Only When It Rains

~~~~~~

"Well," Kelly replied, knowingly smiling at Marlee, "I'm gonna go start the truck." Then she leaned over and quickly kissed me on the cheek and said, "It was nice to meet you, Michael. You're a really nice guy. Bye," and then she took off down the driveway to her truck.

"I really had a nice time today, Michael," Marlee cooed, moving closer to me until we stood within a few inches of one another, "Do you think we could do this again sometime soon?"

"Uh...well, I'm not...."

"Look Michael," Marlee interrupted, "I'm not trying to put any kind of pressure on you. I like you as a person, and I like having you as a friend."

Because I couldn't find the words to say, Marlee simply smiled and then after reaching up and briefly but softly kissing my lips, she cooed, "Take your time, Michael, take all the time you need." And then with that said, she smiled and walked to Kelly's truck.

~~~~~~

I had a fitful sleep that night and I know that I dreamed; I just couldn't seem to remember what it was that I dreamed when I awoke the next morning. I did feel somewhat off balance though, but I simply shrugged it off, thinking that it would soon pass. So, with that in mind, I did my morning rituals and went down to breakfast.

"Good morning, Mijo, (pronounced ME-HO, meaning boy, or son)" smiled Aunt Rita, "You look different this morning."

"I know," I teased, as I kissed her cheek, "I decided to shave today."

"Silly boy," she giggled, playfully smacking the back of my head as I sat down at the table.

"Good mornin, everybody," Uncle Jake announced, taking his seat as well, "Looks like it's gonna be a fine day today. What do you think, Mikey?"

"It looks that way to me," I chuckled, as I took my first sip of coffee.

~~~~~~

For as far back as I can remember; Uncle Jake took his cattle, which consisted of five to six hundred head, to the market every other year. Uncle Jake always enjoyed the thrill of making the sixty mile trek from his ranch to the market by means of an old fashioned trail ride.

That meant that we would drive them the old fashioned way, on horse back. I always remembered how much I used to love doing this as a kid. Uncle Jake never hurried, as he wanted to enjoy being "In The Bush" as he called it so; he always liked to start the trail ride on the Sunday before the auction the following Saturday

There were ten days left before the ride began, and it was my turn to go and round up the strays. It took me well over half of the day, but by three o'clock that afternoon; the last thirty head were finally a part of the main herd.

~~~~~~

"You had a phone call today, Michael," Aunt Rita informed me, "It was Marlee. She wanted me to ask to give her call some time this evening."

"We'll see," I non-chalantly said.

"I think you should give her a call, young man," Aunt Rita stated, as opposed to suggesting it, "And I think you should call her before you eat, if you know what I mean."

Yes, ma'am," I sheepishly replied, knowing better than to argue with her.

~~~~~~

Chapter Three

I finished cleaning up and right before dinner I called Marlee. "Hello," she said, into the telephone receiver.

"Hi, Marlee," I replied, "It's Michael, and I was...."

"I know who this is, silly boy," she sweetly interrupted, "I'm glad you returned my call. There's something I wanted to ask you."

"Uh...sure, I guess," I stammered, "What do you want to ask me?"

"Well...," she cooed, "I wanted to know if you'll let me make you dinner at my house tomorrow night."

"Well, I don't know if...."

"It's just diner for goodness' sake," she giggled, "Jeez Michael, you'd think I was gonna lure you over here and rape you, or something. Damn, boy, lighten up."

"You're right," I laughed, at the absurdity of my previous response, "What time?"

"I was thinking around six-thirty," she happily replied, "Is that alright with you?"

"Yeah, that's fine," I said, "But I don't know where you live."

"Just ask your Aunt," Marlee giggled, "She knows the way."

~~~~~~

I worked my ass off the next day helping Uncle Jake get ready for the up coming trail ride. It was funny watching him as he was excitedly making all the necessary preparations, kind of like a kid on Christmas Eve.

I made a trip into town to pick up some of the supplies we were going to need, and on my way, I stopped at Jim Higgins' store to buy a new pair of boots for the ride.

"Hey, Michael," Jim greeted me, "What can I do for you, today?"

"I need a new pair of boots," I smiled.

"Well, come right on in, son," he grinned, "I just got a new shipment in today."

~~~~~~

After I'd paid for my new boots, I looked at my watch and saw that it was almost lunch time. Using the phone at Mr. Higgins' store, I called home to let Uncle Jake know that I was eating lunch in town, and asked him if he might need anything else he might've for gotten. He simply laughed and told me that there really wasn't much left to do and that I should take my time and not be in any hurry...imagine that.

