The Rain Began to Fall (15 page)

“Just
the simple bare necessities.”

“Well, come on in
and see my palace,” Kyle offered, motioning him toward the door.

Rob Fenton was a
handsome guy, a bit lankier built than Kyle, with brown hair and blue eyes. He
and Kyle had been best friends since elementary school, and they had been
through the coming of age mill together; their teens, girls, and dreams. Rob
was unassuming and affable, but also sneaky smart and he oozed a quiet
confidence. Rob removed his jacket and laid it across the back of a chair at
the table.

“This is alright,”
he said, looking around.

“Oh yeah,” Kyle
replied, “and the rent’s reasonable. Have a seat buddy.” He waved him toward
the couch. “You want a beer?”

“What do you
think?” Rob retorted. Kyle chuckled while taking two bottles of Rolling Rock
from the fridge and popping the tops. He tossed the caps into the garbage can
in the kitchen, and handed one to Rob as he took a seat beside him on the
couch.

“Thanks, man,” Rob
said. Kyle raised his bottle.

“To our new
adventure in Charlotte!” he toasted.

“Here, here!” Rob
exclaimed, tapping. They both took a big, long swig. Rob heard the printer, and
saw it spitting out paper.

“Have you been
working on another one?”

“Yeah, I just
finished before you pulled up,” he replied.

“So, is it a best
seller?” Rob asked. Kyle laughed.

“But of course!”
he replied. “Haven’t they all been?”

“Hey, it’ll
happen,” he said reassuringly, slapping Kyle’s shoulder. “I don’t think any
you’ve pitched to so far have really looked at your stuff. But someone will,
sooner or later, and you’ll make it. Count on it.” Rob took another deep pull
off his beer.

“Thanks, man,” he
replied, “I can always count on you for a vote of confidence.” He stood and
stretched, and Rob got up as well.

He went to the
printer and removed a stack of papers, checking the print.

“I’ve got to get
this in the mail first thing tomorrow,” he said. “I’ll get it done early, and
we’ll get you moved in.”

“It’s no big
deal,” Rob replied. “I don’t have much life to move at this point, you know?”
He clapped his hands together. “Man, I feel free as a bird!”

“I tell you, I
never saw you and Carla’s split coming.”

“Well, it’s not
that it was
that
bad. It just wasn’t....there, you know?”

“Then you made the
right decision,” Kyle affirmed. “No sense wasting time on a relationship you
have even a shred of doubt about.”

“Exactly,” he
agreed. “So what’s the chick situation like around here my man?”

“Plenty of them,”
Kyle said, smiling and punching him lightly on the shoulder. “You’ve got your
pick, stud.” Rob laughed and punched him back.

“Sounds good,” he
said. “And when’s that big race?”

“Next Friday
night,” he answered.

“He’s got the
Impala, right?”

“Yeah, Super
Sport,” Kyle answered.

“You can take him,”
Rob said confidently. “And if for some ridiculous reason you lose, he’ll have
to face
me
.” He slapped Kyle on the back, and they both laughed.

They turned in
around midnight, and Kyle insisted that Rob take the bed after his long drive,
above his protests. They fell off to sleep, with a full day ahead of them
tomorrow.

Kyle arose at 8:00
am on Saturday morning, took a shower, then prepared and ate a peanut butter and
banana sandwich. Peanut butter was an integral part of his culinary life. He
drove to the post office and got in line behind half of the population of
Charlotte, clutching the hefty manuscript to his chest; it would be a little
over eight hundred pages in book form, by far the lengthiest novel he had
written. He had included in the manila envelope a letter to his agent,
informing him this would be his last submission. Not that he expected any
leverage out of such a declaration. He simply wasn’t getting anywhere fast with
Gary, and if he couldn’t get this one off the ground, he would find another
agent or go back on his own.

As he stood in
line he thought of Leigh, wondering if he was making an appearance in her heart
and mind as often as she did in his. He knew the wheels were turning, picking
up speed every day toward her wedding, while he was playing it cool, rolling
the dice. Kyle still felt it was a safe bet. He knew that he loved her, and he
was sure she loved him as well. She was just blindly going through the motions,
following a path that had been laid long ago. But what if he was wrong? What if
she wasn’t that emotionally tied to him, and was able to bury her feelings and
go through with it?  He shook his head against the negative thoughts. He
simply had to trust his instinct.

