Chap. 17- I own nothing.
"Why would she not be excited about you two being engaged? I mean it's mom… you're her daughter I mean she was excited about Daniel… if she is excited aobut daniel then she's excited aobut you two." Kate said.
"She's mom though… you know that when I told them about me being gay that dad wasn't thrilled but he accepted it because I'm his daughter. Mom on the other hand has always thought it was a phase that I'd out grow or something… and Callie and I being engaged is not exactly me 'growing out' of being gay." Arizona explained.
"I'm sorry Arizona." Callie said as she covered her face with her hands.
"What for Calliope? You did nothing wrong… this is my mom just… this is who she is and she hasn't gotten over who I am." Arizona said kissing Calliope's head.
"Look at it this way… you're engaged… but you legally can't get married. Maybe she'll think of it that way? Ya know… it's a commitment in ya'lls relationship, but to her it keeps her sane." Kate suggested.
"But I don't want to look at it as that Kate… I want to marry Calliope one day when it's legal… mom has to figure that out. And besides there have been a lot of things slowly driving mom insane" Arizona gave Kate a warning look.
"Oh so this goes back to me leaving when Daniel died… I get it. So I'm the reason mom hasn't gotten over YOU being gay… ok yeah that makes a lot of sense Arizona." Kate said angrily.
"Yeah well it's one of those things that just kept piling up… you kow her Kathrine, you know good and well how she acts acts when things get weird or tough… you know first hand." Arizona said.
"Oh, so we're back to this are we? Yeah I know how she acts… I know how she acts because I know how I act… is that what you're trying to say Arizona? Huh? Because we both inheirited this gene that makes us cut off the world when things go wrong or hell, I don't know, run away? Gosh let's hope her best friend doesn't die so she won't run away for 5 years and come back divorced and with a baby."
"You didn't come back with a baby Kathrine, remember… a social worker had to call your mistake…" Arizona spat back at Kate.
Callie could not believe the interaction between the two sisters. Arizona had shown nothing but love and understanding toward her younger sister and to see them acting this way was breaking Callie's heart.
"I knew that coming here was a bad idea… I knew that it wouldn't be all peachy rosy… and I sure as hell didn't expect my own sister who said she would have my back treat me this way… I'm going to go check on Daniel." Kate said walking out of the bed room and into the bed room where she was sleeping during her visit.
"Arizona… it's ok really… your mom will get past it, ya know? Mine did… my extremely Catholic family got over it. I understand that it hurts right now because your mom just doesn't get it but Arizona, your sister loves you and your dad loves you and I know your mom loves you she is just… she doesn't understand who you are. But you want to know who does? Kate… she has loved you for you and yeah she made mistakes and she knows that, she doesn't need you to tell her that." Callie said.
"Callie, I know trust me I do it's just frustrating… it's frustrating knowing that I am so happy and so in love and I wanted, for once, for my mother to see that but of course I'm the gay daughter she thought would grow out of being gay and ugh…" Arizona sat down and rubbed her face in her hands.
"Arizona, we will work through this ok?" Callie said scooting over next to Arizona pulling her to her. "You don't even know if your mom is really angry or upset either… it has been a long day you know… between Kate and Daniel and us… it's a lot for your mom to take in."
Kate walked out holding Daniel. Arizona could tell she had been crying.
"Kate, I'm sorry-" Arizona began.
"No… I don't want to hear it Arizona. I know that I'm not the perkiest person, and I run from my problems just like mom but I'm here now aren't I? And I'm working on myself and I'm working on growing and … what you said earlier hurt, very bad. I'm not Mom…" Kate said.
"Kate I know you are not mom and I can sit here and see you are changing. And as I was going to say I am sorry… I'm sorry for what I said earlier. It's frustrating to sit here and know that my own mother is still not accepting of me." Arizona said.
"I understand all of that, but don't take any of that out on me." Kate explained.
"Ok… ok. You're right." Arizona said standing up and giving Kate a hug.
"Now that that is over, why don't we go for a walk or take me on a tour of the house!" Callie said.
"That is a great idea!" Arizona said turning around and helping Callie of the couch. "Kate would probably be better giving the tour though… I didn't live here long."
"No, you give it!" Kate said laughing.
"What's so funny?" Arizona asked Kate.
"Remember the Christmas after we first moved here? And Daniel came sliding down the banister and … he kept sliding and couldn't stop and he slid… he slid right off the bottom and hit that door and broke his foot? Remember Dad yelling at him all the way to the hospital and Mom was babying him… which made Dad even more mad!" As Kate told the story, Arizona began laughing with Kate.
"And to top it off you told Daniel to get a hot pink cast and he did… I thought dad was going to kill both of you!" Arizona added.
"Gosh… that was an awesome Christmas!" Kate laughed. "Oh, that was the Christmas you brought home that girl oh… what was her name?"
"Dana… Dana Thomas… Oh gosh!" Arizona laughed. "She was the first and last girl I brought home… until you Calliope."
"Well I feel special… so what exactly was Christmas like around here when ya'll were younger?" Callie asked as the three women made it down the hall and to the back patio.
"Well, it was busy and crowded… Daniel loved Christmas more than any of us… my favorite Chistmas wa before Kate was born and Dad was stationed in Denver… it snowed for days and we couldn't go anywhere for a tree so Danny went out in the back yard and cut this little tree down and brought it in. It was like 'Charlie Brown's Christmas'." Arizona said. "But then there was the one Christmas when you were what… 4 and he was 9 and you both got the bright idea that sledding during an ice storm. Needless to say they came in half frozen and Danny had a broken arm and didn't know it he was so numb."
"I don't remember that at all" Kate laughed. "But gosh I wish I did! Danny and I made a good team."
"you two made a fearless team… I was always the one that stayed back and watched… and I was older than you two so I liked watching more than I liked participating." Arizona said sitting down in one of the patio chairs.
"That is one big fat lie Arizona! Remember when we first moved out here and we went down to that public pool and there was that really pretty lifeguard and you wanted me to fake drowning so that she had to save me so you could talk to her? What were you then? Like 22 or 23? I was 12 or 13 so that had to be close to it… anyways, so I did it and come to find out she was like 16! You were apart of a lot more of our doings then you think." The three women laughed.
Kate was happy to be home. She was happy with how her life was beginning to shape up. She had an incredible boyfriend, an incredible son, both who kept taking her breath away. She had an amazing job with great friends, and she had an amazing sister and gained another. She was happy that she had made the right choice for once when it came to her life, and it felt good to start over and learn from her mistakes even if it meant that she had taken the long way around.