Page 90 of Pitcher Us
Picking up my phone my first instinct is to ignore it, but as I hear the water turn on, I remember that Will’s here. I remember the love Will shows me. I have no need for their affection orapproval, and if I’m going to cut them off, I’m going to let them know why.
“Hello?” I answer.
“Calliope, finally.” My mother sighs. We’re off to a great start. “Your father tried calling you, but it went to voicemail. It’s really quite irresponsible of you to not answer your father. I tried for years to teach you manners, but I thought human decency was a given.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose, regretting this immediately. “Mom, I don’t want to talk to dad. I only answered so I could explain that.”
“Explain? Really, Calliope, you exhaust me. You always wanted to talk as a kid, I just—can’t. Here’s your father.”
“No, Mom, I don’t?—”
“Calliope,” my dad cuts me off with his usual self-righteous tone. Even my name sounds like an insult coming from him. “I tried calling you, but I take it your brother had you block my calls as well.”
I sigh. “Can you blame me?”
But that wasn’t the right thing to say because yes, he can most definitely blame me.
“How I got the two most ungrateful kids, I’ll never understand. You treat me as if I’m?—”
“Dad,” I try to cut in, but I’m not the only one who can exhaust my mother with their excessive talking. He plows through with insults and disappointments, and the next thing I know my hand is being pulled back from my ear.
I jump at the surprise and yank my arm back, but Will’s already figured out who I’m talking to.
“Let me have the phone, Callie,” Will demands. The soft demeanor he had just a few moments ago is gone. Right now, he looks down right pissed.
I put my phone on mute while my dad’s tantrum continues. “No, Will. I need to handle this.”
Will cups my face again and the moment he looks in my eyes his features soften. “Callie, baby, we talked about this. The push and pull is something I love but just let me handle this.”
The look of pure love and concern in his eyes almost has me folding but this is something I have to do.
“No, Will. I need this.”
Will’s eyes shut for a moment as he takes a deep breath, the harshness I saw a moment ago comes back as he looks at my phone. “Speaker phone. Non-negotiable.”
I nod, clicking it on as my dad is starting to realize he’s being ignored.
“Calliope, are you even listening? Of course you’re not. You couldn’t?—”
“Dad,” I snap, cutting him off. “You must have had Mom call for a reason, so what is it?”
The line goes silent for a second and I swear I can hear the thuds of his shoes landing on his desk. That was my dad’s favorite move when he felt he was about to make the final blow. I can picture him clear as day in my head—laid back in his obnoxious leather chair and his feet crossed on his grand mahogany desk.
“I’ve talked with your grandfather, and in light of your recent actions we have decided to pull your inheritance and officially write you out of the family will. Adam has been written out already, I see no future for him, but this is your final chance. Come back home and we can just write this whole year off as you ‘finding yourself.’”
And at that I burst out laughing. It might be an odd response, but that? That’s what he thinks his checkmate is?
“Calliope!” my father shouts, and I imagine sits straight up now. “Stop laughing this instance. I’m not kidding. You will be stripped of your family name.”
Another laugh bubbles out of me. “I’m sorry, I just—phew, you thought that was going to win me over? Make me come back home like a scared little girl?”
The line goes silent for a moment and I almost want to start counting to five to see if the explosion happens, but I don’t wait.
“I’m not coming back. You can take my name, my inheritance—write me out of your will, that's fine.” I turn to face Will with a smile on my face. “I’ve got my own, I’m not worried.”
“Cal—” my father starts but I hang up before I can hear that awful name again.
Will laughs, picking me up from my stool and walking me back to the running shower. “Damn, it sure is a good thing I got a promotion today. I would have never been able to provide for you as a delivery boy.”
