Chapter 53
Arizona's P.O.V:
GOD! My body hurts I thought to myself as I slowly stretch my screaming muscles. Everything that Callie had done to my body last night, when we got back from the concert, played through my mind. She really knows how to make someone sore. As I fully pull myself into consciousness, I reach over to Callie's side of the bed, but find it empty. What the hell. I throw back the covers and I find my way onto my feet, heading towards the bathroom to take care of business. After washing my hands, I walk back through the bedroom to my dresser to find some clothes. I decided to just throw on a pair of sweats and sweatshirt, then head out down the hall to find my wife. As I got closer, I hear distinctive voices coming from what I assumed to be coming from the kitchen, so I head that way. Callie is at the table with Addison, who was holding Noah. Both of her hands were latched together on his belly, keeping him from moving as he stood up in her lap. Callie's giving her updates on the renovations that's going at the label. When she eyeballs me standing in the doorway, she clears her throat, getting my wife's attention. Callie turns her head and smiles when she sees me.
"Good morning, babe," she says with the brightest smile on her face.
"Good morning," I reply shyly, "what's going on?"
"Just sitting here with Addie, letting her know what's been going on at the label,"
"And she also told me that you two tied the knot a month ago, Congratulations," she says with a grin.
"Thanks," I whisper out, "any coffee?"
"Yep, over in the pot," Callie says, then goes back to her conversation. I grab a cup from the cabinet and pour myself a cup, threw in some cream and sugar, then went over and sat down next to Callie.
"Did you have a great time last night?" Addison asked, switching the subject to Callie and me.
"Oh, we had the best time. Didn't we babe," I smile at Callie
"Yes, we did," Callie says, "Especially the after party," Addison looks at her, then at me, then smirks.
"Do I even want to know?" she asks, looking at me. I just shake my head and feel a slight blush coming on, "judging by how red your face is turning, I don't think I do,"
"Umm...thank you so much for watching Noah for us last night,"
"Oh, it was nothing. We had a great time last night. Didn't we Monkey," she says to Noah, tickling his belly, "but anyway, I need to get going I have a date tonight,"
"On a Sunday night?" Callie asks, raising her brow, "who has date nights on Sundays? A day before going back to work,"
"I do! I have date nights on Sundays, a day before going back to work, thank you very much. I have a date with my couch," Addison says, standing up from her spot at the table and handing Noah over to me. Callie and I just laugh at her as we stand as well to walk her to the door.
After Addison left, the two of us lounged around watching movies and playing with Noah before putting him down for his afternoon nap. After a long night last night, we didn't really feel like doing much of anything, so it was pretty much a lazy Sunday for us. She had been putting in a lot of hours at the label since the renovations started, so it was nice to be able to have a lazy day with one another. But our lazy Sunday was soon interrupted by the sound of our doorbell ringing.
"Were you expecting anyone?" I ask, looking up at Callie.
"No. Were you?" I parrot her question.
"No, but I'll get it," she says, as she starts to get up from the couch. When she opened the front door, I heard a female's voice greeting my wife.
"Hello, Calliope," the woman says to her. The woman sounded much older, so it couldn't be Callie's sister Aria. So, I get up from my spot and join my wife at the door.
"Who is it babe?" I ask, coming to stand next to her. I look at Callie, then back at the woman, "can we help you, Ma'am?"
"Yes, I'm Lucia Torres, Calliope's mother," the woman says, her brown eyes never leaving Callie.
"Oh, it's so nice to…"
"What the hell are you doing here?" Callie yells at her,
"Callie!" I exclaim, "no need to be rude to her. She's your mother. Please, excuse my wife. We have had a long tiring weekend…"
"It's oka- "
"No…don't apologize for me, Arizona. I have every right. What the hell are you doing here, Lucia," cutting the woman off.
"I came to see you, Calliope," the older Latina says, "don't I have the right to see my daughter?"
"No!" Callie yells, "I'm not your daughter anymore. You can't just show up here after thirteen years. You lost the mother title the day you decided to just leave me,"
"You have no idea how sorry I am, Mija. That is something I'll regret everyday for the rest of my life…"
"Good, you should. How the hell did you find me anyway?" Callie yells some more. I put my hand on her arm to calm her down, but it didn't work.
"I…um…I had seen that you had opened a record Label here in Seattle, so I stopped over there and your secretary or desk receptionist…or somebody…so I could find you at home. At first, she was lenient, but I told her I was your mother…."
"So, you lied? Because you aren't my mother. A mother doesn't just up and leave her thirteen your old daughter all because she was born differently. A mother doesn…"
"Calliope, I'm sorry," Lucia tries to apologize again. Just in the nick of time, Noah's cries can be heard, letting us know he was awake.
"Stop apologizing. Your apologies mean nothing to me. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a child to attend to,"
"You have a baby? I have a grandbaby?"
"No, you don't have a grandbaby. My father has one. Not you, now leave," about that, Callie slams the door in the woman's face, then heads down the hall. I shake my head to make heads or tails of what just happened. So, I follow my wife down the hall to Noah's room.
