Bring on the Rain (43 page)

Mitch moved on to his marriage, to the
worst of it, because the only best was Jason. Mitch talked about
how he looked at Jason and wished Madeline had borne him. He talked
all the way up to the present.

“
I wasn’t trying to hurt her
the other day. I was hurting. For you, for her, missing out on
bringing you up. For all Madeline has gone through for so long. I
can’t imagine her living all these years trying to keep from
telling you. I know why she didn’t me. But I was hurt too, because
I thought she should have told me after Dovie died.”

Max did the same as with Madeline. He
pondered the words, saw them for what they were-all of them, and
managed to look at Mitch as he was now. The past was just that the
past.

Mitch looked down to rest his eyes,
then back at Max. “I want to get to know you. Everything about your
growing up, your life now. I know Jason does too. But you and me—I
realize, I’m a stranger to you, not like Madeline and Brook. Man to
man, I’ll do anything in the world for you, if I can. I would like
us to be friends. I respect you, because of what you said about
Madeline, how you stood right there with the whole damn family
hearing, and stood beside her.

I respect you for the way you defended
Brook. I don't know all of your faults, your strengths, what you do
with your days. I would like to know you well, but it’s your call.
As you say, you’re a grown man, with a life to live. I don't think
you owe me anything. I’m offering though, because I made you, and
you’re part of me, part of us. No matter what happened later, two
people, who loved each other, more than most can comprehend,
conceived you.

You’re somebody I only hoped for,
wished for, in the times I thought I’d die without Madeline.
Nevertheless, I respect your right to move on with your life as you
see fit. I’ve learned the hard way, you’ve got to do what's right
for you, for your own peace of mind.”

Max sat silent for a long time, looking
away and into the distance. Seeing the land where the Coburn's
carved out their past and future. Where they did their loving,
dying and living. He knew there was something here, in the faces he
had seen on the porch.

They were as familiar, as known to him,
as his own features. He had known it when he drove up and when he’d
driven slowly by the farmhouse. When he’d come into the green hills
and thick trees and walked those steps, seeing the men who had his
blood and bones and genes. It was a feeling he couldn’t name, but
real enough to make his stomach cinch and the hair on his nape
prickle. The smell of the place, the feel of it—the timbre of their
voices. He knew them somehow.

He stood and sat his cup down. Braced
his hands on the banister and looked out at the scenery. “Do you
know Dovie left me land?”

“
Yes. I’m glad she
did.”

“
I’d like to see it, maybe
Sunday?”

“
Sure. I’d be glad to show
you.”

“
I can’t live here all the
time. My career is beginning. I write for the paper, do freelance.
I have always envisioned combining photography and writing, and
until that’s realized, I’ve got to pay my dues, learn my craft, and
gain more maturity.”

“
It’s right on the lake,”
Mitch said, “a great place for a vacation home. Wildlife, fishing,
boating, everything. We all have our favorite spots there. All of
us are tied to some particular memory written there. When Madeline
told me, about Dovie giving it to you. We figured out where it was.
And you’ve got a good place, enough to have privacy and great for
writing, and photography, or getting away.”

“
Does Coy have a place
there?”

“
He’ll get land at
twenty-one.”

I’m having a talk with him, before I
return to Kentucky.”

“
Fine, we’ve got no problem
with that.”

Max turned, and looked at Mitch. “I
asked Madeline, why you weren’t there. Why you and she weren’t at
least lovers again.”

Mitch held his gaze. “What did she
say?”

“
That you didn’t know each
other well enough now. She wouldn’t make another mistake or lose
control of her emotions. You haven’t talked very much
yet.”

Mitch nodded carefully. He obviously
didn’t yet know where Max was going with his line of
talk.

Max half smiled, his dimple showing. “I
think Madeline's lying. I think you two been messing
around.”

Mitch flushed.

Max murmured next, his eyes echoing his
half grin, “I think you’re a fool if you let her go again. I think
you know that. I also think…in your mind, you’ve always been
Madeline's and she’s yours.”

Mitch looked away again. ”That’s true.
I’ve never not, thought of her like that.”

“
Then you’ve got a problem,
because unless you want to let your chance slip away, you’d better
realize, she’s nothing like she was. Madeline’s a strong woman.
Self-reliant. She has a sense of humor. A passionate nature she
keeps hidden. She is also shy about it, but she has this tremendous
need to help other people, to do what's best for them. She’s loyal.
Madeline is many other things no doubt. And if you feel anything at
all for her, you’ll try and discover them.”

“
I have been realizing that
more, since she told me about you. I think it’s probably when I did
finally face that I couldn’t step in where I left off. Madeline
wasn’t the same and neither was I.”

Max looked at him. Nodded and told him,
“It’s between you and her.” He pushed away from the banister a full
smile now, his brow raised, and said, “Do you want to call them out
here, or should I go in there.”

Mitch laughed. “Come on in, you’ll no
doubt regret it. But hey, they’re not going to let you off this
hill without talking to you. You’d do better to get it over
with.”

Max was walking beside him to the door
when Mitch stopped, offered his hand, smiling broadly. “I think, we
skipped this part.”

Max took it, they shook, held for a
long moment, let go, and walked through the door.

Chapter 23

“
I’ll be damned.” Mitch
groaned seeing his messed up kitchen and hearing the laughter in
the den. “Lesson one, Max, never send them in your house by
themselves. Better yet, never invite them to stay over all at one
time.”

“
Hey, I heard that,” G.W.
yelled from the den.

