Dixie Belle

by Debby Mayne

  Cissy stood on tiptoe, gave her uncle a kiss on the cheek, and walked him to the elevator, where he turned back to face her with a look of concern. “Do you really want to do this? It’s not too late to change your mind. I’m sure there are plenty of other people who can take over your lease if you—”

  “Really, Uncle Forest, I’ll be just fine. Don’t worry about me so much.”

  Without another word he stepped on the elevator and left her staring at the closed door. She knew Charlene was right behind her, watching.

  “He’s a very sweet man,” Charlene finally said. “He really cares about you.”

  “Yes, I know, but he’s just like my mother. Controlling.”

  Charlene laughed. “All parents are like that, especially when they remember how they were at your age. They seem to forget that they learned better from mistakes than from lectures.”

  “It makes me feel really bad, though, ya know?”

  “Yes, I do know.” Charlene took hold of her arm and pulled her back to the apartment. “C’mon, let’s get all your stuff unpacked. Then we can go shopping to fill your fridge.”

  “That won’t take long,” Cissy said. “I’ve never seen such a small refrigerator.”

  “You’ll be surprised how much stuff you can cram in there.” Charlene held the door for Cissy. “We’ll get you set up in no time.”

  Together they put the sheets and coverlet on the bed. Then they unpacked the boxes of dishes, pots, utensils, and flatware that her aunt had packed for her. While Charlene hung clothes in the closet, Cissy unpacked her books into a small bookcase her uncle had pulled out of the attic and topped it with a reading lamp Aunt Bootsie had given her. She found herself looking forward to cozy nights reading in her new apartment.

  Now the closet was packed so tight she wasn’t sure she could get another thing in there. She’d have to get rid of a few things in order to fit the rest of her clothes and shoes, which were still at her aunt and uncle’s house. Charlene brushed her hands together and walked around the room. “You need some pictures on the walls and stuff to make it feel more like home, but at least now it’s livable. Ready to go check out some of the markets?”

  Cissy lifted the last box and carried it toward the bathroom. “Let me hang these towels first.”

  Aunt Bootsie had given her a stack of mismatched towels, but that didn’t matter to Cissy. Nothing in her life matched or made a lick of sense, but it was her life, and she intended to make things work. As she pulled out the last towel, she spotted an envelope with her name on it in the bottom of the box. She pulled it out and opened it to find five twenty-dollar bills and a note from Aunt Bootsie, instructing her to pick up a few things for herself. Tears sprang to her eyes.

  When she came out of the bathroom, Charlene stood there, arms folded over her chest. “I thought you were just hanging towels. What took you so long?”

  Cissy waved the envelope in the air. “My aunt snuck me some money.”

  “That’s about the sweetest thing ever.” Charlene tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. “Have you said any prayers today?”

  “Um . . . yeah, when I first got up.”

  “C’mere, girl. You sure look like you could use a prayer right now, and I intend to make sure you get one.”

  The two of them held hands as they bowed their heads in the middle of the room. Charlene started out by asking the Lord to watch over Cissy and protect her in the new apartment.

  Cissy squeezed one of Charlene’s hands and opened one eye. “Do I need protecting?”

  “Of course, silly. We all do. Now close your eyes so I can finish, and then you can say a few words.”

  After Charlene finished, Cissy thanked the Lord for the apartment, Charlene, Uncle Forest, Aunt Bootsie, and her job. She was about to open her eyes when Charlene added, “And thank you, Father, for bringing such a sweet, good-looking man into Cissy’s life. Amen.”

  Cissy sighed and mumbled, “Amen,” before opening her eyes to see the look of amusement on Charlene’s face.

  “Ready to go shopping and spend some of your aunt’s money?”

  “Of course. I’m always ready to shop.” Cissy chuckled. “I have to admit this is the first time I’ve been excited about shopping for food.”

  A trip to the produce shop and tiny market around the corner took a huge bite out of the money Aunt Bootsie had given her, but at least she’d have something to eat when she returned.

  “I heard New York was expensive, but I cannot believe just how much.”

  “I know.” Charlene smiled. “But you’ll learn how to make your money stretch. I’ve found that day-old bread isn’t so bad, especially if you toast it.”

  “But I don’t have a toaster.”

  “We can watch for a sale.”

  After they left the market, Charlene nudged Cissy. “What?” Cissy said.

  “You didn’t even notice the men? From the moment we stepped outside our apartment building, guys have been ogling you.”

  Cissy tilted her head and gave a teasing smile. “How do you know they weren’t ogling you?”

  Charlene shrugged. “Oh, I get my fair share of lookers, but this was different. They were younger, and their eyes weren’t fixed on me.”

  “Well, I didn’t pay any of ’em a single solitary bit of attention because this is a girls’ day out.”

  “You’re hilarious.” Charlene pushed the door to the building open. “So what else do you want to do before you head back to your aunt and uncle’s?”

  Cissy thought about the trip to Long Island, all the money she’d already spent that day, and how even using public transportation could nickel and dime her to death. “I probably need to get going soon,” she said. “I’ve decided to catch a ride with my uncle, and I need to go before he leaves the office.”