It was 11:30 am
when he arrived at home, where he found Rob in the process of moving the last
of his belongings into his apartment. He peeked into the U Haul and saw it was
empty, save for the mattress and bed set.

“Well, I almost stayed
gone long enough! Man you blew through this!”

“Wasn’t that
much,” Rob replied. “If you can give me a hand with the bed, that’s it.”

Kyle fell in with
him, and soon, Rob was sufficiently moved in. They plopped down on the sofa.

“Did you get the
manuscript mailed off?” he asked.

“Yeah,” he
answered, “fingers crossed.”

“If you can run me
a copy, I’d like to read it.”

“No problem,” he
replied, “I’ll get that started now. Come on.” They walked down to Kyle’s
apartment. He accessed the word file on his computer and started printing.

“So, are you ready
to show me the sights in this town?” Rob asked.

“Sure thing,” Kyle
responded. “Let’s go. I thought I’d take you to Summerville road and show you
where the races happen.”

“Sounds good,” Rob
said. “Let’s take my car. Maybe we’ll run into your friend Wade, and we can
give him something else to worry about.”

Soon they were
cruising along to their destination. The day was overcast, the temperature a
mild sixty eight degrees. Kyle directed him to Summerville road, and when they
arrived, Rob idled to a stop on the black top.

“So this is where
it happens, huh?”

“Yep,” Kyle
responded. Rob floored it, burning rubber, and they sped down the stretch.

“Wow!” Kyle
hollered. “She rocks! What did you do?”

“I replaced the
exhaust manifold with a tuned header,” he answered, smiling.

“Come again?”

“A tuned header in
place of the exhaust manifold,” he repeated. “It increases the air flow, which
in turn increases the horsepower.”

“Where did you
learn
that
?”

“Here
and there.
It’s roughly a ten percent gain.”

“It
really
works, man,” Kyle exclaimed. “You’re a genius!”

“Nope.
Just a researcher.”

“Alright, listen
Einstein, I’ve got to do that,” Kyle said emphatically. “You think we can
modify the Nova by next Friday?”

“Mm...I don’t
know,” Rob pondered.
“Depends on the availability of the
parts.
But yeah, I think so. We’ll make it happen.”

“Perfect,” Kyle
responded.

After turning
around with a sliding squeal, Rob punched it again back down the stretch.

“Let’s head to the
mall,
whattaya
say?” Kyle suggested.  On the
way, he waved Rob over at the Seven Eleven.

“Wait till you see
the chick that works here.”

“Babe,
huh?”
  He screeched to a stop in front of the store.

“Oh
yeah.”

They entered, and
Lisa was all smiles when she saw them.

“Hey Kyle!” she
exclaimed, literally bouncing up off her feet.

“Hey
Lisa.”

“You weren’t
kidding, buddy,” Rob whispered as they walked to the back. They came up to the
counter and plopped down their sodas and Slim Jims.

“So who’s your
friend, Kyle?” she asked.

“This is Rob
Fenton,” he introduced.

“Hi Rob,” she
said. “I’m Lisa.”

“Hello there,” Rob
replied, smiling.

“So where are you
guys heading?”

“To the mall,”
Kyle responded.

“I wish I could
go,” she said with a pout. Her full lips looked good doing it too. “Kidnap me,
please?”

“Get the rope,
Rob.”

“I’m on it,” he
said.
“Seriously.”

“I wish!” she
exclaimed, then pointed at the merchandise.
“This together?”

“Yeah,” Kyle said,
pulling his wallet.

“No, man, I’ve got
it,” Rob protested.

“Forget it. On
me,” Kyle said, waving him off.

“Good
friend, huh?”
Lisa surmised.

“The best,” Rob
responded, clapping him on the shoulder.

“It’s
just
sodas and Slim Jims,” Kyle said, rolling his eyes.

“Hey, Kyle, are
you ready to race Wade next Friday night?” she asked.

“Yeah, I am.”

“Ooh, I hope I can
make it!” she exclaimed, bagging the items and handing it over. He smiled and
pointed his finger at her.

“See
ya
’.”

“Bye Kyle! Good to
meet you Rob!”

