A non-expendable asset
Chapter 2: Setting in
After a long and boisterous ride in the back of a van with a loud bunch of men that she hardly knows, Callie is at her new home.
"Well this is it." Said Gunnar jumping out of the back of the van
"What is this?" Said Callie
"This is my home." Said Tool walking around the front of the van
"O god." Said Callie looking at the tattoo shop in horror "I don't have to live here do I?"
"No doll. Your daddy lives next door, right there." Tool said gesturing to the townhouse to the left of the tattoo parlor
"Oh joy." Said Callie following Barney into the tattoo parlor
"You really live here?" Asked Callie to Tool
"Yeah doll." Said Tool crossing the room to his seat in the house "You want a tattoo?"
"No thanks," Said Callie "Not today."
"Your loss doll." Said Tool grabbing a beer out of a cooler near his seat
"So what do you guys do?" Asked Callie dropping her bags and grabbing a seat on the sofa to the left of the large main room
"Don't ask." Said Toll Road from his seat next to Barney
"Super Spy?" Asked Callie "No. Biker Gang?"
"Nope." Said Yin Yang
"Well how do you expect me to live with you if I know nothing about you?" Asked Callie "I don't even definitively know that you are my real dad"
"Maybe you should take a leap of faith." Said Gunnar
"Because that's always worked so amazingly well for you Gunnar." Said Christmas
"Fuck you." Said Gunnar taking a deep swig of his beer from his spot leaning on the door frame
"Hey." Said Christmas raising his hands up in defeat "Only pointing out the positive."
"How am I supposed to know that you guys aren't the ones that I am supposed to be staying away from?" Said Callie "How do I know that you didn't kill my mom?"
"Callisandra Ross." Said Barney definitively "I would never do anything to harm you or your mother."
"I've never even met you before earlier today." Said Callie
"Yeah you have." Said Tool from his seat "But you were too little to remember."
"Do you know this picture?" Said Barney procuring from his pocket an old Polaroid photo that Callie knew very well she only carried it around in her pocket all through elementary school. It was her as an infant in her mother's arms with a large man with his arms wrapped around her. "I know it was a while ago but that fuzzy guy right there," He said pointing to the picture "was me."
"It's true doll." Said Tool "I took that lovely picture."
"That's you?" Asked Callie
"Yep." Said Barney "I lived with you for the first year of your life."
"They made the most amazing couple." Said Tool "A handsome guy, with a beautiful wife, and a happy baby what man could be happier."
"What happened," Asked Callie handing the photo back to Barney "To make you leave?"
"My job came back to kick me in the ass," Said Barney "I had to leave after that."
"And what job is that?" Asked Callie
"That dear," Said Hale "is none of your business."
"Damn." Said Callie "Well if none of you are going to tell me then I should hit the hay."
"I was going to stay here for a while." Said Barney "But I think Gunnar was gonna head out."
"Yeah." Said Gunnar from the doorway "I can take her home."
"Sounds good." Said Callie picking up her bags " Goodnight my mysterious rag tag bunch of guys."
"Goodnight." they all yelled back in unison
"C'mon." Said Gunnar heading out the door with Callie not far behind
"Where do you live?" Asked Callie as she followed Gunnar out of the house
"For now," Said Gunnar "I'm crashing on your dad's couch."
"Okay." Said Callie as they reached the front of the townhouse next door to Tools (If you could call it a townhouse)
"Well here it is." Said Gunnar opening up the front door, stepping into the house, and turning on the light
"It's a little bare." Said Callie walking into a Spartan like hallway
"Your dad doesn't keep much furniture at all." Said Gunnar "Guess that's gonna change now that he has a daughter living with him."
"I'm not to girly or anything, but this has got to change." Callie said gesturing to the bare walls and minimal furniture
"Yeah." Said Gunnar "Your dad subscribes to the whole four walls and a toilet theory."
"Wow."Said Callie "Where will I be staying?"
"Up here." Said Gunnar scaling the row of stairs in the corner of the room "That ones the bathroom." Gunnar said motioning to one of the three doors at the top of the stairs. "That one's your dad's bedroom." He said motioning to the left of the staircase. "And this one," Gunnar said traversing the small hallway to the last room at the top of the stairs "Is yours." He said opening the door to a fairly small room with a small bed pushed up against one of the dirty off-white walls with an open and empty closet on the other end of the room
"This is it?" Said Callie
Gunnar nodded
"You should go." Said Callie "Thank you for showing me my way."
"Are you alright?"Asked Gunnar
"I am going to cry," Said Callie with tears starting to form in her eyes "and I would rather do it without you seeing."
"Okay." Said Gunnar at a loss for words "Goodnight."
And with that Gunnar left Callie and walked right back down the stairs to lay on the couch to get some sleep that seemed to be alluding him, only to a few moments later hear quiet sobbing coming from Callies room upstairs. He contemplated what he should do but, upon knowing nothing else to do he tried to close his eyes for sleep hoping that soon she would stop her crying and fall asleep.