Sofia and her 16th Birthday Party...
TITLE: SOFIA ROBBIN SLOAN TORRES’S 16TH BIRTHDAY PARTY
FOLKS INVOLVED: EVERY MEMBER OF THE ROBBINS TORRES FAMILY
RATING: PG TO PG-13
SUMMARY: SOFIA’S 16TH BIRTHDAY...THE DAY BEFORE, THE DAY OF AND THE DAY AFTER AND ALL THE CRAZINESS IN BETWEEN FROM MISS SOFIA ROBBIN SLOAN TORRES’S POINT OF VIEW.
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING. ONLY WHAT’S IN THE SHADOWS OF MY MIND AND THE THOUGHT PROCESS IN MY HEAD.
A/N I RECENTLY TRAVELED OUT OF STATE TO ATTEND MY GREAT NEICE’S 16TH BIRTHDAY PARTY IN NORTH CAROLINA. WITH ALL THE SOUTHERN FAN FAIR AND THE POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE THAT WAS SHOWN TO MY GREAT NEICE ABIGAIL BY HER PARENTS, HER SIBLINGS, BOTH SETS OF HER GRANDPARENTS, AND OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS, I BEGAN TO WONDER AND WRITE ABOUT HOW SOFIA ROBBIN SLOAN TORRES WOULD CELEBRATE HER 16TH BIRTHDAY WITH THESE SAME GROUPS OF PEOPLE IN HER LIFE. PLEASE ENJOY!
Sofia…The day of my 16th birthday party.
The warm Seattle sunshine peaks through my window as it lands on my face as I begin to awaken from my slumber. Before I even get a chance to open my eyes to see this day begin…this day that is my sixteenth birthday, I feel the warmth and tenderness of my Mama Callie’s lips on my cheek as she kisses me good morning. I stretch my arms over my head and as they descend back down I wrap them around my Mama Callie’s neck as I say “Good morning, mama” as I peck her lips with a kiss. “Good morning mija, now if you will get dressed we have a picnic to attend this morning. But please be quiet because we do not want to wake up the rest of the house, alright” as I slowly exit my bed and whisper “Yes mama” as I head to my bathroom. While I am getting ready I hear my Mama Callie now talking to my baby sister as she wakes her too with her soft kisses. She tells my baby sister “I love you mija and go back to sleep until mama comes up to get you in a little while so you and your brother can help mama with the party decorations. Sofia and I will be back soon”. I hear her kiss Michelle again then I hear Michelle asks our Mama Callie “Mama, could you tell Sofia’s daddy that I said hello”? Mama Callie then catches her breath as she replies back to my baby sister after she plants another kiss this time on her forehead “It would be my pleasure, mija”. As Mama Callie passes my bathroom she turns to me and says “I am going to check on your brother. Please meet me outside his room when you are done”. I nod my head in the affirmative because I am brushing my teeth. Mama Callie and I meet outside my brother room as she has checked on him and he is still fast asleep. Then we both descend the staircase to greet my Mama Arizona as she has her hands full of the items that Mama Callie and I need for our visit today to the cemetery where my father is buried.
With Mama Arizona handing me a blanket and kissing me goodbye as she says “You have a good visit mija, and tell your daddy that I love and miss him terribly” as I say “I will mama” and then I watch my Mama Arizona hold my Mama Callie in her arms. As I hear her say “I love you and you have a good visit too”. Then I watch as they both kiss each other tenderly and then my Mama Callie kisses Mama Arizona on her forehead and whispers “I love you too…more than you will ever know”. Mama Arizona then hands Mama Callie a picnic basket and some flowers as she opens the door for us and says “Take all the time you both need because we will all be here when you return”. One final kiss is given to my mama and with a verbal exchange of “I love you’s” between my two mamas as Mama Callie takes my hand in hers and says “Let’s go and see your father”. As Mama Callie and I place the items that Mama Arizona gave us in the back seat of the ’55 classic T-Bird we notice two extra blankets in the back seat with a note attached that read “Just in case it is too cold this morning” and signed “I love you both so much, Love Mama A.”. Mama Callie and I take one last look at the front bay window of our home as we see Mama Arizona along with Mark and Michelle standing there waving and blowing kisses at us as I say “She thinks of everything doesn’t she mama” as the two of us wave and blow kisses back to them and my Mama Callie says “Yes she does mija, and it’s all because she loves us”. As Mama Callie pulls her vintage car out of the driveway, I keep on waving and blowing kisses to my mama and my brother and sister as they eventually leave my sight and I just sit in the front seat of my Mama Callie’s classic car and smile. I sit and smile because I know that I am loved.
