The Five Lives of Calliope

Have you danced with a doctor when a baby was born? Have you been betrayed by a housewife and her gossiping best friend in the middle of a restaurant? Did you ever find unlikely purpose from a lowly waiter who turned into a friend? Has a struggling teenage girl ever broken your heart? Did you think you’d ever find yourself safely within the arms of a retiring janitor? I have and I’d like to tell you my story…

It started with a birth certificate and two names. The first name being Calliope Ann Merger. The second name being Dr. Robert Kendall. Calliope is my name seeing as it was the first. And I quite enjoyed the certification of my existence. Now upon meeting Dr. Robert, I learned he is a baby doctor. He delivers lots of babies and handles them with care. After the deliveries are done, he files all the paperwork. That’s where I come in to assist: the paperwork portion. My first night assisting the doctor, we signed new names and his name over and over again until there was nothing left to write. Evening approached and he took me home with him.

I slept with Dr. Robert’s white coat in a rocking chair that night and I felt good about all the work we had accomplished that evening. Existing in his world would be fulfilling, I thought to myself. Soon, I dozed off.

Pinpricks of light shown around the doctor’s living room and I was awoken by a woman in a sundress. She lifted me up from his white coat. She seemed in a hurry as if she was running late. As if WE were running late. Guess I’ll be going where she’s going! We rushed into the kitchen searching through drawers until we found one full of odds and ends. I watched her scrounge a stack of post-its from the bottom of the drawer and together we left Dr. Robert a note.

“Rob, Out to brunch with Jess. Be back later. Love you, W.”

Is this Dr. Robert’s wife?! How lovely it is to meet her! And on our first day together, she is taking me to brunch with her friend Jess. I’m happy to tag along for the ride. We arrived at lunch and I was content to listen in on the conversation. The bread rolls and soup were delivered with care and as the two women caught up, I learned many things. The doctor’s wife’s name is Wynn. Her friend Jess is a red-headed gossip but I will admit, it was nice to put a name to a face. They have been best friends since college. They get together for brunch at least once a week. Jess is trying to watch her weight while Wynn is looking to gain a few pounds at the gym after this brunch outing. I can’t see myself being much use at the gym but I could be wrong. The course of the meal was lengthy and the restaurant was busy. I was ready to go home and get back to work with the doctor.

The check for our meal arrives. Jess and I decided to pay. We made sure the waiter received a good tip and signed her name. I glanced away for one second at another table and the next thing I know, Wynn and Jess have left me behind… I slump into disappointment.

I think our lovely waiter noticed my mood. He lifted me up gently and smiled. Maybe this young man could help me? Maybe we can help each other? Together, we ventured to a nearby table with a mom and her son ready to place an order. I decided there was no harm in being useful. Plus, it should help pass the time while I wait for Wynn to come back. This waiter introduces himself to us as John. After pleasantries, the small family of two order and we jot down a couple of shorthand notes on a pad of green paper. The moment we write the last word, we take off. Zig-zagging through tables to the back kitchen, John slaps our recent order on a silver counter full of prepped food.

“Another one and make sure there’s no tomatoes in the salad. Table 6 has an allergy!”

The chefs grunted through their ministrations in unison. And our morning proceeded into the late afternoon. So many different kinds of meals and requests and notes! We wrote them all down together. We delivered every meal gently and I grew a liking for John. He is a kind person to everyone and he loves to joke with the chefs in the kitchen. All while taking orders swiftly and accurately. I followed his routine around the restaurant and can’t say I didn’t enjoy the speed of taking orders and delivering meals to tables. John and I developed this unlikely friendship over a few days. It was a pillow-like comfort to say the least. And I was no longer sad that Wynn left me behind.

Every evening after work, John brought me home and I’d sleep on a chair in his room with his black waiter’s apron. It was always a good morning waking up and getting ready together. The past few mornings, we would “x” a box off the calendar on his desk. This morning there was a star in the box already. I wonder what that meant… once we got to work, I overheard John remind his boss that he was leaving early today. That being said, our shift was over before I knew it and we all but fled the restaurant at quitting time. Faster than we have ever waited tables, we were at an animal shelter. In one of the back cages, we met a black dog with a white chest and a torn ear. John was excited to see him and I couldn’t help but join in his joy! The meet and greet evidently brought us and the dog to the front desk and we signed papers to adopt him. John West was his full name and Zeke was the name of our new dog. And what a cute dog he was! I couldn’t help but get distracted as I assisted the shelter volunteer with the last details of the adoption papers.

