Chapter 5 - Past
When Callie woke up that morning, she had no idea what to expect, but she felt her heart clench because she knew she would soon have to talk to Arizona. She still did not know what she wanted to say to her ex; she still did not know if she wanted to be friends with this woman who broke her heart or if she just wanted a professional relationship with her.
After waking up, she unlocked her phone and remembered that she had to go to a convention all day. She was saved by the bell! She was going to have some time to think about the situation and get the big picture. When she went to the kitchen, she saw that her girlfriend was taking care of Sofia. Like every morning, she placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead and then another on the lips of the woman she was in love with.
"I got hit with a flash of inspiration during the night, so I went to the studio." Kate explained. "I got home an hour ago and Sofia was already awake when I went back."
"Have you painted during the night?" She asked, still surprised even though she was getting used to living with an artist.
"To be honest, what I did last night is not a masterpiece but if I reworked the idea, I think I could come up with something pretty good."
"I'm sure it will be great!"
"By the way, before I forget to tell you, I won't be able to be here tonight. I have to help one of my friends organize an exhibition."
"Great."
"What about you, what's your schedule for the day? Any surgeries planned?"
"No, I need to attend a conference all day, a boring thing about ethics in surgery."
"You could instead come to the workshop with me. It will be nicer for both of us."
"I am sorry, but I can't. As much as I love the prospect of a day with my gorgeous girlfriend, I am legally obligated by the Medical Association to attend training days if I want to continue in my profession."
"That's why I'm glad there is no such thing as an Arts Association."
"You artists value your freedom too much to be able to follow rules, even if you establish the rules yourselves."
At that moment, Mark entered the apartment and took his daughter in his arms. Beyond the arrogant man he showed the world, Callie had always known that her friend would be a fabulous father. He and Sofia had an undeniable bond, the little girl idolized both her parents and every time they were together, she just smiled.
As she had expected, the training day was boring but in the middle of this swarm of people discussing subjects that did not really interest her, she could finally let her ideas and thoughts wander. Still, at the end of the day, all her thoughts had not allowed her to decide whether she wanted to be friends with Arizona and whether that friendship would damage the relationship she had built with Kate. As she was about to get into her car to go back to her apartment, she received a text from Alex.
Alex: Tonight, I am going to Joe's for a drink with Arizona to celebrate her being back with us. If you want, you can join us there!
Callie: I will think about it.
Once she received this message, she immediately made her decision. She needed to see Arizona. They had to talk. The situation could not stay the way it was, she could no longer spend her nights thinking about how she would feel when she saw this woman who had broken her heart. She needed to see her.
A few minutes later, when their eyes crossed, the first thing Callie thought was that Arizona had not changed. She was as beautiful as ever, but now you could feel that something had changed in her look. She approached them, greeted Arizona with her eyes and then sat down next to them.
"What are you doing here?" Arizona started to ask, not really believing that Callie was really right in front of her.
"Alex texted me two hours ago to suggest I join you, to join the both of you."
Arizona definitely did not understand what was going on. Did this mean that Callie had come to this bar specifically to see her?
"Alex, you should have warned me that you invited Callie to have a drink with us!" Arizona said, looking at her friend.
"If me being here bothers you," Callie said, trying to guess if her presence made her ex happy, "I can always go home. I have not ordered anything yet. I don't want to bother you on your first day back."
"I am sorry," Arizona apologized, "I didn't express myself well. It is really nice to see you again. I am just a little surprised."
"I was also surprised to hear about your comeback."
"Girls," Alex said as he got up to go to another table, "I'll leave you two to talk, you have some catching up to do!"
Alex had started the process of bringing the two former lovers closer together, and now he wanted to let them work things out on their own. Nevertheless, from that moment on, the situation became more and more awkward for them. They were both very uncomfortable and didn't know what to say.
"Wasn't it too hard to leave Malawi?" Callie ended up asking.
"Although it has been a wonderful three years for me, all good things must come to an end. Furthermore, I have really missed being at home."
"Looking at you, one understands quite quickly that something has changed in you, something has changed in the way you look at the world."
"What do you mean?"
"I can't really explain it but...you seem to have been happy, to have seen things you never saw before, to have experienced other things."
"You're probably right, the life I experienced there was just so different from what I experienced here. And you, were you happy during these three years?"
"Yes, I have been happy. I have been very happy. I have a beautiful daughter who just makes me more than happy."
"What?! You have a daughter?!"
Arizona could not believe this news. Callie had a daughter?! She tried to hide her surprise, but she could not really.
"Oh," the brunette answered by realizing that she had probably just announced to her ex a news of which she had no idea, "I thought the news had made it to Malawi. I thought Teddy would have told you about it."
"No, she never told me. To be honest, it's been a long time since I last talked to Teddy. How old is your daughter?"
"She is two."