It takes about forty five minutes to drive across the city of Seattle to the cemetery where my father and my Aunt Lexie are buried. During this journey, Mama Callie and I talk about my sixteenth birthday party today, about how school is going so far this year, about my plans for the upcoming summer and about what my Aunt Christina have discussed recently about my father and my mamas when I was a little girl. My Mama Callie’s first reaction was to say “Mija, we have told you everything there is to discuss about your mama and your papa and me. We told you about how your mama and I fell in love, how we both had a fight and she went to Africa for a while, how your father and I made love during that time in our lives and how you were conceived, how your Mama Arizona came home and accepted what your father and I did and how she wanted to be part of our plan to raise you with three parents. About the plane crash” as I watch my mama begin to cry at that memory in all of our lives. It was at that moment that I decided to end the conversation with my mama about what Aunt Christina told me about my brother and sister and focus on what was going on right here and right now. As I change the tempo of our conversation to happier times and mama turns in to the cemetery we both notice Uncle Derek’s Range Rover parked in the spot next to my father and Aunt Lexie’s cemetery plot. We both see Aunt Meredith and Zola with Uncle Derek as they are clearing out the Christmas tree and the Christmas decorations that we all placed at my father’s and Aunt Lexie’s gravesite on Thanksgiving Day morning. When my mama finally stops the car I jump out to greet my extended family as I grab my cousin and my best friend Zola and wrap her up in my arms as I squeeze her tight and say “Good morning Zola and Aunt Meredith and Uncle Derek” as they all hug me back and say “Good Morning Birthday Girl”. Then Zola takes me asides as my Mama Callie talks with Meredith and Derek as Zola says to me “My parents, the procrastinators, are finally cleaning up the Christmas decorations”. Then out of the blue I hear “Sofia…Sofia” as I turn to see coming straight at me from around Uncle Derek’s Range Rover eight year old Grey Thomas Sheppard is in full running mode as he jumps into my arms and takes my breath away for a moment as I scream at the top of my lungs “Little Grey” as we both topple to the ground laughing. Once Grey and I stand back up I see the frozen faces of my Mama Callie along with my Aunt Meredith’s and Uncle Derek’s as I hear Uncle Derek say softly “She does not know…she was too young to know” as he hugs and kisses Aunt Meredith’s temple and my Mama Callie is apologizing profusely as she says “I’m sorry Meredith…I am so sorry…We never told her about Lexie’s nickname…I am so sorry”. I watch my Aunt Meredith say to my mama and Uncle Derek “It’s alright…it’s alright…she did not know…she did not know…it will be alright”. Mama Callie and I say goodbye to the Sheppard family as my Uncle Derek comes up to me and plants a kiss on the tip of my nose as he whispers to me “You have the Sloan nose” and then kisses my mama on her forehead as he then drags his fingertips over my father’s and my Aunt Lexie’s names on their tombstones and then says to my mama and I “Have a great visit you too and we’ll all see you later birthday girl”. I tell him on his way to his vehicle “I love you, Uncle Derek” as he smiles that pretty dimpled smile I love so well back at me and says only to me “I love you too, Sofia Robbin Sloan Torres, with all my heart”. Mama Callie takes a couple of tissues out of her purse as she hands me one to wipe the tears that have formed in my eyes as she does the same and then she says “Ok mija, let’s have our picnic”.
