Finding Home (The Affair Series Book 3)

Morning Reflection(Callie)

As Callie Marie Foster sat on the back porch at Women's United in her cut off shorts and smoking a cigarette her long brown hair that was down to her waist blew in the cold Sacramento air. Usually she got up early, much earlier than the other women just to reflect on things, mostly her past and where she wanted to go in the future. Yes she admitted she had not made the best choices in the past few years and she was trying hard to get on the better path. Rita had been helpful, along with the other women in the group in terms of allowing her time to continue to heal and make better choices. Was she ready to leave? Maybe. Was she scared? Of course, but she was ready and grateful Diane was letting her move in with her in Boston. Callie as also grateful that her parole was shorter so once she was out of Women's United in a month she could fly right to Boston.

Of course she thought about it. She thought about how much her brother wanted her to stay in California, how he begged her to try to work it out with their mother and how her older sister whom she never met called as well. But she wasn't ready yet, and still had more healing, forgiving and thinking to do in terms of her relationship with her mother. If she wanted one. Robert as well was on her mind and yes he came to visit, and kept in touch with her but Callie wasn't interested. She just wasn't.

As she took another puff from far away even without her mother's blonde hair and hazel eyes she resembled everything about her. Even down to her posture, to the way she held her cigarette and dug her bare feet in the dirt. Of course that was far beyond what she wanted. Very far. If anything she was trying so hard not to be like her but the apple didn't fall from far from the tree.

In the begging Callie had gotten into her fair share of trouble at Women's United just like her mother had. She was extremely definite, stubborn, didn't participate, got into fights with the other women, and got in trouble for sneaking her girlfriend Grace in. Messing up more meant she would be kicked out onto the street. Something Rita didn't want and she had a feeling Callie didn't either. It was the same thing she had to tell Stef on more than one occasion and sometimes it worked other times it didn't.

FLASHBACK

"Look kid either you want help or you don't. You need to decide what it's gonna be." Rita said looking to the angry teen that once again had gotten in trouble for missing curfew which was a parole violation." Because I gotta tell you another women would love to have you space. A woman who actually wants the help and wants to change."

"Oh buzz off. Then fucking give it to her then. Go ahead! See if I care."

"I think you do care Callie. I think you want the help and I don't think you want to end up back behind bars because this time you would go to a real jail and not juvie. I don't think you want that."

"Like you know me so well." She said crossing her arms.

"I do know you. I know you more than you think and I think you want a better life for yourself. I think deep down you care about yourself and I know you care about your brother. I know how much Jude means to you."

"You don't know anything Rita! You don't know shit about me!"

"Oh I do kid. And let me tell you denial is only going to get you so far and so is your anger. You want to be an angry person? I told Stef..

"God don't mention her! I don't want to talk about her!"

"Fine we don't need to Callie. We don't need too. But I want you to be happy, have a happy life. You deserve it and you have to start realizing you to do. This is not the way honey. You don't have to live an angry life. So either you really let me help you or you fall down deeper. Which one is it? Because I'm giving you a chance and not many people will."