Today is my birthday. When I open my eyes to my world, I wonder, now that I’ve come of age to know about the prison world, will I be able to get back there?
As I get ready for my day, I think back on the last year and how I’ve grown. My mind also wanders to the last month or so and the people I’ve met in the prison world.
The anxiety I feel as I think about what my life will be like if I never get to see any of the people from the prison world again. I’ve grown to care for the beast, Kenna, and the various other people I’ve met there. How would they fare if I could not return?
My phone goes off and I look down to see a text.
Mason
Me
Mason
I just can’t with this man anymore, and what the fuck is up with that damn phrase? It feels like he’s got a secret family or something the way he pops in and then disappears.
Me
I don’t even have it in me to be mad at him. I also don’t have it in me to keep trying with him. There are too many other things going on that I need to spend my time and energy on, and if he wants to take himself out of the equation, good riddance.
He never responds, and I don’t blame him. I generally avoid responding to one letter messages too.
My phone rings and I smile when I see Huxlee’s name on the screen. “Hey!” I answer as cheerfully as I can.
Huxlee immediately hears in my voice something is off. “What has you so out of sorts on your birthday?”
“Don’t worry about it, I’ll be fine.” Really, I should have just come out and told her from the beginning because she full-names me on my birthday.
“Callie Gabrielle Dubois, you tell me right now or I’ll drive there, ice and all.”
I roll my eyes before heaving a sigh and answering her. “It’s Mason—”
“What did that boy do this time?”
“Well, he came over yesterday, but then today he tells me he’s got to go away.”
“And he mentioned nothing about this yesterday?”
“No, I kind of assumed he would come back today for my birthday.” A tear glides down my cheek and I angrily wipe it away. He doesn’t deserve tears from me.
“I’m sorry, Callie. You know I’d be there if I could. Me and the store both miss you,” she says in a silly voice. It makes me smile, which was her goal, of course.
“I love you, Huxlee.”
“I love you, too, Callie. Tell those parents of yours to spoil you today, okay?”
“You got it,” I reply before we say our goodbyes.
Before I get another call, I use the restroom and get ready for the day. In the kitchen, mom has already made coffee and I pour a cup before making my way into the living room.
“Happy birthday, beautiful girl,” she says when I settle myself on the couch in front of the fireplace that already has a roaring fire this morning.
“Thanks, Mom. Where’s Dad?”
“He ran into town for a surprise.” She hides her face with her coffee cup and she takes a drink of the magical juice.
* * *
When my dad comes back, he has a box from my favorite bakery. As soon as the smell of the ooey, gooey chocolate explosion cake hits my nose, I can’t help but smile.
“You’re the best!” I run up to dad as soon as he’s set the cake on the table and I throw my arms around him, hugging him tightly.
He wraps his arms around me, laughing at my exuberance. “I thought my girl deserved her favorite birthday cake.” He kisses the top of my head before releasing me.
“We thought you’d had a weird couple of weeks. You deserved something a little normal for once,” Mom says, entering the kitchen and getting a kiss on the cheek from dad.
“It has been a crazy couple of weeks, hasn’t it?” A few short weeks ago, I thought my life was boring, predictable. There is no way I could have predicted traveling between worlds and a family secret that would turn my world upside down.
Mom grabs some plates and forks and cuts us each a slice. “Cake for breakfast?” I ask.
“It’s your birthday, we can do what we want,” Mom replies.
The first bite I take, I moan. This is the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had. It’s even better warmed up with some vanilla ice cream, but we’ll have a couple of days to enjoy it in other ways.
“What do you want to do for dinner, Callie?” Dad asks. “It’s your special day. You get to choose what’s for dinner.”
“How about some of Mom’s special mac and cheese?” I look at her and beam my best pleading smile. She makes the best baked mac and cheese.
“Of course. I think I’ve got everything I need here already.” She moves to start pulling ingredients out of the cabinets to get them ready for dinner.
“You don’t have to start cooking now.” I laugh.
“I was thinking we could have a movie marathon today? I can pull out the old Anne of Green Gables movies we used to watch,” Mom suggests.
Dad groans. “Not those girly movies! What about some Fast and the Furious?” Mom and I both laugh and shake our heads at him. She pulls the stuff for popcorn out and makes us a big bowl of buttered popcorn to enjoy while we binge all six movies.
Despite dad’s protests, he stokes the fire in the fireplace and settles down in his favorite recliner. We’re not ten minutes into the movie before he’s snoring and Mom kicks him out of the room to disturb somewhere else.
Mom pauses the movie we’re on to get dinner ready. I help to make things go faster. We’ll be finishing these movies late into the night but, it’s been several years since we’ve spent this much time just hanging out together.
“I love you, my Callie girl,” she says.
“Love you, too.” I wrap my arms around her, accidentally knocking over the popcorn bowl that was perched on the couch between us. “Oops.” I shrug, collecting the fallen pieces and popping them into my mouth.
“You don’t have to eat those, we can throw them away.”
“Wouldn’t want to waste perfectly good popcorn. Besides, five second rule.” I shove the last fallen piece in my mouth and turn back to watch the movie.
When dinner is ready, Dad comes out of his hiding place and we dish up the cheesy goodness. All of us settle back in the living room to watch more of the movies before bedtime.
“Don’t forget, Callie girl, we need to make sure the chest goes with you when you head back home. It is officially your responsibility now,” Mom says before pressing play on the movie.
At some point late at night, Dad went to bed while Mom and I stayed up finishing the movies. We hug goodnight, and as she releases me, she adds, “Callie, be careful. I have a bad feeling I won’t be seeing you for a couple of days.”
“How do you know?”
“It’s just a feeling, sweetie. Be careful, okay?”
“Of course. I love you.”
“Love you too.”
It’s so late, I don’t read any of the journal before I burrow into my blankets and fall quickly to sleep.