"What the hell was that, Callie? You just yelled at that woman, then slammed the door in her face,"
"Not now, Arizona," Callie says, lifting Noah out of his crib.
"Can you at least talk to me about what just happened out there? I mean, you were completely rude to her,"
"I said not now," she says, shoving her way past me. After Callie left the room with Noah, I take a seat in the rocking chair we had put in after we took all of my stuff out and kept Noah's in. I cover my face with my hands and let out a sigh. How did we go from having a happy Sunday to being frustrated with each other? Everything that had happened with Callie's Mom played over and over in my head. Then Callie's words about how a mother never leaves their thirteen-year-old daughter. Not once has Callie mentioned her mother and after witnessing everything a moment ago, I'm finally starting to put pieces together and realizing why that woman was never mentioned. I rushed out of Noah's room in search for Callie. When I got to the living room, she wasn't there. I heard laughter coming from the patio, so I took a chance and stepped outside to join my family outside.
"Callie?" I call her name, closing the patio door. Callie looks at me, then back at Noah who standing in her lap. He was bouncing around and smiling at his mother.
"You going to dance? Going to show me your dance moves, little man?" Callie coos at him.
"If you come out here to talk to me about what happened in there, you might as well forget it. I don't want to talk about it,"
"Whenever you're ready," I whisper out. Callie continues to play with Noah.
Several hours later, after giving Noah his nightly feeding then getting him down for bed, Callie and I made our way to our own room to turn in for the night. I sat on the bed, leaning against the headboard when she came walking out of the bathroom, her face stained with tears. She quietly climbed under the covers and turned her with her back facing me.
"Calliope?" I whisper out.
"Not tonight, Arizona," she answers. I just let out a sigh, then climb under the covers, then reach over to turn out the light. The next morning when I woke up, again, I was met with cold sheets. I look over at the clock and see that it's eight o'clock. I got out of bed, did my morning routine, then went in to check on Noah, but his crib was empty. When I went out to check the living room, again, I was met with silence.
"She must have taken him into work with her," I say to myself. I quickly grab a shower, then head over to the studio to talk to my wife.
"Hey Arizona," Doug greets with a smile.
"Where's Callie?" I ask him when I notice him holding Noah.
"She's in booth five. She's been in there since she got here. Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, everything is fine," I lie, taking Noah from him, then went to search for my wife. I wasn't about to tell him that Callie's mom showed up on our doorstep, out of the blue. When I got to booth five, Callie was sitting in the recording room, her shoulders slumped in defeat. Her lips were moving, but no sound was coming out. So, I turned on the microphone like she had shown me before and listened to the words that fell from her mouth.
"Oh, I hear the weather's nice in California There's sunny sky as far as I can see If you ever come back home to Carolina I wonder what you'd say to me I think about how it ain't fair That you weren't there to braid my hair like mothers do You weren't around to cheer me on Help me dress for my high school prom like mothers do Did you think I didn't need you here to hold my hand, to dry my tears? Did you even miss me through the years at all? Oh, I hear the weather's nice in California There's sunny sky as far as I can see If you ever come back home to Carolina, I wonder what you'd say to me. Forgiveness is such a simple word but it's so hard to do When you've been hurt Oh, I hear the weather's nice in California and just in case you're wonderin' about me From now on I won't be in Carolina Your little girl is off Your little girl is off Your little girl is off to Tennessee," Not wanting to startle her, but I wanted to let her know I was there, I hit the intercom button.
"That was beautiful, Calliope," I say with a shy smile.
"When did you get here?" she asked.
"Just a little bit ago," she just nods, then puts the headphones back on the stand and joins me in the booth, "you, okay?"
"Peachy," she deadpans. She takes Noah from my grasp and holds him close.
"I woke up and you were both gone," I say quietly.
"I'm sorry. He woke up just before I was about to leave and..."
"No need to explain. It's okay," The room fell quiet for a minute, then Callie spoke up.
"My Dad had an affair," she says.
"What?" I asked, confused.
"When I was thirteen, my dad had an affair. It was with one of his colleagues. And my mom only found out because the man the woman was married to worked with my mom at the Law Firm. He told her about his wife's confession, so that night she confronted my dad about it, and he actually admitted to it,"
"I'm so sorry, Calliope," I say, trying to show her a little sympathy.
"I was standing outside the kitchen for the entire conversation. I overheard her say that she was thankful for the affair because it now gave her a reason to leave. My Mom hated me because of my condition and wanted to leave, but she couldn't, so, when she found out about my dad's affair, she said she finally found an out,"
""I'm sorry Callie,"
"Thanks. I've spent the first few years without her, wondering why. Why couldn't she accept me for who I was. I was still the same person, just one extra part," she says, letting out a soft chuckle, "but as I got older, I just accepted that she was never coming back and moved on with my life, you know," I give her a weak smile, then pull her into a hug.
"Well, I need to get back, Kelly is waiting on me," she says, handing Noah back over, "I'll see both of you when I get home," she gives me a small peck, then places a kiss on Noah's forehead. I stood in the tech booth and watch my wife leave the room.
*Hopefully not too boring. Let me know your thoughts *
