Callie's Gift

by T. J. Jones

  Jenny's mother sat in her usual spot on the couch, remote in hand, a worried look on her face. She didn't speak, just cast a furtive look in the direction of the stairs and shrugged her shoulders. Callie took the steps two at a time. "Okay Jenny, what is so important?" Jenny sat on the floor in front of her bed, wearing an old sweatshirt and a pair of shorts. She was surrounded by a small pyramid of tissues and looked at Callie wide eyed, then began to cry again. Both her eyes were puffy and swollen, but Callie realized immediately that the left one was nearly swollen shut. Without a word, she turned Jenny's face and saw that the side of her cheek was also swollen and was bruising, blackening from her cheekbone up into the corner of her eye. She put her arms around the redhead and listened to her cry, seething. Then she pulled back, holding her face.

  "We need to call the cops, first thing, they need to see this. That motherfucker can't do that to you Jenny, I will fucking shoot him myself!" Jenny only cried harder.

  "It's not his fault, I was acting crazy, I got mad and was screaming shit. I don't know, I just went nuts. I started slapping him and yelling so much, he finally slapped me back."

  "That's no excuse! You're a girl, he's a big guy, a six-foot jock that spends half his life lifting weights. I don't care what you did, he can't get away with this. We can go in tomorrow then, I'll take you into the police station."

  "No, Callie, it was my fault, I love him. He just couldn't take me yelling. I flipped out."

  "Jenny, this is not your fault." Callie lowered her voice, trying to calm herself, and the other girl. "How can you love someone who would do this to you? This isn't right, you know that." She pulled her phone out and quickly took a picture, pointing the camera at Jenny's eye, which was growing blacker.

  "What are you doing?"

  "Evidence. If you won't go to the cops, I will." Callie knew it was an empty threat, the girl could always claim she tumbled down the stairs, but Jenny bought it. She began crying again as Callie went down to the tiny refrigerator and found some frozen peas. She wrapped them in a small towel, ignoring Jenny's Mom's questions, then went back up and gave them to the girl. Jenny took the compress and gingerly put it on her face. They talked for an hour, and Callie tried to explain why what Greg did was indefensible. Jenny finally agreed to stop seeing him, mostly because Callie kept threatening to go to the law. It was something, and the best Callie could get out of her. Finally, Jenny climbed into bed and Callie went into the bathroom before joining her.

  She still had bits of dried blood from the Calico cat stuck in the cuticles of her nails, and scrubbed her hands again, disgusted. She inspected her fingers carefully, thinking how badly she wanted to wrap them around Greg Johnson's neck, wishing that she had flattened him with her car instead of that poor Calico cat. But that was fate for you. Greg Johnson would get away with hitting his girlfriend, and she would eventually go back to him. Some poor little old lady would never hear that bell again when she called her Calico. Yeah, fate was a bitch. Callie turned off the bathroom light and climbed in beside Jenny.

  *****

  Jenny stayed home from school the following week, because she didn't want everyone to know about her black eye, and who gave it to her. Callie sat in Art class, glaring at Greg, rolling a scissors in her hand, wishing she could drive it into his chest. Jenny had made her agree to keep silent about it, in exchange for agreeing to stay away from Greg. Greg couldn't hold Callie's gaze very long, but then he never could. He hurried out of the Art room as fast as he could. Callie stopped to talk to Abby. Davis Cooper was due state side by Friday and would be flying into Minneapolis over the weekend.

  "I don't know what's going to happen Cal, he's a different person than I married. I told him I wouldn't go back to Georgia. He's going to get transferred pretty soon anyway, but he's already talking about volunteering to go back. He says he still loves me. It's not his fault entirely, that things are the way they are. Being in that damn war changed him. I guess I owe him the chance to try to work things out. He's taking some leave time and coming up, so we can decide what we're going to do. I can't bear the thought of him touching me, after being with you, but he's my husband."

  "Maybe things will work out when you see him, Abby. You know I don't want to stop this, us. Being with you, you know, has been great, but he is your husband."

