The Aftermath of Callie and Arizona - Volume II

Semper Fi

Arizona's POV:

It was Sunday, late morning, when the winds markedly decreased to strong gusts, versus the near hurricane levels our group and the city had just endured for the last 24 hours. The adults had spent the last few hours looking at news online, as well as watching reports from various local news outlets. Regardless of which source we viewed, one thing was clear, Seattle had just survived one hell of an onslaught from Mother Nature.

Our power was back on, but it seemed a large portion of the city was still shrouded under a cloak of darkness. I excused myself that late morning and called to check-in on my parents. My Mom and I had been texting each other throughout the storm, but now that things had calmed down, I figured talking would be easier.

Turns out my parent's neighbors had a huge pine tree that was uprooted too, from the force of the winds, and had smashed through the neighbor's garage and two cars. Thankfully though, my parents were spared and only had minor damages to their property. Nonetheless, in fine military fashion, my Father was eager to get started on cleaning up. 

In fact, when he heard about the tree that had fallen in front of our house, he offered to come over with his chainsaw and help. Before I could say anything, he was already busy getting his stuff ready. It was a good thing my parents lived so close and could walk over, because driving wasn't a viable option until most of the streets were better cleared. 

After I hung up with my Mom, I went into the kitchen to grab something to drink. I was still chilly from the previous lack of heat in the house and decided to make some tea. As I stood over the sink, sipping tea and gazed out the window, I felt a familiar pair of hands and arms wrap around me from behind. I reflexively leaned backwards a bit and into Callie's chest and abdomen.

"Hey sweet girl, how are things with The Colonel and your Mom? Did their house sustain any damage?"

"They have downed limbs and branches, but it sounds like nothing significant happened to their house. Of course there is chaos all around them, but they are fine. My Dad fired up their generator when they lost power, so apparently, my Mom has been baking and cooking during all of this. So like my Mom to, "Semper Fi," especially when in the midst of tumultuous times. It is not only the US Marine Corps motto, but it was a motto drilled into our family when I was growing up."

Callie chuckled and hugged me tighter. "In my family growing up, the unspoken motto was, 'Every man for themselves,' thanks to my Mother!"

"Oh Callie..." I spun around and held her tightly up against my body. "It's odd how we came from polar-opposite families and worlds, growing up. Yet, from my perspective, we seem so perfectly matched, nonetheless. How is that even possible?"

"I'm not sure either, but I'm just thrilled to have found you." Callie and I shared a brief, but intimate kiss, after she talked.

We continued to loosely hold one another around our waists as I filled Callie in. "My Mom and Dad are coming over in a half hour. My Mom with lots of food and my Dad with his chainsaw. He's going to see if he can at least get our driveway cleared from the tree."

"Arizona! That's fantastic news on so many levels! Especially about your Mom and the food. I was just coming in here to ask what we should do for lunch, so I'm thrilled to hear your folks are coming over, for many reasons!"

I laughed and said, "I'm sure you are, but I sense you might be happier to hear about lunch."

"Arizona, you know me, so well!" 

We shared a long hug when I pulled away and said, "I need to go out and look at the treehouse here in a bit, but am afraid at what I'm going to find."

"I know sweetheart, and I am too. Whatever damage happened, we'll get it fixed, okay? It may take some time, but we will get it done. In the meantime, we'll figure out how to make sure that the roof is sealed properly, so no more water can get in."