November 2014
"I didn't know what to get," Shannon said as he got out of his car. "So I just got her what I would have wanted at seventeen: money."
Callie smiled. "That'll be fine. I have yet to meet a seventeen year old that didn't like cash."
The house looming in front of them was a three story craftsman with a double garage on the first level. A concrete driveway ran up the side of the house on an incline and two flights of stone steps led to the front porch. Callie led Shannon up to the porch and opened the front door without even knocking. Most of the guests hadn't arrived yet but the house was still buzzing with activity and energy. Ben walked by them at a brisk pace.
"Cal! Hey, darling!" he said, depositing a bowl of potato chips on the dining room table. He embraced her tightly. "Shannon, good to see you again." The two men shook hands.
"Anything we can do to help? We got here early," Callie said, following him through the butler's pantry into the kitchen. "I figured you could use an extra set of hands."
"Actually, yes. Can you go help Mamie out in the back yard? She's putting tablecloths on," Ben instructed. "Shannon, you can help me get the grill going."
Shannon followed Ben out to the back yard, where an older petite woman was putting table cloths on several folding tables. She had graying brown hair and stood no taller than Shannon's shoulder. She had on a house dress that was billowing as she moved. He thought she would have blown away if the wind had been any heavier. Ben was by the grill, cleaning it and getting it ready to put burgers on it. Shannon took the chance to look around the back yard.
It was larger than he expected, with several mature trees near the house and at the very back along the fence line. A bright pink playhouse sat in the shade of a large cedar and a swing set that had seen better days was a few feet away. A well-used garden sat close to the kitchen door, contained by wooden railroad ties and at least three dogs were running around the fenced in area, barking. Shannon recognized Milo, but there were two other pit bulls that were chasing each other across the grass.
"How long have you lived here?" Shannon asked.
Ben paused. "Must be about thirteen - no, fourteen years almost now. We moved in right after Jonny's first birthday."
"It's a nice place," Shannon remarked.
"It is," Ben smiled. "Lots of great memories here. Its strange now though." He lit the grill with a whoosh and flames rose up around the metal. "When we first came here, the house almost seemed too small. We had five girls in two bedrooms. Mamie was in the guest room - she said I could give it to one of the girls, but I couldn't do that to her. So we put Belle in the study upstairs and the other girls had to share. But it's been a good house. Now its just Jonny, Avril, Mamie, and me, it almost seems too big."
"Well, it's a beautiful house. They were lucky to grow up in such a nice place," Shannon smiled, handing Ben a plate of burgers.
"I do my best for them," Ben answered. "I'm not sure what I'll do once Jonny goes to college. It'll just be me and Mamie in this place by ourselves."
"You could sell it," Callie said coming over to them. "No sense in you keeping such a big place if it's just you two."
"Then where would we have Christmas?" Ben asked.
Callie sighed and rolled her eyes. "My dad has this Rockwell-esque image of all of his children gathering around him for Christmas, complete with grandchildren," she told Shannon.
"That actually sounds really nice," Shannon said.
"If you want kids. I, for one, am not planning on it. Ever," she said.
"Cal, you might change your mind when you get older," Ben reasoned.
He was cut off by the sound of two female voices, growing louder as they neared the back yard. Eventually, two teenagers emerged from the house, caught in the middle of an argument. Shannon recognized Jonquille, but he had never seen the other girl before. She had the same dark brown hair that Belle did, smooth and silky.
"I told you, don't touch my stuff!" Jonquille shouted, letting the kitchen door slam. "Stay out of my room!"
"I wouldn't have to go into your room if you didn't take my shit in the first place!" the other girl shouted back.
"Hey! Cut it out! People are going to be here soon!" Ben said, walking toward the two girls. "I don't care who took what, respect each other's shit, okay?"
Jonquille shook her head and went back into the house, leaving Ben standing next to the other girl. "Avril, come here and help me with with this," he said.
She followed him over to the grill and stood next to Shannon. "Who are you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh - uh, Shannon. I'm a friend of Callie's," Shannon explained, holding his hand out. "Nice to meet you. Avril, right?"
The teen nodded. "Yeah."
"Happy birthday," he answered.
"Thanks. Aren't you a little old to be dating Callie?" she asked.
