Lisa's P.O. V.
"I know she's been through a lot before she was placed with you, but we do not tolerate violence in this school. You need to have a serious talk with Calliope about her behavior. We can only be so understanding."
It took everything in me not to yell at this woman before me. She called herself the headmistress, but I'll call her a warden with the way she treats the children. She doesn't deserve to hold the title of principle.
"We'll talk to her, Mrs. Vinx. We appreciate your understanding, and will be taking her home for today. Thank you," Davis answered.
Davis surprised me with the way he was calmly handling this. He stood, and I followed, seeing he was ready to leave even though Mrs. Vinx seemed anything but done. I followed him out of
the office, seeing Calliope with tear-streaked cheeks on a small chair beside the door. "Let's go," Davis told her, walking right past her.
She hurriedly followed, not taking my hand when I offered it. I don't know what Mrs. Vinx said to her, but I can tell it affected her. That phone call this morning made no sense. According to the pompous woman, Calliope just hit a student for no reason. I don't believe it for a second.
I will defend her even from Davis if I have to, because I know Calliope hates violence. She wouldn't hit anyone, and if she ever did, it wouldn't be for no reason. It would be for an amazing reason, a life and death one, probably.
It didn't take long for us to get home from the school. Davis pointed to the couch without a word for Calliope to take a seat. I was starting to get mad at Davis for seeming so furious at Calliope for this. He should know better than to believe Mrs. Vinx.
"Calliope soon to be Havard!" His voice was stern as he called her name.
The tagged last name made my heart swell with joy for a moment before remembering the situation. I will fight him about this if I have to. I know my girl, and this was not her.
"What is rule number 4?" He asked her with his arms crossed and his face unreadable. Calliope hung her head under his gaze, staring at her hands on her lap as she mumbled her answer.
"Tell you or Mommy if I am having any problems about anything."
"That's right! So why didn't you tell me that Mrs. Vinx has been picking on you?"
I was so shocked, not expecting this turn of events at all. He didn't believe the so-called headmistress. No, he was upset that Calliope hadn't spoken to us about it. She didn't follow the rules we had established for her. I had been so focused on defending her I hadn't even thought about it. Davis was right. She should have told us about this.
"She's the principal. I didn't think you would believe me over a grown up like her," she whispered, refusing to look up at either one of us.
"Calliope, look at me," Davis said, kneeling before her. "We will always believe you. You are an honest girl, and we trust you. There's no way you hit another girl today. I know that, and I'm sure Mommy does, too." I nodded my head in confirmation as Davis continued. "So, start talking, little lady, because I want to know what this woman has done that I am not aware of."
And so Calliope spoke. She told us about how Mrs. Vinx had placed her in the lowest class in the school. I guess even in a gifted school, there's a class slower than the rest. Mrs. Vinx would accuse her of cheating anytime she got a 100 on a test or even on homework. Apparently, she believes that Calliope is not intelligent in the least. Davis and I were seething by the end of it, wanting that woman's head on a platter.
"You're not going back," Davis and I said in unison.
"But I like my teacher and my new friends. I don't want to go to another new school." She frowned, breaking my heart.
"I don't like how Mrs. Vinx is treating you, and I don't want her to keep doing it. It would be best if you started to go to another private school, but I won't force you if your friends mean that much to you."
I don't want to tear her away from any new bonds she's forming. Her therapist told me to make sure she was creating and nurturing new bonds, caring for them the same way she would care for a blooming flower.
"I want to keep going there. I trust that you and daddy will take care of Mrs. Vinx."
She was putting her faith in us, which both surprised me and swelled me with pride. I had no idea that she had begun to feel so secure with us. At the beginning she would barely talk, now she's willing to tell us her problems when we ask. She's sure of our ability to help her with her problems. Now if only we could get her to tell us her problems without us asking.
"I'm glad you' re trusting us with this, but remember there may times that Mommy and I can't fix your problems. Sometimes all we' ll be able to do is help you solve them on your own. This isn't one of those times, but I just wanted you to keep that in mind," Davis said with a small smile,
grabbing her hand, making it seem smaller than it was in comparison to his own. "Now, you did a break a rule, so you are grounded for today. I want you to write an apology letter to Mommy and I for not following our rule and how you plan to make sure it does not happen again. Got it?"
Calliope nodded her head, seeming down, but somehow understanding. She didn't throw a fit, whine or cry, getting up and going right to the table. She fished paper out of her little pink backpack and began to write silently.
Davis is an amazing father.
"Was I too harsh?" he whispered to me as we both stared at Calliope's hunched over self.
"No, I think you handled that really well. Better than me. Davis, I hadn't even thought about our rules. All I could think about was that damn woman behind her desk spreading lies about our girl. She made me so furious."
"I could tell. Your inner warrior was loud in your eyes. She may not have seen it, but I certainly did. We'll fix this for her."
I agreed, watching Calliope as she wrote away. She would pause every once in a while, tap her chin, and then continue again. It was very adorable.
