-six years later-
Cal hugged his youngest son. He Had just finished loading Cj's things in the back of his small old car that he had bought with his own money. Cj was going to collage...the collage wasn't that far away, only about a four hour drive however Calum was emotional.
"It's okay dad I won't be that far."
"I know but I'll miss you...and I'm just so proud of you." He watched as Cj hugged Alice and then looked around.
"Is issac coming to see me off?" Issac had said he would be here but he hadn't yet shown up.
"I thought he was but guess not...I'm sorry." Hazels car drove up and she parked near cjs. When she got out, Issac, Ruby, and their daughter Chloe, Who was getting bigger than big, we're with her.
"Sorry were just getting here!" Hazel apologized and rushed over to her baby to hug him. "My big guy..." she gushed and kissed Cjs cheek.
"Going to collage, ey?" Issac hugged his little brother. "Don't get raped."
"Don't joke about that." Ruby said while holding the hand of the little girl. She looked just like Issac with short black hair and big brown eyes. Ruby was a sweet girl and she had always been incredibly kind to cal and his family.
"Thank you guys." Cj hugged his mom and brother and gave Chloe A high-five.
"Oh!" Issac grabbed Ruby's hand. "We also have something to tell you all before you leave to go fill your dumb head with thoughts!"
"You're having another baby!?" Alice guessed. Issac shook his head.
"We're getting married." Hazel burst into tears right then and there.
"The first one! Oh my goodness!" She ran over to her first born to hug him tightly.
Everyone congratulated Issac and said their goodbyes to Cj, even Michael and crystal came outside to send him off.
Oh yeah! Calum has sold the house to Issac and Ruby and was now living with his very best friend Michael and his wife crystal. They were happy to have him there and if cal had learned one thing about his life it was that he was happy with his friends and was happy to be where he was.
After Cj drove off and everyone left, Michael and Alice went inside and crystal and cal stayed on the front porch to talk.
"You're gonna miss your boy huh?"
"It never gets easier to let them go...I remember when issac sat me down and told me he was 19 and wanted nothing more than to be with Ruby and I knew I needed to let him go."
"You've done everything right."
"Not everything. Just the important stuff."
"You only have to do the important stuff." Calum smiled and put his head on crystals shoulder. She held his hand. "When's Alice leaving for art school?"
"Next month."
"That soon? Good grief."
"She's got her Boyfriend there and she wants nothing more. I'm proud of her."
"You should be."
It was quiet after that and Calum thought about his life. He thought about high school and being in love, he thought about the fights and he thought about his small small babies. He thought about watching his kids grow into what they were, a loving dad and soon to be husband, a vet tech and an artist. He thought about the times he wanted to kill himself and he had never been more glad in his whole life that he stuck around to see what happened because the thing is...if you let yourself crumble without allowing yourself to know the future you'll never be happy. There were times Calum wanted to quit. He wanted to leave it all behind and say fuck the world and do things he wouldn't have even been around to regret but he stayed strong and now he knew happiness. His kids made him proud, his friends made him happy and hell yeah it took so much strength to get here and he was almost old but he was so strong and so so so fucking happy....
"I'm happy..." he squeezed crystals hand
"You deserve to be happy." She smiled at him and stood up. "I'm going to help Michael make dinner."
Calum nodded. He deserved to be happy. He deserved it. After all the fuckery he went though he fucking deserved it. No...he deserved it because he was human. He thanked himself in this moment for letting Issac be with Ruby and raise his little girl because she would know love for the rest of her life. Issac was loving and he was a perfect father. Calum liked to think hazel was the one to teach him those things but regardless, he was proud to know his son would make an impact on the world even if the "world" was his daughter and wife. And his little girl? Well Alice was gonna change the world with her amazing artwork. Maybe she would illustrate a book one day or paint a mural for someone really important. Cals son was going to be a vet tech...he was going to help animals and change peoples lives. He was going to save someone's pet and maybe one day operate on animals, he was so smart.
Hazel was a teacher now, she had found her passion with helping kids learn and grow. She went to work daily with a smile and came home to her loving husband every single night. She made an impact on so many people daily and she was happy. After so many years of bullshit she was happy. And Calum wasn't proud of the way he had treated her, nor was hazel proud of the way she had treated Calum but that was in the past. No they weren't close, the glue was their children, but they didn't hate each other. They could never hate their former best friends.
Things happen for a reason. Everything happens to get us from one place to another. And the road will probably be bumpy and filled with holes and we'll make decisions we regret. It's just life. And cal and hazel knew life like it was another friend of theirs. The past wasn't amazing but it got them here....to a place where they could be proud of their kids and themselves.
THE FUCKING END