For the next couple of hours I catch my dad and my Aunt Lexie up on all that has been going on in all of our lives since the last time Mama Callie and I had our last picnic here on my dad’s birthday last year. Mama Callie and I come here to the cemetery at least three times a year, on my birthday as well as my dad’s birthday and on Father’s Day. Mama Callie and I along with Mama Arizona came here quite a lot during the first five years after daddy and Aunt Lexie died but then Mama Arizona thought that it would be better for Mama Callie and me to have this time together alone so she stopped making this journey with us. Before my dad died he willed everything to Mama Callie and talked with a lawyer to make sure that Mama Arizona had every legal right to adopt me, which she did later that year. As Mama Callie and I sit and eat our picnic breakfast that includes two breakfast sandwiches that are made of ham, egg and are served on a warm and toasted Spanish roll with cream cheese, two bowls of fresh fruit, two granola bars along with a small carafe of orange juice and a small pot of coffee with two bottles of water. Then there is a note that reads “To my two beautiful girls, Hope you both have a magnificent morning as we all love you both immeasurably, Love Mama A”. I just sit and smile at my Mama Callie and say “Does she even know how much we love her too” as I pass the note to her to read as my Mama Callie laughs a little then says “Yes mija she does because she is your mama too”.
Mama Callie and I clean up the blankets and picnic stuff as we make our way back to her car to head home and get ready for my birthday party…my 16th. On the way back home I remember what happened this morning between Grey Sheppard and me so I decide to ask my Mama Callie about it. I begin by saying “Mama, can I ask you a question”? My Mama Callie turns to look at me as she is driving and says “Of course mija, you can ask me anything”. I take a deep breath and say “This morning when Grey ran at me and jumped in my arms and I yelled Little Grey, you and Aunt Meredith along with Uncle Derek stopped dead in your tracks and had this frozen look on your faces as I heard you apologize to Aunt Meredith and Uncle Derek. Did I do something wrong? Did I say something wrong? Why did you apologize to them for what I said”? My Mama Callie clears her throat as she begins to tell me how my Aunt Lexie got her nickname and how for the past fifteen years we have not heard that name and then all of a sudden this morning I shouted it out at Grey Thomas and how my mama along with my aunt and uncle were stunned to hear that nickname again. I tell my Mama Callie that I will apologize to Aunt Meredith and Uncle Derek tonight at my party. Then my Mama Callie says “Baby girl, your aunt and uncle understand that you did not mean to hurt their feelings in any way by what you said so there is no need to apologize. I don’t want this to dampen your birthday so why don’t we just get ourselves home and help your brother and sister along with Mama A by placing the finishing touches on your birthday…your 16th birthday, mija”. I show my Mama C my beautiful smile as I say to her “Yes please mama, let’s go home”.
Mama Callie and I enter our home as we watched everyone go about their business of doing their assignments as I greet each family member as they all wished me a Happy Birthday. Mama Callie and I find Mama Arizona in the kitchen with my Aunts Teddy, Miranda, Addison and Aria as they all kissed my cheek and wished me a happy birthday. As Mama Callie and I were putting the dishes from the picnic basket in the sink and throwing our trash away as Mama Arizona asks “Did my girls have a good morning”? I walk up to her and kiss her as I say “We had a great morning and thank you for making us breakfast. As you can see by the empty picnic basket, mama and I cleaned our plates”. Mama Arizona takes a hold of me as she hugs and kisses me softly and says “I love you, mija” as I tell her I love her too. Then I walk over to the fridge to retrieve a bottle of water as I notice the expertly typed itinerary using military time to establish that everything for my birthday party is completed and on time before our guests arrive. I trace my finger over the times and explanation of items needed to still be done as I chuckle out loud grabbing the attention of my mama’s and my aunts. Mama Arizona says “Well baby girl you know your grandfather” as I smile at her and go in search of my infamous Lt. Col. Daniel Timothy Robbins of the United States Marine Corp who is now retired and loving every minute of his retirement spoiling his grandchildren. I find him in the swimming pool area helping my Uncle’s Alex, Derek and Owen with the lighting situation over where the dance floor will be set up soon. I walk up to this grand stature of a man as I do not interrupt his conversation with my uncles but I just place my small, slender hand in his large ham of a hand as he turns my way and smiles at me showcasing his handsome Robbins dimples as he squeezes my hand tenderly. Then when he finishes his conversation with his piercing blue eyes still on mine, he asks me “What’s on your mind today pretty lady”? I take a small step ladder in my hand as I lead my grandfather away from everyone else. Once we are alone I take two steps up the ladder so I am face to face with him as I say “I love you with all my heart and I just want to thank you for all you do for me and my family. You along with Grandma Barbara, Grandma Lucia and Grandpa Carlos are what the rest of us in this family strive to be. All of you are loyal, kind, loving, and honorable and I hope someday when I become a grandparent I hope that all of these values the four of you have instilled in us will become blissfully apparent in my grandchildren. Thank you sir for your organization of your infamous itinerary in helping make this day…my 16th birthday party…one of my best day’s ever. I love you, grandpa”. I hug him so tight around the neck after I kiss his cheek as I feel him lift me off the ladder and closer into his arms as I hear him sniffle a little and say “I love you too my beautiful granddaughter. Some day you are going to make some children a very happy and loving grandmother or as your Mama Callie along with your grandparents Lucia and Carlos say a loving “abuela”.
