SINKING SHIPS

Calista

“Being a working mother and a working single parent instills in you a sense of determination.” – Felicity Jones  

Calista could not help but cry as she hugged everybody goodbye.  She knew it would only be for a week, but she felt they had only just reconnected and their time together had not been long enough.

Calista boarded the airplane home.  She hated leaving her mom and the girls but was excited at the thought of seeing her boys.  She had never been away from them this long. They would have a lot to catch up on.  She hoped that they had behaved for her neighbor.  Her neighbor had been so supportive since Beau left.   She was the first friend Calista had made in twelve years.

When the plane landed Calista’s, excitement grew.  She rushed to get her luggage and hail a cab. On the ride home she wondered if her boys had missed her as much as she had missed them. When the cab entered her housing development, Calista looked around at the massive houses.  As they approached her house, she realized that she had been lucky to have what she had but it was way more than she needed. It had not brought her happiness.  She had only wanted a home and family with Beau. 

She had played things over and over in her head and still could not figure out what went wrong.  After a year, she finally concluded it no longer mattered. Her boys were all that mattered.  Beau had moved on and she needed to do the same.

The cab pulled into the drive.  The boys darted out of the house as soon as she pulled up.  Seeing her boys warmed her heart and seeing how excited they were to see her made her feel loved.  Oh, how she had missed their smiling faces.  She paid the cab and had the boys help her with her luggage.  They were asking a hundred questions as they entered the house.  Calista laughed and told them to let her catch her breath.  They would discuss everything in a moment.  

Her neighbor had already started walking toward her home when Calista caught up with her outside.  She hugged her neck and thanked her for all her help.  The neighbor smiled and told her they were a delight and she would watch them whenever she needed them to. 

As Calista entered her house her heart was full of pride.  It was always nice to hear that your children had behaved themselves.  She must be doing something right.  She smiled as she went over to the couch with them.  Alright, you first Austin.  What have you been up to?  When Austin finished telling her every little detail for the last week she turned to Dakota.  Alright, how about you?  What have you been up to?  He was so sweet with those big blue eyes.  He was brief but told her he had missed her a whole lot and hugged her neck.  She was so glad that at least one of her boys still wanted to hug their mother.  They began to ask questions about her vacation.  Well, more so about what it was like to be on such a big boat.  She filled them in and then sent them up for their bath.  It was almost bedtime.

While the boys were getting ready for bed, Calista sat down with a stack of mail.  As she flipped through the mail, she came across a letter from the Attorney General's Office.  It was a notice to appear in court regarding her request for child support.  It was for the week following the blood marrow transplant for her mother.  Thank God there were no scheduling conflicts.

She went upstairs and tucked each boy in.  Austin grumbled that he was too old to be tucked in but gave in to it and to a kiss from her.  She went into Dakota's room to tuck him in.  He was already asleep.  She leaned down and kissed his forehead.  She stared down at him with so much love.  She would do anything for her boys and hoped that she would be strong enough to get through all that was going on.  

She made her way to her bedroom.  She looked at the bed she had shared with Beau.  She could still feel the hurt. She wondered if it would ever go away.  She took a deep breath and went to take a shower.  She let the hot water run over her as she silently wept.  Why had he done this to their family?  When she was all cried out, she grabbed her towel and dried off.  She slipped into her sweats and climbed into bed.  She curled up and prayed for sleep to come.

She could hear her alarm going off. Time to get back to reality. She rolled out of bed, went, and fixed the boys their breakfast.  Breakfast was always a chore.  They never wanted the same thing.  She had to run Austin out of bed. She wondered if getting him up would get any worse as he entered his teen age years.  It was already a headache.  She went in to check on Dakota.  He was up and had dressed himself.  He did not match but Calista did not care.  He was only a child once and if that was what he wanted to wear she was going to let him.  His fashion style was not going to hurt anyone.

She got the boys out the door and off to school.  Now for her to hurry up and get ready for work.  She put on her uniform and rushed to get to the diner on time.  When she entered the diner, it was already busy. She ran to the back office and put her purse away and put on her apron.  She went out and immediately began taking orders and getting through the breakfast rush.  When things died down, she asked the owner if she could have a minute.  They had been so good to her. They had given her a job when she had not been able to find one.  They had always worked with her schedule to make sure she was able to care for her boys.  She hoped they did not get frustrated with her when she had to ask for more time.  She hoped they would understand and not think she was taking advantage of their kindness.  When she explained what was going on and that she needed to go to her mother, he was nothing but supportive.  He even offered to advance her a paycheck to help with her travel expenses.  She sincerely thanked him.  Her eyes had begun to tear up as she realized how blessed she was.  He hugged her and told her he had built his company from ground up and he strongly believed his success was because he always but his family first.  Family was the most important thing in a person's life.

