Only When It Rains

"No, not at all," he smiled, "Charlie Hanson just called me from the bank and Rosalyn Beck's check cleared a lot sooner than we expected."

"Is that all?" I chuckled, "Hell, I thought something was wrong with you. I'm going back to work."

"No, wait a minute," he grinned, stopping me from leaving, "I just got off the phone to Rosalyn and she's coming tomorrow to pick up the colts so, I need for you to get them cleaned up and ready to go."

"Okay, Uncle Jake," I laughed, "I'll take care of it," and needless to say, I spent the rest of the day bathing the two colts, making their coats nice and shiny.

~~~~~~

That night after supper I was in Uncle Jake's office going over the final paperwork for the sale of the colts when the telephone rang. It was Aunt Rita informing me that I had a guest and that she, was on her way out to the stables to see me.

I was pleased, thinking that it was Marlee and that I would have the chance to apologize to her for my uncalled for behavior and also for the harsh way I'd treated her the previous night.

You can only imagine my surprise when I opened the door to find Kelly standing there with an extremely pissed off look on her face. "Hi, Kelly," I smiled, "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"Don't "Hi Kelly" me, you asshole," she viciously spat, pushing her way past me and on into the office, "What the hell did you do to Marlee, God dammit?"

"Whoa, wait a minute," I said, getting upset by the way she'd just spoken to me, "I didn't do anything to her. We had an argument and nothing more."

"Then why is she so upset?" Kelly angrily asked, "What in the fuck did you say to her, motherfucker?"

Being called a motherfucker was the last straw, and with that said, I glared at her and hatefully spat, "Just who in the hell do you think you are, coming here and talking to me like that, God dammit?"

"I'll tell exactly who I am, you son-of-a-bitch," she heatedly replied, "I'm her best friend who's worried sick about her," and then she began to cry uncontrollably.

"Wait a minute," I said, trying to calm the situation down, "Have a seat and let's try to talk about this like adults, please?"

As I handed her my handkerchief, Kelly took it and sat down in the chair I offered. Then after a moment, she regained her composure. And then in a more subdued tone of voice, she said, "I'm sorry, Michael."

"That's okay," I gently replied, "Now, I know you didn't get this worked up over she and I having an argument. What's really going on, and why are you so upset?"

"I'm sure you probably know this, but if not, I'm gonna tell you something, Michael," she sniffed, "But you're going to have to promise me that you'll never say a word to anyone of what I'm about to tell you."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I said, "But I promise you that I'll never tell a soul."

After taking a deep breath, Kelly sat back in her seat and began, "When Marlee and I were freshmen in college, we got invited to an off-campus party after a football game one night. There was this guy there who was a senior, a football player, named Lance Harper whom it just so happened, Marlee had the biggest crush on."

"I think I see where this is going," I grimly interrupted her.

"Please, let me finish," she said, "Anyway, after we'd been there for a while, he invites her to go take a walk with him. I tried to tell that that he was no good, but she wouldn't listen and insisted that everything would be just fine." Tears began to flow down Kelly's cheeks now, openly crying as she continued, "When she'd been gone for well over two hours I began to get worried so, I got some friends of ours to help me look for her."

"Are you alright?" I asked, leaning over and gently touching her hand.

She sorrowfully looked at me and shakily replied, "When we went outside we saw that Justin's car was gone and Marlee was nowhere to be seen. We didn't find her until the next morning, lying in a ditch beside I-45 between Houston and Conroe, unconscious, raped and beaten within an inch of her life, with cum leaking out of every orifice in her body."

"She did press charges against that asshole while she was in the hospital though," Kelly sadly added, "But here's the really fucked up part of it. Come to find out; he'd done this to another girl the year before, only the coaches got together with some of the alumni who offered her a shit load of money, which she accepted, to keep quiet about it because Lance was such a good football player, and they tried to do the same thing with Marlee."

"What happened?" I asked, now on the edge of my seat.

"How is it that you don't already know all of this, Michael?"

"Excuse me?" I said, confused, "How the hell was I supposed to know any of this?"

"Mister Jake went and had a little "talk" with the coaches and the alumni," she knowingly replied, "And then a couple of months later, Lance Harper went to trial and received a twenty year sentence for aggravated rape."

"I swear to you that I didn't know, Kelly," I dejectedly told her, my heart now breaking wide open for Marlee, "I swear by all that's holy."

"She needs you; Michael," Kelly said, right before leaving, "And I think you need her, too."

