Chapter 36: Hallelujah

Callie's POV

Once the baptism was over, we all went home to have dinner. We had bought a lot of delicacies at a caterer's and we had arranged a small buffet. I instinctively sat next to my mother on the couch because it was next to her that I wanted to celebrate this kind of event.

We had gradually rediscovered the link that united us to each other, and the discussion was completely spontaneous.

"Callie," she told me once we were seated, "I must admit it was a beautiful ceremony."

"Arizona and I really put a lot of effort into making this ceremony enjoyable for everyone."

"And I must say that even though there was no Catholic priest, your pastor was extremely charismatic. His speech was very beautiful."

"You are right, he is an extremely brilliant man with a rather atypical background. He studied economics and then became a trader for a major Wall Street investment bank. Nevertheless, when he was thirty-one years old, he had a burn-out and decided to transform his life."

"And how have you met him?"

"We met through one of Arizona's high school friends. This friend runs an organization that offers help to young people kicked out of their homes because they are gay and the pastor has been working with him for a number of years."

"In addition, this man is involved in humanitarian causes. He is definitely perfect."

"And what did you think of the place?"

"It wasn't the kind of place where I normally go to see baptisms, but it was great. Anyway, you always had great taste."

At this point, Arizona sat down in front of me and silently listened to us talk for a few moments until I got up to go talk to the rest of the guests.

Arizona's POV

Once Callie was out of our sight, I approached Callie's mother. I needed to talk a little bit with my mother-in-law.

"Mrs. Torres," I started in a confident voice, "I would like to say a few words. Would it be possible to go outside to have more privacy?"

"Of course, it would be a pleasure for me to have a little chat with you."

We went outside and sat face to face on the table where we used to eat out.

"Mrs. Torres," I started, "I want you to know that the happiness of your daughter and your grandchildren are the most important things in my life. I will always do everything for them. I am extremely happy that you are back in our lives because I have seen how much it has hurt your daughter. However, I would just like to protect her, and I want to make sure that you are not planning to hurt the most important woman in my life again."

"I know I hurt my daughter, but I understood my mistake and Callie fortunately found in her the resources to forgive me."

"I just wanted to make sure my wife won't suffer anymore. You know, you and I have one thing in common: we both hurt Callie very badly. Today, I can assure you that I intend to dedicate the rest of my life to making your daughter's life a living Heaven."

"I agree that her life should be nothing but happiness, so I don't really understand what you expect from me."

"I will explain in a few words. You are Calliope's mother, and you are very important to her. You are also the grandmother of my two children. What I expect from you is simply to eliminate any form of discomfort between you and her. Therefore, I would simply like us to get to know each other so that you can spend time with our family in a natural and normal way. I want to make sure that you appreciate me."

"How do you want us to get to know each other?" She answered, visibly soothed that she had not received any reproaches from me.

"As you wish! I can tell you a little bit about my life or answer any questions you might have about me."

"My husband, Carlos, told me about you but I would like to hear about your life. You seem to be an extraordinary woman. In any case, if my daughter chose you, it means that you are not a woman like the others."

"When I was a child, we moved around a lot because my father was in the Army. The only thing that was always with me was my brother Tim. We were raised to be good people and to protect the people we love. I became a doctor and Tim joined the army. Unfortunately, he died a few years ago in Iraq."

We talked for almost twenty minutes of our lives. Callie's mother was a very interesting woman. At the end of the twenty minutes, Callie joined us and sat down next to me.

"What were you talking about?"

"We were just getting to know each other," I answered, "we just wanted to get to know each other better."

"Great," Callie says with an extremely happy smile, "I'm so happy that our family gets along so well."

"It's a pleasure to get to know Arizona better." Callie's mother continued. "I really understand why you chose this woman to spend the rest of your life and to build your family. Your children have two wonderful mothers. You made the right choice."

Saying this, Mrs. Torres got up and went to join her husband and the rest of the guests inside. We followed them to go and have a great evening.