She grabbed a cup of hot coffee and sat down for a quick break before the lunch crowd arrived.  She balanced her check book.  She did not see a way to stay in their home.  She needed to sell and downsize to a smaller more affordable home.  She had hoped not to make too many changes in her boys’ life. The divorce of their parents had been hard on them.  Even harder was the emotion tied to knowing their father chose not to have anything to do with them. Calista had reassured them that the divorce had nothing to do with them. She tried to be as nice as she could when she told them that their father was going through something that they could not help with.  He was going to have to figure out what was important on his own.  She prayed every night that her boys knew how much she loved them. 

As Calista moved through her day, she kept thinking about what it would be like to move back to her hometown with her boys.  She wanted them to experience a childhood like she had. Everyone knows you in small towns.  Riding your bikes with your friends, fishing in ponds, and family picnics were things Calista had always enjoyed.  She wanted them to look back on their childhood with fondness. 

It had been a long day but now Calista was stretched out on her bed wondering what houses were selling for in her hometown. She signed on to the computer and began looking at real estate listings. Things looked reasonable. 

She was unable to sleep so she got up and tidied the house and packed her bag for the weekend. She would be flying to her hometown to be by her mother's side as the test results were reviewed.  Her flight was an early one, so she let the boys sleep. The neighbor came over so someone would be with them when they woke up.  She assured Calista everything would be alright and encouraged her to not worry while she was doing what needed to be done. 

It had been a week since the girls had taken their tests.  Today was the day they would find out if any of them were a match.

Calista walked through the hall of the hospital. She was early. She was meeting everyone here for the test results. She sat there sipping on her coffee and reading a magazine when she heard Abigail say good morning. She looked up to see her mom and Abigail. Her mom was looking frail and pail. As her mom went to sit down, she stumbled a little bit. Abigail jumped up to help her. Abigail tried to reassure Calista thier mother was alright. Calista could not understand how this was alright. Abigail told her the chemo she had been taking made her weak. Their mom told them to calm down and take a seat. She was alright. Calista's mom was looking at the door and smiling. Calista turned to see Bella come in.  They sat there quietly waiting to be called back. 

Luckily, they did not have to wait too long. A nurse called them back to see the doctor. Calista looked over to Bella as they followed Abigail and her mother down the hall. She looked nervous. Calista reached out and grabbed her hand. Bella squeezed her hand back. Calista had to keep thinking positive thoughts. God would see them through this. When the doctor came in, he was so sweet to their mother. He seemed to ease her worries. Oddly enough it appeared he had caught Bella's attention. She watched Bella watching him. Then she heard the doctor say "we have some good news today. All three of your girls are a match. Looking at the test results, it appears that Bella will be the best match". The doctor went on to explain the side effects.  Bella told him she would be the donor. The doctor admitted her mother and Bella that day.  Early the next morning they would be performing the procedure.

Abigail and Calista went to their childhood home once their mom and Bella were settled in.  It felt odd to be staying there again. She ran to the grocery store to pick up some needed items while Abigail began cleaning the house. They were going to make sure everything was the way it needed to be for Bella and their mother's recovery. By time she laid down that night, she was so tired it took no time to fall asleep. 

They got up early and headed to the hospital. They got a quick good morning in before Bella and their mother were moved back to the procedure room. They knew it was going to be a long wait.  The doctor told them it would be about four hours.

Finally, the nurse came out and informed them that Bella's procedure had went well and she should be able to go home later.  She told them they could go back and see Bella. Calista was so relieved that Bella's procedure went well.  She was still worried about her mother, but the first half of the procedure was complete with no complications.  Calista and Abigail entered Bella's room.  Bella was doing good, but she was sore. She struggled to pull herself up.  Her hip was hurting her like crazy.  Bella was asking how their mother was doing when the doctor entered.  He told us that the procedure had went well and that as soon as she was out of recovery, he would have the nurse let us visit her. He told us that mom would have to stay for a week so they could monitor her for infection.  

Abigail giggled a little bit as the doctor left.  Bella looked at her bewildered and said, what?  Calista laughed and said you know what.  Abigail still giggling started singing Bella and the doctor sitting in a tree.  Bella threw her a glare and told her to hush.  Calista could not help but laugh.  Now she knew for a fact it was not her imagination.  Bella was infatuated with the doctor.

Abigail was going to care for Bella and her mother during their recovery.  Calista thanked her.  She needed to work and care for her boys. Calista hated to leave but she had to.  She boarded the plane and took her seat.  She was happy to be going home to her boys but saddened that she would be away from her mom.  She looked out the window and wondered how she would handle being away from her mother should she need help again.  What would she do as her mother aged?  The thought of moving home was looking better and better.  She wished she had the finances to make it happen but for now she would have to continue to take one day at a time.

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