A few weeks later, Missy is in town. After some interaction with Sheldon and his lovely friends, Missy has decided to hide out in Penny's apartment. At least, that's what Penny told me over the phone.
I knock on the door of the apartment. Penny opens it. "Thank God, it's just your sister," she says behind her to Missy.
"Well, that's an interesting welcome," I say, entering the apartment. Missy and I share a hug and then sit on the couch.
"Sheldon's friends have been knocking on my door trying to ask Missy out," Penny explains.
"God, the desperation of nerds," I say, looking at the ceiling. I turn to Missy. "You alright, kid?" I ask, even though she's 27.
"I'm okay," she chuckles slightly, "Just needed a break from the nerds."
I nod in understanding. "They're a lot, for sure. Please tell me Howard didn't try to do a magic trick to impress you."
"He tried. And failed," Missy says, grimacing.
"You should have seen it," Penny says, "it was hilarious."
"Of course," I sigh. "Classic Wolowitz. He's got this delusion in his head that he's some ladies man."
"Not only that, Sheldon tried to pimp me out for cheese," Missy says.
"I'm sorry, what?" I ask incredulously. "What was he thinkin'?"
"I don't think he was," Missy says. "Apparently, his friends were fightin' over me and he got involved because evidently I have the potential to create another him if I choose a 'suitable mate'." She looks disgusted.
I am disgusted. "And what brought him to that conclusion?"
"He was lecturin' me about genetic predispositions and all that bullcrap."
"I pity the fool who wears his genetic predisposition," I scoff.
Missy scoffs as well. "He was goin' on about how my children could inherit his genius."
"Because you're his twin?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, something like that," Missy rolls her eyes.
"What a weak hypothesis," I shake my head. Missy raises her eyebrow at me. "I guess he's rubbed off on me." I shrug.
"Well, weak or not, he seemed to believe it. Anyway, he kept being an idiot about it, so I gave his testicles a talkin'-to."
I scoff. "Melissa."
"We're still doin' that?" Missy asks, annoyed.
"You're still misbehavin'?" I cross my arms.
"Come on, Callie, can you blame her?" Penny interjects.
I look over at Penny. "No, but I can scold her."
"I'm 27, no you can't," Missy argues.
I sigh. "Fine. But I must tell you that since becoming a mother, my scolding has gotten so much more advanced. You're missing out."
"I doubt that," Missy retorts.
It's funny how as you age, you never really lose your inner child when you're around your siblings. You revert back to the squabbling, the teasing, and the underlying current of famlial affection. That part of you never leaves as you grow older and move on with your lives.
There's a knock on the door.
"Expecting someone?" I ask Penny, who groans and shakes her head.
"Probably one of the guys again," Penny says, and as she opens the door she snaps, "Missy doesn't want to go out with you - oh, hey, Jacqueline."
Jacqueline, who was on the other side of the door, looks puzzled. "Well, that's quite alright. She ain't my type."
"I'm glad it's just you," Penny says, relieved. Missy breathes a sigh of relief, as well.
"Yes, is Callie here?" Jacqueline raises an eyebrow.
"Yes, she's here," Penny steps aside. Jacqueline comes in and I meet her halfway, greeting her with a kiss on the cheek as Penny closes the door. "Sorry," she continues. "The Nerd Squad has been knocking on my door trying to get Missy to go out with them."
"Did you use those moves I taught you when we were younger?" Jacqueline asks Missy, who shakes her head. "Hm. Shame. You should've."
"Not everything has to be solved with violence, sweetheart," I say with a smile.
"You know, they say that, but they're objectively wrong," Jacqueline responds, taking a seat on Penny's armchair.
"I see Jacqueline's still violent," Missy observes.
"Jacqueline has a lot of tough love in her heart," I tease.
Jacqueline smiles a little. "Speaking of love, you fall in it with any of those charming young men in the apartment across the hall?" she asks Missy.
"Please," Missy laughs.
"Oh, come on, take your pick," Jacqueline grins. "There's the creepy one, the whiny one, or the socially inept."
"Which is which?" I joke.
"They all kind of fit that description, don't they?" Penny snickers.
We take a moment to laugh at Penny's joke.