~~~~~~

I don't know now why I was surprised, but I hadn't sat down in the restaurant to have lunch for more than ten minutes, when lo and behold, who should appear at my table but Marlee's best friend Kelly. "Well hey, Michael," Kelly happily chirped, "Fancy meeting you in here again. Are back for lunch?"

"As a matter of fact, I am," I smiled, "Would you care to join me?"

"Sure," she smiled, "If it's not an inconvenience."

"Now why on earth would you think that, Kelly?"

"Well," she uncomfortably began, "Marlee really likes you, and I don't want her to think that...."

"Wait a minute," I chuckled, "First of all, Marlee and I are just friends, for now anyway. Second of all, you are her best friend so, that also makes you my friend, too. Furthermore, I can have lunch with my friends any time I want, regardless of anything that anyone says or thinks."

"You're a real nice guy, Michael. There aren't many of your kind left anymore," Kelly nicely replied, "And I'm glad to have you as a friend, too."

Let me take a moment to describe Kelly Peterson. She stands about five feet, seven inches tall, I'd say; and if I had to guess, I would imagine she weighed somewhere in the neighborhood of a hundred and twenty- five, to a hundred and thirty pounds. Like Marlee, not only was she roughly the same age; but she was built like same brick shithouse, only she had long auburn hair that hung past her shoulders.

She was also a very beautiful girl, as well. Her dark brown eyes that shone through her fair complexion captivated whomever she spoke to, demanding their full attention. However; it was the softness in her voice that showed the kindness in her heart; and I was thankful that God chose to bless me with such a friend as Kelly.

"Are you hungry?" I asked.

"Yes," Kelly grinned, "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse."

"Good," I replied grinning, "I'm hungry, too."

Kelly had the Southern Style Catfish with Hush Puppies, and I had a Chicken Fried Steak with Mashed Potatoes and Dark Gravy, and it was damn good that day. The company was even better. I found Kelly to be a very intelligent young woman and I told her so.

"Kelly," I said, "I've noticed that you and Marlee are both extremely intelligent for your young ages."

"Jeez, Michael," she giggled, "How old do you think we are?"

"You can't be any older than twenty-five, at the most," I smiled, "Neither one of you."

Kelly began to laugh wildly, to the point that some of the other customers in the restaurant began to stare. But once she regained her composure, she smiled and said, "You are such a sweet man, and while I want to thank you for the compliment; I have to tell you the truth. I just turned thirty last month and Marlee turns thirty-one in three weeks."

"You're kidding me," I amazingly replied, "You two most certainly don't look it, neither one of you."

"This is so funny," Kelly giggled, "Wait till I tell Marlee, she's gonna laugh herself silly."

"Speaking of Marlee," I said, "Would you tell me about her, Kelly. You two have known each other practically all of your lives, haven't you?"

"Why don't you ask her yourself," Kelly giggled, "You are going over to her house tonight for dinner, aren't you?"

"I just shook my head smiling and said, "Crazy girls..."

~~~~~~

On the ride home that afternoon I thought about the conversation I'd had with Kelly. She didn't want to talk about Marlee, and I guess I understood because they were best friends and all, but still I wondered. I hardly knew anything about Marlee; hell I really didn't know anything at all when it came right down to it. But Kelly was right; she said that I would find out later that night I guess. Then suddenly, the notion came to me that I could always ask my Aunt Rita, surely she would know.

~~~~~~

"Hello Mijo," Aunt Rita smiled, kissing me on the cheek as I walked through the back door, "How was your day?"

"It was real good," I grinned, "Aunt Rita, I need to ask you some questions, and I really hope you can answer them."

"I'll try," she apprehensively replied, "Is everything alright? Are you okay?"

"Oh no, I'm fine," I smiled, "Everything is alright, I just wanted to ask you about Marlee."

"I was wondering when this was going to happen," she knowingly smiled, taking me by the hand, "Come with me; we can sit down and have a glass of tea. And then I'll tell you everything I know, okay, Michael?"

