Breakdown

Welcome to the "Wine and Old Lace" writing event. Thanks to all the great writers who contributed stories. Thanks to the kind readers who read, vote and comment on our stories. Thanks to Literotica for hosting out stories.

Credit to whom due. Hardaysknight is my mentor and gives me critical review. SBrooks also gives me a pre-post read. Thanks to Girlinthemoon for her input on this story. My editors are NoraFares, Hal, Pixel the Cat and GeorgeAnderson. Thank you all for what you do, Randi. This is chapter one, and chapter two will post in one week.

Some people just made Rain want to puke. He had no idea how they could live with themselves. He was listening to one of those people. He was sitting in a waiting room in a car dealership. He wasn't particular about where he bought his cars; He figured the dealerships were all run by a bunch of crooks that gouged every penny out of people they possibly could. He knew what he wanted and how much he was willing to pay for it. This time, he had just bought a new 1970 Dodge truck with The Dude package. That was three months previously and he had it in for an oil change and servicing, since they'd given him coupons that made it free.

There was a young lady at the counter and the service manager was feeding her quite a line of bullshit. She had told the service guy that she was traveling through, and her lights kept getting dimmer and dimmer. It was cold out and her heater wasn't working right. A few miles outside of town, her car died and she was stranded. She had walked to the nearest house and called a tow truck, and they'd towed it in. It was getting late and the dealership was about to close. He was telling her that her battery was bad, he'd sell her a new battery and she could be on her way. It would take about ten minutes; he could close up the shop and go home. She'd get back in her car, everything would look good and a hundred miles down the road, she'd be stranded again.

For some reason, Rain had figured out, mechanics like to lie to women. It was despicable and he wasn't going to let that happen. "It's not the battery, Ma'am," he told her. "What the hell is wrong with you, man? She obviously has a generator problem. That's why your lights kept dimming and your heater blower wasn't working right. There's nothing wrong with your battery. It's obviously good or you wouldn't have gotten this far. Either your generator is bad or the belt's broken. This jackwagon is just trying to get you out of his hair so he can close."

The Jackwagon started to bluster and Rain stood up. The service manager had been out on the floor when Rain came in, and it was apparent that he hadn't gotten a good look at Rain. His friends called him Tiny. There was a reason for that: it was a joke. He was anything but tiny. He was six feet five inches in his socks and he weighed 310 pounds. None of it was fat belly. When he was playing pro football, he weighed 350 and that extra 40 was belly. He'd been retired for three years, and he gradually lost the belly. He had started power lifting in competitions two years earlier, and although he hadn't been winning, he'd been doing well. When he stood up, Mr. Service Manager got a look for the first time and he swallowed his tongue.

The woman looked up at him and her eyes went a little wide. What really pissed Rain off about the whole deal was the little shadow at her side. She was a little dusky princess. She was holding Mama's hand and she was absolutely adorable. She had a little white ribbon in her hair and she looked like a living doll in her little white dress. If the moron had his way, she'd be walking down the road in the middle of the night, shivering in the cold in that little white dress. Rain wanted to choke him.

Mom looked up at Rain. "Are you a mechanic, Mr.?" she asked.

"In a way, yes," he told her. "I build custom street rods. I know about cars and this guy is jerking you around. You need to have your generator tested and the belts checked."

She looked back at the idiot. "I think it's your battery," he stammered. "He might be right, though. We won't be able to look at it tonight. We could see if we could squeeze you in tomorrow sometime."

"She just told you she's traveling," Rain snarled. "She can't wait here tonight. You need to fix it now."

"Sorry, we closed five minutes ago," he said.

Rain thought for a minute, then he stuck out his hand. "I'm Rainford Jackson," he told her. "I think I can help you if think you can trust me."

She gave Rain a cool appraisal. Her long slender fingers gave him a strong grip. "I'm Tabora Henry," she said. "This is Malley." She indicated to the shadow.

He knelt down on the floor. "Hi, Malley," he said. "Everyone calls me Rain, or Tiny."

She giggled. "You don't look very tiny," she said.

Malley stared up at this giant white man. He had nice eyes, she thought. He looked like a bear, and she was a little afraid because he was so big, but she liked his eyes. They smiled at her.

He laughed. "No, they call me that for a joke. I have a tiny brain, that's why they call me that."