  She managed to put everything away and catch Uncle Forest as he was coming out of the building. He blinked as though he didn’t believe what he saw, and then he smiled. “Good girl. No point in riding those smelly trains when you’ve got me to chauffeur you.”

  As soon as they got to the house, Cissy ran to the kitchen and flung herself at her aunt. “Thank you so much for the money.”

  Aunt Bootsie’s cheeks flushed. “Your mama would have done that for you if she was here. It’s the least I could do. I’ll pack some leftovers for you to take to your place when you go back tomorrow.”

  “I don’t have much room left in my refrigerator,” Cissy admitted. “Charlene and I picked up a few things, and it’s already almost full.”

  “Then I reckon you’ll just have to eat it for supper.” Aunt Bootsie gave her a motherly smile. “I never let my own young’uns go hungry, and I don’t intend for you to either.”

  It sure was nice to know she wouldn’t starve to death. With the tiny refrigerator and two-burner stove, it might be a tad difficult to fix the kind of meals she was used to.

  Uncle Forest joined them in the kitchen. “Your friend Charlene seems like a nice girl. How on earth did you find her in this crazy town?”

  “She knew Dave.”

  A light of understanding flashed across his face. “Ah, yes, now I remember. She’s the holy-roller girl who chased him.”

  “Forest!” Aunt Bootsie scowled at him. “I’m sure she’s just a sweet girl who loves the Lord.”

  Cissy watched the unspoken communication between them and knew that this must be part of an ongoing discussion about church. “She does. Before we even started, she reminded me that we needed to pray.”

  “Now that’s a good friend to have.” Aunt Bootsie stirred something in the pot. “Now go get cleaned up. I’ll have supper ready in no time.”

  Uncle Forest started to go with Cissy, but Aunt Bootsie called him back. He grumbled but did as he was told.

  As Cissy washed her hands and freshened up, she wondered what Aunt Bootsie wanted to talk to her uncle about. As gruff as he could be, it was obvious that he deferred to his wife about some things.

  Throughou
t dinner Cissy noticed the looks her aunt and uncle kept exchanging. She suspected there might be some kicking action beneath the table, based on how she noticed him jumping every now and then, particularly whenever the subject of God or church came up.

  “Eat up, Cissy,” Aunt Bootsie said as she passed the cornbread for a third time. “I don’t want you gettin’ all skinny like so many of those city girls.”

  “Trust me, I won’t. I like food too much.” Cissy took a piece of cornbread and placed the basket on the table before she reached for the butter. “I don’t know how those girls can get through the day eating not much more than a leaf of lettuce and a baby carrot.”

  “Ask your friend Charlene,” Uncle Forest said. “That girl’s skinny too.”

  Cissy swallowed the bit of cornbread as she slowly shook her head and admired the next buttered bite. “Maybe she’s just naturally that way. She eats plenty when I’m with her.” She glanced over at Aunt Bootsie and noticed that she’d barely touched the food on her plate. “You’re not on a diet, are you?”

  “Oh, heavens no, Cissy.” Her aunt lifted her fork and stabbed a piece of meatloaf but didn’t bring it to her mouth. Instead, she shoved it around her plate and then put down the fork. She sighed and turned to Uncle Forest. “Would you mind cleaning up while Cissy and I go for a walk?”

  Cissy stopped and stared at her aunt and uncle. This was odd. This was the first time she’d seen Aunt Bootsie delegating housework to Uncle Forest.

  “Sure.” He stood. “You two run along. I’ll have this place sparkling by the time you get back.”

  A sense of dread washed over Cissy as she put on her walking shoes. Aunt Bootsie never wanted to go outdoors. She said it was too hot or too cold or too windy or too dirty or too something. All Cissy could imagine was that she was about to be scolded. But for what? She hadn’t done anything . . . if you didn’t count moving out, that is.

  “Cissy, you ready?” Aunt Bootsie’s voice was right on the other side of the door.

  “Go on downstairs. I’ll be down in a minute.”

  As soon as she heard her aunt’s footsteps, she stood in front of the mirror, practiced several expressions—surprise, innocence, joy, and confusion without guilt. She’d had to use all of them before. Before she placed her hand on the doorknob, she bowed her head.

  Lord, You know how much I’d rather be beaten with a switch than get a lecture. I promise I’ll do my best to behave, but You know how hard that is for me sometimes.

  Cissy opened her eyes and blinked a couple of times before turning the knob. She took a deep breath and forged ahead.

  Aunt Bootsie had changed into some blue jeans, sneakers, a T-shirt, and a hoodie. “You look cute,” Cissy said.

  “I don’t feel so cute.” She zipped up her hoodie. “You don’t think I look ridiculous, do you? I don’t want anyone thinking I’m trying to act like something I’m not.”

  “I already said you look cute. Come on, let’s go for our walk.” Cissy forced a smile. They might as well move along and get this thing over with.

  They were halfway down the block before Aunt Bootsie started. “I promised Forest I would to talk to you about living on your own. You do realize he’s been beating himself up about this, don’t you?”

