CALLIOPE POV
"Morning, Professor," I smiled, carrying a cold brew coffee and my iced chai as I made my way into our office. I set the coffee on his desk as he looked up from a stack of paperwork.
"Morning, Callie. How are you? Is your mom doing alright?"
I nodded, plopping into my seat and sipping my chai. "She's less tired and resting as much as she can but we have an appointment to follow up on Wednesday so they'll do more labs then and we will see how it goes. It's later in the day so I won't miss any work." I gave him a smile and grabbed my laptop so I could get some work done. "I will let our students know via email that we will not be having study group this week. I told a couple of them last week that maybe we will do a Wednesday and Friday a week or two before the final is due so they have more chances to get a hand with editing or works cited."
He smiled and let out a sigh, "Well, that sounds good but if it needs to be cancelled completely that is never an issue. You have so much to deal with and I want to make sure you are taking care of yourself, too, Oomnyashka."
A student came in to ask questions about the final which Professor answered patiently while I caught up on emails.
The parallel work was a comfort.
Class was about to begin so I grabbed a Coke on the way, taking the stairs to move my body more effectively. I have been staying up late every night to pack and make sure every corner of our home was tucked into boxes.
Last night was later than most. I ended up spreading old photo albums on the floor and soaking up pictures of my Papa and me when I was tiny.
He was so handsome and strong. I understood why Mama loved him so much. My Dad was the kind of man that made every day more joyful. Memories came flooding back of how he would set up picnics in our backyard with snacks when I got home from school. We would relax in the warm spring sunshine while eating fresh fruit and donuts, taking the time needed to enjoy our family.
Papochka played guitar and would sing with my Mama, their voices harmonizing beautifully to songs like "Up Where We Belong" and "Endless Love." He taught me a few chords and joined their jam sessions as I got older, loving the chances I had to perform "The Time of My Life" with my Papa on guitar while I got to belt out the female part.
Mama always hoped to give me a little brother or sister, but they struggled to conceive... then Papa died. Now it's tough enough to survive day after day while caring for my Mama. She will have 24/7 medical care available at the assisted living center as well as physical therapy in case the next surgery causes any motor skill issues.
After reviewing photos for far too long I did something I swore I wouldn't do alone ever again.
I dug out the old camcorder and hooked it up to my laptop so I could watch videos of my family. One of my favorites was the 3 of us under the tree in our backyard. Papochka played guitar while Mama and I sang along with him to the song "Dancing in the Moonlight" by Toploader.
It wasn't until I was older when I realized how inappropriate that song was for a preteen but that never mattered.
For the first time in years, I fell asleep to the sound of my Papochka laughing as he said, "Callie Kate, you are so talented. I love you like a nightingale loves a rose, Dochka.".
That quote was one he used for Mama and I all the time. He would tell Mamochka, "I love you like an Angel loves God," then continue the saying as he spoke to me. Sometimes it was said in Russian, sometimes English. I loved hearing Papa speak in general so his voice was louder in my head after watching those videos.