Guests starting coming in to our home a little after 2 o’clock as the bulk of my friends all arrived by 3 pm. With the weather outside being a little on the chilly side we kept the overhead window closed over the pool area so that it remained warm and toasty inside. The adults in my family stay inside the house as they finish up with the last minute details as they let my friends and I have the pool area to ourselves for a few hours with an assortment of snack foods and beverages. I walk back into the house to gather up some of my personal music from my IPod to play by the pool because the DJ is not arriving until after dinner when I hear my mama’s conversation. My Mama Callie is asking my Mama Arizona as she slides up behind her wrapping her arms around her waist and resting her chin on Mama Arizona’s shoulder “Baby when did Alex say he would be back with Mark and Michelle”? I watch my Mama Arizona turn to face my Mama Callie as I hear her say “Alex said that they would be returning home around five. He along with Teddy, Aria and Addison said that they all had a surprise for everyone later on this evening”. Mama Arizona kisses my Mama Callie sweetly on the lips as I hear my Mama Callie sigh into the kiss and say “Surprise huh, well if I know our twins the surprise is going to be for the big sister they both adore. We did a good job raising her didn’t we my love” as my mama’s kiss each other again and my Mama Arizona says before they both continue with getting things ready for the rest of the day “You’re probably right honey. Our Sofia is a great role model for not only the twins but for all of her friends too and yes we did a great job raising her…she is a beautiful young woman Calliope. As my father would say, our Sofia Robbin Sloan Torres is this family’s “Good man in a storm”. As my Mama Callie pulls my Mama Arizona tighter into her arms and kisses her then says “Arizona Michelle Robbins Torres, you will always be my good man in a storm” as their kiss becomes more sensual in nature that is when I clear my throat to make my presence known as both stop kissing and begin to chuckle a bit and my Mama Callie says to me “May I help you, mija” while holding a laughing Mama Arizona’s face in her shoulder as I say smiling to them both “No…I’m good…I’m all good”. Then Mama Callie says to my Mama Arizona and me “Well then ladies, I will go downstairs and check on how things are coming along for your movie night with your friends mija” as she kisses both of us and leaves the room. My Mama Arizona watches my Mama Callie walk away from us as I see her smile with the Robbins dimples all aglow as I can see all the love she still has for her wife after all these years as my Mama Arizona looks at me and says “What” as I smile and say “I hope someday I find that special someone who makes me feel the way you do about mama still to this day and after all these years. You both are an inspiration to everyone in this family on the ways to truly love someone” as I hug my mama tight and she kisses my forehead and then my lips as she says “There is someone for everyone and you will find your one true love of your life just like your mama and I did…I guarantee it mija, you will fall madly and deeply in love with your love of your life”. I kiss her back and say “I love you mama and thank you for today” as she smiles that special smile that is only for me as she says “You are so welcome baby girl and I love you beyond measure” as we stay in each others arms for a little while longer.