  “Then why did he make it so easy for me?”

  Aunt Bootsie shrugged. “We noticed with our own young’uns that when we argued with them they fought harder. If we went along with whatever they wanted to do, no matter how silly we thought it was, they might rebel for a little while, but they eventually came around. It happened even faster if we helped them.”

  Cissy stopped. “Is that what you think of my getting an apartment? Do you think it’s silly?”

  With a slow grin, Aunt Bootsie shook her head. “No, not at all. In fact, if I were you, I probably would have wanted to do the exact same thing. There’s something sort of exciting about living on your own in New York.”

  “Then why are we talking about this?”

  “I told Forest I would. You see, he made a promise to your mother that he’d look after you, and with you out of the house, it’s gonna be all that much harder.”

  “We’ve already talked about this. He’ll see me every day, unless . . . ” Cissy frowned. “He’s not thinking about firing me, is he? He said he wasn’t, but I would understand if he changed his mind. I mean, I did mess up majorly, and—”

  “No, of course not. Everyone messes up every now and then, even Forest. He’s just worried about you getting in with the wrong people and getting into trouble.”

  “I’m twenty-three—almost twenty-four. I know how to stay out of trouble.”

  “Well, there is the Spencer thing, and your mama—”

  “Oh, that.” Cissy reflected for a few seconds. “I totally learned my lesson, and I plan to be very careful with men in the future.”

  “I understand Tom Jenkins from Sewing Notions is sweet on you.”

  Cissy smiled at the mere mention of Tom’s name. “He’s nothing like Spencer.” At least, not that I can tell. I hope.

  Aunt Bootsie let out a soft chuckle. “To hear Forest talk about him, he’s the devil incarnate.”

  “I know, but that’s just because he hasn’t gotten to know Tom.”

  “Cissy, there is something you need to know about Tom. He’s a shark in business, and he just about cost us ours. Forest had to scramble for quite a while after Tom and his company stole what we’d worked so hard to get. That sure was a rough time for him . . . for us.” Aunt Bootsie’s pained smile showed just how rough. “We weren’t sure if we’d manage to weather the storm, but the Lord was good and showed us how to get through it.”

  As Aunt Bootsie talked more about what they’d been through, Cissy thought about Tom. What if her aunt was right? What if he was nothing but a ruthless businessman who stopped at nothing? Maybe she was part of his plan, and he hoped to use her to advance his own company. She shivered at the thought that some of her fears might be accurate. Spencer had been bad enough, but at least he was a little dim in the intelligence department. She was sure she couldn’t say the same about Tom. Getting him to show his true colors might take some time. Could she trust herself not to fall for his charm? She closed her eyes and remembered the way he looked at her. He definitely had charm.

  Aunt Bootsie finished her story. “Forest was going great guns with Zippers Plus, but when the sharks over at Sewing Notions got finished with us, we essentially had to start over with just a few loyal accounts. We even had to let all but one salesman go. I started working in the office, and we basically rebuilt our business from the ground up. That was one of the most difficult times in our marriage, since we were never sure from one day to the next if we could keep going.”

  “Is it better now than before?”

  Aunt Bootsie’s smile widened. “Yes, much better.”

  “So why is he still angry at Tom . . . and God?”

  Aunt Bootsie sighed. “I’m afraid your uncle is the best grudge carrier around. Thankfully I cured him of carrying grudges toward me quite early in our marriage, but he still has that tendency.”

  “What about your church?” Cissy asked. “Does anyone ever ask about why he hasn’t been coming?”

  “I spoke to the pastor about it, and he said that God understands people’s hurt and anger. Sometimes they just need to take a step back and lick their wounds. Forest might have put up a shield, but I don’t think he has totally shut God out of his life. At least he still prays.”

  “But church . . . ” Cissy waved at the air. “Even during the worst of times, I didn’t miss.”

  “Why didn’t you miss? Was it habit, or did you expect something to happen if you didn’t go?” Aunt Bootsie seemed genuinely interested.

  “I’m not sure.” Cissy kicked at a stone with the tip of her shoe. “That’s just what people do. They go to church.”

  “If you ever did stop going—and I pray you won’t—I think you’d find yourself drifting, losing your purpos
e, your reason for living, your vital connection to God.” Bootsie sighed. “Your uncle is upset and angry, but for him to direct it toward God shows that he still knows Who is still and always will be in charge.”

  “Well, I suppose that’s a good way of looking at it.”

  “Look, Cissy, I don’t like it a bit that he hasn’t gone to church with me much over the past few years, but he does bow his head for the blessing, and I think I’ve caught him talking to the Lord when he doesn’t think I’m listening. Your uncle is full of pride, and that’s something I’m praying about.”

  Cissy thought about Uncle Forest’s reaction to Tom. “I’ll pray about it too.”

  “Good girl.” Aunt Bootsie lowered her arm and lengthened her stride. “Let’s do some power walking. I need the exercise.”

  Cissy laughed and mimicked her aunt’s swinging arms and long strides. They giggled like schoolgirls as they finished their lap around the block.

  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.”