Free All In The Family by Roseanne Dowell

officer?”
    “The mayor will send a list of applicants. I’ll go through them and decide which ones to interview.” Okay, she wasn’t contributing much to the conversation. She couldn’t help it. That voice just got to her. Besides, even though she’d taken a long nap, she was still tired. The pain medication didn’t help. Callie didn’t even try to stifle her yawn. “You’ll have to excuse me. It’s been a long day and my medication makes me sleepy.”
    Before anyone could respond, she wheeled out of the room. When was her aunt going to learn she wasn’t interested? Apparently, Aunt Beatrice Lulu didn’t believe that she’d met someone. Callie hadn’t spoken to William since the attack. He’d want to visit, and she wasn’t ready for him to meet her family, especially not her aunt. Not that there was anything wrong with them, but they’d interrogate him mercilessly. Was William was ready for that?
    She didn’t have long to wait before Aunt Beatrice Lulu made her appearance. This time Callie wasn’t going to get away with just a mild reproach. Not by a long shot.
    “You, young lady, had better learn some manners. What’s the matter with you Callie? You weren’t raised to be so boorish.”
    No need to reply, her aunt didn’t expect one. She only paused to catch her breath. And she wasn’t finished.
    “This is the second young man you’ve left in a lurch. Do you realize how ill-mannered you appeared? Of course you do. But you just don’t seem to care. It’s not easy finding young men, you know. Bruce was the perfect man for you. He even liked to cook. You can certainly benefit from that trait.” Aunt Beatrice Lulu walked around the room and waved her hands while she spoke.
    Callie pulled the covers over her and sighed. Her eyes could hardly stay open and her aunt rattled on and on. Last thing Callie heard before she fell asleep was something about being an old maid.
     
    Chapter 11
     
     
    The next morning, Callie wheeled into the kitchen. Using the wheelchair was much easier than the crutches. She’d give her aunt that. She poured coffee, took a bagel off the counter, and headed toward the dining room.
    Uncle Ed and her aunt were locked in an embrace. The sounds coming from Aunt Beatrice Lulu were like nothing she’d ever heard before. If ever she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her, this was the time. You couldn’t have fit a strand of hair between them.
    She stopped so quickly the bagel slid off her lap, and her good leg went under the wheelchair. A gasp escaped her mouth.
    It was like a scene out of a movie. Uncle Ed stood. Aunt Beatrice Lulu slid off his lap, fell to the floor and screamed. Floozy jumped onto Callie’s lap, pawing and jumping all over her like a rabid animal. The cat jumped up, scratched Callie’s face, and spilled her coffee over her and the brand new carpeting.
    The welts on Callie’s face developed almost instantly. She tried to push the cat down, but she’d have none of it. She jumped on Callie’s shoulders, slid down to her lap and so did her shirt. Her left breast was exposed for everyone to see. Callie was horrified. How in the hell was she going to recover?
    Aunt Beatrice Lulu pulled herself up on the edge of the table, knocked her juice and coffee cup, her face beat red. Her hands automatically went to her hair, a habit she’d had for years when she was nervous or embarrassed. Not that she was nervous often. Her aunt was the most in control person Callie had ever met. She avoided looking at her.
    Uncle Ed, seemingly unaffected, sat down and let out a loud laugh, “Well, good morning sunshine. How are you today?”
    Her aunt recovered quickly, stood, and hurried to clean up the mess she’d made with the coffee. “Oh for heaven sakes, Ed, can’t you see the girl’s embarrassed. Wouldn’t hurt you to show a little mortification.”
    “For what, kissing my wife? I have a license. Nothing wrong with showing affection. If Callie’s gonna be around