I helped her sign her name on the last form: Kelly Reel. She was a teenager. She wore glasses and coveralls. Her t-shirt displayed a paw print volunteer badge. Her and I sat together at the front desk and watched John and Zeke walk out the front door. As if I was never part of his life… did he forget me too? What am I supposed to do now? I get my answer as Kelly hangs onto me. She doesn’t set me down as she pulls her bookbag out and grabs a notebook. A small one with a pretty green and blue cover. We flip open to a middle page and begin…

“Dear Diary,

Zeke finally found a home today. He was one of my favorite dogs here. I’m happy for him. I’m just going to miss him. Sometimes I feel like the only place I belong is here at the shelter. The dogs don’t judge me or make fun of me. They like me for who I am.

Not looking forward to going back to school tomorrow…”

We didn’t get a chance to finish the entry before more people came into the shelter looking to meet new dogs. Kelly diligently helped every person who walked in and she disappeared time and again. I ended up staying with Kelly’s notebook the rest of the afternoon. I guess I should say her diary. Her parents came to get us and we both went to her home. Kelly’s room was covered in mermaid-like fashion. Green and blue accents, clouds on the ceiling, and seashells across her desk. This room screamed dreamer. Her wardrobe looked outdated but I could see the relaxation that came upon her as we shut ourselves in her domain. Dropping her bookbag, she flopped me, herself, and her diary on her bed. We opened the book to the last entry again.

“Not looking forward to going back to school tomorrow because Ryan passes me in the quickest hallway from 3rd to 4th period. He hates me. I still don’t know what I did to deserve his wrath but he lays it down in front of the whole school to see. I just want to be left alone. Wish me luck…”

This girl needs me more than John did. I think I will stay with her. Kelly left me with her notebook in her bedroom the next day. I assume she went to school. I hope she’s alright. She came home that afternoon with tears in her eyes. She ran to her bed and cried into her sheets as quietly as she could before she grabbed her diary.

“Dear Diary,

I thought today might be different. Ryan actually ignored me as I walked by him in the hallway. I thought I was lucky this time. Maybe he was bored of bullying me. My mood felt lighter. Until I got to my locker. It was covered with pictures of me. They drew all over my face and body. They were so hideous and embarrassing. They’ll be stuck in my head forever. I know it was him and everyone laughed. They just stood by and laughed. Sometimes I just want to disappear. Maybe things would be better that way.”

Kelly might have just broken my heart. The next day, I went with her to school. I stayed close to her diary as we went from one class to the next. I helped distract her with her schoolwork. We solved math problems together and wrote literary paragraphs. It wasn’t until leaving 3rd period and walking to the 4th that I figured out who Ryan was. We side-stepped as far as we could to try and hug the wall through the hallway but he made a beeline to us. Tall, dark hair, and a snarl on his face Ryan stepped in front of us. Without a word, he pushed Kelly and we both fell to the ground. I was kicked and stepped over. I rolled and ended up under a set of lockers watching Kelly get sneered and jeered at by Ryan and some other boys. I couldn’t help her from here. How could humans be so vicious? The bell rang and Kelly ran off crying in one direction while Ryan and the group of boys laughed down the opposite hallway. I was alone and so was Kelly. Classes went by and I searched for Kelly in the crowd of students but never saw her again. I hope she’s okay… Classes ended for the day and an older gentleman pushing a long broom walked up to me. He wore blue jeans and a school polo with the name Larry embroidered over the breast pocket. He lifted me up and the crinkles around his eyes scrunched up. He could probably see the scuff marks and how tired I was living like this.

“What a perfectly good pen… I think I’ll keep this one.” Larry I hope you mean that.

I lived the rest of my days with Larry. It didn’t feel like very many days that I can recall but we saw a few seasons pass. We checked off boxes of accomplished tasks together at the school. We cleaned up messes and swept the halls. We signed papers occasionally. Larry’s last name was Perkins. As we lived and worked together, he kept me in his pocket so I could see the world as he did. I stayed with his polo unless it was being washed. But Larry never forgot about me. Not once. He called me Lucky actually. He gave me a new name and I quite liked it. Being lucky as I was called, I was able to see Kelly’s name on the graduation list one day. I felt proud and relieved she made it. I had often wondered about her over time. I hope the world outside treats her better than the kids did in these hallways.

My last day with Larry was a memorable one. We attended a surprise, going away party that the school staff threw for us. We danced around for a time and Larry even cut a cake. We even signed his retirement papers right there for all our coworkers to see. I was barely able to help him through his last name but once we completed it, Larry looked at me. He looked right at me.

“Job well done, Lucky. Job well done.” He set me down in a plastic bag inside a tin and as the party died down I thought… what a life to have lived. From assisting a doctor to a housewife to a waiter to a broken teenager to a janitor. From Calliope to Lucky. And Lucky is how I felt to have lived so many lives and be there for so many people. I dozed off one last time thinking… I am Lucky.