Dixie Belle by Debby Mayne

Author:Debby Mayne
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook, book
ISBN: 9781621365259
Publisher: Charisma House
Published: 2014-03-23T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

CISSY LISTENED TO Aunt Bootsie’s nervous chatter all the way home from church. She knew that her aunt was worried about her uncle and that nothing she could say would change that. Going to church alone on Sundays must have been difficult for Aunt Bootsie, but she did it anyway. Cissy knew that her aunt never gave up on her uncle, something she wasn’t sure she’d be able to do under the same circumstances.

When they rounded the corner to the house and saw Uncle Forest’s car in the driveway, silence fell between them. She wondered what her aunt was thinking.

The door opened, and Uncle Forest stepped outside, a wide grin on his face. She tilted her head and squinted her eyes as she tried to figure out what was going on. He opened his arms for Aunt Bootsie. As she tentatively walked toward him, Cissy hung back and observed. He was different—the obvious being the joy on his face, but there was something else she couldn’t put her finger on. Something different.

“Lunch is almost ready,” he announced.

“But I—”

He lifted a finger to Aunt Bootsie’s lips. “You had everything ready in the pots on the stove, so I turned the burners on low to heat it back up.”

Cissy watched as Bootsie’s bewilderment dissipated and unspoken communication and love flowed between her aunt and uncle. She wanted that—someone who would love her, even through differences and disagreements.

Aunt Bootsie blushed as she backed away and cast a flustered glance at Cissy before turning back to him. “Let’s just hope you didn’t burn anything. There’s a limit to how long something can be heated up.”

The meal was delicious. Uncle Forest leaned back in his chair, blew on his fingernails, and playfully rubbed them on his shirt. “I’m a mighty good heater-upper, if I must say so myself.”

“You just did,” Aunt Bootsie shot back. “And yes, you did a good job, even with the salad you made from scratch.”

He pretended humility. “Aw, it was nothin’.”

Cissy glanced down at the lettuce that had been cut into bite-size pieces—for a giant—and tomato wedges that needed to be cut into thirds. He hadn’t done much, but Aunt Bootsie glowed with appreciation. Cissy knew this was a learning moment, so she took mental notes on how to accept less-than-stellar efforts. When Daddy tried to do something in the kitchen, Mama either did it over or criticized his efforts. In fact, she did the same thing to Cissy, which made her wonder if that might have been part of her problem with wanting to do anything responsible. Mama’s unspoken motto had always been, “If you can’t do it right the first time, then get out of my way, and I’ll do it.” Cissy spent most of her time getting out of the way.

When Uncle Forest stood up to clean the kitchen, Aunt Bootsie shooed him away. “You and Cissy run on into the living room and chat. I’ll take care of all this.”

“I want to help,” Cissy said.

Aunt Bootsie tilted her head toward Cissy and smiled.

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