“Same here,” he
responded.

As they walked
toward the car, Kyle dug in the bag and handed Rob his drink and snack.

“Boy, she looks
like fun!” Rob exclaimed.

“Yeah… for one
night,” Kyle replied, and they both laughed.

The mall parking
lot was packed, as usual on Saturdays, but after a bit of cruising, they found
a spot. As they entered, a couple of good looking girls walked by wearing tight
shorts and tee shirts.

“See what I mean?”
Kyle remarked.

They walked
casually through the mall, checking out the crowd and shops on the bottom
floor, and then took the elevator to the top. Stopping at a water fountain,
they sat on the stone wall that surrounded it. Kyle glanced around at some of
the shops and saw a place named “Heavenly Chocolates”, where an incredibly
obese woman was making an ill advised purchase. Next to it was a men’s shoe store,
and “Bride’s Bouquet” . . . wait a minute. His eyes tracked back and landed on
two females coming out of that particular shop, one of them very familiar.
Could it be?

He walked forward
a few steps for a better view and saw clearly that it was Leigh, and she was
with some female, a very attractive brunette. After studying her companion for
a moment, he remembered her from his first day at
Falstead
.
They were standing and talking near the entrance to the bridal store, where
they had obviously been shopping for Leigh’s wedding dress. Her friend was
gesturing excitedly, and Leigh was responding, equally animated and smiling.
She looked happy;
too
happy. The sum of the scene before him, in that
instant, spoke volumes to Kyle: wedding dress; laughing; care free; full steam
ahead to a June wedding, featuring Leigh Thompson and Gene Sykes. All aboard!
Alarm bells clanged loudly in his mind, and he was certain she had done exactly
what he’d feared; she had buried her feelings for him and was moving on.
But
she’s just putting on for her friend
, a clinical voice spoke in his mind.
It’s
a show. No need to get excited. Don’t blow it.
But he knew it was no show.
It had been a foolish mistake not to pursue her, to not kiss her; to leave his
chances to what little foundation he had laid in her life. This time, a voice
spoke with finality from his heart:
You’re too late
....
she’s gone
.
He had no choice; he had to act.

He walked quickly
back over to Rob.

“Hey, come on,” he
said, tapping him on the shoulder. Kyle started in the direction of Leigh and
Mindy, but Rob was busy eyeing a girl across the way.

“Hold on just a
sec,” he replied, not moving or taking his eyes off the girl whose attention he
had captured. Kyle turned around and grabbed Rob’s arm.

“What?” he
responded.

“Come on!” he said
forcefully. “Trust me, there’s a couple of girls over there we need to talk
to.” Rob looked in the direction he was pointing and saw the two beauties -
even better.

“Hey, I’m game.”

Leigh and Mindy
had gone out to try it again this Saturday, and with her renewed commitment to
her engagement, she was able to make her choice.

“Well, you
finally
got that out of the way,” Mindy said, rolling her eyes and smiling.

“These things take
time,” Leigh responded. Then, after a moment’s hesitation: “Do you think I
picked the right one?”

“Yes! Yes! Forget
about it!”

Leigh seemed her
old, upbeat self today, and there was no evidence of the gloom and hesitation
she had exhibited last time. Her parting mention of Kyle’s name that Saturday,
in connection with the drag racing incident, had led Mindy to believe he was
somehow a factor in her recent disposition. She had brought him up the
following Monday, attempting to revisit the conversation and gain further
information, but Leigh had shrugged it off and changed the subject quickly.
Mindy didn’t buy it, but she had seemed perkier and happier since, and today
she had talked about her wedding in glowing terms.
Oh well, so much for
that,
she thought.

“Hi, Leigh,” a
voice spoke behind them. Leigh froze, recognizing the voice as soon as she
heard it. Mindy turned around first and recognized him immediately
. Well
think of the devil!

“Hello, Kyle,”
Leigh responded, turning and facing him with a half smile. She looked into his
eyes only for a moment, and then glanced down and aside.
I can’t believe
this
, she thought.

Mindy observed
Leigh’s uncomfortable reaction to Kyle, and was absolutely positive now that
there was, or had been, something going on between them. It was in her eyes, in
her body language, signs that were as easy to read as a big print book.