I closed my eyes.
“Marabelle! Get over here and talk to these cops!” Aunt Lulamae demanded.
“Mara, sweetheart, you stay right where you are. Those officers have been briefed,” Mitch ordered.
“Right,” I whispered to Mitch.
“Marabelle!” Mom shrieked.
“You okay for me to let you go or do you need me to stay on the line until they’re gone?” Mitch asked in my ear.
I opened my eyes and watched both Mom and Aunt Lulamae snapping at the officers, Mr. Pierson, Roberta and LaTanya while somewhat resisting the officers instructions and therefore they pulled out their handcuffs.
So my answer was, no. No, I was not okay for him to let me go while watching my mother and aunt get handcuffed at the same time my boss and my two best friends watched it too.
“I’m fine,” I lied.
More silence then, “You want beer or wine with chili?”
I blinked at his question as Roberta and LaTanya smiled as the officers shoved my handcuffed mother and aunt toward the doors. This happened while Mr. Pierson stared at them like he’d been talked into going to an avant-garde play he did not get and didn’t much like and I asked distractedly, “What?”
“Beer or wine with chili?” Mitch repeated.
“Um…”
“Beer goes better, baby, but you want wine, I’ll get you wine. We drank all I had last night so you gotta tell me if you want more.”
“Beer’s fine,” I told him.
“You want me to get somethin’ for dessert?”
“Uh…”
The officers were opening the backdoors to their cruiser.
“Ice cream?”
“Um…”
The officers were shoving Mom and Aunt Lulamae in.
“A frozen apple pie?”
“Uh…”
The officers were closing the doors on Mom and Aunt Lulamae.
“The kids and me could swing by Tessa’s Bakery and get cupcakes.”
I’d had those cupcakes, more than once, therefore I stated instantly, “Cupcakes.”
“Right.” And in his tone was another smile.
The officers were climbing in the front of the cruiser.
Then he said, “Got Billie another teddy bear.”
The cruiser started to pull away as I asked, “Pardon?”