"Okay," I grinned, following her to the kitchen table.

~~~~~~

"So," Aunt Rita grinned, "What do you want to know about her?"

"I don't know," I chuckled, "You were the one that said you would tell me everything you knew."

"I did, didn't I?" Aunt Rita giggled, before she began, "Marlee came to town to live with her grandmother, whom you've already met, a little over right years ago. Her parents were killed when their plane crashed in Mexico. I felt so badly for her, poor thing. Her grandmother took her in, and she's a whole lot better now."

"Wow, that's terrible," I said, being able to identify with Marlee now, "I guess I can understand how she feels, well, maybe a little bit anyway."

"I guess maybe you can," Aunt Rita agreed, "What Marlee needs more than anything right now, is a good friend. And I think that maybe having a good friend wouldn't hurt you either."

"What about Kelly?" I asked, "She's her best friend."

"That's not what I mean, and you know it," she pointedly replied, "I'm talking about having a male friend, one that she can trust. She needs that in her life right now."

"I don't know, Aunt Rita. I'm still afraid that......"

"I know you're afraid, Michael," Aunt Rita lovingly interrupted, placing her hand on top of mine, "But Jane is gone and it's time for you to move on now. You know that she wouldn't have wanted you to be unhappy, don't you?"

"I know," I sadly replied, now on the verge of tears, "It's just that....I'm still afraid, Aunt Rita, I'm really afraid."

"Tell me Michael." she gently asked, "What exactly are you afraid of...hmm?"

"I'm afraid that, if I move on....I'll forget her," and then I broke down and began to weep bitterly.

"Aw...there there now," Aunt Rita softly said, coming around to where I was seated at the table and throwing her arms around me, "You two were married for six years, Michael. I don't think you'll ever forget her. But you're more like your Uncle Jake than you know."

"Maybe," I sniffed, "But what does my being like Uncle Jake have to do with what we're talking about?"

"You two have the same heart, Mijo," she sweetly smiled, "And I know that there's more than enough room in your heart for another. Do you not agree?"

I don't know what took place right then, but I suddenly began to feel strangely better, if only a little, but better none-the-less, as I realized Aunt Rita's words made perfect sense. However, it must've been written across my face because she giggled and said, "Now go take a shower, and I'll give you directions to Marlee's house before you leave."

"I love you, Aunt Rita," I smiled, standing up and giving her a very heartfelt hug.

"I know you do, and I love you, too," she giggled, swatting me on the butt, "Go get cleaned up; you don't want to keep that pretty girl waiting."

~~~~~~

Following the directions that Aunt Rita had given me, I found myself turning down a long driveway, a little over twice the length of Uncle Jake's. It was lined on both sides with huge Live Oak trees, all of which had Spanish moss hanging from their branches. It was like being thrust backward in time just by the surroundings as I drove toward Marlee's house. As I drew nearer her house, I was delighted to see her in the front yard of a huge one level Ranch-Style house, playing with what I assumed was her dog.

~~~~~~

As soon as I parked my truck and opened the door, I was greeted by a very friendly and very lovable Golden Labrador Retriever. "Hi there, fella," I smiled, scratching him behind his left ear.

"His name is Bosco," replied a beautiful and all too familiar female voice directly behind me.

"Hi, Marlee," I smiled, turning around to greet her, "It's good to see you."

"Mmm," she purred, hugging me, "It's good to see you, too, Michael," then breaking the hug and stepping back, "I wasn't sure if you were gonna come, or not."

"Why not," I bewilderedly asked, "Didn't I say I would?"

"Yes," she smiled, her eyes sparkling, "You sure did, and I'm glad you're here," then taking my hand, she giggled, "Come on in and let's eat, I'm starving."

~~~~~~

Marlee had a beautiful house, that much was certain. I thought at first that she'd hired a professional decorator, as everything was so pristine, not a single thing out of place. However, she saw me looking around her home as she led me through it, and with a delightful little smirk across her face, she giggled and told me, "I decorated it myself. I hope you like it."

"It's gorgeous," I smiled, "I think you missed your calling, Marlee."

"What makes you say that?"

"Why would you want to cut hair when you have a beautiful talent like this," I smiled, "You ought to start you own business."

"I have my own interior design company, Michael," she giggled, "I only cut hair part-time when Grams is real busy." The bright smile that was on her face slowly turned dark when she said, "Michael, there's something I need to tell you, okay?"

"Sure," I gently replied, feeling disturbed at the terribly sad look on her face, "You wanna sit down while you do this."