Lee came out from the other room; he
was grinning and carrying a case of beer. “Me too." He took one of
the cold beers off the box and walked over to Max, handing it to
him and saying with a grin, “Here, have one of Mitch’s beers.
Unlike him, we’re generous.”

Max laughingly took it, shook the man’s
hand, and found himself dragged into the den where they were lying
all over the place, watching a race, eating everything from popcorn
to beanie weenies.

“
Hey, Mitch, you ain't got
any beans cooked. What kind of man don't have cold beans in the
fridge?”

“
He had some, I ate them
last night,” one of the younger men said.

“
Hell, no wonder I dreamed
of skunks all night,” another said and everyone laughed.

Mitch let Max open his beer before
muttering, “This is why we numb you with beer first." He placed his
hand on Max’s shoulder. “Just wait ‘till they get to know
you.”

To the room in general, “Y’all want to
meet my son or not?”

They converged on Max. His hand and arm
got sore from all the shaking, arm punching and backslapping. They
let him make to the middle of the room, and it went something
like;

“
You hunt?”

“
Yes, since I was a
kid.”

“
Hey, y'all, the man hunts.”
Which set off a line of questions about guns and dogs.

Then another family member. “That’s a
bitchin’ car. Hell I’d be afraid to get it dirty.”

“
I usually drive my truck, a
Dodge.”

“
Hey, y'all, he’s a Dodge
man!” Which caused the Ford drivers, to get razzed as
usual.

Then, “You play any sports in
school?”

“
All I could fit
in.”

“
Hey, y’all, he’s an
athlete.” Everyone who played anything went off on their favorite
sport, favorite team, and coach.

There were questions about his
interviews with the professional and college teams that went on a
long time. He answered them all, coming from all directions. He
learned what they did for a living. They talked cars, sports, dogs,
horses, work, about everything. Sometime or another, a few excused
themselves to ride horses, shoot targets, four wheel or work on a
car that was having trouble. He turned down offers to join them,
with, “Next time though.” Which seemed to make every one pretty
damned happy.

Max liked them. They were like the men
he’d been around most of his life despite his upper class status.
He had always gravitated toward outdoorsmen who worked hard and
played hard. He’d been encouraged to make his own friends, to go
hunting, fishing, to spend time around people aside from their
social set.

The room thinned out Max found himself
facing Jude. Jude was leaving to go buy groceries. They had cleaned
his house out too.

“
I have a body shop, we do
dirt racing. You should come round sometime.”

“
I will.”

Then he and Coy faced each other, Coy
said, “You don't want to hear my side of anything?”

“
Before I leave.” Max
nodded. “I’m coming over tomorrow to look at the property with
Mitch.”

“
I’ll be around Dad’s.” He
nodded and left.

Seated in a chair now, Max eyed Jason
while Mitch walked around trying to pick up the mess. He cussed,
muttered, because someone, probably the younger ones, had borrowed
a few of his CD’s without asking.

Jason was on the sectional sitting
forward, having quietly watched Max and listened to him.

Max’s brow quirked. “What’s a cornbread
brother?”

Jason chuckled. “Usually it’s someone
you grew up with, that ain’t blood, but you ate a lot of suppers
together. Like they hung out at your house. In your case, they know
they are strangers to you, but they expect you’ll be sharing a lot
of feasts together in the future. They accept you, welcome you, and
if you don't come in often enough, they have the right to give you
hell for it and razz you to death.”

Max was laughing; he shook his head but
offered, “They remind me a lot of my Kentucky friends. Some things
are…well, let’s say, you never run out of things to talk about or
things in common, when you’re all country boys.”

“
Yep.” Jason told him about
his house, how they were all helping him when they got time. He
explained his profession, also told Max he was lucky Gee Gee let
him choose his own life and friends. His said his own mother,
Ronda, was always giving him a hard time.

Mitch was cleaning up, often stopping
to listen to them, or to look at his sons, together, talking and
laughing. Connecting on many levels, because of age and upbringing
and their experience with the same rich crowd. Jason told him about
his mom, and he told him about suspecting Mitch had loved someone
else. How he recalled a lot of fighting and slamming doors and
brooding.

Mitch sighed, too overwhelmed to think
at the moment.

~*~

Eventually they heard the hum of the
dishwasher in the background, running water, or buzz of four
wheelers from the hillside or dogs barking, Mitch clanking pans
then bringing them another beer. However, it was in the
background.

They were laughing loud at something,
Max, falling out of the chair. Jason telling amusing stories on
everyone. Eventually the laughter trailed off, and they saw Mitch
leaning against the door facing them with a slight
smile.

Max said to him, “I’ve told Madeline,
I’m taking her to dinner. Would you like to join us?”

“
I’d like to, but I’ll give
her more time to have you to herself. If you would, bring her
tomorrow. We’ll have dinner here, me, you and Jason, and Madeline.
I’ll put a roast in, after I come home from church. Jason can see
to things, while we’re at the lake. That is, if Madeline will
come.”

“
Okay.” Max stood and shook
hands with Jason. He told him, “I’ll call you later, if you give me
your number.”

Mitch did and they all walked out on
the porch.

The sun was bright, and sounds of the
family members at play echoed down the hollow.

Max put his sunglasses on and said good
evening. He walked down the steps, waving as one of the younger men
rode a four-wheeler, another yelled from the hill across the road.
He got to the jeep and turned to look up at the porch while he
fished out his keys.

They were standing there watching him,
leaning against the porch braces. He waved, they called out, drive
careful. Then he was heading out to Diamond Back.