31. Callie
Callie
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29TH
A ny ideas on what someone should do when their boyfriend tells you not to talk to his kid but then his kid keeps texting you anyway?
Asking for a friend…
The warm weather is officially giving way to bitter cold, kind of like my mood. I spent the entire weekend trying to get Finn to talk to me or even just come out for a walk or a game of cornhole. He didn’t ignore me, but he was clearly just aiming for “civil.”
Meanwhile, Lexie wouldn’t stop sending me messages, and it broke my heart. I tried to tell her we need to respect her dad’s wishes, but she didn’t care. I’m pretty sure she’s ignoring and avoiding Finn…
Kodi and Lily met up with me on Saturday for breakfast and yoga, with Kodi offering a sympathetic ear and Lily lending her very…um…vocal support. So vocal that several people nearby looked our way. I’m sure they’ll be eagerly awaiting the next Nosy Pecker for an update.
It’s mid-morning on Monday now, and my kids are in music class, so I decide to make some worksheet copies in the main office. I’m staring at the back-and-forth movement of the copier light and thinking about how life would be much easier if I was a ferret, when a sound from my right catches my attention.
“Psst!” Piper’s head peeks out of the teacher’s lounge and motions for me to join her. I glance around, but no one else seems to notice or care, so I gather up my copies and go where I’m called.
Upon opening the door, I’m greeted with a familiar sight: Lexie is smiling at a table with two cans of Dr. Pepper.
Panic immediately grips me, and my eyes dart around the room. “Lexie, we, um…I love this, but your dad made it pretty clear that we’re not supposed to be spending time together.”
“That’s why I’m here,” Piper declares, pulling up a chair and sitting next to Lex. “I’m the buffer.”
“And this is school, Miss Callie,” Lexie adds. “It’s for Bird is the Word . I want to interview you about the final battle coming up at Birdie in the Hole this weekend.”
“Oh!” I relax and let loose the smile that’s been trying to get out. “Okay, yeah. Yeah, that sounds great. Hey, thanks for the Dr. Pepper.” I sit down at the table with them and crack open the can, enjoying the cold bubbles on my tongue.
Lex pulls a notebook and pen out of her backpack and writes “Callie” at the top, underlining it precisely. “Now,” she begins, “How do you feel about your odds going into this? You and my dad are tied up so this is important.”
“I’m nervous,” I admit. “I really want this victory, but Coach is a worthy competitor, so?—”
“What the hell is going on in here?” Finn’s voice startles all three of us.
“Dad, calm down, it’s an interview for the paper.”
Piper chimes in. “Finn, this is all above board, okay, I’m chaperoning.”
Finn is unmoved and glares at me. “I just asked you for one thing. One thing and you can’t even give me that. It’s not even noon, Callie.”
“Dad, what the hell?”
“Watch your language, Alexis.”
“You just said it ten seconds ago!”
“Please stop!” I shout. The three of them turn to me, Piper looks ready for me to tag her in at any time. I don’t know how much Lex told her, but I’m sure none of it makes Finn sound all that great. “Lexie goes to school here, Finn, I’m not just going to ignore her. She had legitimate questions for the paper.”
He looks straight at Piper. “Get someone else to interview Callie.”
“Dad, that’s not fair, this was my idea! It’s my story!”
“We’ll talk later,” he says to her, then turns to me. “Getting my kid a can of soda doesn’t magically undo the damage you’ve caused.”
“I didn’t?—”
“Lex, whatever class you’re missing for this, go back to it now.”
Lexie responds by throwing everything into her backpack and shoving past her dad on her way out the door. Finn loses his footing but rights himself and looks at Piper again.
“I can have Asher run the interviews,” she says.
Finn nods and leaves without another word.
I drop my head the second he’s gone.
“Dear god,” she exhales. “If that’s his way of getting you to stay, I’d hate to see what he’d do if he wanted you to leave.”
“He’s just hurt. I hurt him.” Like I knew I would . “He doesn’t want to see his daughter hurt, either. I get it.”
“He’s acting like he’s a kid in your class, not your adult boyfriend.”
My mind races again, the same way it has been all weekend long. Thinking about Finn, Lex…my mom and losing my dad…all the mistakes I’ve made since I moved here…
“I don’t know what to do,” I confess.
Piper looks at me with sympathy. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“No. But thank you, you’ve been amazing.”
She nods. “I’m here if you need me.”
“Thanks.” I force a smile. She stands up to go, when a thought occurs to me. “Hey, Piper?”
“Yeah?”
“Are there any counselors or therapists nearby?”
“Actually, yeah, there’s a small practice in Robin Springs.”
“Okay, thanks, I’ll look them up. Do you think they have like a punch card or some sort of frequent flyer plan?”
She chuckles. “Fro-yo style therapy, I like it!”
I take a deep breath after she leaves and try to gather my thoughts. Lunch is next, so I still have a little time to rethink all of my life choices before the students are back. “I could really use some help here, Dad,” I mumble. “What do I do?”
Toshi
Hey, stranger! Listen, I know you’re holed up for a while in Birdsville but my kid’s school is looking for a new teacher out here. They’re running interviews in a couple weeks, I thought I’d let you know in case you were interested. Hope you’re doing well!
Well, that was fast.