VALENTIN POV
I was at a nearby clinic on Monday morning at 8 to get my mouth swabbed for a paternity test.
Once it was finished, I grabbed cheese blintzes then met Callie and my Dad at their office. They were getting work done on next semester's syllabus for a sociolinguistics course they would be teaching together. The college was thrilled with the idea and I knew Papochka was eager to work alongside Callie in this way.
I thought about how much Callie and I discussed after the drama with Jenna on Saturday on my walk to the college. We stayed up all night on Saturday and finally had a detailed talk over our pasts. She was surprised that I am a virgin but not in a negative way.
Callie has a birth control implant and clean test results, though it had been a few years since she had any relationships. School took up so much of her time that I understood her need to focus.
We both apologized for not being more open about this discussion but I knew everything would be okay. Jenna can lie all she wants. It was clear her parents now doubted her claims so hopefully she actually gets the blood test done on her side so my name is cleared.
We spend Sunday lazily relaxing in bed or on the couch, napping on and off and ordering takeout. Vera was having a tough day with a nasty migraine so Callie told her we would stay home so she could rest. They were trying to have time like that once in awhile almost in preparation for our trip to the ocean.
Jackson texted me at one point to ask what Vera's favorite kind of soup was. When I told him she loves egg drop soup and lo mein, he thanked me then said he was going to get them takeout and watch some Dateline special episodes while she relaxed. He is a good man that has never been married, so it is heart warming to watch him grow closer to her. There is a lot of love between them and I know my Lapochka is thrilled with how their relationship continues to grow.
I heard Callie speaking as I approached their office and grinned, listening from the hallway a moment as she practiced one of the introductory lessons they will be sharing. Her hair was down and straight while she wore one the sundresses I remember helping her pick last time we were at Target.
She caught my eye as I watched and grinned, "Val! Hey!"
"I was hoping to audit your course, Doctor Ustrashkin," I teased, joining them in the office with the bakery bag in hand.
My Dad laughed and gasped at what I was holding. "Did you get..."
"Cheese blintzes. Of course, Papochka. You guys okay taking a break?"
Callie moved closer to me and gave me a sweet kiss, her hand sliding into my hair as it always does to connect us. "Perfect timing. Then again, there is no time where cheese blintzes would not be perfect."
We got settled and Callie grabbed me a glass of cold brew from a bottle in their fridge. They had the option to move into a larger office and she took care of getting a camper sized fridge so they were now constantly stocked with more food and drinks. Callie was excited any time we visited and even had Vera at their new office once they were settled.
She kept at least one bag of iced animal crackers on hand along with all their other snacks. We always had them at our apartment, too. Dad and I joked about how we could easily take down a whole package on our own then still enjoy ptichye moloko, Vera's cinnamon rolls, or red velvet cupcakes.
Callie was so proud of their office, especially since the gold personalized name plates said Professor Dmitri Ivanov as well as Doctor Calliope Ustrashkin.
"Any chance you two would have separate offices at some point?" I asked, enjoying our treat.
My Dad and Callie shared a look before he shook his head. "They gave Callie the option to get her own office but we knew this one was available so she mentioned we could continue sharing and just get an upgrade. I talked to your Mama about it, Val, and we agreed this was a great solution. We work well together and this way any time you boys or your Mother visit they get to see both of us more easily."