~~~~~~

Chapter Five

I made sure that I was awake before everyone else the next morning, and in doing so, was up and gone before the sun came up. The first place I went was to Marlee's house, and found myself pulling up into the driveway of an apparently empty house. Kelly's car was gone and Bosco wasn't anywhere to be seen, either. Still though, I got out of my car and walked up to her front door. And after knocking loudly on her front door, as well as ringing the doorbell several times to no avail, I decided to take another tactic.

I drove back into town and went to Granny's Restaurant just as the doors were opening for the breakfast crowd. Being the first to arrive, I was afforded the opportunity of being able to sit where ever I wanted so; I chose a table right by the front window. And once Id ordered my food, I sat and waited, watching the sun slowly making its ascent into the sky from the eastern horizon.

~~~~~~

I'd long since finished my breakfast and was drinking my umpteenth cup of coffee when I looked at my watch. It was now nine-thirty in the morning, making me not only realized that Id been sitting there for well over three hours, but also that the time had come to make my move.

~~~~~~

I hadn't been waiting for more than a few minutes in the parking lot of Peggy's Hair Salon, when none other than Ms. Peggy herself pulled up beside me. As we both exited our cars at the same time, she looked at me and pointedly said, "She's gone, Michael, and I don't know when she'll be back, either."

"I really need to talk to her, Ms. Peggy," I pleadingly replied, "We got into an argument and I need to make it right."

"Let me ask you something," she said, crossing her arms defensively, "And it would be best if you told me the truth."

"You can ask me anything you want."

"Okay then," she replied, dropping her arms to her sides, "How do you feel about her, Michael?"

"I'm not really sure right now," I honestly replied, "But I do know that I can't bear the thought of never being able to see her again."

"And why is that," she inquired, "Hmm?"

"Because I need to tell her how wrong I was and how sorry I am," I replied, tears beginning to fill my eyes, "And that I would never hurt her, ever."

"You should be horse whipped for the things you said to my grand daughter," she sternly said, the tears now openly pouring down my face. But instead of getting onto my ass any further, which was what I rightly deserved; her angry frown melted into a warm smile as she walked toward me.

And then when she was within reach, she leaned over and gently wiped the teas from my face with a piece of tissue that came from who knows where, and sweetly said, "My heart has never been wrong, and it tells me that you're genuinely sorry for what happened, and that you honestly care for Marlee. But you have to understand that I will not violate her trust in me by telling you where she is, at least not until she's ready."

"How long do you think that's gonna be?" I hopefully asked.

"She doesn't stay angry for very long," Ms. Peggy smiled, patting me on the cheek, "She'll be back before you know it."

~~~~~~

"What do you mean you don't want to stay at your uncle's house anymore?" my Father asked me, as I spoke to him over the phone at Peggy's Hair Salon.

I told him everything that had taken place over the period of the last few days, except for the facts about Uncle Jake's involvement in Marlee's rape case, and when I was done, I said, "I was wondering if I could live at the old beach house."

"Why son," he repeated, "Why would you not want to be around your family?"

"Because it's way past time that I moved on," I replied, "And I don't want to be a burden on Uncle Jake and Aunt Rita any longer. Please do this for me."

"Okay," he relented, "If you feel like you're alright then I'll call Charlie Hanson at the bank and have him open the place up for you."

"Thanks, Dad," I smiled, "I really appreciate this more than you know, and be sure to tell Mom that I love her."

"I will, son," he chuckled, "I'll also tell Charlie to have the utilities turned on for you, but you have to pay them every month."

"No problem, Dad," I replied grinning, "I'll take care of it. I love you."

"I love you, too, son," he laughed, "I've got to get off of the phone so that I can call Charlie before I have to be at work so, take care."

"Yes sir," I smiled, "You, too," and then we hung up.

~~~~~~

"What do you mean, you're moving out," Uncle Jake angrily asked, as I packed my belongings, "Who's gonna help me around here?"

"I don't know," I hatefully spat, "It looks like you're gonna have to hire someone to replace me, doesn't it?"

"What the hell's gotten into you, boy," he asked, "And why are you doing this?"