  "I don't know what I want Cal. He's a good man. I want you, but I have to at least talk about it with him. Come over Friday night, okay? Let's just try and have a special night." Abby appeared to be on the verge of tears so Callie said goodbye quickly and headed for her next class. She rounded the corner near her locker and nearly ran into Greg Johnson. She backed up a step and glared at him defiantly. He stepped toward her and she ripped into him.

  "Are you going to hit me, like you did Jenny?" He glanced down the hall at the few kids that hadn't found their way to their next class yet. Callie raised her voice. "Go ahead fucker, that's what you do, right, hit girls half your size?"

  "Shut up, you stupid bitch, you don't know anything about what happened. Keep your nose out of it. Jenny won't even talk to me because you stuck your bitch face into it."

  "So, go ahead, big man, fucking hit me why don't you! But you wouldn't do that in front of witnesses, it's okay to give Jenny a black eye when nobodies around. Stay away from her, it isn't too late to go to the cops. Go ahead, big man!" She was screaming, taunting him and he took another step toward her. The Shop teacher, a giant of a man that usually showed up to break up fights between unruly farm boys, stepped into the hall from his classroom.

  "Hey! You two, get to your class. Johnson, you want trouble with me?" Political correctness didn't exist in the empty hallways of this midwestern town, and getting slapped around by the enormous shop teacher was something that Greg didn't want any part of. He turned and walked away. Callie slammed open her locker and exchanged her books, then stomped away, without acknowledging the big man. She spent the week glaring at Greg whenever she had the opportunity, refusing to feel intimidated. The details of their exchange in the hallway passed around the school quickly, and Callie got some satisfaction from knowing that most of the school was aware of what Greg had done. Travis seemed especially upset.

  "You can make fun of Texans all you want Callie, but we don't hit women, that guys an asshole."

  "Yeah, Chester? Guys with a brain don't hit girls, but Greg Johnson doesn't fit into that category. Jenny's one of the sweetest, nicest people I know, she wouldn't hurt a fly. I don't know why some people seem to like abuse." He smiled briefly.

  "I keep asking myself that same question, but I still hang around with you." She laughed at him and slapped his arm.

  "But you're getting to tell the guys about all that imaginary pussy I'm giving you."

  "Which is great, but it does nothing for my backup."

  "God, don't be gross, you want a shiner like Jenny?"

  "You'd need a ladder, shorty." Travis laughed, hip checking her into the lockers they were walking by. She laughed and grabbed his arm, pulling herself back beside him. She left her arm encircled with his as they continued down the hall, and saw that Travis blushed a little. She left her arm in his until they walked into their next class, hoping it wouldn't confuse him. But it was good having a male friend, just having any friend that she felt she could relax with. Jenny was great to spend time with, but it was a bit like being front and center in a reality show. And the sexual tension had been growing, at least for Callie. She knew that Jenny was oblivious to the fact that her best friend had fallen in love with her. Callie couldn't imagine that conversation, it wasn't something she wanted to risk.

  She couldn't imagine explaining things to Travis either, but she suspected she was going to have to. It made her angry that she had to deal with it, she had been very clear, repeatedly, that they were just hanging out. Yet she saw what Jenny saw. He didn't always look at her like they were just friends. It struck her as comical. She was sleeping with her teacher, probably in love with her best friend, and being followed a
round by a lovesick Cowboy, who had no idea that he'd never get in her pants. She'd thought about just telling Travis she was gay more than once, but she couldn't bring herself to do it, at least not yet.

  Callie spent the week wondering about her and Abby, if they would be done or not. Ending it when Davis came back had seemed like perfect timing. The plan had always been to go to college in the fall and see how many attractive young lesbians she could find. But that was five months away. Abby had become an accomplished lover, a safe, known, reliable lover, that hadn't placed too many demands on her. If Davis Cooper reclaimed his wife, it would mean going back to the loneliness of her bedroom. She found herself hoping Abby would just split up with him so she could continue enjoying their trysts. She didn't think Davis Cooper deserved Abby. She hated the man without ever having met him. She was sure that Abby needed the soft touch of a woman, not some laughing, dirty soldier. She sat up suddenly in her desk, aware that she had nearly fallen asleep, wondering about those laughing soldiers and a desert sky.

