Chapter Twenty #2
He nods just as Lauren steps back into the room. Then, his eyes flick up to mine. “Wanna show us those videos?”
“They don’t hurt?” Caleb asks me as we’re seated at a random Mexican-cuisine inspired restaurant I pulled up on Google as soon as Caleb mentioned he was hungry and craving tacos.
I think he was expecting me to pull up to a Taco Bell drive-thru or something.
But since he and I both had the day off, I was already going to bite the bullet and get my nipples pierced in Bangor, and so I took this as an opportunity to make an entire day-date out of it, taking advantage his offer to accompany me.
We’re sitting down and dining in. I’m getting C those tacos he wants, and I’m going to do it all while unabashedly wearing a cute outfit and showing him some PDA while out in public.
Hell, I may even hand-feed my man his tacos.
My man. Sounds official, doesn’t it? Sure feels like it, and it’s time I stop being leery of who finds out. Crack the closet door and peek out of it a little.
Caleb claps his hands together to get my attention. “Hello?”
“Oh, uh, yeah. I mean, they do a little bit. Like, duh, I had two metal bars shoved through my nips, but it’s not terrible.”
“You’ve nearly graduated to the point where you can try out how it feels to get a pole through your throat,” he deadpans.
I wince. “Jesus, Caleb. How are you so flippant about it?”
He shrugs. “Whether I joke about it or not isn’t going to change the outcome, why should I continue to sulk about it? Did enough of that, in the beginning, for a long time. Now that I’m working on this in therapy, I’m figuring out how to not let the things I cannot change dictate my future. ”
I blink at him. “Did going through those videos a couple of weeks ago bring back some old hurt?”
He nods, looking down at the table. “A little.”
I tap the table a couple of times to get his attention. When his gaze flicks back up to me, I switch over to signing to talk to him. “I can’t fix it, obviously, but if you want someone to sit with you in it, while you go through it, I’m here.”
“Thank you,” he replies, offering me a soft smile. “I’m so fortunate that I have both you and Lauren and that you both are able to communicate with me. I’m also thankful that her therapist linked me up with mine. Being able to communicate without jumping through a ton of hoops is huge. ”
“It would be nice if more schools offered sign language as an option, wouldn’t it?” I continue to sign, deciding that I’m going to get a better look at the world from his perspective, to get a better appreciation for all the hurdles he’s had to jump through just to get a simple point across.
“Cam’s actually been working on that for one of his school projects,” Caleb notes. “He would like to bring it up to the school board in Ternbay.”
“That would be awesome if he did. Brody, for one, would be pumped.”
Caleb grins. “I’m sure he would. If anyone can do it, Cam can. He’s got the tenacity, that’s for sure.”
“Oh my god, yes. He’s got such a good head on his shoulders. Very mature for his age.”
Caleb wobbles his head. “Most of the time.”
When the waiter comes over to take our orders, I order the same way Caleb does—without my voice.
It’s hard, I have to point a lot, I even have to dig my phone up and open up my notes app to make things easier to understand, but I do get the job done and I have a whole new appreciation for just how much harder it is for Caleb… and this was just a tiny glimpse.
After the waiter steps away, I pick back up on our conversation, realizing that there’s a sense of relief that washes over me knowing that he understands what I’m saying.
He must feel that too, only when he feels it, it’s about a thousand times more amplified.
Wow, just… wow. It also makes me appreciate the work Lauren does that much more.
“Did Cam ever reply to his grandparents?” I ask him.
He nods. “He took Lauren’s advice and set some boundaries with them up-front.
He’s going to go down there and spend a couple of days with them next week for Thanksgiving Break, but he will not tolerate any shit-talking when it comes to me.
Even in the form of backhanded comments.
Primarily, he wants to see how Aaron is doing with his own eyes.
He wants to let him know, in person, that we haven’t forgotten about him, not at all. ”
I lick my lips, unsure of how to broach a topic that’s been weighing heavily on my mind lately. Finally, I suck in a breath, hold it for a minute, and puff it out. “What are your thoughts on fighting Aaron’s parents for POA again?”
“I can’t,” he responds, brows furrowed. “I told you before, not enough money.”
“I know, and I heard you, but I’ve been stewing on this a bunch lately. C, you’ve been staying at home more often than you’ve been at your house—you’re practically moved in at this point.”
His lips quirk. “You just called your house my home.”
I snort. “I did, didn’t I? Well, I do consider it your home…”
“What’s your point?”
I gulp. “If you sold your house, you’d have a pretty healthy retainer for a better lawyer.”
He blinks at me, clearly stunned.
“I mean, totally your choice, obviously. If you wanted to hold onto it for a back up plan, in case you’re worried that things might not work out or something, I get it—but, I don’t know, I figured I’d let you know that the option is always there. Lo agrees.”
He chews on his lip for a moment, then asks, “What if I did take them back to court and won?”