"If you'll notice, I'm not a boy anymore, Uncle Jake," I crossly said, "And if you wanna know what's wrong, let me just say that I can't be around someone I can't trust."

"What in the hell are you talking about now?" he bellowed, "I've never lied to you once, God dammit."

"That's bullshit and you fucking well know it," I furiously replied, "Why didn't you tell about Marlee being raped, as well as your involvement with the coaches and alumni at the U of H?"

"I didn't lie to you, Michael," he replied in a gentler tone of voice, "I just didn't want to tell you, because I thought it would make a difference in the way you acted around Marlee."

"You're so full of shit," I heatedly told him, right before I began to start loading my truck, "Omission of the truth is the same thing as lying and you know it."

~~~~~~

"Are you sure you want to do this, Mijo?" Aunt Rita asked me, right before I drove off.

"Yes ma'am," I replied, hugging her, "I'm really sorry about his and I love you very much, but I can't stay here any longer."

"I understand, baby," she softly replied, "And I'm sorry your uncle didn't tell you these things."

"It's alright," I sadly smiled, "But I've got to go now," and then I got into my truck and left without looking back.

~~~~~~

When I finally arrived at the house I grew up in I got out of my truck, unlocked the front door; and then began the arduous task of unloading everything and getting it set up. I'd managed to save a ton of money in the four years that I'd stayed with my aunt and uncle. Plus, the insurance policy that I'd taken out on Jane, well, actually we'd taken one out on each other; it left me not having to ever work again if I chose. Instead, I sent it all home and had my parents set up a bank account for me, that way, I could access it from anywhere in the world.

I still remember Jane as she was slowly fading away. She made me promise to be happy once she was gone, but right now I was having one hell of a time being anything other than severely pissed off at Uncle Jake, damn him. Still though, when I thought of what it was that he'd done, it brought thoughts of Marlee to mind. The memories of the way she was dressed when she and I were talking after dinner that night at her house ran rampant through my mind. And the more I thought about her and how stunningly beautiful she was, the less angry I became.

~~~~~~

When I walked into the house, the first thing I noticed was that the air conditioner had been turned on, and reaching over and taking the phone off the hook to listen, I also discovered that the phone was on. No sooner had I hung it back up before it began to ring.

"Hello," I said, into the receiver.

"Hi, Michael," said a friendly male voice, "This is Charlie Hanson at First National Bank. How are you, son?"

"I'm doing well, sir," I smiled, "How are you?"

"I'm doing alright, I guess," I called to see if there was anything you needed."

"Well," I laughed, "Now that you mention it, I was wondering what my new phone number is."

"You'll have to come to the back into West Columbia for that information," he explained, "Because I'm really uncomfortable talking about that over the phone. I've also got some papers that require your signature, too."

"It's no problem," I replied, "When would you like me to be there?"

"Preferably this morning," he said, "That way we can get the cable company out there before it gets dark."

"I'm on my way," I grinned.

"Good," he chuckled, "I'll see you in a little while then."

~~~~~~

"Well, hello there, stranger," smiled Mr. Hanson, as I walked into his office, "It's good to see you, boy."

"Hi, Mister Hanson," I grinned, as we shook hands, "It's good to see you, too, sir."

"Listen, Michael," he humbly spoke, "I was very sorry to hear about your wife. I'm also sorry I never had the privilege of meeting her."

"Thank you, sir, I appreciate that, "I smiled, "You said that you had my phone number as well as some papers that needed my signature."

"That's right," he grinned, "Have a seat while I go get us some coffee."

"Thank you," I chuckled, "I could use a cup right now."

~~~~~~

When he came back with the coffee, Charlie wrote my new phone number on the back of one of his business cards and handed it to me, as well as giving me some startling information. It seemed that, before they moved to Miami, my parents had made the preparations to have the deed of the house I grew up in signed over to me if I ever came back home.

"Congratulations, Michael," chuckled Mr. Hanson, knowingly laughing at my shock and surprise, "Your father always said that you'd come back one day."