She giggled again. "Malley, do you think I can fix your mom's car?" he asked her.

She nodded. "Yes, please. It was cold in there."

Malley was still a little cold. When their car had stopped, Mama had wrapped her in Mama's big coat, but it kept getting colder, and she could still feel her toes kind of tingling. When the truck had come to pull their car, it was warm inside, and the driver had given her a cupcake. She reached out and touched Rain's cheek.

"Yes, please," she said. "I think you can fix our car."

He stood back up. "If you let me, I'll take you to my garage. I have a truck. I'll leave you at the garage. There's a nice room in there. It has a bed, a bathroom and a small kitchen. I use it when I'm too tired to go home or when I'm working late. I'll drop you two, come back here, pick up your car and bring it back to the garage. I'll see if I can fix it tonight. If I need parts or something I don't have, you can spend the night there and I'll fix it in the morning. How does that sound?"

Rain could tell she was very reluctant. He didn't blame her. "How about if I call my sister to come over for a while?" he asked. "You'll like her. She's very nice and you won't have to worry about being alone with me except for the drive over. Would that work?"

She nodded. "Yes, thank you very much. I'll pay you whatever it takes. I have money."

He nodded. "Okay. I'll just call Barrett at the pharmacy."

She answered the phone. "Hey, Sis, where you at?" he asked.

"I'm leaving to get something to eat," she said. "Whacha up to, Bub? Wanna join me?"

"I'm a little tied up right now," he said. "Hey, were you going to get carryout, or dine in?"

"I was going to pick something up at the store," she said. "I was thinking pizza."

"Will you do me a huge favor?" he asked. "I have two guests. Pick up a couple of larges for me, will you? Hold on a minute." He covered the phone. "What do you girls like on pizza?"

"Pepperoni," Malley said. That was her favorite. Tabora nodded.

"Make one of them pepperoni and the other one everything," he said. "I'll pay you back. You going to 14th street?"

"Yep,"

"Bring them to the garage and I'll meet you there," he told her. "I might be gone, but Tabora and Malley, my two new friends will be there. I'll be back in fifteen if I'm not there. I'll have the oven hot."

"'Kay, love my bruh," she said.

"Love my sis," he told her.

"I don't know what to say," Tabora looked up at Rain, her big brown eyes were filled with tears and glistening.

"Just say thanks and I'll tell you I'm happy to do it," he told her. "Give me the keys to your car and we'll get going. My car done, asshole?" he asked the service guy.

Rain could tell he wanted to say something smart, but discretion dictated that he not. He nodded.

"Good, push Ms. Tabora's car outside and lock it up. I'll pick it up in a bit."

The service guy gave Rain his keys and he and the two girls walked out to the truck.

Rain fired it up and got the heater blasting. "Sorry, I should have warmed it up," he said.

"That's okay," Tabora said. "We're fine."

He looked over and Malley was pulling her seatbelt around her, her mop of black curls bobbing. He helped her buckle it and they started for the garage. It was only about ten minutes away. "So, what brings you to Las Cruces? Where were you headed?"

"We running away," Malley spoke up. She didn't really know what that meant, but she knew that Daddy had been bad and she was afraid of him. She was afraid about going someplace new, too, but Mama was with her, and she was being brave.

He glanced over at Tabora and there were tears running down her cheeks. "Okay," he said. "I sense that there's a long story here. Why don't we save that? Let's get your car fixed, first."

She shot him a look of gratitude and he turned on the radio. It was Three Dog Night, singing, "One Man Band." It seemed appropriate, and the girls both knew the song. They sang along and the truck was rocking.

"I like you truck," Malley called over the music. It was a nice truck, and it was very warm. She kicked her feet happily to the beat of the music. She liked music.

"How old are you, Malley?" Rain asked her.

"Four." She held up four chubby little fingers. She thought about her birthday party. Mama and Daddy had a big fight after her friends went home, and she had run to her bedroom and hidden under the covers on her bed.

"Well, you're the cutest four-year-old I've ever met," he told her. "You want to get married?"

She laughed. "Yes, but not till I'm 10. Are you married, Rain?" She wondered what his wife might think about her. Malley hoped she was nice.

"No, I was waiting until you turn 10," he told her.

