Cali's family

[Calypso]

The cell phone ring startled Cali Taylor out of her thoughts about the kidnapping case.

//I have to get a new ring tone. "Baby Got Back" is getting old and bloody annoying.// She thought.

She picked up the phone and looked at the caller ID. It said: Ace. That was one of her older brother's names. Her parents had had to have been high on something when they named their kids. Illusian, Ander, Ace, Calypso, Gemini, and Aislynn were hardly normal names.

"Hey, man, what's up?" she answered.

"I have some frightening news." For Ace to have been that serious meant this must be scary indeed.

Cali was of an impatient nature. "Well, spit it out already!"

"Lus is calling a family meeting. Without Dale." Dale was their second cousin whom Ace and Cali were particulary fond of, a sentiment that their oldest sibling did not share."

"That sounds bad."

"It is. She told me the short version but I'm sworn to secrecy."

"Damn, I wish she'd stop tellin' you before the rest of us, the suspense is gonna drive me mad one of these days."

Ace laughed, "Well if you weren't busy all the time with catching the bad guys, she might talk to you more."

"Shut up!" laughed Cali back. "So when is this meeting?"

"There's a barbecue tomorrow night at Lus' house . See ya there."

"Bye, Jesse James." The Taylors were all very fond of nicknames and everyone in the family had several.

"Bye, Betty Boop."

[Calypso]

Upon arriving at her older sister's house, Cali was swamped with hugs and kisses. The twin boys were already there but they had to wait for one of the twin girls to start the family meeting. So to kill time they played a short game of volleyball.

The minute the late sibling arrived she was met with yells of "Gem!" "You're late!" and "Get over here!"

Lus beckoned everyone to sit down and eat. They socialized as they ate, each wondering what this meeting was about.

"AJ, how are things with Ben?" Ander inquired of the youngest.

The young woman sighed. "We've hit a rut. We've only been going out a month and we've already hit a rut!"

"Oh, you're overreacting," consoled AJ's twin sister Gem, "Things will work out, or you can have Ander, Ace, and Cali beat him up."

They all started laughing knowing that it was true. The Taylors were a tight group and very protective of each other. The last guy that Lus had dated had actually been scared away after coming to Christmas dinner.

"What about you, Cali?" asked Lus. "Anyone special in your life?"

"Nope. All the good lookin' guys at work are either married or engaged, and I don't really meet any outside of work."

Sensing the need for a change of subject AJ asked Cali, "What are you working on right now?"

"A kidnapping case," replied the middle sister. "Why don't we get the meeting over with now?"

Lus shrugged. "You may have noticed that Dale was not invited to this meeting. That's because it is about him."

"Go on," prompted Gem.

"He was making out with Rachel McMan at the Labor Day party, while her boyfriend was in the bathroom."

"So," said Ace and Ander at the same time.

"So... the man is completely immoral and inappropriate. He should be banned from our parties."

"Look," said Cali, "I don't see anything wrong here. He's a guy, no offence to other guys present, he's gonna take any chance he can get. It's on Rachel for offerin'."

"I agree," said Ander. "As a young man myself I'll take it where I can get it."

The others didn't want to get involved and the meeting was adjourned.

[Calypso]

Two days after the meeting, Cali got a call from the man himself.

"Hi, Dale, how are ya?" she asked.

"I'm good but Ace told me there was a meeting about me."

Cali sighed, //Stupid Ace shouldn't have told him//. "Yeah, Lus was ready to disown you."

"She might not need to," he said quietly.

"What are you talking about? Did something happen? Are you okay?" Her brain preparing for whatever might come next.

"Can we meet at Caribou?"

"Of course," she answered. "I'll be there in twenty."

Cali turned the tv off and changed out of her pajamas quickly. Not bothering with make-up she rushed out the door. Caribou Coffee was a short walk from her apartment and she was determined not to be late. As she walked down the sidewalk she wondered what could possibly have the king of the good time so down. She knew that he was never as together as he seemed but if he was revealing a weak spot this had to be huge.

//If Lus said anything to him, or anyone else, I'm gonna hurt them.//

He wasn't there yet when she got to her destination. She ordered and sat down in the farthest corner from the door with her back to the wall.

[Calypso]

Dale walked in the front door of the establishment and looked around. His eyes settled on her. She waved, he waved back. Quickly he ordered then joined her with a large frozen coffee.

"Thanks for coming," he said. "Other than you and Ace, I don't really have anyone I would trust with this, right now."

"Have you talked to Ace yet?" Cali asked.

Dale shook his head. "No, I called you first. I was actually hoping you could tell him for me."

"What happened? Are you sick?"

"No." Cali sighed.

"I'm..." he began unsurely, "I'm adopted."

"When did you find out? Did your parents tell you?"

[Calypso]

"Yeah, they told me. I'm pretty sure they're the only ones who know. See they went to Africa for a few years and weren't talking to anyone. Mom said they stopped in New York on their way home and decided to adopt a baby here. Apparently they had talked about it for a while before that. So when they met with the family they just said I was theirs."

"Wow," was all Cali could say to her friend.

He shook his head. "Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction."

"Why tell you now after all these years?"

"Dad and I had a fight," he paused, "a bad fight. I was yelling, he was yelling. I said I wished he wasn't such a meddling father; he said, 'Well then you'll be happy to know that you're adopted.'"

"Oh crap."

"Once again we channel the same thoughts."

Cali looked for away to steer the conversation back to somewhat clearer waters. "You said you wanted me to tell Ace but no one else right?"

Dale nodded. "He needs to know but it's harder for me to talk to him. Besides he'll want to go beat up Dad."

"He's not the only one," Cali mumbled.

"Cali, there is another favor I need to ask you," he took a deep breath. "Will you help me find my biological parents?"

[Calypso]

Cali was stunned, that was not what she was expecting. "I'd do anything for you, you're family."

"I hate to sound cliche," she said after a moment, "but...are you sure you're gonna be prepared to see them? Or if they're dead?"

"Cali," Dale said solemnly, "I have to know. I just...I have to."

She nodded her understanding and told him, "We'll go visit your parents tomorrow and find out what they know, then I'll check out the adoption agency."