"So, Missy, how's Texas? How's Mom?" I ask.
"Mom's good, always so busy with her church group," Missy rolls her eyes good-naturedly.
"Mary and her little lamb," Jacqueline remarks.
Missy chuckles a little, "And Georgie, he's in the big leagues now with his tire shop. Talks about you a lot, though, Callie. He says you don't Skype him enough."
I smile fondly. "I'll have to make more time for that, then."
There's another knock on the door. Penny opens it cautiously, and as it turns out, Sheldon is on the other side of the door.
"Hello, Penny. Others." He gives us a nod of acknowledgement.
"Why didn't he just call us 'sisters'?" Jacqueline asks aside to me.
"Because you're not his sister." I explain.
"If it were legal, I would be his sister in law."
"Well, it's not, and he's a technical man, you know this." I say.
Penny sighs. "What do you want, Sheldon?"
"I am seeking reprieve from the horndogs in my apartment," he says plainly.
"Lucky for you, we're not horny, we're just dogs," Jacqueline says, with her usual offbeat sense of humour.
Sheldon gives her a look of confusion. She shrugs. "Those who get it…"
"Are only you?" he responds.
"No, I get it," I defend, even though I don't quite get the joke.
"Well, that would make sense, Callie, you've become accustomed to Jacqueline's eccentricities over time," Sheldon explains, although I didn't need it. "Your brain is the same consistency of mush as hers."
"Careful there, Cooper, I know how to hide a body," Jacqueline warns.
"I do not doubt that," Sheldon responds. "It merely supports the point I was making."
"Wow," Jacqueline deadpans. "It never ends."
"Are they always like this?" Penny asks me.
"Yes," Missy, Jacqueline and I respond.
"I remember the one time my mother let Jacqueline babysit my brother when he was little. He came home…" I start, remembering the chaos that ensued after Jacqueline was allowed to babysit Sheldon.
"With a brand new vocabulary," Jacqueline smiles proudly. "Even threw a little Gaelic in there for good measure."
"I got my mouth washed out with soap after that," Sheldon says grudgingly.
"Everyone's gotta face the consequences of their Jacquelines at some point," Jacqueline says.
I laugh. "Indeed they do. I don't mind mine."
Everyone else except for Sheldon laughs.
We spend the rest of the evening reflecting on fond memories, and the discussion lands on Mom again.
"I remember, Callie and Mom would argue and argue until the cows came home," Missy recalls with a nostalgic smile.
"I never argued, I just gave her my opinion that happened to be right," I assert, to which Sheldon scoffs. "What's that, Shelly?"
"I'm amused at your reimagination of our childhood. Mom was always right," Sheldon says.
"Sure, for you," Missy says. "For the rest of us, she was just kind of shootin' in the dark."
"What do you mean?" Sheldon asks.
Penny leans forward, observing the conversation with an intrigued expression. Jacqueline is also listening, but not as intently as Penny. She's heard this before.
"Mom was wrong about a lot," I say.
"Like what?"
"Callie's relationship with Jacqueline," Missy offers.
I give her an appalled look. Why is that the first thing she thinks of and not the attempted forced marriage to Liam?
"What about it?" Sheldon asks, perplexed.
"Mom is homophobic, Sheldon. She didn't want me and Jackie together, remember?" I remind him.
Realisation crosses his features. "Oh, yes, of course. I remember now. It has long confused me how she refers to Jacqueline as your 'friend' when it's apparent to me that you two are in a romantic relationship."
I nod slowly. "It's apparent to her, as well, believe me."
Jacqueline sighs, She doesn't like my mother for that reason, among others.
"Georgie put up a real fight for Callie when Mom found out," Missy says.
"Really? What did he do?" Penny asks, interested to hear more about my twin brother.
"He told her that he'd never speak to her again if she disowned me," I say with a smile. "That she'd never see her granddaughter again if she said anything untoward about me being gay."
"That's really noble of him," Penny says with admiration. "He seems like a good guy."
"Good guy?" Sheldon scoffs. "I bet he can't even spell 'good'."
I glare at him. "Dangerous ground, Shelly."
"Yeah, Shelly…no," Missy warns.
"Why? He's not here." Sheldon shrugs.
