Bring on the Rain (29 page)

“
I haven’t told Brook yet.
The Prom is next Friday and she has all this stuff going on. A
friend of hers is here this week and...“ Madeline stopped,
realizing how she sounded.

He was doubtless thinking, she had had
seventeen years to cough up the truth. She hadn’t been able to tell
anything from his cool request to come to him in person. “I’ve no
right to say this, but could you give me a little time to, deal
with Brook?”

He waited a beat, “What about Mitch
Coburn, have you told him yet?”

“
No.” Madeline played every
word in her mind he was speaking. The Kentucky accent, no matter
how upper class his education, was thick in it. Yet his
articulation could mean extreme politeness, coldness, flat anger,
or simply good speaking habits. She was nervous and her stomach
tight. Dammit, she could not read anything over the
phone.

“
How much time are we
talking? I’ve got July and August booked up with work.”

“
Are you still writing for
the paper and doing freelance work?”

“
On and off. I have other
things in the works. Look, Madeline, I’d like to deal with this
thing, and get back to my own life.”

Flinching inwardly, Madeline cleared
her throat. “The timing wasn’t good for anyone, Max, I regret that,
but because of Dovie’s legacy and all, I thought it was time to
deal with it. I’d planned on coming there, this winter maybe, and
you and I—Did Gee Gee tell you, I’d always wanted to be open with
you about it?”

“
Yes, she said you weren’t
ready to deal with it.” There was slight sarcasm in his tone.
“Nineteen years is-- I’m not in enough privacy to discuss it right
now, in fact I’m in a local bar. If you have her number, please get
back to me on it.”

“
I don't have anything but
Gee Gee's number.”

He gave her his, she yanked open the
nightstand drawer and wrote it down. She said, “Max, did she
explain about the medical bills, the surgery you needed, and my mom
passed and th—‘

“
She explained it yes. She
explained Mitch and you breaking up, though now I understand that’s
been cleared up?”

“
Do you plan on seeing
him?”

“
That depends on him. I’m
coming there because you were the one, who expressed to Ma, that I
should be given the truth. I heard what Gee Gee said, I’d like to
hear it from you, in person. And I’ve got a few questions of my own
to ask.”

“
Of course. I...I expected
that. I am sorry, Max—that it took so long. I thought it was for
the best. For you, it would have been--different, living here and
trying to get the kinds of medical attention you
needed.”

“
I’ve got to go. Leave an
answer on my machine if I’m not home.”

“
All-right.”

He didn’t say bye. He hung
up.

Madeline lay listening to the muffled
stereo coming from Brook’s room, and their loud talking. She rubbed
her temples and tried to uncoil the knot in the pit of her stomach.
Running every word he’d said through her mind trying to examine the
emotion behind it. She wept; let herself, needing to finish the jag
she’d cut off at the festival.

Madeline loved Max and tried to keep
the distance he would need to build a life of his own. Gee Gee had
been good to send her pictures and keep her up to date, from first
teeth to first day of school.

She hadn’t wanted to put him between
Mitch and her at the time. She had been afraid of Dovie, and she’d
feared Bud would not accept him, be a bad father, because he was so
superficial. Bud knew nothing of Max. Lots of women and girls have
stretch marks, they hadn’t given her away. He married her a mere
two months after Max was born. They met, dated a few times, and
she’d told him she had to go out of state for a while, to stay with
a sick friend. He’d called on occasion, and honestly, with Gee
Gee’s prodding, she’d pushed him into marriage. Because she had
been terrified to return home and face Mitch without a
barrier.

So Bud had known he wasn’t her first,
and only asked her once, if the people or person was likely to pop
up in their lives and interfere. She’d told him the one man would
not.

Like that, it had been
dropped.

However, longing and mourning for Max
never stopped; having Brook, getting to hold her, sing to her,
nurse her through little ailments had helped. Nevertheless, nothing
replaced Max, as nothing had replaced Mitch, and now she needed to
deal with the fact she probably would never get Max to believe
her.

Madeline had to realize and cope with
the reality. Max had his own feelings from his own inner struggle
with being adopted. Those feelings might well make him resent her
for the rest of his life. In that event, she couldn’t even be the
cousin who got a glimpse of him now and then, who could ask about
him, send him birthday and congratulation cards. She’d be shut
out.

Moreover, there was still Brook and
Mitch to deal with.

Madeline eventually got up and took a
shower. She swallowed some aspirin and looked in on Brook and Karla
who were looking through fashion magazines.

She climbed in bed, but could not
sleep. On and off, all night, she was aware and awake, sleep was so
light that a neighbor’s dog, or a creak of the old house had her
eyes opened and staring at the ceiling. She slept one good hour, at
dawn, and woke up with a heavy head and short temper.

“
We’re off.” Brook looked in
on her Saturday morning. She leaned against the door. “We’ve got to
put gas in Karla’s car and we’re headed over to the
school.”

“
All right.”

“
Mom? Are you sick? I know
this week has been crap, but you’ve seemed... bummed, since the
festival.”

“
I’ve got a
headache.”

Brook’s eyes looked more lavender due
to the deep purple eye shadow she wore. “Are you off
today?”

“
I’ve got to go in tonight,
and watch the two new hires. But not until nine.”

“
Anything we can get you?
We’re coming back at five and Coy’s taking us
somewhere.”

“
Bring me a salad or
something.”

Brook’s gaze went over her. Still in
bed, Madeline had seen that her eyes were dark circled and her face
blotchy in the bathroom earlier.

“
Are you sure you’re not
coming down with spring flu?”

“
I’m sure.” Madeline sat up.
She needed coffee anyway. “Brook. Things have been hectic here for
us both. At work, I am stressed, at school you are, and there’s all
these decisions for you to make. We need to talk though, a real
heart to heart. Maybe we could set a day after the Prom. Maybe
Sunday, we could go to the State Park and pack a picnic and have a
talk?”