Just as my Mama Arizona and I release the hold we have on each other, Mark and Michelle come bursting through the front door as they both yell “Sofia…Sofia, where are you big sis”? I turn in my mama’s arms as both my siblings find me and wrap their arms around me and say “Happy Birthday, Sofia”. I bend my body down to them and so our Mama Arizona cannot hear me ask them “Everything go alright you two” as they both whispered back to me “Everything went great, sis”. When my siblings and I finished our secret conversation our Grandmother Lucia asks for everyone’s presence and attention out by the pool area. We all wander to the pool area as we see Grandma Lucia at the microphone on the makeshift stage that our grandfather’s along with our uncles made late last night. Grandma Lucia, along with Grandma Barbara, began to speak as she says “May I have your attention everyone…It is now 6 pm and dinner will be served at 7 pm. For the next hour, according to the Coronel’s itinerary, it is during this hour that everyone changes into their dinner attire and be back here promptly at 7 pm”. Then our Grandma Barbara steps up to the microphone to say “Everyone please listen when I say that your dinner attire must be your Sunday best. This means no jeans, no t-shirts, no shorts, no swimwear and no bare feet. You will all change in the designated areas that are on my husband’s itinerary. Everyone will be back here on time so that we may all partake in the blessing and saying of grace by our granddaughter Sofia’s grandfather’s Carlos Torres and Daniel Robbins. Thank you and you may now leave to change your clothes”. The adults in my family have already changed into their dinner attire as they all now help all my friends getting dressed. Both of my grandmother’s along with my mama’s and my aunts help with my girl friends hair and make up while my grandfather’s and my uncles help my boy friends, not boyfriends just the boys at my party who are my friends, with making sure that their attire is appropriate for tonight’s dinner party. Then out of nowhere my brother Mark finds a cowbell from the garage as he begins to beat on it and announces very loudly so he can be heard over all the talking and laughing from over sixty some people as we all hear him say “The time is 6:52 folks…we all have less than eight minutes to get to our assigned dinner table…let’s get a move on people…”. I begin to laugh hysterically along with my uncles, my Mama Callie and three of my four grandparents but then I see the death stare that my brother is receiving from my Mama Arizona and my Grandpa Daniel as we all stop laughing and my Uncle Alex picks up my brother and walks him briskly back into the garage. I then grab my Mama Arizona and my Grandpa Daniel’s hands as I say “Are we ready to eat” as they both look at me and smile as Mama Arizona says “Sure thing sweetie” but she still glares at the door leading out to the garage.
With everyone taking their respective places and filling all the seats at all the tables that have consumed the open space of the pool area, everyone is talking amongst themselves until they see my Grandmother Barbara stand at our family table as a hush falls all around. With the simple flick of her wrists, everyone scoots their chairs backwards and stands with her as they follow her every move. The seating at the family table consists of me, my mamas, both sets of my grandparents, my Aunt Aria along with my brother Mark and my baby sister Michelle. With those same wrists again my Grandma Barbara flicks them individually to first take my grandfather’s hand, a man she has been married to for over fifty years, and with the second flick of her wrist to take my baby sister’s hand in hers as she sees that everyone here tonight is following suit by taking the hands of the people next to them into theirs as my grandmother then bows her head to listen to her husband with the saying of grace. When Grandpa Daniel is finished and everyone still holding hands and bowing their heads as my Grandpa Carlos begins to say a blessing in Spanish that is only for me today…on my 16th Birthday. Then as we all sit back down at our tables as the catering staff, like a precision well oiled machine, begins to serve us our dinner. Once dinner has been eaten and some members of my friends and relatives are independently embarrassing me with their well wishes and their stories of my childhood but then my grandfather’s both stand up as Grandpa Carlos says first “From the first moment I held you in my arms, I knew that you would have a place in all of our hearts” then my Grandpa Daniel says “But no matter how many men in this family watch over you and protect you like a father should, none of us can replace what you lost at such a young age. So it gives me great honor and pride to say along with Carlos” as both my grandfather’s say together “Thank you, Mark”. Then like on cue, everyone raises their glasses in the air to graciously say to my father “Thank you, Mark”. I kiss and hug my grandfather’s for this gesture that they have bestowed on me tonight.
