by Debby Mayne
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. “You’ve helped more than you’ll probably ever realize. I appreciate everything.”
Since Uncle Forest had sat down with the Sunday newspaper, Cissy decided this was a good time for a Sunday nap. She didn’t want to wait too long to go to her apartment, but all the excitement of the last week—not to mention yesterday’s move—had worn her out. She could use a snooze.
Even after she closed her eyes, her mind raced with everything she had coming up. Between seeing Tom and actually being in her apartment, the excitement was almost too much to bear. She managed to fall asleep for a few minutes, but her thoughts became a dream, and she woke up a few minutes later with a start. No way would she be able to get restful sleep, so she figured she might as well get started on her new life.
She sat up, slipped into her shoes, and headed downstairs. As she rounded the corner toward the family room, she took a deep breath and forced a smile, hoping Uncle Forest wouldn’t be able to see her fear.
Uncle Forest glanced over at her as she approached. “Don’t tell me you’re ready to go now.”
“Whenever you are.”
He nodded. “Why don’t you go tell Bootsie we’re leaving soon?”
Cissy did as she was told. Her aunt had just finished wiping off the counter and was hanging up the dish towel when she entered the kitchen.
When Aunt Bootsie turned around, Cissy saw the tears glistening in her eyes. Cissy’s heart twisted, and she had that recurring niggling of doubt about her decision to move out, but she couldn’t let emotion keep her from doing something she wanted so badly—and now knew for certain was the right thing for her.
“You’re leaving now, aren’t you?”
Cissy nodded and bit her lip to keep from crying. She cleared her throat and glanced down at the floor.
“Then come over here and give me a hug.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Cissy walked straight into her aunt’s arms. “I love you, Aunt Bootsie. I hope you know this has nothing to do with you . . . or Uncle Forest.”
“Yes, I understand.” Aunt Bootsie let go and pulled a tissue from her pocket. “I was young once, and I remember what it felt like to want my independence. Just remember that if it ever gets to be more than you can handle, you’re always welcome back here.”
Cissy smiled. “You are so sweet. No wonder Uncle Forest is so crazy about you.”
“I’m crazy about him too. In spite of his rather crusty demeanor he’s a sweet man, and he loves you too.”
“I know.”
“C’mon, let’s get this over with.” Aunt Bootsie took her by the hand and led her out to the living room. “The longer you wait the harder it’ll be for both of us.”
When they walked into the living room, Uncle Forest stood, shook his head, and made a clicking sound with his tongue. “You girls act like you’ll never see each other again. That’s just silly. Even before you moved up here, we saw you twice a year.”
“I know,” Cissy said. “It’s just that this seems so . . . I don’t know . . . ”
“Grown up?” Uncle Forest said. He swung an arm around her shoulder and squeezed. “I’ll still see you every day, and there’s no doubt in my mind that you’ll stop by every now and then for some of Bootsie’s homemade biscuits.”
“I’ll send food to work with Forest every once in a while, and you know you’re always welcome to come home with him. I don’t want you to go hungry, and I certainly never want you to be lonely.” Aunt Bootsie kissed her on the cheek and stood on the front lawn as they left. Cissy studied her uncle until he pulled up to a light and frowned at her.
He flashed a quick glance in her direction. “What are you staring at, Cissy?”
“Something is different.” She’d noticed a softness today that she hadn’t seen before. “What’s going on?”
He made a face and accelerated when the light turned green. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. So tell me what all you and your friend Charlene have planned.”
“Nothing that I know of.”
He reached out and patted her arm. “If you’re anything like I was at your age, you’ll be out the door, exploring the town, and seeing what all you can get into before I have a chance to get back on the parkway.”
Cissy didn’t want to mention her real plans or be tempted to lie outright, so she smiled and went with his comment. “I can only imagine what you were like at my age. How old were you the first time you came to New York?”
“Younger than you. Didn’t your mama ever tell you about the time our family took a trip up to the Big Apple?”
Cissy thought for a moment and slowly shook her head. “No, she never said anything about it. I didn’t realize she’d ever been up here.”
“Maybe I should keep my big mouth shut, or I’ll wind up telling you a secret she doesn’t want you to know.” He cut a glance in her direction, his eyes all squinty, before he turned back to the road. “Some people know how to keep their mouths shut.”
With a pang Cissy remembered her conversation with Tom. In her excitement and nervousness had she told him a secret he shouldn’t know? She pushed the thought out of her mind and faced her uncle. “Now you gotta tell me. What secrets do you have about Mama?”
“Well . . . ” He shot a quick grin in her direction. “When we came to New York, she and I snuck out of the hotel room in the middle of the night.”
“Are you kidding me? What did y’all do?”