That was funny, and Malley laughed. Thinking about her being married to Rain when he was so big and she was so little was very funny.

Tabora was smiling, and the transformation was amazing. Rain had been giving her the once-over out of the corner of his eye. She was as cute as a kitten. She was tiny, barely five feet, if she was that, and didn't look as if she weighed a hundred pounds. Her skin was a glowing light-brown and her hair was a glossy mop of black ringlets with auburn hints. He wondered if those were natural. It was, as it turned out. After he got to know her, she confided to him that her father had been a red-headed white man, and that's where the glowing auburn streaks came from. Rain could tell she was scared.

The truck was nice and toasty and they just drove, getting into Santana's "Black Magic Woman," just before he opened the door and they pulled into his garage.

"I think this is our song," he told Malley. "I was just minding my own business and God sent me you. Are you a magic woman, or an angel, Malley?"

She giggled. "Sometimes I'm an angel," she said. "Sometimes I'm naughty, but I try to be Mama's angel. I'll be your magic woman, Rain."

Barrett wasn't there yet, so Rain showed them around the little apartment on the second floor, overlooking the shop, got the after-school cartoons up on the TV for Malley, and went to get the car.

She sat on the floor, and Tabora got her a pillow and wrapped a blanket around her. She liked the cartoon, and the blanket was soft and fluffy. She used the pillow to prop herself up and became engrossed in the cartoon, the rest of the world fading away.

Rain took his tow truck, drove back to the dealership and hooked up her car. It was a Ford Fairlane, looking as if it was about 10 years old. It was in decent shape, but it was easy to tell it hadn't been maintained. The front tires had cord showing and the front end was out of alignment.

He remembered that Tabora had told him she had money, but he doubted she had much, not if the shape of her car meant anything.

When he got back to the garage, Barrett was there. Rain's little sister was special. She was a tall gorgeous redhead. Their parents had been killed in an accident when Rain was 19 and Barrett was 14. He got custody of her, and they lived together until she went to college. When she got out and got her first job, she wanted her own place. She was a pharmacist, and she was making good money.

Barrett loved her brother more than life. He had been her rock. The first years after they lost their parents had been difficult for her. She knew that Rain missed them just as much, but he kept that from her, spending time with a young teen-aged girl that she knew he could have spent with his friends.

He had always been her best friend, and she depended on him in so many ways. She had her own place, and she took care of herself, but he was her safe zone, and he had always been there for her.

Barrett had gone through a wild phase, during her first years of college, and she knew that Rain didn't approve of many of the things she did. It hadn't taken her long to realize that her behavior was dangerous and self-destructive, and his disapproval had weighed heavily in her self-realization. He had watched over her, and never said a word, but she knew he had been disappointed in her.

That uncomfortable time in their lives was long behind them, and it seemed to Barrett that she took care of him, these days, as much as he did her.

She had been a little surprised when she came in and found Tabora and Malley, but she had instantly fallen in love with Malley, and it hadn't taken long for Tabora to charm her, either.

She walked in, carrying the two pizzas, and Tabora helped her get them in the oven while they got acquainted. Barrett had gotten herself a soft drink and sat down on the sofa.

Malley looked up at her from time to time and gave her a shy smile. That little face, framed by the glossy bouncing curls, was pulling at Barrett's heart.

Malley, on her part, thought that Barrett was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. She hadn't seen many people with hair like Barrett's, and she was fascinated. She wanted to touch it, but she was too shy. She glanced up at Barrett for about the third time, and Barrett patted her lap.

That was all the invitation Malley needed. She brought her blanket and climbed onto Barret's lap, snuggling down as Barrett wrapped her in comforting arms. She felt safe and warm and the pizza was smelling delicious. Her stomach rumbled and they both laughed. She took a strand of Barrett's hair in her little fingers and played with it.

Barrett couldn't believe the emotions she found stirring in her heart as she held that little dusky angel. When big brown eyes, eyes that looked into her soul and trusted her, gazed into hers, she was lost.

"Are you hungry, Malley?" Barrett asked? "When was the last time you two ate?"

"Mama took me to a restaurant and I got sausage and an egg and milk," Malley confided.

"We got breakfast in the town where we spent the night," Tabora said. "Our car started acting funny just before noon, and I was afraid to stop. Then it broke down, and so much happened we didn't have a chance to get anything."

