Jason and Cassandra were stopping by for dinner. Tonight’s meal will be prepared by Ronnie and Ronnie alone. She hadn’t told us what she was making, but from the scent wafting through the air I could tell that it involved sweet onions and garlic. Jason and Cass decided to drop by because they wanted to drop off the bridesmaid dresses with us. after the altering and finishing touches were finished—approved by the bride herself, with help from her mother—Cass decided to leave our dresses with us to try on again. I swear the whole getting married scene seemed a bit extensive and time consuming that I’d rather tackle another chapter worth of Calculus problems. Speaking of which, I had just finished the last of those evil arithmetic problems during my lunch break at work. I might have contracted a severe case of arthritis, but at least my GPA will be intact.

I was on edge the entire weekend and it wasn’t only because I had to accomplish over a hundred problems for my Calculus class, or the fact that I had to try on a bridesmaid dress for the millionth time, or even the fact that I have no idea what’s for dinner. I was on edge because I’ve come to unnerving decision that I will talk to Tony come Monday morning. My mind was working out every possible scenario I could think of. I imagined him walking out on me, barely giving me time to speak. I pictured him yelling at me for being a total assbutt about the whole situation, but the only thing that could truly scare me is if he remained completely silent, completely passive and unreadable as I beg him to hear out my apology. I could only hope he wasn’t apathetic even after the icy shoulder I had received from him this entire week and the other week. If I could describe just how icy his eyes were when they met mines, I would, but no word in the known English language could pinpoint how cold they were. I was reorganizing my vinyl’s when my cell phone started to ring. Callie’s name lit up my screen as I picked it up.

Smiling, I answered. “What’s up bi—“ I was cut off from the loud sob that greeted me on the other side. “Cal’s? Cal’s, what’s wrong?” I quickly asked; my mood shifting from playful to concerned in .2 seconds.

“V, c—can you pi—pick me up?” She hiccupped.

“Of course.” I instantly answered then added “Where are you?”

“M—my house.” She replied.

I told her I’d be there in ten minutes. With that, I called out to my parents that I’d be back and darted to my car. Callie didn’t live far, so it was a quick drive to her house. Albeit I might have ran through a few stop signs, but when your best friend calls you in tears—especially if you know they don’t cry easily—you’d probably do the same. When I arrived at her house, I saw Callie sitting on the curb with two large duffle bags on either side of her. Quickly shifting my car into park, I hopped out and practically ran to her side. She was still crying, hiding her face behind her hands.

“What happened?” I asked while pulling her into a hug.

She continued to sob before saying “She kicked me out.” Another sob erupted from her mouth before she said “She kicked me out because I wanna go away to college.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” I nearly shouted. I knew Callie’s mother wasn’t gonna win Mother-of-the-Year, but I never would have thought that she’d do something this stupid.

“I’m sorry it’s such a late notice” Callie began, finally gaining control of her tears “but do you think I could crash at your place? I won’t be a burden, I’ll even help out financially, I just—“ I cut Callie off.

“Of course you can stay with us, and don’t even worry about financial shit. My parents won’t turn you out because your mother has some kind of mental deficiency.”

With that I helped Callie to her feet and placed her bags in the backseat of my car. I stared at Callie’s house, hoping her mother was staring out one of the windows. I put two middle fingers in the air before sinking into my compact car. I heard a small laugh come from Callie, but I was still glaring at the house. We drove back to my house with no music playing and hardly any conversation. I could see Callie was in deep thought, and sooner or later I’ll get the whole story from her but for now, in the silence and safety of my little Audi, I left her to her thoughts.

When I got home, my mother came out into the foyer with a somewhat annoyed look on her face, but her conduct quickly changed when she saw Callie’s puffy red eyes. It wasn’t often that any of us saw Callie cry. Callie wasn’t big on showing her true feelings, especially if she was upset.

“You can put your stuff in my room Cal’s.” I told her as she started ascend up the stairs.

“What happened?” My mother asked.

I sighed. “I don’t have the whole story, but the short version is that Callie was kicked out of her house and needs a place to stay.”

My mother’s eyes held great empathy, knowing firsthand how it feels to be kicked out of her home, her family. They quickly turned hard, allowing a layer of anger to settle.

“I swear some people aren’t meant to be mothers.” She said, her thick southern drawl coming out heavily. “That woman should be lucky that her asinine ways didn’t rub off onto her daughter.”

“I told Callie she’s more than welcome to join us for dinner, but she kinda just wants to be alone for a while.” I explained to my mother.

She nodded before saying “Well just make sure she eats something before the nights up. I plan on speaking with her mother before the week is up.” With that my mother turned on her heel and walked into the living area.

I had to stifle my small laugh because I knew just how assertive and intimidating my mother could be. I glanced up the stairs, wondering if I should talk to Callie but I remember that she needed her space, so I decided to join my family.

---

“The caterer has been booked and everything. Now we’re just counting down the days until the wedding. Can you believe that it’ll be in two short months?” Cassandra said excitedly.

Jason smiled at her before kissing her temple. “And then we’ll be off adventuring the world.”

By now, Ronnie had placed a veganized risotto in front of us. She substituted the meaty ingredients with tofu and nuts. My father and Jason were a little wary to try it, but they warmed up to the idea once they tasted it.

“Where exactly will you guys be going?” Ronnie asked as she piled her plate with cauliflower and dragon carrot. The components that made up this dish made the entire meal look colorful, every bite bursting with a flavor that I hadn’t expected.

“We’re heading to London first and from there we’re just gonna backpack it.” Cass answered.

“I thought you guys were going to Greece.” Ronnie replied.

“We are.” Jason replied. “But we’re stopping in Europe first to take in the sites.”

I smiled. “That sounds really fun and adventurous.”

“I hope you guys get to see the cathedrals and museums there.” My mother commented.

“We’re planning to stop in France to see the Louvre and hopefully go to Versailles to see the palace.” Jason replied.

“But I really wanna see the Van Gogh museum and the Vatican, so we’ll just have to walk super quickly.” Cass joked. It was lame, by I humored her by offering a small laugh.

It was then that Callie walked into the room. Her eyes were a little clearer and she forced a smile on her face. “I heard Ronnie made dinner and couldn’t help but invite myself over.”

I’m guessing my mother had informed my father on what was going on because he responded with “You’re always welcome here. Hell, you’re like a third daughter to us.”

I could see an appreciative look cross Callie’s eyes before she took a seat next to me. “Thank you.” Callie said softly before I handed her a plate.

Notes