This is the thirty-seventh part in a series, so if you have not already done so, you might want to read Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, Part VII, Part VIII, Part IX, Part X, Part XI, Part XII, Part XIII, Part XIV, Part XV, Part XVI, Part XVII, Part XVIII, Part XIX, Part XX, Part XXI, Part XXII, Part XXIII, Part XXIV, Part XXV, Part XXVI, Part XXVII, Part XXVIII, Part XXIX, Part XXX, Part XXXI, Part XXXII, Part XXXIII, Part XXXIV, Part XXXV and Part XXXVI before continuing.
I accepted the FaceTime as soon as I got into my bedroom, but instead of my sister’s face appearing on the screen it was my niece’s.
“Aunt Carly, when are you coming back?”
“I don’t know, sweety. I’m pretty busy here, but I’ll definitely come visit for the holidays.”
“That’s too far.”
“I know honey, but I have to stay here for a while.”
“Why?”
How to explain to a three-year old that I got fired and broke up with my live-in boyfriend, which meant I needed a new place to live, but couldn’t get approved for a new apartment until I got another job, which proved to be harder than I had thought, so I had to move in with my uncle who lived in the middle of nowhere?
“Grown-up reasons.”
“I hate grown-up reasons.”
“You know what? I hate them, too.”
“Aunt Carly, I miss you.”
“I miss you, too, monster.”
“Then come back.”
Oh, how I missed the days when I thought adults could do whatever they wanted whenever they wanted.
“I need to stay here a while longer. Uncle Phil needs my help.”
“Who’s Uncle Phil?”
Maddie had met Uncle Phil the previous holiday season, but she was young enough that she didn’t remember.
“He’s your mom’s mom’s brother, and he lives on a farm with lots of cows.”
Her eyes got really wide. “Are they big?”
“Huge!”
“Are they bigger than you?”
“Much bigger.”
“Are they bigger than a house?”
“No, they’re not bigger than a house. But a cow would probably have a hard time fitting in your bathroom.”
She giggled at the thought. “It would break the tub!”
“It sure would.”
She giggled again and I reveled in the sound.
I was still reveling in the sound when she disappeared from the screen and was replaced by my sister, who sighed heavily as soon as she saw me.
“Did she call you?”
“She sure did.”
“I’m so sorry. I don’t know how she figured out how to do that.”
“By watching you.”
A guilty expression came over her face and I had to stifle a laugh.
“She keeps asking for you.”
“Stab me in the heart, why don’t you.”
“I know. I know you had nowhere else to go, but she doesn’t understand that.”
“I know. She’ll figure it out soon enough.”
A doubtful look came over her face as she said, “I don’t know if I’m looking forward to that day or dreading it.”
“I know what you mean. It’s a bit of a double-edged sword.”
“Anyway, how are you? How’s Uncle Phil?”
I hesitated, and that pause was enough to let my sister know something was up. “What is it?”
“Promise not to freak out?”
“What? How can I promise that? Just the fact that you have to ask the question is making me freak out!”
“He’s fine! He’s fine! Everyone is fine.”
“But?”
“But he’s in the hospital.”
“What?!”
“Remember the part about how he’s fine?”
“But he’s in the hospital? What happened?”
“It’s nothing serious. Just a few cracked ribs and some bruising.”
“I noticed you didn’t answer the part where I asked what happened.”
I hesitated again.
“Charlie?”
“It’s a long story.”
“That’s not making me feel any better.”
“OK. The short version is we found out Uncle Phil’s neighbor was stealing cows from him.”
“What?”
“So we went over to gather evidence.”
“Instead of calling the police?”
“The police wouldn’t do anything unless we could prove it was Chad, so we had to get the evidence first. Uncle Phil got caught between the cattle and the fence as they were making their way out to pasture.”
“He what?” Audrey Rose put a hand over her mouth.
“Remember the part about how he’s fine? That’s the important part here.”
“Did Chad see you?”
“Yeah. He totally knows we’re on to him. And that we have evidence.”
“Oh my Goddess, Charlie, get out of there.”
“And go where?”
“Come back here. We’ll make it work. Just don’t stay there next to a thief you’ve backed into a corner. That never ends well.”
I rolled my eyes. “This isn’t one of your true-crime podcasts.”
“Not yet, but I’m sure it’ll make a great episode when they find your body floating in the river.”
“Wow, you really have to stop listening to that stuff. Besides, I can’t leave Uncle Phil now.”
She huffed in exasperation and I could see her trying to figure out where to fit me and Uncle Phil in their two-bedroom condo.
“We’ll be fine. I promise. We’ll keep the doors locked, and Cordy will let me know if anyone tries to get into the house in the middle of the night.”
She rolled her eyes. “Really? You’re relying on a five-pound dog for protection?”
“No, just as an alarm. For protection, I still have Uncle Phil’s shotgun, remember?”
To be continued…