  Callie spent Friday night with Abby and did everything she could to please her. If it was their last night together, she wanted to remember it. She wanted it to be something Abby would remember. But Abby was nervous and distant. She talked more about the possibility of saving her marriage, of following Davis to his next base. Callie refused to spend the night, refused to say what she knew Abby wanted to hear, and she refused to admit to herself, how badly she wanted to do both.

  Chapter 6

  She had to spend Saturday day at the hardware store. First thing, she helped her father move the garden merchandise outside. He peered at her cautiously. "Callie, um, Richie came by a couple days ago. He apologized to me, again, he's done it a couple times. He wants to come back to coffee with the boys. I told him it was totally up to you, and that he had to apologize to you, not me. I think he's honestly scared of you, but he does seem sorry." He paused, looking for a reaction. "Callie, the Lord makes all kinds of people, smart, stupid, white, black, straight, gay. We're told to love them all the same." She avoided looking into her father's face, unsure of where this conversation might be leading.

  "Well, if the Lord made Richie, he fucked up. I don't care, if you're willing to give his worthless ass free coffee, that's up to you. But if he ever looks at me like that again, you're both going to regret it." Her father grinned at her.

  "You can tell him that yourself, when he shows up. And please don't swear, Princess." Callie snickered at the nickname. Her father stopped suddenly, and looked at her oddly. "You know I love you, right Callie?"

  "Of course, that's why I got a new car, right?" Her father rolled his eyes.

  "Very funny. And you know I'll always love you, no matter what."

  "Yeah, course." Callie had started counting out the money for the cash register and she had to start again. She was suddenly very aware of her pulse, hammering in her ears.

  "Jenny, that redheaded girl, is she your girlfriend?" She looked up at him quickly, and he raised his hand to stop her from speaking. "I know you've been friends since grade school, that's not what I'm asking, and I think you know that."

  "Dad, Jenny has a boyfriend, or had one anyway, and I'm not gay, where'd you come up with that?" Alarm bells were crashing in Callie's head, and she felt dizzy. This was supposed to be just another boring Saturday at the hardware store, not the day she came out to her father. She looked around for some distraction, some way to get out of the conversation.

  "Callie, you're my daughter, and I will always love you. If you turned into a maniacal, transvestite, Devil worshipper, I would still love you." She snickered at the fact that her father would even utter those words. "Liking girls isn't a big deal. But, for the record, if you were a devil worshipper, that would piss me off."

  "Dad, do we have to talk about this now, at work?" She had counted the quarters three times and finally gave up and just threw the money in the till.

  "You're eighteen Callie, and I've been waiting for you to say something for years. You're my little girl Cal, it makes me sad that you ever thought being gay would change how we feel about you." She looked at her father's unhappy face and gave up.

  "So, Mom knows too? Nobody else though, right?" Her father smiled.

  "Of course, she knows, you don't give your mother enough credit. She's a brilliant woman. You didn't get so smart by taking after my side of the family. I think you're making too much of it, but we would never say anything to anyone until you're ready, Callie."

  "Well, please don't. Nobody knows, and no, Jenny is not my girlfriend, not that way. How did you figure it out, anyway?"

  "Believe it or not, I was a teenage boy once. When I was young, girls as pretty as you had guys lined up around the block if they showed any interest at all. Is this why you want to move to the Cities? I know you think this town is backwards and old fashioned, but people here are a lot more accepting than you think, most of them aren't like Richie."

  "That's part of it, but there are a bunch of reasons. We can talk about this later, okay?" Their first customers had walked through the door. Callie ignored them long enough to hug her father for a long moment. "Thanks Dad."

