Lynx: A Callie Torres Story

67

"This is my room," Jada said as she turned on the bedroom light.

"One Direction?" Callie asked, immediately noticing the posters lining the walls. "Really?"

Jada playfully slapped her wife's arm. "This was from when I was in high school. And before I knew I was gay."

Callie dropped the bags she was carrying onto the floor with a thud. They had landed in Los Angeles an hour ago and were quickly picked up by Jada's mom who dropped them off at her house before returning to work.

"I had a feeling around that time," Jada added. "But I didn't figure myself out until I was in college."

Callie walked around the room and looked at her wife's pictures. Picking up a framed photo she asked, "how did you not know? I mean look at you," she said with a smile. "You look gayer than gay in this picture."

Jada watched her wife move her attention to the trophies that lined the walls. "You have enough of these?"

Jada playfully shrugged. "I mean, I was pretty good."

Callie found one of her senior gifts tucked behind the trophies. It was a photo book that was made by the rest of the team and summarized her career and accomplishments as well as the records she set.

"I think you were average," Callie teased.

"Average doesn't get you a full scholarship to UCLA to play softball," Jada replied with a smile. "Look at this," she said, digging behind the trophies for a box. "National championship ring."

"Wow."

"That was my sophomore year, my last good season."

Callie looked at her with a confused look. "I tore my rotator cuff at the start of my junior year," Jada explained. "I kept trying to rehab it so I wouldn't have to get surgery. Then when I got that under control I tore my achilles and that was it for the year. I fractured a bone in my foot midway through my senior year and had shoulder issues again. I didn't play in the World Series my senior year because I had surgery during the playoffs. The damage was too bad for me to try playing. I could've played for Team USA or in the pro leagues but being a catcher I beat my body to shit."

"I vaguely remember doing your surgery," Callie said. "I don't remember much but I know it was an interesting one."

"My shoulder was really fucked up."

"I have seen a lot worse."

"I'm sure you have," Jada admitted. "There ended up being a lot more that was torn then we thought."

"Oh yeah I remember that now," Callie said as the memories came back to her. "It was wild."

Jada leaned back into Callie's chest. "I love you Calliope."

"I love you too Jaelynn."

She let Callie lead her over to the bedroom closet where Callie started going through some of her old clothes. "It's cool that your mom kept your room like this for all these years."

"Yeah, it's nice to come home and hang out in here and remember those days. She did the same with my sisters room. Although I don't even think my sister knows because she's on her sixth tour overseas."

"Is this your sister?" Callie asked upon finding another photo on the shelf beside the closet.

"Yes."

"You don't talk about her that much."

"Grace and I weren't that close growing up," Jada started to explain. "She hung out with the popular kids whereas I didn't. Sure I was good at softball and I worked hard to be good at it, but I was naturally gifted. Softball was always my sport and I think she was disappointed that I beat her out for the starting job as a freshman. That kinda ruined our relationship. I tried, I offered to change positions and everything but it was out of my control. She even outed me to my parents, when I was starting to question my sexuality. Then she enlisted in the military and she's been over there going on eight years now."

"The times I have seen her, she hasn't been the same Grace I remember. I remember her telling me she had a boyfriend named Tim who she really, really liked him and he ended up giving his life for our country as they were talking about getting married."

"What was his name?" Callie asked out of curiosity.

"Tim Robbins," Jada answered, not expecting to get the reaction she did from her wife.

"No way," Callie gasped.

"No way what?"

"That's Arizona's brother," Callie answered quietly.

Jada was beginning to put two and two together. Arizona had told her brothers story a few different times in front of Jada. She wished it would've clicked sooner that Arizona's brothers name was Tim. And that Grace was dating Tim Robbins.

"I'm sure Arizona would love to meet your sister," Callie added. "Tim was her best friend and she's still missing him like everything happened yesterday."

"I'm sure Grace would love to meet Arizona as well," Jada replied. "She was head over heels in love with him."

"I feel like I've learned so much about you today," Callie told her.

Jada nodded, knowing that it was true. She didn't really like talking about softball. Even though it was a few years done and over with, Jada was still devastated with how her career ended. She could've chased an Olympic gold medal with Team USA if her body didn't decide it was done during college.

"I'm sorry," Jada found herself apologizing to her wife. "It's a touchy subject sometimes for me."

Callie pulled Jada into her embrace. "Come here, I got you."