He sighed and made a goofy face. “That’s just it. Nothing. We were young and too green around the gills to know what all this city offered, or I’m sure we could have gotten ourselves into all sorts of trouble if we’d known what all we could do.”
Cissy laughed. “I’m old enough to know how to stay out of trouble.”
A concerned expression washed over his face. “I’m not so sure about that. Just remember why you had to get out of Hartselle.”
She lowered her head. “I’ll never forget that.”
“You may think you know someone, but—”
“Please, Uncle Forest, I really don’t want a lecture. I’ll be super careful, and I promise I’ll stay away from anyone who even remotely seems dangerous.” She thought about Tom and wondered if her uncle had been referring to him. But she wasn’
t about to bring up his name. “Charlene has been here a while. I’m sure she’ll warn me if she thinks I’m entering a danger zone.”
“And don’t forget about me. I might not be able to give you advice every time you want it, but if you need me, you know I’m there early, and I leave late.” He patted his pocket. “And I’m only a phone call away.”
She nodded. “Yes, I know.”
They rode in silence for a while, until they were just a few blocks from her building. “I hope there’s a parking spot on the street,” he said. At one point he slowed down and leaned over to look at something out her window, so she turned to see what it was. The sign above the door read Inner City Outreach Church. That was where Tom said he went. When she looked back at her uncle, she saw a contemplative look on his face. How odd.
They were at her apartment building less than two minutes later. “We’re in luck. There’s a spot right out front. Mind if I come up and take another look around to see how you’ve arranged your place?”
“Of course not!” Cissy was happy to have his company, and it put off the loneliness she was afraid she might experience—at least in the beginning.
He pulled her suitcase from the trunk, and together they headed for her new apartment.
As soon as they got to her floor, she spotted a bunch of things outside her door—a bouquet of flowers and a box filled to overflowing with bakery items. Her heart hammered as she thought about the possibility of Tom sending them. “Who could’ve sent all that stuff?”
Uncle Forest grinned. “Hmm. I wonder.”
She dropped her suitcase, unlocked the door, and picked up the bouquet to read the card. “Enjoy your new apartment, but don’t forget about us. Love, Aunt Bootsie and Uncle Forest.”
Uncle Forest had already walked inside the apartment. She ran in behind him, flung her arms around him and gave him a huge hug. “Thank you so much!”
He spun around and looked out toward the hallway. “We sent the flowers, but I have no idea who sent that box of goodies. Aren’t you going to look?”
She’d assumed they were from him, but now she worried he’d be upset if Tom had sent them. A lemon-yellow envelope stuck out from one side of the box. “Um . . . ”
Before she had a chance to say another word, Uncle Forest had lifted the box, carried it inside and placed it on the small counter by the stove. “You can read the card later. Let me give you another hug and say good-bye so I can leave you to do whatever you’ve been itching to do all day.”
He squeezed her tightly, kissed her on the cheek, told her to be on time for work tomorrow, and left.
Cissy sank down on the edge of her daybed and looked around at the tiny apartment, unsure of what to do next. She’d flipped back and forth between exuberance and fear the last few days, but now that she was here, the fear outweighed everything else.
She stood up on wobbly legs and walked the four steps to the box Uncle Forest had placed beside the table. As she pulled the card from the envelope, she whispered a prayer. “Lord, You know how I am. I pray that You’ll watch over me and keep me from messing up. Help me make good decisions, and please don’t let me get caught up in stupid drama with any guy, not even if he’s super cute.” She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Amen.”
Then she looked down at the card. I thought you might enjoy some tasty treats in your new apartment. See you at work tomorrow. Dave.
Her heart sank. She’d hoped for something from Tom.
The sound of a knock at her door quickened her pulse. Maybe that was him. She didn’t waste a second before flinging open the door.
“Oh, hi, Charlene.”
Charlene raised her eyebrows as she leaned back. “Sorry to disappoint you. I heard you and your uncle when y’all got here, so I just thought I’d see how you were doing.”
Cissy stepped to the side and made a sweeping gesture. “Come on in.”
“Are you sure? I mean if this is a bad time—”
“No, it’s not a bad time. I’m just . . . I don’t know . . . ”
“Having second thoughts?”
Cissy slowly nodded. “Yeah, sort of. A lot has happened in just a few days, and I’m not sure I’m doing the right thing.”
“Maybe you are, and maybe you’re not. Just remember that nothing you’ve done is permanent. If you hate this apartment, there are dozens of people who would love to have it, and you can go back to live with your aunt and uncle as if this didn’t even happen.” Charlene squinted. “Something else is going on, isn’t it?”
Cissy tried really hard not to pout. “When I saw that stuff in front of my door, I thought surely Tom—” She shrugged. “I mean, I thought if I moved, things would be better for him and me . . . well, you know.”
