'Keeping Things in the Family' by Gladys White

“Keeping Things in the Family” by Gladys B. White, from Special Memories: A Collection of Stories by Chowan County Extension Homemakers

All families have many interesting things in their families—some they want to share and others that are deep dark secrets.

After C.B. Sr. and I had been married for over 20 years, C.B. Jr. and his wife got a divorce. After several years, C.B. Jr. carried us to Louisiana and Mississippi to visit relatives. We had visited both places and had returned to Mississippi on our way home. At the supper table one night, C.B. Jr. remarked that he had been to two places and no one had said anything about a woman he could take out. His aunt remarked that they were all too old.

On the way home, the idea hit me all of a sudden that my youngest sister was available. The Lord planted the idea I am sure. I remarked that C.B. Jr. had said that no one thought about him and that I was going to fix him good. I told him that Patsy was available and that she was one year younger than he is. C.B. Jr. was so surprised he slowed down the car.

We had already planned to stop by Patsy’s to see Mother, as we passed through Lumberton.

I told Patsy what had been said and she did not answer me. After we arrived home, C.B. Jr. called me three times to see if I had called Patsy to see if he could call her. He had her name and telephone number already. When I called Patsy, she said “Yesssss, he seemed like a nice young man.”

C.B. Jr. called her that very night and they talked every day and were together every weekend until December 15 that year, when they were married.

Now I am both stepmother and sister-in-law and C.B. Sr. is both father and brother-in-law.

All is well in the family and we are very happy by keeping everything in the family.