I think we' re doing good with her. I just hope she feels the same way.
___________________________________
"Are you nervous?" I asked Calliope, feeling her squeeze my hand subconsciously as we stepped through the courtroom doors.
Today was the day we would be adopting Calliope. She will officially be my daughter legally, even though she's been my daughter since the day I found her. Calliope quietly nodded her head, reverting back to that shy girl I had found in the woods. Anytime we were in an unfamiliar place, Calliope would cling to me like saran wrap, and grow quiet.
"The judge is going to swear us all in and then he' ll ask each of you some questions, just answer them as best you can," our lawyer instructed us as we took our spots.
The swearing in wasn't hard and didn't take very long. The judge asked some legal questions to our lawyer and then he turned to Davis and I. I was sweating like a pig with a big ball of nerves in my stomach. What if I say something wrong?
"Miss Porter, why are you wanting to adopt Calliope?" He asked me a question so simple, yet so hard to answer.
"For many reasons, sir. To name a few I would say because of who she is. She is a bright and beautiful young girl with such a loving heart. We share a similar history, one I can relate and help her heal from. It is unsafe for me to carry children of my own, but I don't want to adopt Calliope because of that. I want to adopt her because I fell in love with her the moment I spotted her in those woods. She stole my heart the moment her hand grabbed mine. I could never let her go, not with the amount of love I have for her. My hope is to give her a happy and loving home, and help her grow into a wonderful and strong woman."
"Mr. Havard, what about you? Why do you want to adopt Calliope?"
"Your Honor, I want to adopt Calliope because I believe that every child deserves a loving and stable home. When I found her abandoned in the park, I knew that I had to step up and give her the care and support she needed. I wanted to keep her safe and fight away any darkness in her life. As a father to my 19-year-old daughter, I understand the challenges and joys of raising a child. Calliope will receive the same love and guidance that I have given my own daughter. I learned a lot from raising my first child and I'll be taking those lessons into account while raising Calliope. I believe that I can offer her a safe and nurturing environment where she can grow and thrive, and I am willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that she has a bright and happy future. There is no greater honor than to have the opportunity to become Calliope's father, and I promise to always put her needs first and provide her with the love and support she deserves. My future wife and I both do, because Calliope is more than just a little girl we found and fell in love with. She's a little angel sent from heaven just for us."
Sometimes I forget that Davis used to be a lawyer. He knows how to word things just right, whereas I feel I fumble to string coherent sentences under pressure. The tears in my eyes spoke volumes for the way this man's words can touch your heart.
"Very nicely spoken, Mr. Havard. Calliope, sweetheart, what about you? Are you happy with these two being your new parents? Do you fully understand what this means?" Calliope very shyly nodded her head at him as he looked down at her from his stand. "My dear, you are going to have to speak."
"I want them to be my mommy and daddy. They make me feel very loved." Calliope's voice was quiet but it held deep conviction one that filled me with unbridled happiness. She loves us too and it thrills me to know that we're doing a good enough job of making her feel loved.
"It says here you're having trouble at school. Is that correct,Calliope?"
"That's a complete l-" I went to say but the judge held his hand up, cutting me off. "Calliope will answer, thank you miss Porter."
Fat ass.
I met Calliope's eyes and could see her fear so easily. She wasn't sure what to do. She didn't want to lie, but I could tell she wasn't sure the judge would believe her. I squeezed her hand, giving her a small smile and nodding my head for her to answer. Hopefully she'd understand that I want her to be honest.
"No, sir. I follow the rules and do my work. I broke one rule, but it wasn't the school's rule, it was Daddys and Mommy's rule," Calliope answered, unable to look the judge in the eyes.
"Remember Calliope you were sworn in, that means you have promised to tell the truth. Do you want to stick with what you've said already?" He asked, making ny blood boil. I wanted to defend her so badly, but didn't need this judge upset with me. Calliope nodded ger head. "Very well then, what rule was it that you broke of your parents?"
"Rule number 4. I am supposed to tell Mommy or Daddy, or both of them if I am having any problems at all."
"I see, so we're having problems in school then." He thought he caught her in a lie, but I smirked knowing my Calliope would prove him wrong.
"Yes, sir. Mrs. Vinx likes to pick on me and accuse me of cheating because she believes I am not smart."
The judge questioned her further about the matter, obviously having a hard time believing that a principal would be picking on a child. Eventually he let David and I speak on the matter and the judge seemed to believe us all.
"It appears that you have established a great relationship with Calliope already. Her grades are good and I'll be sure to ignore Mrs. Vinx remarks. I do suggest you switch her schools and lodge a complaint. Private schools have their own board members that take care of these sorts of problems. It pleases me to see a healthy family sit before me. You've been through a lot miss Calliope and I am happy to say you are now officially adopted by Lisa Porter and David Havard. Congratulations you guys!"
Oh the tears that rained out of me when he said those words. I felt such immense happiness, one I never thought I would feel. She's mine and I am hers always and forever.
My sweet daughter.