The catering staff begins to clear away the dinner dishes as they place trees of cupcakes on every table with each cupcake stating very proudly on top the word and number that says it all as each cupcake says “Sofia” and then the number “16” underneath. Then my mama’s roll out the table with my birthday cake on it as everyone begins to sing “Happy Birthday” both in English and Spanish. Then after about a million pictures being taken by everyone, with the music of the deejay playing in the background, my friends and I move to the dance floor to continue with my party. The adults begin to mingle amongst themselves with a few dancing where they are standing outside the dance floor. I notice my mama’s standing near the table where we all sat having our dinner only an hour ago as I watch the two of them sway in each others arms with the music. For the next few hours my friends and I dance, talk, and enjoy some cake and ice cream along with some cupcakes as we dance some more. Just as the last song of the evening has ended, my brother Mark along with my Uncle Alex come up on the stage as Mark clangs that cowbell one more time much to my Mama Arizona and my grandfather Daniel’s dismay as Uncle Alex says “Can I have your attention please everyone? Sofia can you join your brother and I on stage please”. I make my way on stage as my Uncle Alex continues in saying “I would like to introduce to all of you to a woman that would like to say something to the birthday girl before her night ends, Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Anastasia Beaverhausen, the owner of the Seattle Grace Animal Shelter and Hospital”. With everyone standing to listen to my boss as she speaks to me and everyone in attendance at my party “Good evening everyone, I hope that all of you are having a wonderful time this evening with the celebrating of my friend Sofia Robbin Sloan Torres’s 16th birthday party. I know I am having the best time tonight here with this beautiful and loving young lady and all of her friends and family as we all celebrate just one of Sofia’s many milestones that in her life she will conquer and enjoy. It gives me great pride tonight to announce to Sofia and all of you with your generous donations and gift giving on her behalf that the Seattle Grace Animal Shelter and Hospital is receiving your gift of $16,331.11 and the volunteer sign up sheet has been completely filled tonight with promises from everyone here in this crowd to help in one way or another for the rest of this year. I would like to thank each and every one of you for this generous gift and for you Miss Sofia along with her family and friends for making all of this possible tonight. Without your love for animals both big and small and your good natured heart, you have shown us all what it means to be a true friend. Thank you and Happy Birthday, my friend”. As Miss Anastasia gives me a big hug as I return the hug back and everyone cheers at her speech, I break from her embrace to take a bow to my family and friends.
Then as my brother and my Uncle Alex stay on stage with me I ask for everybody’s attention again as my sister along with my aunts and the rest of my uncles join me on stage as I say “I would like all of my friends to have a seat as I would like to say a little something to my family. Will our mama’s come up to the dance floor along with our grandparents come to the dance floor as well”. With the music playing and all six pairs of eyes on me and my siblings along with our aunts and uncles I say to the six of them standing before us “I just want to take this time we are sharing together tonight to say thank you to the six of you for making tonight possible. Without your love, respect and devotion to our family and all those involved” as I wave my hand around the stage “I would not be standing here before you all tonight. To my father and our Aunt Lexie, we will never stop loving you both with all of our hearts, but now I want to take my party in a different direction and with the help of some fine and loving family members, Michelle, Mark and I would like to sing for the six of you as we watch you dance together to the song “Now That I Found You by Terry Clark”. The music begins to play as I along with my loved ones and my friends all begin to sing...
How can I believe
That my heart would find someone like you
You see me, the real me
No in betweens, I had nowhere to hide
You took away the walls around me
Made me feel safe to share my truth
I see the heavens open, a heart that once was broken
Is holding nothing back
Now that I found you
You hold me like a prayer, you touch me everywhere
A lifetime just ain’t enough to love you true
Now that I found you
Now that I found you
I do believe we’re meant to be
Our chemistry will last forever
And through the years
We’ll see some tears
We’ll conquer fears
And together we will grow
Look through your eyes
They tell me
I no longer have to be alone
Then our Aunt Meredith takes our Uncle Derek’s hand as our Aunt Christina takes our Uncle Owen’s hand as our Aunt Miranda takes our Uncle Ben’s hand as our Aunt Addison takes our Aunt Teddy’s hand and finally our Uncle Alex takes our Aunt Aria’s hand as they all leave the stage and make their way to the dance floor to join our mama’s and our grandparents as my brother, my sister and I finish the song on our own and with a little help from my friends.
I see the heavens open, a heart that once was broken
Is holding nothing back
Now that I found you
You hold me like a prayer, you touch me everywhere
A lifetime just ain’t enough to love you true
Now that I found you
Now that I found you
You see me, the real me
You believe you in me
All of my friends stand up and surround the dance floor to engulf our family members as they show a united front as they sing the final verse together.
I see the heavens open, a heart that once was broken
Is holding nothing back
Now that I found you
You hold me like a prayer, you touch me everywhere
A lifetime just ain’t enough to love you true
Now that I found you
Now that I found you
Our grandparents and our mama’s swallow the three of us up in their arms as they all cry a little and tell us they love us and we tell them that we love then too. Then as the party clears out with my boy friends, I and nine of my girlfriends make our way downstairs to continue my birthday party with a movie night.