Charlene’s eyes widened as she lifted her hands to stop Cissy. “Whoa there, wait just a minute, girly. Don’t tell me you moved out of that big ol’ cushy house with free meals and cleaning just for Tom. No woman should ever do anything for a man unless she has a commitment from him.”
“Well . . . ” Cissy fought back the tears that threatened. “It’s not just for Tom, even though he did have something to do with my decision so soon. It’s just that I . . . ” Her shoulders slumped as she realized she wouldn’t have done this if she hadn’t met Tom. Until now she didn’t want to admit it, even to herself. “Yeah, I’m afraid it has everything to do with Tom.”
“Oh, Cissy.” Charlene closed the distance between them and took Cissy’s hands. “I’m only six and a half years older than you, so I understand. But when you have a few more years under your belt, you’ll understand why that’s not such a good idea.”
“So now what do I do?”
Charlene’s gaze darted to something behind Cissy, and she smiled. “Maybe we should talk about this later.” She nodded toward the door. “You have company.”
Cissy turned around and spotted Tom standing at the door grinning. “Come on in.”
“Looks like you’ve been busy.” He turned to Charlene. “Enjoying your new neighbor?”
Charlene laughed. “Of course. We’re Southerning up this place. How did you get in the building?”
“One of your neighbors held the door.”
Charlene shook her head. “I’m gonna have to talk to the superintendent about that. We’re not supposed to hold the door for anyone.” She scooted toward the door. “I better get on outta here. See ya.” With a wave she disappeared down the hall.
Seconds later Cissy found herself alone with Tom. “I hope I didn’t come by too soon. Looks like I interrupted something important, and you probably have some settling in to do.”
Cissy forced herself to hold back her exuberance. “Well, I did just get here a little while ago, but that’s okay.”
“Want me to leave and come back?”
“No!” The word escaped before she had a chance to stop it. She inhaled deeply and tried to gather her thoughts, but with Tom Jenkins standing there watching her that was all but impossible. “I mean, I can do everything later.”
His grin widened. “Good. Are you up for a walking tour of your new neighborhood?”
She nodded, not even bothering to pretend she wasn’t delighted. “Sounds great. Let me change shoes.”
“Yeah, now that you live in the heart of the city, you need to think of comfort first.”
Cissy wasn’t sure about a lot of things, but one thing she did know was that her high heel shoe collection didn’t do her feet a bit of good with all this walking. She’d spent days prior to flying up to New York watching reruns of TV shows set in the city. How those girls ran around town in those stilts was a mystery to her. As it was, she had a bunion starting to form on her left foot, and the ball of her right foot burned like fire.
As she changed her shoes, he pointed to the bouquet. “Nice flowers.”
“My aunt and uncle sent them. They were here when I arrived.”
“So how was church with your aunt?”
Tom folded his arms and widened his
stance as his gaze melted her from the inside out . . . again. She shrugged and forced herself to glance away. “It was nice, but I think Aunt Bootsie would have liked it better if Uncle Forest had been with us. She says he hasn’t been to church in a while. He got really mad at God when your company—” She grimaced. “Oops. I did it again.” She shook her head. “It’s that motor-mouth thing. I can’t seem to stop it. Somebody shoot me.”
Tom looked serious. “What do you mean, your uncle got mad at God?”
“I’m not sure I should—”
His jaw tightened as he held her gaze. “Cissy, you know I think you’re cute and fun, but I think it’s time we got to know each other a little better.” His expression softened as he added, “I’d like to know more about you and what makes you the way you are.”
She swallowed hard as she realized she was afraid that once he really got to know her he might not like her as much. But he was right. It was time to open up . . . at least a little.
“Okay, so what do you want to know?”
“About you, your family, how you feel about things.”
“Okay, I’m twenty-three, almost twenty-four, and I love—”
“What’s the deal with your uncle? Why do you think he’s mad at God?”
“You just interrupted me.”
“Yes, I know.” He paused. “You were still holding me at arm’s length with facts and figures.”
She let out a nervous laugh. “Isn’t that what businessmen like?”
He shook his head. “This is not a business relationship. I want to get to know the real Cissy.” He tapped his chest over his heart. “And obviously your family is very important to you.”
Cissy glanced down and sighed before looking back up at him. “I never want to betray my uncle’s confidence.”
“I would never ask you to do that.” He tilted his head toward her and gently placed his hand on hers. “Can you at least let me get to know the real Cissy and not just the cute Southern girl I met on the street?”
She held his gaze for a few seconds before slowly nodding. “I’ll try my best.”
He smiled. “That’s all I can ask. Ready to get started on our tour?”