~~~~~~

I drove back home that day feeling better than I'd felt during the whole four years that I'd been back. And as soon as I got back home, I was going to call my parents and thank them for such a wonderful gift.

~~~~~~

I spent a little over two-hundred dollars at the grocery store the grocery store on the way home, as well as a hundred and fifty dollars at K-Mart. (Wal-Mart didn't exist back then)

When I pulled up in my driveway with the bed, as well as the cab of my truck full, I was pleasantly surprised to find Kelly's truck parked along the curb and her sitting on my front porch smiling.

"Hey," she smiled, as soon as I got out of my truck," I hope you don't mind me showing up unannounced."

"Not at all," I devilishly grinned, "You can help me unload all of this shit in my truck."

"Marlee was right about you," she giggled, making her way toward me, "You are a brat."

~~~~~~

After we got everything in, Kelly made sure there were fresh sheets on the beds and cleaned both bathrooms while I stowed the food and loaded the refrigerator. She even took out the trash before I had a chance to stop her, showing me exactly just what kind of girl she was.

And once everything was done I looked at Kelly as I handed her a cold Dr. Pepper and said, "Thank you, Kelly. You didn't have to do all of that ya know."

"I know," she knowing replied, "But Ms. Rita asked me to keep an eye on you, just in case you happened to fuck up."

I laughed and said, "Well then, if that's the case, the least I can do is ask you to stay for dinner after all the work you've done."

"Holy cow," she giggled, "You mean you can cook, too?"

"Of course," I sarcastically smiled, "I'm not totally helpless, regardless of what other people think."

"Lighten up, Michael," Kelly teased, "You take things too seriously sometimes."

"Yeah, maybe I do," I agreed, after a moment's thought, "I wasn't always this way though."

"That's what Mister Jake and Ms. Rita said," she sweetly replied, "And I'm very sorry that your wife died, too."

"Thanks Kelly," I smiled, no longer saddened as much, "That means a lot."

"You're welcome, Michael," she said, gently hugging me, "And Marlee's gonna be back so, please don't give up on her."

Time stood momentarily still as I held this amazing girl close to me. There was nothing sexual in the way we held one another. I think that Kelly was hurting for her friend just as I was. And that became the bond that cemented our friendship that has lasted to this day, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

~~~~~~

That evening I made grilled two nice pieces of salmon, accompanied by some asparagus, and garlic roasted potatoes. It turned out great and Kelly teased me, saying things like, "Damn, boy, you're gonna make somebody we both know very happy one of these days."

"Will you knock it off?" I laughed; as we sat down to eat.

~~~~~~

All through dinner our conversation was pleasant, and I found things about Marlee that I didn't know. Kelly told me that she played the violin in high school and college; and that she also studied Tae Kwon Do after her attack and got as far as earning her green belt before she graduated.

However, once we'd finished eating and were sitting on the couch listening to Robin Trower's "Bridge of Sighs" album as it spun on my turntable; Kelly's mood suddenly changed.

"Are you alright," I asked, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, you didn't," she replied, looking down, "I did."

"What?" I asked, "Tell me, please."

"There's something you need to know, Michael," she apprehensively replied, "And please promise me that you won't go off and do something stupid once I tell you, okay?"

A sudden uneasiness began to arise within me, but in order to keep my true to my word; I looked Kelly in the eyes and calmly said, "Alright, I promise, now, tell me."

She took a deep breath, and after letting it out, began, "You're not the reason she left like she did, well, not the real reason anyway. The Texas Department of Corrections notified her yesterday that Lance Harper made parole, now she's scared shitless that he'll come looking for her, seeking revenge."

I sat statue still for a moment, and then with no emotion in my voice, I asked, "You know where she is, don't you?"

Kelly answered me with a simple nod of her head.

I reached across her to the phone, and picked up the receiver, then handed it to her and said, "Call her."

"Michael I can't do that, I promised...."

"Kelly, if you ever want me to speak to you, or her again, then you'll do as I ask," I said, interrupting her in a deathly quiet tone of voice. Then I stood up and made my way to the front door, and as I opened it, I looked back and said, "I'll be out on the porch," and then closed it behind me before she could say anything else.

~~~~~~

I sat out of the front porch of my house with all kinds of things going through my head. Foremost on my mind was that Marlee was afraid, and that she felt the need to run and hide. I didn't know anything about Lance Harper other than the fact that he was a piece of shit rapist. One thing I did know though was that if he ever came near Marlee again....I'd kill him...and not lose a moment's sleep over it.