CHAPTER 9:
At about 4:30pm that evening, Sarah and Matt arrived with Calvin along with Emily at Garrett and Shannon's apartment. Sarah and Matt have been looking forward to setting up this meeting to allow Calvin to see someone like him that can live a normal life and have a family of their own. Matt and Sarah knew that even though Calvin was nonverbal, he was very observant, and was capable of absorbing new information. It's taken time to get used to how Calvin would react to the world around him and how he'd think, but his parents have found a way of communicating with their son that works for them. Emily walked up with her friends and knocked on Garrett and Shannon's door.
"Hey, Emily. " Garrett said greeting his friend with a hug.
"Hey, thanks again for having us. This is my friend Sarah." Emily said, introducing her.
"Oh, yes. Hi." Garrett responded, shaking Sarah's hand.
"It's nice to meet you, Garrett. This is my husband Matt, and our son Calvin. " Sarah said, patting her son's head.
"Hey there, Calvin." Garrett said waving to the young boy.
"Calvin, can you say 'Hi Garrett.'?" Sarah asked him.
"Hi Garrett. " Calvin waved.
His speech was still minimal, but he was still working at it. At least Sarah knew Garrett understood.
"Come on in. Shannon has dinner ready. " Garrett said as they all headed inside.
The group went into the apartment where Shannon had prepared steak and a chef salad. They gathered around the table, made up their plates, and engaged in conversation, mostly about work, kids, and the up coming double wedding. Everyone's been excited to attend the wedding, see their friends join a new family, and start the next chapter of their lives. They were also looking forward to the reception as well. It's been a while since all the Bellas got together. Especially since it was difficult for some of them to meet at the usual Bella get togethers when they started to have kids of their own. But despite that, they were all looking forward to seeing each other again. So far, Calvin had been doing well with dinner, and he seemed to be enjoying himself.
"You know, Sarah, I got to admit, Calvin's really sweet. You've done with him." Garrett said.
"Thank you, Garrett. That means a lot. I can't believe he's already six. I almost miss him being a baby, but Matt and I are so proud of how far he's come." Sarah said.
After dinner, everyone thought it'd be a good idea to go for a walk outside. Even though it was a crisp evening, it was rather dark out. So, Shannon went into the bedroom to grab two flashlights and an orange vest before everyone went outside. She and Garrett often kept flashlights and orange vests around whenever they would decide to go for walks after dark. Before everyone headed out, she handed one flashlight to Garrett, and the other to Sarah. Garrett put on the orange vest and then everyone headed out the door to go walking. Calvin walked while holding Garrett's hand. It was a surprise, it was the first time they've seen Calvin warm up to someone that wasn't family. They were glad to see the two hit it off. He skipped down the sidewalk, crunching his feet on the fall leaves, and humming happily while they walked. Sarah held Matt's hand, smiling at Calvin and his new buddy. After they got back, the group enjoyed some apple pie before getting ready to go home. Sarah thanked Garrett for having them.
"Thanks again for everything, Garrett. We'll have to check out Sesame Place sometime." Sarah told him.
"No problem. It was great meeting you all...especially you, Calvin. " Garrett said.
"Same for you. I know he certainly enjoyed meeting you." Sarah said while Calvin waved back smiling.
"I'll see you again sometime, my friend. " Garrett said to Calvin.
With that, the family made their way home, happy to have had a nice evening out, and to let their son have someone to look up to.
At about 10pm that night, as they were about to go to sleep, Chloe could see a sad look on Beca's face.
"You okay?" Chloe asked.
"Honestly, I'm just happy and sad at the same time." Beca said.
"What's wrong?" Chloe asked.
"I'm happy that I'll be marrying Jesse tomorrow. But at the same time, it just won't be the same anymore. You, me, and Amy, we all lived together for eight years and soon it'll all be over." Beca said tearfully.
"I know. I'm bummed about that too. We both may be moving on to a new chapter in our lives, but even with that, we'll always have each other." Chloe said trying to comfort Beca.
"(sniffles) I know. Bellas for life, right?" Beca said.
"Yep. And even if we won't be living together anymore, we'll still call and text each other every now and then. And we'll still see each other at those Bella get togethers we have at Aubrey and Chad's house." Chloe explained.
"Yeah. And it's not like we'll be far away from each other. Jesse and I will be living in an apartment in Queens, and you and Chicago will living in an apartment in The Bronx, and Amy will have this apartment to herself unless Bumper moves in, so we'll still be living in the big city." Beca said.
"And I for one know one thing, we'll always be best friends through thick and thin. I remember 10 years ago when I was worried about us growing apart, you promised me that no matter what happens, I would not lose you as a best friend." Chloe said, prompting a flashback.
In a flashback...
"I promise you no matter what happens, you're not gonna lose me." Beca said
"So you mean I don't have to worry about you being distant from me?" Chloe asked.
"Never!" Beca said.
"Okay." Chloe said.
End of flashback
"And I still stand by that. Aside from Jesse, Sarah, and my dad, you Bellas are the most important people in my life." Beca said.
"I wouldn't have had it any other way." Chloe said.
"Let's get some sleep. We've got a LONG day ahead of us tomorrow." Beca said.
"Yep. Good night, Beca." Chloe said, turning off the lamp.
"Good night, Chloe." Beca said as the two went to sleep.