“
Mom, you’re not dying or
anything, are you?” Brook looked scared.

“
Oh, God, no… I… no, honey.”
Madeline laughed.

“
I think…“ Brook began, and
then said, “Is this about the BC pills?”

Madeline groaned. She’d put those out
of her mind. She muttered, “I hope you’re giving that decision some
deep thought, Brook, you are a virgin, right?”

“
Yes. Mom. And I’ve thought
of little else.”

Madeline got up, shoved the hair out of
her face, and decided she needed coffee and more aspirin. She
hugged Brook by the door, rubbing her back and wishing she were a
little girl again. Madeline murmured to her, sweet things and silly
stuff, sniffling back tears.

Brook seemed to get teary eyed too. She
pulled back first, fanning her eyes, so her makeup wouldn’t smudge,
then followed her to the kitchen, watched her put on coffee and she
told her she looked like hell.

Karla came out of the bathroom, tossing
her make up bag in Brook’s room. She wore a short skirt and
strapped blouse and sandals. Her hair was in a sleek ponytail,
showing off her nice features. Standing next to Brook, she was all
curves and plump breasts, Brook looking more the seventeen models
in her low riding jeans and black crop shirt and platforms, her
hair artfully mussed. They were restless and irritatingly up beat -
enough to make Madeline feel like an old dishrag.

Madeline sat down at the three-chair
table, and watched them leave.

She felt as if she had laid the
groundwork for having the heart to heart and telling Brook about
Max. She didn’t know how much more pressure to put on the girl. Bud
was all but counting on her to stick to plans they had made a year
ago. Madeline got the feeling Brook would benefit more from Gee
Gee’s idea. Because she’d been and done so much in school and
summer, crammed her schedule with clubs and sports and so on. She
wondered if Brook was ready for the pressure of college and running
her own life.

Madeline did light chores to take her
mind off things. She avoided the stuff that really needed to be
done. Dusted, vacuumed, and changed the sheets. There was a mess
where the hot water heater had been replaced; she cleaned that up.
The girls came back and she ate her salad and took her shower. She
dressed for work, and was in the living room when Coy arrived.
Karla came into the room.

Madeline tried not to let Ruby’s words
flicker though her mind, but when she saw the outfit Karla had on,
she was tempted to call Brook aside and have her hint how it
looked.

However, Brook was wrapped up in Coy.
Karla was getting a CD from the rack for them to listen to. They
were headed to a dance club, strictly non-alcoholic and no one over
twenty-one allowed. Brook looked chic in a white pair of slacks and
funky blue blouse, hip, a bit too grown up for Madeline. But Karla
had on a braless top she was falling out of. A skirt that was hip
hugging, short enough so she turned her head when the girl bent
over to look thought the stack. Her high stacked shoes made her as
tall as Brook, and her hair was streaked with red stuff and wild
around her face and shoulders. Karl’s lips were glossed thick and
her makeup heavier than usual.

Madeline felt a pang for her though,
wondering where crazy Ralph faded off to. Moreover, wondering if
Jenna’s new life was hard to adjust to.

Madeline gave Karla an extra-long hug
when the girl left, guilt causing her to be ashamed of her
thoughts. What she knew about hip would fill a thimble. She
admitted, she was no expert of what was in. If Karla was bold
enough to pull off the micro skirt, Madeline felt she shouldn’t be
embarrassed for her. Brook would have said something if the girl’s
ass wasn’t supposed to be showing.

She left for work soon after, arriving
in time to see the band pulling up. A country band was playing
straight Nashville tunes tonight. The crowd would be heavy on the
beer, and ready for good times and dancing.

To Ashley Madeline advised, “Keep it
light and steady. If the music is good, the beer cold, you’ll have
a good time yourself. If you drop something or anything goes wrong,
don't freak, Rafael will come back and forth too. Stay cool and
keep smiling.”

Ashley glanced at Sunny who was getting
ready to leave.

The man winked at her. “Relax. This is
the best night of the week to work here, great tips, good
people.”

Ashley’s green eyes lit up and she
straightened her back. She looked fine in a red and black western
shirt and black boots and jeans, her dark hair short and sassy. “I
can do this.”

Madeline laughed, exchanged a glance
with Sunny, “Yep, you can,” she told her. “Now get. “ Madeline
nudged her toward the back door.

“
You still look like shit,”
was what Sunny said, when they were alone up front.

“
Bad week, everything in the
house broke down. I want to talk to you, after the Prom’s over and
all. I need time off. Time with Brook, and to clear up some
personal things.”

“
You got it. Write down the
days you want, and leave it in my back office.”

She eyed his buff suit and said, “You
going out with the mystery lady?”

“
No, I’m taking Mother to
the opera.”

Madeline nodded, her brow
rising.

He said, “What?”

“
Nothing.”

“
You think’ that's unusual
or strange?”

“
No, I think it’s wonderful
you do things like that with her.”

“
She’s got plenty of friends
that would go. An active social life. But she’s under the
impression my Indian side, the stone-eyed lawyer she calls it,
overwhelms my French side.”

“
Well, you don't look as
French.”

“
Yes, I know. Mother notices
what Mother wants to.” He laughed and closed his briefcase, after
putting the receipts from the bar in it. “We are talking about the
woman who goes into restaurant kitchens to give the chef tips on
cooking.”

Madeline laughed. As he was walking
out, she said, “Enjoy. Who knows, maybe you’ll meet a woman who can
handle Mrs. Dupree.”

Holding the scrolled door open, he
chuckled. “There is always hope.”

“
Hi.” Rafael came from the
back as Sunny left. He fetched something from behind the bar and
grunted, “You look like shit.”