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I Can See You Now

Chapter 10

The fresh air hits my face and I can only smile every time as I close my eyes and enjoy the warm breeze, I feel the last rays of sun in every pore of my skin, I'm sure my skin has gone from pale to a light tan, at least that's what she says. I just smile, because I cannot believe my pale skin can get the perfect tan, more like an angry red.

I can feel the fine sand on the plant of my feet and the cold salt water that touches the tip of my toes every time a new wave of the sea touches the shore, there's no other sound but the sound of swing of the waves, so peaceful, so quiet and serene, which is why I love this place so much. During the day is not so quiet though, the children laughter accompanying by other people's voices and thunderous laughter walking these beaches every day, I enjoy afternoons like this, but during the day it's also nice to hear different voices, know and share the same space with people who do not know me, people who do not know where I come from or why I'm here.

It has been hard. Hard to adapt to the new language, new people, differences in general ... Everything here is different, but a good different. A different one that I needed so urgently, but it has been different in any way.

I'm sorry, I guess you all are wondering the same thing, what happened? Where I am? Well, that's a good story and it all goes back to the night my father found us in her apartment.

A few months ago...

The rumble of the front door of Calliope's new apartment falling in the floor and my father's incessant screams made my short hair stand on end, I can feel my heart pounding against my chest faster and faster, I can hardly breathe, my hands are sweating and I feel my legs going weak by the second.

I've never been more scared in my life.

The irony ... I'm so scared by the only man who has always wanted to protect me and save me from being scared.

"Don't be scared, little girl, Daddy's here to protect you always ..." He used to tell me, right now I don't think so, so much.

Callie's constant calls take me out of my reverie."Arizona, we have to go." She takes my face in her hands, as if looking at my eyes.It's a shame, I wish Icould see those eyes someday."Now, Arizona," she emphasizes once more when I say nothing.Then she let go of my face and takes me by the hand, Where?I don't know, but I will follow her where she tells me to.

"Wait!Maybe I can talk to him." I say in a desperate attempt to solve this mess. "He's my father, Callie.Maybe I can do something, convince him that you are not to blame for my brother's death." I take her hand firmly."Tell him I'm in love with you and you're a good person." Meanwhile my father's screams intensify behind the door.

"Arizona, your father is blinded by rage and pain, I don't think he's just going to forgive my life, not this time." She says in anguish."We have to leave now, that door will not hold him for long."

And at that moment I understoodthat she was right.He will not understand, not in this moment, not in these circumstances.To my father, Callie Torres was once again taking another child from him by keeping in touch with me.

"Where are we going to go?" This is the only possible solution.

"Do you trust me?" She asks, and I don't have to see her eyes to feel the determination radiating from them.

"With my life." Came my simple answer but full of emotion.

As soon as those words left my mouth, Callie took us both to another room inside her bedroom, I can only imagine that it is the bathroom, because there are no other spaces in this room.I listen as she moves around fromside to side, moving things around until I again feel her breath on my face.

"Okay, this is how we're going to do this.I'm going to lift you from my shoulders until you reach the grid space that I just removed on the roof, it's the only way out of here, up there is the apartment rooftop, to the left is the emergency staircase." She recites the plan with ease as she place my hands on her shoulders and my right leg in the palm of her hands to propel me up.

My hands tremble as I hear the second door fall with a thud to the floor in the room next to us.My father is so close that I can almost feel his presence on us and I panic again."I'm scared." I'm sincere, my eyes burning with tears once more this afternoon.

Callie stops for a second and takes my face in her hands before giving me a chaste, but significant, kiss on the lips."I know you are, but everything will be fine, I promise." Both of us took position again and Callie lift meup as I stretch my arms.I can't see anything so she guides me."Spread your arms a little wide open, so you can feel the edges of the grid.Come on baby, I know you can do it." She motivates me and finally find those edges until I can hold myself and go out on the rooftop.

I canfeel the fresh air hit my face and my skinimmediatelyrejected it.It all happened in a matter of seconds, then I hear Callie's groans trying to get out from where I just did but before she gets it, I hear three dry shots and the silence reaches my ears when Callie's groans cease and the noise of a falling body accompanies the silence I experience on this cold rooftop.

End of flashback

"You need to go to house, it is black." I hear the soft voice that pulls me out of my memory train.

I smile as I hear her Spanish accent so very marked in her attempt to make herself understood. I don't know Spanish very well but I push myself the same way my new friends push themselves to understand my language. Remember? It has been hard, but a good different anyway.

"Come, Señorita! No puedo dejarte aquí alone." She says one more time, I didn't understand very well since she speaks so fast, but I think she said she can't leave me here alone and she keeps calling me that - Señorita - even though I insisted her on calling me by my name.

"Thank you, Carmela." I thank the older woman who takes me by the arm, she just squeezes my hand as we walk together toward her.

A few months ago…

I could feel my heart beating louder in my chest, every contraction of the organ felt painful as I waited for some signal to tell me that what was going through my mind was not real, that she was still there, fleeing from my father.

Soon I felt a strong squeeze on my left wrist and a small cry of horror left my lips, it was then I heard her voice and my body returned to a blinking calm."We have to leave now." Her voice!How grateful I am to hear that voice again, for a moment I thought I would never do it again."Arizona?" I thinkI'm still in shock.