Shannon coughed in surprise. "We're not dating," he clarified through several coughs. "Just friends."
"Shannon is helping Dad out at the Long Beach house," Callie cut in.
"I got the ice like you wanted, Dad, but I couldn't get the alcohol!" another voice came into the yard. This time, it came from the driveway. "Could somebody help me with this gate?!"
Shannon rushed over with Ben and found another young woman standing on the other side of the gate, holding two large bags of ice.
"Sorry, Lils," Ben said. "I've got it."
Shannon watched as Ben took one bag of ice from the girl and held the gate open for her. Shannon took the other bag without hesitation, giving her a polite smile.
"Thanks," she said appreciatively, shaking her hands. "Lilia," she said, introducing herself. "You must be Shannon, Callie's friend. Nice to meet you."
"You, too. Now, you're..." Shannon asked.
"The middle child," she chuckled. "Younger than Callie."
He smiled appreciatively. "Thanks. It's a lot to keep track of."
"No worries. I'm used to it," she replied. "We all had the same teachers at school and they never could keep us all straight."
The sound of several motorcycles filled the air as guests started to arrive. Shannon followed Ben into the kitchen and dropped the ice off in the freezer before returning to man the grill while Ben greeted guests. Callie appeared next to him, a beer in her hand.
"So you met my sisters?" she asked.
"Uh...yeah. I'm still not sure I can tell you guys apart, though," he admitted. "Where's Belle? I thought she'd have been here?"
"She's stuck in Paris. Something about a design meeting she couldn't miss," Callie explained. "You're gonna meet a lot of people today, so just brace yourself."
"How many people?" he asked, flipping a burger. The flames leaped up around it as grease dripped down.
"You'll see," she answered cryptically, walking off toward the house.
She was right; Shannon met so many people as the party went on that his head was spinning after only a half an hour. He remembered a few of Ben's employees from the garage, but most of the guests were new to him. He was sitting at one of the tables when a woman in her late 30s sat next to him. He swallowed the food in his mouth quickly and looked over at her.
"Sorry, is this your seat?" he asked. "I can move."
"No, don't worry about it," she smiled. "I'm Tasha, I live across the street." She held out her hand and he shook it after wiping his own hand on a napkin. "You're Shannon, right?"
He nodded. "Yeah. I'm a friend of Callie's."
"I love your music," she said quickly. "I've seen you guys live at least three times. I was so pissed when Ben told me he got to meet you and that you got him tickets for the show in Chula Vista."
"Really? Thank you," he answered with a smile.
"He wanted me to come with him to the show, but I couldn't get off work," she explained. "I'm a nurse."
"Oh, right on. My mom was a nurse when I was younger," he said. "So you and Ben..."
"Dating," she grinned. Her bright white teeth stood out against her chocolate complexion. "For a couple of years now."
Shannon looked out across the yard in front of him. Ben and his employees had gathered around the grill, Callie was talking to an older woman while the two of them threw tennis balls for the dogs to chase, and Lilia and Avril were sitting on the patio, having a very deep conversation with a young Hispanic guy. Everyone seemed to have someone else to talk to.
"You don't have to do this," he said.
"Do what?"
"Have a pity conversation with the outsider," he explained. "I can handle myself."
Tasha burst into laughter, throwing her head back. "That's funny." She caught her breath. "I'm honestly shocked you're here. Don't you have like, a million better things to do than attending a seventeen-year-old girl's birthday party?"
He smirked. "Nah. We just got back from South Africa. I'm off until March of next year. Just killing time."
"Right, but why come here? I know you know Ben and all of that, but why a teen girl's birthday party?" Tasha asked.
He shrugged. "I'm friends with Callie. I like spending time with the family. It's fun," he started. "I helped Ben and Keanu with the house in Long Beach and it kind of stuck. They're a fun group of people."
Tasha nodded. "Ben told me you were friends with Callie. Do you keep an eye on her in L.A.?"
Shannon shifted. "Not really. I mean, I've been touring a lot since we met earlier this year, so I haven't been home a lot. But we keep in touch when we can. Our schedules are just crazy." He was uncomfortable with the level of interest she was showing in his relationship with Callie. If she was a fan of the band, he didn't want any information about their friendship to wind up online.
