A Match Made in Texas- By Arlene James Page 0,63
followed by Magnolia, Hubner and Odelia, in that order. For a moment, it seemed that Odelia and her brother would engage in a mini standoff as each insisted that the other take precedence, but then Hubner sent a pointed glance at Kaylie and went ahead, leaving Odelia to sparkle in their direction, flutter her hanky and prance off after him. Kaylie held a moment longer before backing the chair around and pushing it forward. They had almost reached the doorway when she finally spoke.
Leaning forward, she remarked softly, “You look nice.”
Stephen’s smile flashed. “You look more than nice.”
“Please don’t mind my father,” she went on anxiously.
Before he could make any sort of reply, she turned the chair into the dining room.
In his opinion, it was the dreariest room in the house. The woodwork had all been stained a black-brown to match the long, rectangular table and towering sideboard. An enormous rug, gold and black figures against an ivory background, did little to break up the darkness. Neither did the dingy wallpaper, yards and yards of it printed with regimented rows of tiny flowers, all seeming to march in lockstep. The only true splash of color in the room came from a bunch of flowers arranged in a long, low crystal epergne with brass feet in the center of the table.
A chair had been removed from the center of the near side of the table, leaving a space between the supporting columns. Odelia needlessly pointed them to it.
“Stephen, you’re here, and Kaylie, of course, is beside you.”
“Hubner, you can take the head of the table,” Hypatia said, giving Stephen the clear impression that this was normally her seat. “I’ll sit between you and Stephen.” That left Odelia and Hypatia on the other side of the table, with Odelia directly across from him. Smiling at Stephen, she shook out her heavy dark green napkin and spread it across her lap, saying, “I love these intimate family dinners.”
Family dinner, he thought, surveying with some amusement the array of dishes and silver in front of him. He wondered hopefully if this made him an honorary member of the Chatam family. Not, he imagined, if Hubner had anything to say about it.
Chester and Carol came in through a door in the end of the room, carrying bowls and platters. Hilda followed with a silver basket of puffy hot rolls. Chester placed a platter of meat surrounded by cooked cabbage directly in front of Hubner, saying, “Your favorite, Pastor Hub.”
Hub Chatam rubbed his slightly protruding belly with both hands and looked to Chester’s wife. “Hilda, you are a jewel among women.” He cast a look at Kaylie, adding, “I haven’t had eye-of-the-round roast since I last ate it at this table.”
In addition to the beef, cabbage and bread, there were bowls of roasted potatoes, carrots and a dark, rich gravy that had Stephen licking his chops. Without invitation or comment, Hub spoke an elaborate blessing that Stephen frankly had trouble following. The “amens” of the others caught him off guard, causing his own to lag a syllable behind. It was the only word that he spoke of his own accord throughout the entire meal, though the sisters did their best to draw him out with questions and comments. He was polite, of course, and as pleasant as he knew how to be, but Kaylie’s careful silence naturally fed his own, while Hubner Chatam’s heightened his unease exponentially.
By dinner’s end, despite the wonderful food, Stephen longed for the privacy of his sitting room, so when the Chatam sisters suggested that the group gather in the family parlor, Stephen at first declined.
“I—I think I’ll just head back upstairs, if you don’t mind.” He’d have been fine if he’d stopped there, but no, he had to add, “There’s an important hockey game on TV that I need to watch.”
“Oh!” Odelia squealed. “How lovely! We’ve been wanting to learn more about the game, haven’t we, sisters?”
To his horror, both Magnolia and Hypatia agreed. Desperately, he looked to Kaylie for rescue.
“Are you in pain?” she asked softly. He opened his mouth to lie, but then she checked her watch. “Mmm, not time for your next meds yet.”
That’s when Hubner Chatam got to his feet and tossed down his napkin, declaring, “Yes, by all means, educate us, if you will, Mr. Gallow.”
Caught like a rat in a trap. Kaylie placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, observing softly, “You’re going to watch it anyway, and the TV in the family room is