  "You're welcome, Princess." Callie was in shock, but elated. Had she known how easily that conversation would go, she would have had it long ago. She knew there was plenty left to talk about, but she was so happy that when Richie Carlson did show up, she didn't give him too hard a time. He wouldn't meet her eyes, staring at the floor as he made his apology, and Callie thought about the Lemmings again. She wondered if the world wouldn't be better off if she sent Richie running off a cliff. Instead she sent him into the backroom for more free coffee and doughnuts.

  She left the hardware at four and went home to shower, wondering if Abby had picked up her husband at the airport by now. The thought that Abby might sleep with him made her crazy but she knew she shouldn't be jealous. In five months, she would be at school, and she could find girls her own age. But five long months without sex, without Abby? Now that she knew her parents knew, it didn't seem as pressing, to keep her secret. She could tell Jenny. Maybe the girl would surprise her and like the idea of some extra cuddling with her friend. When she went downstairs, after dressing and grabbing her things to spend the night at Jenny's, she found her mother sitting at the kitchen table, reading a magazine. She bent down quickly and kissed her on the cheek. Her mother smiled, giving her a knowing look.

  "I'm heading to Jenny's, and no, we're not going to have a naked pillow fight, or whatever it is you think lesbians do." Her mother surprised her with a joke.

  "So, two lesbians were playing golf. No, I'm kidding, I don't know any good lesbian jokes. Your father and I are both very proud of you, Callie. This doesn't change anything."

  "Thanks, for being cool about it. I always thought this would all be a lot tougher. But like I told Dad, Jenny and I are just friends, she has no idea I'm gay." Her mother shrugged.

  "Callie, I don't think Jenny is ever going to cure cancer, but I really don't think she's that stupid. And she looks at you like you hung the moon. Your Dad and I knew, and Jenny's your best friend, I'm guessing she has an idea at least."

  "Well, for now, it's just between us, okay? Baby steps." And that was the end of it, no tears, no drama, just a smile and another kiss on the cheek, and Callie was on her way to Jenny's house. She had just pulled out of her driveway when her phone rang, it was Abby.

  "Hey, what's up Teach?"

  "Nobody's listening here Cal, are you alone?" They seldom talked by cell.

  "Yeah, in the car, heading to Jen's house. How's it going with Davis."

  "It's not good. He went to the store for cigarettes. He never smoked before, now he does. He's weird, really moody, and quiet like. He thinks I've been sleeping around. I guess that's what husbands think when they come back after sixteen months and you won't screw them, but he's in the spare bedroom. I told him I couldn't, until we decide what we're doing."

  "Well, he can't be a total dick, at least he did
n't try to make you do it." Callie silently pumped her fist, relieved.

  "Callie, he went through my damn phone, and of course your number was in there, listed as Cal, and right away he flipped out. I told him you were my favorite student, and a girl. It would never dawn on him I might sleep with a girl. I need a favor, okay?"

  "Yeah? What?"

  "I told him you come over sometimes, that we're friends, because I don't have any in this town, which is true. Anyway, I told him I'd invite you and your boyfriend over for supper, tomorrow night, so he could see you're not a guy. He would never hurt me Callie, I'm not worried about that. But it would help, having you here. It's hard being alone with him. Can you? And bring Travis maybe?"

  "I guess. That's going to be fucked up, and you're going to owe me big time." Callie teased. "Alright, I'll call the cowboy, he does pretty much everything I tell him to."

  "Okay, love you Callie."

  "Love you too, I mean, you know, I'm really fond of you." Callie bumped her head against the steering wheel.

  "Don't freak out, I get it. Right now, I'm more worried about Davis, than getting those three little words out of you. Text me so I know you're coming, but I'll plan on supper around six." Callie called Travis on her way to Jenny's house. He thought it was odd, but agreed to go, as Callie knew he would. He'd go for anything that seemed like a date with her. She scrolled through her phone quickly, finding the number she had taken from Abby's phone. She thought for a minute, almost deleted it, then put her phone away and drove to Jenny's. She passed the corner where the Calico had died and it made her sad again. She had looked the following day and it was gone, hopefully picked up by its owner, not the garbage truck.