Barrett patted Tabora's leg as she sat beside them and squeezed Malley. "Well, as soon as that brother of mine gets here, we'll feed three hungry girls."

"I had a cupcake in the truck," Malley told her, "but the pizza smells really good."

They heard the garage doors open and the sound of the diesel engine of Rain's tow-truck pulling in. "He's here," Barrett announced. She sat Malley back down on her pillow and waited for Rain.

She came and gave him her usual big hug and kiss. "Hey," she said. "I don't know where you found these two beautiful girls, Bruh, but I'm so glad you did."

Rain could smell the pizza and realized he was hungry. Barrett, as usual, had forgotten to get Parmesan cheese, but they scrounged in the refrigerator and found some left from the last time a non-forgetful person picked up some pizza.

They talked over dinner and found out that Tabora and Malley were from Saginaw, Michigan, that Tabora was 26, and that she was a school teacher. She had been teaching second grade. Barrett filled them in about her life and Rain showed them around the shop.

He was working on a 1947 Ford 5-window coupe. He was putting the finishing touches on the engine, and the paint and interior were done. It was bright orange. He had about $40,000 in it and he figured he'd get $75-90,000 for it, depending on how he sold it. The girls were impressed, and he sat Malley inside and took a picture with his Polaroid. She laughed delightedly when he gave it to her. She blew the horn a couple of times and turned around on the wheel. She was as cute as a bug in there and she had a grand old time.

It was time for Rain to see what he could do with Tabora's car. He popped the hood and the belts were old but intact. That meant the generator. He tested it and got nothing. He was getting ready to pull it when he noticed that the fusible link wire was burnt in two. That meant there could be deeper problems, but it was easily replaced. He had plenty and quickly replaced it.

He called up for Tabora to throw him her keys, and she came out on the stair landing and tossed them down. He fired it up and the boom coming from her radio shook everything in the shop. He knew what the problem was, right away. The gauge went to discharge, and he knew the link was blown again. He turned the radio off and went looking for the amplifier. It was under the passenger seat, and there was a tin box under there. It was completely innocent, and he wasn't trying to snoop, but when he pulled it out to get to the amp, he dropped it and the lid came open. Hundred-dollar bills and a wicked little .380 spilled out into the floorboard.

Rain was stunned for a minute. He picked everything up and put it back in the box. None of his business, he figured. He disconnected the amp, changed the link again and dragged his tired ass up the stairs.

The girls were watching "The Great Grape Ape" on TV, and Malley was eating a popsicle. She gave Rain a big smile and he could see her purple tongue licking at that popsicle.

"I found the problem," He told them during the first commercial. "How long have you had that amplifier, Tabora?"

She looked puzzled. "Joey had it put in the day before we left," she said.

"Let me guess, you didn't play the radio until you were about 200 miles from here."

She nodded. "Yes, I was just talking to Malley for most of the way. We decided to listen to some music just after we stopped for gas at Truth or Consequences."

"Well, your amp is pulling too much juice," he said. "I don't have a heavy enough link, and I don't think you have enough generator. Maybe you need one of the new alternators."

"What am I going to do?" she asked.

"Well, I can either disable your radio, or, I can go to the parts store in the morning, get a heavier wire and an alternator with a little more juice. What do you want to do?"

"I don't know," she said. "We like having a stereo and we're going a long way. If you could take us to a motel, we could spend the night and we could do what you said tomorrow. Would that be too much trouble? What do you think, baby?" She was asking Malley.

"Stay," she decided.

"I can take you somewhere," he said, "but why? You can stay here. No use spending money on a motel when there's a perfectly good bed with clean sheets on it right here."

She looked doubtful. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," he said. "There are new toothbrushes and anything you need in the bathroom. I'll get out of your hair and we'll get an early start tomorrow."

Rain went down and got their bags out of the car, and he got a hug from each of them before he left. He hugged Barrett, too, and she stayed around to get them settled. His phone rang at 6:30 the next morning. It was Barret.

"Hey Bruh, have you looked outside?" she asked.

"Christ, Barrett, I haven't gotten out of bed," he moaned. He pushed the curtain back and it was white out. Snow was coming down, and he couldn't see the street. He heard the wind howling and there was a real blizzard going.