"No, he isn't. But I am," I say, my tone vaguely threatening.
"What's so great about him? He's just a glorified tire salesman who got lucky enough to make a lot of money from it," Sheldon continues. "He's done nothing of any real merit."
"Sheldon," Missy admonishes, but to no avail.
"You're kidding, right? You damn well better be," I warn softly.
"Callie, let's not…" Jacqueline says, reaching out to squeeze my shoulder.
I feel the anger and hurt bubbling underneath the surface. "Anything else, Sheldon?" I ask. I don't even know if I'm purposefully egging him on or not, but I can't stop myself.
"He isn't special," Sheldon says firmly. "You're blinded by family loyalty. Georgie isn't great."
I sigh, feeling burdened by my emotions. I make eye contact with Missy, who raises her eyebrows like, "you gonna do it or should I?" Then I look at Jacqueline, who is clearly warring with a desire to dislocate Sheldon from this planet and another desire to keep the peace.
"Let me ask you something, Sheldon," I speak up, my voice firm. "Where were you after Dad died?"
"That is irrelevant," Sheldon responds.
"It really isn't," I say. "I'll tell you where you were. Here, in California. And the rest of us were in Texas, suffering from our grief." My eyes fill with tears. "You have no fucking idea…and you don't care to. But Georgie knows all of it, because he was there, and he kept us going. And you? Well, you don't care whether anyone keeps on going or not, so long as nothing's in your way."
Sheldon falls silent. He's just looking at me.
"Yeah, of course. This is when you choose to say nothing," I scoff. "Whatever." I head for the door. Missy reaches out to stop me, but I shake my head and keep going. I get in my car and go home.
Liam has Georgia, and Jacqueline didn't beat me home, so my family isn't here. I don't know if being alone is the best thing for me right now, but being around Sheldon isn't a good idea either, so I'll take it.
I go into my (and Jacqueline's) room. As I lie down on the bed, I notice the picture of my family in a frame on my nightstand. It has been here since I moved to California. All of us - Dad, Mom, Georgie, Missy, Sheldon, and me. I think back to those times, when we were just a poor Texan family trying to navigate life. We really let life throw us all around, huh? Most of us don't even live in Medford.
Everything is so different, now. I kind of hate it, but that's life.
…
The next day, I'm still mad at Sheldon. I'm driving Missy to the airport.
"Still mad at him?" she asks.
"How could you tell?" I ask, even though it's obvious by the way I'm interacting with my environment.
"You're grippin' that steerin' wheel like it insulted your brother." There's a tinge of amusement in her voice, like she's enjoying this drama. Yeah, sounds like Missy.
"You're finding entertainment in this, aren't you?"
"Maybe a little. But seriously, Callie, don't stay mad at him for long. You know he cares about this family." Missy says, giving me a pleading look - or at least I think she is. I'm looking at her through my peripheral vision.
"Are you sure? I rarely feel cared about by him, even as I care for him. Like I'm babysitting an ungrateful child." I vent, not having had anywhere to put these feelings before without sounding like a bad sister.
"Because you are, Callie. But it's simple – if you don't want to deal with Sheldon, cut him out of your life." Missy suggests. Somehow I think she's trying to use reverse psychology on me.
"He's family, it's not that simple." I reject her suggestion.
"Well, if you're not mad enough to cut him out of your life, then you're not really mad."
"I guess mad isn't what I am. I'm hurt, Missy,"
"That's understandable, Callie, but stewin' in it ain't gonna solve the problem."
"Well, it ain't like I'm gonna go to him and tell him he's forgiven, because he's not."
"And you don't have to forgive him, but he didn't mean to hurt you. He just didn't see what the big deal about Georgie is, which isn't out of character for Sheldon"
"I guess you're right. I can't fault him for not seeing it. But arguing with me? That I can fault him for."
"But that always happens, doesn't it?" Missy points out. "Maybe you should talk to him."
"Talking to him would piss me off more," I sigh. "I'll just let this blow over."
We arrive at the airport, and I pull over to let Missy out. As we say our goodbyes, I feel a sense of melancholy and nostalgia creep up on me. I don't know if I'll ever stop being homesick. I should definitely plan a trip to Texas sometime, and soon.