The Aftermath of Callie and Arizona

Thanksgiving is Coming Part II

Callie's POV:

I had been up for only a few minutes when I heard my phone start ringing, I knew right away it was Arizona from the ringtone. Even though I was waking up with a post-tequila infused liver and a decent dehydration headache, I didn't want to miss out on seeing Sophia.

My daughter is just so cute, I can't stand it! She was making me laugh with how fast she was talking. Apparently, I learned, she started off her day on a sugar high thanks to her breakfast selections. She really made us really laugh when she told me she was going to see a, "Big Needle," later on that morning. I knew she meant the Space Needle, but it was just so adorable when she called it, a "Big Needle."

I realized a couple minutes into the conversation, what a complete wreck I looked like.  I had been crying most of last night, so now my eyes were seriously swollen with almost no visible trace of white left. Not to mention, my eyes felt like large boulders that were just sitting in their sockets due to how dry and inflamed they were from crying.

My hair was, I am not even sure how to describe it, except to say, if "The Flock of Seagulls," band had a child with Dee Schneider from, "Twisted Sister, their child's hair still would have looked better than mine, that morning. 

As for my makeup, I have no clue how bad it must have looked after not removing it from the prior night, especially after it was combined with my waterworks from the last 12 hours. Pretty sure I probably looked a lot like, Bozo the Clown or his younger, deranged, sister.

Good thing my daughter didn't notice my appearance thanks to her sugar rush and the blackout shades I had pulled shut the night before. Arizona must have noticed however, I know the blackout shades probably didn't help the effect, but why else would she want to talk with me privately?

While I know Arizona was just trying to approach me from a friendship point of view, I am always careful to not share too much with her. Call it pride or stupidity, but there is something about being vulnerable with her that I never want to happen again. 

I also don't want her gloating that I (possibly) made the wrong decision by moving in so quickly with Penny, especially now that things aren't going too smoothly between us because of Penny's research schedule.

After I hung up with Arizona, I went into serious packing mode. I gathered up all my clothes for the long week in Seattle, took a quick shower and got dressed. With my plane ticket and luggage in hand, I left the apartment and hailed a cab to Newark where the direct flight was departing from.

It hit me when I left the apartment and locked the door, I hadn't bothered to tell Penny I was leaving. I think it was at the moment I decided not to tell Penny I was leaving. "I wonder how long it will take her to realize I'm actually gone?" I thought out-loud.

I managed to get to Newark on time and catch my flight, whew! I was on a tight schedule getting to New Jersey and outta Manhattan with the timeframe I had to work with. 

As I boarded and found my seat, Arizona had purchased a 1st Class seat for me!? She must have known I was not in a good place and was trying to look out for me. Sigh... after a complementary drink and a hot towel, I crashed until we arrived in Seattle. 

When the flight attendant said, "Welcome home to those of you that live in Seattle, the local time is 4:23 pm," my heart broke open. I realized at that moment how much Seattle was my home in so many ways and how much I had missed it.

I grabbed my carry-on luggage and eagerly loaded up in the plane aisle in order to depart the aircraft as soon as I could. I found the first cab I could outside the terminal, threw my carry-on and backpack in the backseat and headed to Queen Anne Hill where Arizona's house was located. 

As I paid the cab driver 45 minutes later, I departed the cab with my bag and backpack in hand. I stood at the front doorway to Arizona's house and completely froze for more time than I can account for... my usual modus operandi began, as I got lost in my own thoughts.

 It finally hit me, what was I doing by spending a holiday weekend with my ex-wife, her new girlfriend, my daughter and Arizona's family? What was I thinking by coming back to Seattle?? I realized at that moment I was tired of thinking too much and really just wanted to hold Sophia for as long as she'd let me.