"No, genius, I thought we could stand in the middle of the swimming pool and talk," she giggled, taking my hand, "Come with me, handsome."

~~~~~~

We sat on Marlee's couch in her den, and taking my hand, she began, "Kelly said that you were asking about me at lunch today so; I'll tell you anything you want to know."

Remembering what Aunt Rita had said about Marlee needing a male friend that she could trust suddenly came to mind, and in doing so, I smiled and gently replied, "First of all, I want you to know that anything you tell me will stay with me, and only me. Now, I want to know everything there is to know about Miss Marlee Sanders."

"You're silly," she giggled, the darkness gone from her face, "I'll tell you everything there is to know about me, and then you have to tell me all about Mister Michael Hayes."

"Aw Hell," I said, half grinning. "Oh, okay, you've got a deal."

"Before I begin," she happily giggled, "I wanted to say thank you for what you said to Kelly about how old you thought we both were."

"You're welcome," I grinned, "But I'm still waiting for you to tell me about yourself."

"Okay, silly boy," she smiled, "Here we go; I was born and raised in West Columbia, and as you already know I'm just a little over a years younger than you. I graduated from Columbia High School, and then I attended the University of Houston where I got my degree in Interior Design, with a minor in History."

"Cool," I grinned, "I knew you were an intelligent woman."

"Oh, really," she chirped, "So, you think I'm smart then?"

"I said that you were intelligent," I teased, "But yeah, I guess you're pretty smart, a smart ass."

"And you're a bonafide brat," she giggled, playfully punching me in the arm, "But you're a cutie so, I guess I'll just have to put up with you then."

"I know that this is a sore subject, Marlee," I cautiously said, "But Aunt Rita told me how your parents died, and I wanted to tell you how very sorry I am. You know that if you ever want to talk about it, I'm a good listener."

"I know, Michael," she cooed, taking my hand in both of hers, "Thank you." Then she rose from the couch, pulling me up by my hand and said, "Come on, Handsome. Dinner is almost ready and I'm hungry."

~~~~~~

This is really good," I smiled, tasting the Coc Au Vin that I knew it took Marlee hours to make, "You shouldn't have gone to all this trouble on my account."

"Who says that I did this for you, silly boy?" she smiled, as we sat at her dinning table.

"Now who's being a brat, pretty girl?"

"Do you really think I'm pretty, Michael?" she wistfully asked.

"You're beyond pretty, you're beautiful, Marlee," I smiled, "I thought so the very first time I ever laid eyes on you."

All at once her eyes filled with tears, and then after suddenly pushing her chair away from the table; Marlee stood up and walked around to where I was seated and then threw her arms around my neck as she softly cried, "Thank you Michael. I've felt so ugly for so very long, and while I know that I might seem like a basket-case to you right now, hearing that from you just now did me more good than you can ever know."

"There's no need to thank me," I tenderly replied, my arms around her shoulders, "It's easy to tell the truth."

"You're a very special man, sweetie," Marlee purred, right before she stood back up, "And I'm so glad that I met you."

"Me too," I smiled, while she took her seat again.

"That doesn't mean you're gonna get out of telling me about yourself, mister," she giggled, "After we're finished eating you can start while we're cleaning up."

"Okay," I chuckled, "You win."

"Good," she replied, "Or otherwise I wasn't going to give you any of the chocolate mousse that I made for dessert."

"Hell," I silently thought, "You've just gotta love a girl that makes chocolate mousse."

~~~~~~

Marlee had been wearing simple blue jeans and a nice blouse since I'd been there, but right after we finished eating, while I was cleaning off the table, she went down the hall and into what I could only assume was her bedroom.

When she retuned, the mere sight of her took my breath completely away. She was wearing a pair of men's boxers and a cut off U of H tee shirt. It still hung low enough to cover her breasts though, which were obviously bra-less, and a whole lot bigger than I originally thought.

"I thought I would get into a little more comfortable," she conspiratorially giggled, "But if this makes you uneasy, Michael, I can always go back and put on something else."

"No," I nervously laughed, "This is your home, and someone should feel comfortable in their own home."

"I'm glad you feel that way," she smiled, "I don't know why, Michael, but I feel like I can really trust you."

"I'm glad," I smiled, "I want you to trust me."

All at once Marlee walked over to where I stood, and then after making me turn around so that I was facing her; she softly put her arms around my neck. And pressing her body tightly against mine, she slowly but softly kissed my lips. Her kiss wasn't urgent nor was it lustful. Instead it felt tender and pure, as our lips never parted except right before it ended. And then that was only for a millisecond. "Thank you, Michael," she softly purred, still in my arms, but now leaning back to look into my eyes, brightly smiling as she did so.