When I finally regain my ability to speak, I ask her as we walk steadily toward the emergency staircase, I can only guess."What happened down there?I heard shots, I thought ..." I can't even verbalize my fear out loud.

"They entered the bathroom just as I was about to climb." Callie mentioned as she helped me step by step up the stairs in a hurry."I had to shoot one of the guys."She says softly.

"Did you killed him?" It was a valid question but I was not sure I wanted to hear the answer.

"No, I did not," Callie answered almost immediately."I fired in his hand to let me go." She added, I could hear the agitation in her voice."We must move faster, I have to get to the car ..." She pauses before continuing."Your father was not there, maybe he discovered our intention and may be waiting for us out here."

We ran hand by hand until Callie stopped and got me into the one I can assume was her car and then she stopped again.I could hear her erratic breathing and the force of her grip on my hand, then I knew something was not right.

"Callie?" I asked worriedly.

"Get out of the car, Arizona!" His voice waseven but firm and I could almost hear thedisappointment in his words.

"Where is he?" I asked the woman sitting next to me in almost a sigh.

Callie squeezed my hand once more before answering."A few feet in front of us ... He has a gun in his hand as well."

"He's not going to shoot me, Callie." I said sure of my words.

"Last chance, Arizona!" He insisted once more and I knew in that second that this was the moment of truth.

"I won't do it, Daddy!" I replied from the inside of the vehicle that right now is the only means of escape that we have."You need to let it go, Daddy.She is not the enemy!" I said with determination.

"Arizona?" Callie called my name as she started the engine.

"She has convinced you and has brainwashed you with nonsense, I'm your father, you'll do what I say!" I could hear the anger growing inside of him with every word."Do not make me do anything to regret later." The colonel added.

"Oh my God!He is pointing towards us, Arizona." Callie exclaimed in surpriseand anguish.

"Dad, I know you won't shoot me!" I responded to his words, strangely I am no longer afraid."Let us go, Dad!" I pleaded.

"NEVER!" He shouted over the tops of the lungs."You're my daughterand ..."

"And you're going to let me go eventually." I finished his words."She's the woman I love and you can't do anything to change it !"A slight tear trickled down my cheek as my words left my mouth."Drive, Calliope." I silently told the brunette to my side.

"But?"

"Drive!Get us out of here!"

End of flashback

That's how Callie passed alongside with an angry and helpless Colonel. We traveled for weeks from state to state until we decided to take more distance in case the Colonel decided to return, but he never did. I even went back to my old apartment and according to Callie was the same as it used to be, as if no one had touched in weeks. I took most of my things and embarked on one of the most exciting adventures of my life.

Now I find myself half-lying on the double bed that I share with Callie in a small cabin on the shores of the sea in Cartagena de Indias, better known as the Walled City of Colombia.

And Dad, I know that if you're reading this you're probably still angry with me, even disappointed, but this is the life I've decided to take, see beyond the vengeance that just blackened your beautiful and pure heart, you must know that I love you and that you will always be my father but I chose Calliope to be my only true love. I miss you , I always think of you and would give anything to hear your voice of love and affection, but I am calm, I finally found the serenity that always - unconsciously - was looking for , there is no more bitterness, nor sorrow, no resentments, now I can only feel calm and a deep love for a wonderful woman who taught me to let go of everything that makes you ill.

Take care of yourself, Dad

With love, Arizona ...

Sweet lips kiss my cheek as they pull me out of my thoughts, I can feel her hair caress my nose in the process and I smile when she silently says that she loves me one more time, her lips then seek my lips and the kiss we share is firming, a kiss reaffirming our love, a love that began and developed in hopeless times and now just gushing sweetness, wishes and desires in the company to meet one another.

She kisses me again before completely getting out of bed and the next thing I hear is the joyful melody of one of those songs that she likes so much playing on the radio, she sang alongside to the song, I just smiled, my eyes begin to perceive something peculiar ... I don't remember to have my hands this pale, I blinked a few times to clear my clouded vision as it adjusts to the light that crosses the small window of the room that gives sight to the sea. I slowly look up and the thick jet black hair greets my eyes as she moves her hips to the rhythm of the song, hips covered by a tiny white thong that makes her butt more desirable that I thought possible ... I sit in a daydream, like, this must be a dream.

Then she plays with her hair while I admire the tanned skin of her lower back when her red undershirt is raised just enough. If this is a dream, I want to live it complete and I only have one wish - let me see your eyes for the first time, Calliope - and as if she could hear me, the beautiful and voluptuous woman turns around and my eyes meet with the most beautiful face I've ever seen, her perfectly sculpted eyebrows, her thick pink lips and perfectly sculpted chin and then she walks over to me, my heart about to explode in emotion, she smiles sideways and I think I came undone in the moment.

She looked at me with so much passion and love in those dark brown eyes that my chest swelled with an indescribable, unmanageable, incalculable happiness, a happiness of content love that when she was close enough to me, I took her beautiful face in my hands and finally I could say,

I Can See You Now ...

End

Thank you all for bear with me through all this time, as always all mistakes you may find are mine