A Life Beyond (Hard Time Series Book 2)

Orphan

It had been a week since young Callie Jacobs had run into her birth mother in WalMart and it was nagging at her like nothing else. Why? for many reasons. And of course Sheila Jacobs had not changed one bit and was just as rude, and nasty as ever along with the new boyfriend she had trailing behind her.  Of course Callie's main concern were her siblings which were nowhere near in site and she had asked. Numerous times where they were.  She had the address of where her mother was staying and yeah she knew the odds of her seeing her brother and sister were slim to known but she just needed to know they were alive, that they were ok and that they knew she loved them. Callie had no idea what they thought of her for the letters in jail had stopped, along with the emails leaving her in the dark. Nightmares about their abuse and her not being able to stop it often plagued her still and she just couldn't' shake it. She couldn't and Callie felt as if she had not gone to jail she could have provided them a safe place. But if she had not gone to jail she would never have had baby Stef, she would not have met Stef and Lena. And worst of all she would not have had access to her her medication which could have killed her.  But maybe her siblings would be ok? Maybe they were ok? There was no right answer but one thing was for sure was that she did not regret having her little girl or meeting her moms. Ever. Especially the blonde. The only thing she regretted was not saving her siblings and little did she know that it would haunt her for the rest of her life. That and many other things that both Stef and Lena would help her through.

FLASHBACK

"Well, well! Look who it is here! When did you get out little miss!" Sheila said looking her daughter in the eyes as Callie felt her stomach turn. It turned big time. "This here, well is my, my first born. You know the one that caused all the problems and things for me Lucas." She said talking to the sleazy guy she was with.

"Ahh yeah. Heard stories about you girl. Really troublemaker huh? Got your mama in  a heep of it."

"She's not my mama and I don't remember asking you. Where are my sister and brother?"

"Oh honey I don't got to tell you shit. They ain't your siblings no more. You got no rights to them, Nothing. You just a little ol orphan girl. But I heard through the grapevine you got your own little bastard child circulating around and living with two dykes. Glad to see you come so far in life." She laughed as Callie could feel her fist starting to ball up. If it had been Chowchilla she would have decked her, made her face meet the floor and hurt her bad. Hurt her real bad but she needed this job and she could not afford to fuck up. At all. "I always knew you had some little twitch in your walk little girl. She never could stand up for herself either and I don't know how she ever made it in jail."

"Where are my sister and brother. I want to know now." Callie demanded once again for yeah she had an address but she wasn't so sure it was even accurate anymore.

"Girl I told you I don't need to tell you shit. Nothing, nada. I'm their mother you ain't and I do what I want and you don't. You are nothing. Never was nothing never will be. You were a mistake, an accident and something I should have terminated. I tried you know. I tried to kill you inside me many times by drinking, smoking even sniffed a bit. But you wouldn't die for shit. Nothing and I guess that's why you got all those health issues now. MM serves you right the little shit you are. Little Miss Callie nobody."

"It's Callie Adams Foster and I am somebody. I'm more then you will ever, ever be and I will see my brother and sister regardless of what you have to say!"

"Ha where did you get such a stupid little name! Callie Adam who! Ha!"

"Callie Adams Foster! I got that name from my mother's. The one's who love me and would do anything for me. The one's who have shown me I am somebody, that I count, that I matter. The one's who make sure I'm ok, that my little girl is ok and give me a safe place to live!"

"MM better keep your voice down honey. The customer is always right you know." She said smiling as the young girl looked to see her manager walking around and looking dead in her face. "And if hey told you that they are lying. Lying real bad. Come let's go on Lucas. We got more important things to do."

Jesus, Callie just wanted to punch this woman, right in twat, or right in her face just to see her hurt. And if she did it would be worth it. Or would it for at that moment if she could she wanted to be just like her mother, just like Stef who would not bat an eyelash at her. Nothing and she didn't understand that after all her time in Chowchilla that Sheila's words stung as bad as they did. Was she still weak? Just as weak as before she joined the Lion's Den?

FLASHBACK ENDS

As the young girl laid in her bed she  had not been herself since that day. Not at all and she had not told either woman what happened. Why she wasn't sure for part of her felt as if she failed. That she should have had thicker skin for in jail Stef had no time for that. Zero and Callie still operated under that assumption. That she had to be tough as well, that those words couldn't get to you, that you had to show your toughness and their was no room for anything less. Nothing. And she had in Chowchilla. She had but where was that side now? Was it gone? Did Stef and Lena really want to adopt her even at 18? Would it even work? Would baby Stef love her and continue to love her? Were her siblings ok? Crap why did Sheila's words hurt so bad? Because she called her an orphan? Well she was if she really thought about it and it hurt her deeply. It did and she didn't want to feel that anymore.  Hearing her mom's come in the front door the young girl turned her back and closed her eyes hoping they wouldn't knock on her door.

But little did Callie know was that both Stef and Lena knew she wasn't right and if anyone could read Callie it was them. And they would as the young girl soon heard a soft knock and both women walked in.

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Poor Callie