"I'm not trying to pry," she said, as if she had read his mind. "Ben just worries about her up there by herself. Keanu does the best he can, but she's young, you know? She thinks she's invincible."
He sighed. So that's why she cared. He cleared his throat. "You care about them."
"Of course I do. Ben has his hands full, and then some," Tasha said. She took a drink from a blue plastic cup. "Now that the girls are growing up, he's torn. He wants to be in Paris with Belle and Los Angeles with Callie and here with the others. It's a lot to try to balance. When Avril goes to school next year - wherever that will be, it'll be even worse. They're all that he has these days. He just wants to make sure they're safe."
He smiled. "She's fine, as far as I can tell. She has a great group of friends and she loves her job. I think she likes it there."
"Good. I'm glad. She's been through a lot - they all have. But Callie especially. Her mom's death was particularly hard on her," she said. Before Shannon could ask her anything else, she stood and left the table.
He watched her walk away and his eyes settled on Callie. He walked over to her, leaving his half-eaten burger on the table. In a break in the conversation, he put a hand on Callie's shoulder.
"Oh! Hey, how are you enjoying the party?" she asked.
"It's great. I'm glad I came. Beats the fuck out of sitting at home alone," he smiled.
"Shan, this is Talia Perez. She runs The Pits," Callie said, introducing the older woman next to her. "It's where we got all of our dogs from."
"Oh, awesome. Nice to meet you," he said, greeting her. "Do you only work with pits?"
"Pretty much. We rescue them from shelters and try to train them up for adoption," Talia said. "Ben has just been fantastic to us. So has Keanu. Every year they both auction off custom bikes to raise money for the rescue. I don't know where we'd be without them."
Just then, a brindle pit bull came trotting up to them, a drool-covered tennis ball in its mouth. Callie took the ball and launched it across the lawn. The dog took off after it. Shannon watched as the brindle dog and Milo chased each other around the trunk of a cedar tree, growling.
"Are all three of these dogs yours?" Shannon asked her.
Callie nodded. "You met Milo, the brindle is Costello and the white and black one you saw earlier is Luigi," she explained. "We got each of them from Talia."
"Have you ever had any dogs, Shannon?" Talia asked.
"My brother and I used to own huskies," he said.
"What do you have now?"
"Oh - nothing, right now. I'm a little busy with touring. As much as I'd love a dog, I just don't think it would be fair," he explained. "My mom has German shepherds though. She loves the breed to death."
"They're great dogs. I've had two. But nothing compares to pits," Talia smiled, taking the ball from Costello. "They're such misunderstood dogs. I've worked with them for twenty years and not once has one acted in aggression toward me without cause."
"I think it's great, what you do. I wish I had time for a dog. I had one called Sky forever. Once I put her down, I just never got another," he said, watching the dogs.
"You should come by the rescue sometime. I've got a bunch of dogs that I think would be perfect for you," Talia said.
"I'll think about it, yeah," Shannon smiled.
"Alright, everyone! Time to blow out candles and open gifts!" Ben announced. "Callie, could you go get the cake, please?"
Callie disappeared into the house and Lilia walked over to him.
"Hey," Shannon smiled. "Your dad said you're in school at UCSD? What are you studying?"
"Right now I'm undeclared," she admitted. "I only just started my sophomore year."
"Is there anything catching your attention?" he asked.
"A few things. I kind of want to become a doctor, but its a lot of work. And I don't know if we have the money for all of it or if I want to be drowning in debt when I'm all done," she said, biting her lip. "I don't know yet. I also kind of like the idea of psychiatry, you know, because of my mom. But I haven't told anyone yet. There's no point in transferring anywhere until I finish the basics here, so for now, I'm just living on campus and getting through the classes."
"I never went to college," he chuckled. "Somehow, I don't think I'd enjoy it much."
"Why didn't you go?" she asked. "Like what did you do when you were my age?"
Shannon paused, trying to think of the best way to phrase the years of boozing and fucking and using in an inoffensive way. "I was working construction. I didn't really enjoy school that much. Just wasn't for me."
"Sometimes I wonder if its even worth it. I mean, my dad didn't go to college and he does fine," she said.
Shannon shook his head. "Go to school. Don't dick out like I did. You'll be glad when you're my age."
