my email from Timothy, Calliope and Alexander join me on the sofa as they both ask "What's going on"? Then they view an image of son on our TV when he says "Hey everyone, thought you would like to see this for yourselves".
Timothy is holding a video camera as he is watching Samuel talk to Calliope's father, Carlos. Then the three of us notice that the video is taken inside the Torres mansion in the library as both Timothy and Samuel enter the library as Samuel begins to say to Carlos "Sir, I would like for you and your grandson Timothy to join Bailey and I for dinner tonight as we celebrate Bailey's passing of the bar exam. I would also like to ask you a question sir"? We watch Carlos rise from behind his desk and make his way over to Samuel and his grandson. He asks Timothy why he is filming this as we hear Timothy answer "It for our mama's and for Alexander, Theodore, Addie, Grandma Barbara and Grandpa Daniel".
Carlos looks into the camera with a puzzled look on his face and says "Hello to all of you" as he continues his quest to stand in front of Samuel. We all see that Samuel's head begins to fill with perspiration, as Calliope and I smile at each other, then we hear Samuel ask his question to Carlos. "Sir, I would like you blessing as I ask your granddaughter tonight for her hand in marriage"? Samuel continues to sweat and Carlos smiles warmly as he tells Samuel "Yes mijo, you have my blessing and I am honored to have you become part of our family". Then Carlos wraps Samuel up in his arms and then places both of his hands along Samuel's face as he bends Samuel's head down and places a kiss on his new grandson's forehead as they then shake hands. Then Timothy turns the camera on him to say to the three of us "Stay tuned to see if Bailey says yes, Love you all and we will be right back".
I click on the next email and again Timothy is manning the video camera as he, Bailey, Samuel, Carlos and Samuel's parent's are all at Bailey's favorite restaurant. Timothy is introducing Samuel's parents to the video camera as they both say "Hello" to Bailey's family. Calliope, Alexander and I say "Hello" back to the TV and wave and then smile at each other. Timothy begins to narrate what is going to happen next when he suddenly stops talking because Bailey has come back to her seat. Then Samuel clangs the side of his champagne glass to ask for everyone's attention. Samuel stands and turns his attention to the lady of the evening as he says "Bailey, I love you and I have invited our family's here" as he tips his champagne glass to the camera to all of us watching as he continues "to celebrate your passing of the bar exam. I have another motive for this celebration because I would like to ask you a question".
Samuel then retrieves a ring from his vest pocket as he drops to the floor on one knee and asks our daughter "Bailey will you do me the honor of being my wife. I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you"? Bailey too kneels down onto the floor grabbing Samuel's face in her hands kissing her fiancé very passionately as she breaks the kiss then she states very loudly as she begins to cry "Yes my love, I will marry you". With their family along with the entire restaurant full of patrons stand to clap, whistle and hoot and holler their congratulations to the happy couple.
Timothy continues to video the night of excitement that our daughter is experiencing. Everyone at the dinner table is taking turns talking into the video camera telling all of us how they are feeling and what a wonderful time they are having tonight. Then Bailey takes the video camera as she begins to speak to her mama's and to her baby brother. Our daughter begins to tell us how happy she is and how Samuel has told her how he asked her mama's, her father and her grandparents when everyone was in San Diego earlier this year for her hand in marriage and then before dinner tonight he had asked her grandfather Carlos for his blessing too. Bailey then says to her mama and her mami "I love you both and I am glad you gave your blessing. Please call me after you watch this video so I can tell you both personally how much I love you both and you too baby brother".
Calliope and I are sitting on the sofa crying so hard that we cannot talk to anyone at this moment when Alexander takes his mama's phone and he calls his sister. Bailey answers the phone on the first ring and screams "Mama" as Alexander just laughs and says "No Bailey, it's your baby brother. Both of our momma's are crying their eyes out after watching the video's sent by Timothy. I just wanted to say congratulations on your engagement. Tell Grandpa Carlos, Timothy and Samuel I say hello and that I love them. Alright, well I am going to hand you over to mami because she is the first one to stop crying. I love you big sis and see you soon". Alexander laughs and hands the phone to my wife because I am still trying to regulate my breathing as I am trying to stop crying. Alexander kisses the both of us as he makes his way up to his room to leave us to talk to our daughter.
"Hey baby girl" Calliope begins the conversation with our daughter as I curl my body up into my wife's arms as I listen to their conversation. "Yea baby, she is here with me as she is trying to calm down". I speak into the phone "I love you, Little Bee" as I hear Bailey say to me "I love you too, mama". Calliope continues her conversation with Bailey and I finally calm down enough to talk to our daughter as Calliope places the call to Bailey on speaker phone as the three of talk about tonight's proposal for the next hour. Bailey hears her phone beep throughout our conversation she finally says "Mama's, everyone has been calling me so I must go and answer my phone messages. I want to talk to daddy and Grandma Louise before it gets to late here but I want to talk to you both some more about this and about making wedding plans. So can I call you tomorrow to talk more"?
I then quickly say "Yes Little Bee, call us whenever you get a moment and we will talk more tomorrow". Then both Calliope and I say together "We love you, our Little Bee and good night baby girl" as we end the call with Bailey and I begin to cry all over again. Calliope chuckles a little as she kisses me then says "Arizona, if you are crying this much now what are you going to be like at the wedding. Come on my darling, let's go to bed".
Within a few days Bailey has contacted everyone to ask if they could celebrate Thanksgiving in Miami because Samuel's family has invited the whole damn Robbins-Torres family to enjoy Turkey Day with them. Everyone has returned their answers back to Bailey with a resounding "Yes" as we make plans to travel to Miami this November. I arrive home from the hospital to find Alexander and my wife in the library as they have just confirmed with Miranda that the two of us have Thanksgiving Day weekend off so we may travel to Miami. Then Calliope calls to tell Bailey the good news, Alexander and I purchase plane tickets online for our trip.
By the time Calliope finishes her talk with our Little Bee, I have printed off our confirmation approval of our plane tickets. And now it is my turn to talk to Little Bee I tell her when we will be arriving in Miami on the Wednesday before as we then begin discussing wedding plans. Samuel and Bailey have decided on a fall wedding that will be next September 21, 2038. They have also decided to be married at the Torres mansion much to the dismay of Samuel's parents as well as Bailey's grandfather Carlos. Both Samuel and Bailey are standing firm on this decision.
I arrive home from working a twelve hour shift at the hospital to find that my wife and son have saved some pizza with my name on the top of the box. I smile as I grab the box from the fridge and a bottle of beer. I am sitting at the dining room table eating my dinner when I hear Arizona's phone begin to ring. I hear her wake up to answer it while I walk towards the bedroom to find out who is calling my wife at this late hour. I am standing in the doorway of our bedroom when I hear what Arizona is saying when she says "Speaking…What…What happened? Yes…Yes we will be there in a few hours". When my wife ends the call she lays the phone down beside her as she begins to cry. When she then sees me standing in the doorway all she can say to me is "It's daddy Calliope…We have to leave and travel to San Diego right now…tonight"…