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“Yes, Aunt Marge. How are you?” She smiled brightly. “I’m about to head out for a Christmas party,” she added, hoping Aunt Marge would take the hint.
“Well, I won’t keep you then,” her great aunt said, frowning. “Just wanted to know when you’re coming in for Christmas? What time should I have the turkey ready?”
“I’ll be there on Christmas Day,” Melanie promised. “Probably around noon.” The Mother Ship had some of the younger, unmated warriors who didn’t have a mate to spend Christmas with yet, running shuttles back and forth to Earth so that people could be with their families if they wanted to during the holiday.
“All right. Noon it is,” Aunt Marge nodded. “And I hope you’re hungry—store was all outta little turkeys so I had to get a twenty pounder this year.”
“Twenty pounds?” Melanie exclaimed. “Really, Aunt Marge, you don’t have to make such a big meal just for the two of us!”
But she knew it was a losing argument. Every year she tried to keep her aunt from overdoing it and every year they had enough turkey and fixings to feed a whole neighborhood of hungry holiday revelers. It hadn’t been so bad back when she was married to Steve—her ex could put away a serious amount of turkey and stuffing. But now that she and her aunt would be the only ones at the table, so much food would certainly go to waste.
“No use complaining. What’s done is done.” Aunt Marge had a stubborn set to her wrinkled jaw. “It’s already defrosting in my fridge!”
Melanie sighed in defeat.
“All right. You’re the one who’s going to be eating turkey sandwiches and turkey soup and turkey casserole for the next month.”
“I’ll make do,” Aunt Marge said firmly. “And of course, the kitties can eat anything I can’t.”
“Well, that’s true,” Melanie agreed.
Her aunt’s army of cats were always hungry. She was forever lugging home those big, twenty pound bags of cat food and it still never seemed to be enough.
“Was that all you wanted to know?” she asked. “Because this party is about to start.”
“Christmas at noon,” Aunt Marge said. Clearly she was writing it down. “Which means…two days from now.”
“Yup, since tomorrow is Christmas Eve,” Melanie said brightly. “I can’t wait to see you! So if that’s all—”
“That nasty Steve came ‘round here again lately botherin’ me,” Aunt Marge said, frowning. “I told him I’d call the police if he didn’t leave. Never did like him!”
Which was true. She had tolerated Steve when Melanie was still married to him, but now she out right hated him.
“What did he want?” Melanie asked, her forehead creasing with concern. “He didn’t threaten you, did he?”
Her ex had always been verbally abusive but he had only hit her once—which had prompted her to start the divorce proceedings. Well, that and her discovery that he’d been cheating on her for years. But thankfully, Aunt Marge was shaking her head.
“No, but he said he wanted to see you. Had that little floozy of his on his arm. Looks like he got her pregnant—belly out to here!” She was clearly making a motion with her arms that the holo unit couldn’t pick up.
“He did?” Melanie felt her heart drop to her shoes. For years she had begged Steve to let them start a family, but he’d always said they were too busy with their careers.
“Later, Mels,” he’d say dismissively, when Melanie broached the subject. “We’ve got plenty of time.”
There had always been “plenty of time” until there suddenly wasn’t anymore. Melanie’s biological alarm clock had been going off for the past five years and she knew if she didn’t find someone to settle down with soon, she would never have the kids she’d always wanted.
The thought brought Clear and Strong to her mind, but she pushed the idea away. Even if they did have a serious interest in her, they were young guys—there was no way they’d want to be saddled with kids at their age.
I really have to stop thinking of them, Melanie told herself. It would be better to move on and try to find someone my own age…
“…so he finally left,” Aunt Marge said, cutting into her thoughts. “But he says he’ll be back. Wish I kept dogs instead of cats—I woulda set a whole pack of ‘em on him if I had them.”
“Don’t worry about Steve—he just wants to show off his new girlfriend and prove that she’s better than me,” Melanie told her.
“That little whore?” Aunt Marge demanded. “Why, she—”
“Aunt Marge, I really do need to get to this party,” Melanie interrupted her. “It’s for work and I don’t want to be late.”
“All right then, you go on.” Aunt Marge’s holo-head nodded. “I’ll see you soon. Be sure you skip breakfast Christmas morning so you’ll be hungry enough to help me eat this bird!”