Before Lilia could speak again, Callie emerged with Mamie carrying a bright blue cake with seventeen lit candles on the top. The whole party burst into 'Happy Birthday' and Avril smiled broadly. When the song was over, she blew out the candles in one big puff of air and smoke. Shannon moved to stand next to Callie as Avril cut the cake.
"Having fun?" she asked.
He nodded. "It's a lot of family," he chuckled. "Jared and I didn't exactly have this growing up. It's a lot to adjust to."
She smiled. "It is. You know, I've never even brought a guy I've been dating home to meet my family."
"Oh? So I'm lucky then, huh? Not even dating you and I get the privilege of meeting the Morrisons," he joked.
She nodded. "Plus, I know how lonely touring can be. It's like your entire life gets put on pause while you're gone for a few months at a time, and then you come back and everyone else's lives didn't pause."
He looked at her intently for a moment, taking her in. Her wild curls were bundled up on her head in a messy bun. She had on simple jeans and a t-shirt and her face was free of makeup. For the first time he realized how young she actually looked. She was only twenty-three. A young twenty-three.
"Yeah, you're right," he answered. "It's hard to keep up friendships. If I didn't tour with Jared, I probably would be pretty lonely."
She nudged him playfully. "Well, now you have all of us to keep busy with until you have to leave again. I'm sure my dad would love an extra set of hands at the garage."
He smiled. "Maybe I'll come down and help him out. And hey, there's also the Long Beach house."
"That, too. It's coming along slowly. We've got the new deck up and that upstairs bathroom has been rebuilt," Callie said.
Cake was passed around and then music started. Shannon watched as Mamie was taken onto the makeshift dance floor by an older man. Shannon leaned over to Callie.
"Who's that?" he asked.
"Oh, that's Mo. Mamie's boyfriend," she replied. "Well, not really her boyfriend. She doesn't call him that. They spend time together. It's kind of cute."
"Well now I'm depressed," he remarked. She raised an eyebrow in question. "Your grandmother has a boyfriend and I can't even get laid or find a girlfriend."
"I thought you didn't want a girlfriend?" Callie asked.
"I don't. But I'm positive Mamie's getting more action than I am right now," Shannon sighed.
Callie laughed. "Okay, so do what you normally do. Find a chick and hook up with her."
He shrugged. "We'll see."
In truth, Shannon was having difficulty in the "hooking-up" part of things too. In Europe it was easier to get women; the band was more popular there and women threw themselves at him. But in America...he was more reliant on doing the leg work himself. He had met Nina at an industry party when Jared was doing press for the Awards season. She was a model and had been invited by her agency just to fill space. It was easy. But now that the hype had died down, there weren't as many opportunities to find someone. Not to mention, he didn't really feel like doing a bunch of work for a few months and then have it all go to shit again when he had to do another leg of touring.
"Didn't expect to see you here," Keanu said, walking up to Shannon.
"Oh - hey, man. Callie invited me," Shannon explained.
"Good to see you again. How's your brother?" Keanu asked.
"He's...he's fine, I guess. We just got back from South Africa, so he's kind of recovering. We both are," Shannon explained. He noticed Callie talking with the same young Hispanic guy that Jonny and Avril had been talking to earlier. "Hey - who's that?"
"Santiago Villanueva," Keanu answered. "He's a neighborhood kid that has had a crush on Callie forever, according to Ben."
Shannon looked at Keanu with a mixture of surprise and annoyance. "You're like a nosy old lady," he joked. "You know everything."
Keanu shrugged. "I've been around the family for a while now. I know things."
Shannon watched the two of them talk, surprised at the slight jealousy that came over him. Callie wasn't his, so why was he acting so possessive of her? She was an adult and could date whomever she wanted, so why did it matter if she talked with some neighborhood kid who had a crush on her? She didn't care if he went out with Nina and she had been very clear about the limits of their relationship. But he couldn't help himself.
"I was talking to Lilia earlier - I have no idea how you keep them all straight, by the way. They're all like carbon copies of each other," Shannon said.
Keanu laughed heartily. "It took some time. I kept getting Lilia and Jonny confused. But it's fun to see them grow into their own people and explore their own personalities. They're like the daughters I never had."
"I was talking to Lilia earlier. Did you know she wants to be a doctor?" Shannon said casually.
"Really? That's a lot of school," Keanu said in surprise.
Shannon shrugged. "It's just what she said. I don't think she's told anyone else yet, though. I think she's afraid of telling Ben because she doesn't know how she's going to afford it."
Keanu looked at him before walking away. Shannon watched, confused. He didn't think he had said anything offensive. When he looked back to where Callie had been standing, she and Santiago were gone.
***
"I'm gonna need another trash bag," Callie called from the patio. Her voice drifted into the kitchen through the open door as she shoved handfuls of wrapping paper into the full black garbage bag nearby.
Shannon heard her grumble several words in French under her breath, but he couldn't catch exactly what she said. He handed her a bag through the open door and returned to rinsing dishes at the sink. Ben and Keanu were having a conversation in the family room and Shannon couldn't help but overhear.
"Keanu, please, you don't have to do this," Ben said.
"Don't be ridiculous, Ben," the older man insisted. "You're like the brother I never had. And those girls are like the kids I never got. Lilia wants to be a doctor. Medical school is expensive as hell."
"But the entire cost? All of it?" Ben gasped. "It's too much. You've already done so much for the garage and for Callie - "
"Stop. I have enough money to live comfortably for ten lifetimes. It's not doing me any good just sitting in the bank," Keanu said. "I want to invest it in something meaningful. Something that will help others. Lilia's future is worth investing in."
"At least let me pay you back," Ben reasoned.
Keanu scoffed. "Ben. Just accept the money."
Ben sighed and nodded, pulling Keanu into a hug. "Thank you."
Keanu nodded. "Of course." The two broke apart and Keanu walked into the kitchen. "Hey, Shannon, where's Callie?"
"Outside," Shannon replied, tilting his head toward the kitchen door.
Keanu walked out and said goodbye to her, giving her a tight hug. "Alright. I'm out. I need to get back to L.A. Shannon, it was great to see you again. Hopefully I see you in Long Beach soon."
Shannon nodded and smiled, waving a soapy hand at him as he walked through the back gate. He put the last plate into the dishwasher, dried his hands, and went out to the patio to help Callie.
"I've got this," he said, taking over for her. "Sit down."
"I don't know why Avril and Jonny aren't down here cleaning up," she grumbled, flopping into one of the metal chairs with a sigh. "I mean, Avril was the one who made the damn mess."
Shannon smiled. "It's not that big of a mess. I loaded the dishwasher and your dad got all of the other trash taken care of. All that's left is the tables and we're done."
She shrugged. "I know. It's just that sometimes I don't think my sisters see what our dad goes through to give them all of this. It's frustrating for me." Out of nowhere, a ball of wrapping paper hit her in the face. She let out a shriek of surprise and looked over at him. "What the hell?"
"Relax. It's a fucking party. Your sister is seventeen. Let her live a bit," he said, lobbing another ball at her head.
"I just got all of this cleaned up! Don't throw it around again!" Callie said, smiling. She handed him several more pieces of paper with a sigh. "I know she's only seventeen. I know Jonny's younger. I just...Dad works so hard for us. He does so much. So does Mamie. And sometimes I don't feel like they know. I mean, they don't even remember what it was like before we moved here. They don't remember any of it."
"How is it that you can have so much responsibility and yet be so irresponsible at the same time?" Shannon asked with a chuckle. "You party like nobody's business, but you also want to gripe about your sisters being spoiled and ungrateful. It must get exhausting," he teased.
"Stop. I'm not trying to be hypocritical. I'm just...I don't know. Maybe it's because I can remember the day Avril came home from the hospital and I can remember seeing her grow up in front of me and all of the things I've done for her over the years," she sighed, looking out at the yard. "Someone was missing today and she didn't even seem to notice or care."
Shannon could swear she wiped a tear away from her eyes before looking back at him. He knew better than to ask who she was talking about.
***
PRESS RELEASE:
Santcum fans will be pleased to hear that the hit Netflix series has been renewed for two more seasons. The series has had record viewing numbers and writers are excited to continue the story. Stars Callie Morrison and Aya Flannigan are both signed to the series for another season. Producers of the show have announced that several new actors will be joining the cast, including Ansel Elgort (Divergent), Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale Station), Hayley Bennett, and Keke Palmer (Masters of Sex).