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Authors: A. K. Hartline

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BOOK: The Rain Began to Fall
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He stopped, just
inches between
his face and hers.
Too close
!
she thought,
now in a thorough panic. Her pulse was speeding as he continued to stare into
her eyes, and despite her panic, she couldn’t look away. She had pressed back
against the tree, stomach tight and drawn in, chest out. She was holding her breath,
and she could feel herself trembling, anticipating fully that he was about to
lean forward and kiss her. It was going to happen, and she could not honestly
say she didn’t want to feel his lips on hers. She closed her eyes, ready,
giving in to the moment.

Staring at the
stunningly beautiful woman before him, her lips moist and ready, he wanted to
kiss her then, more than anything he had ever wanted. But timing, he knew in
this case, was everything, and now wasn’t the time. His was an uphill battle to
win her heart, and that’s what he wanted; all of it, all of her. He was sure
now of his feelings for her, and he suffered no delusions; he understood they
weren’t a social pairing, they didn’t make sense, and he was at an extreme
disadvantage. He didn’t want to be cast off too early as a fling, and he was
sure right now that’s all he was. They would kiss – maybe more - she would take
a little walk on the wild side; and then she would get right back to her
wedding plans. He knew he needed to get emotionally closer if he was to have
any chance at her for life. And although it was perhaps the most challenging
thing he’d ever had to do, he looked down at her left hand and asked:

“So how long have
you been wearing that engagement ring?”

Her eyes popped
open, and she stared at him, at his face so close to hers.
What
? She had
been so totally enveloped in the moment that she didn’t grasp what he’d said at
first. Then she saw his eyes looking down at her left hand, at her ring, and
she understood his question. She slid off the tree, stepping away, gathering
her reeling mind as best she could.

“I’ve been engaged
for a year, and happily so,” she answered curtly.
There
!
Take that,
Mister Kyle Tilston
!

“Okay,” he
responded.
But we both know you’re not,
he thought. “So when’s the big
day?”

“June 12th,” she
answered, folding her arms against herself, flustered.

“Well, that’s not
too far off. I guess there’s a lot of planning to do, huh? I assume you’re
having an extravagant wedding?” he asked, once again leaning back against the
tree. It stung to hear her tone, but he had invited it. He couldn’t let it get
to him. There would be another day. And though she was frustrated with him, she
noticed his articulation. It didn’t match his rough boy appearance.
Odd.

“Yes we are,” she responded,
“and I have
tons
to do!”

He knew she came
from a well –to-do family, and he assumed it was the same story for her fiancé.
It was, socially speaking, a natural pairing. Kyle had never dwelt on issues of
wealth and class, or been cognizant of the standard world view. He was not
materially minded, and as was the case with many artists, he created his own
universe, believing that the wealth of a person’s life consisted of the
invaluable moments and experiences in love and friendship. He felt Leigh may be
of the same stripe, but there would be a lot of external pressures in her
world, a lot of expectations, that may be too powerful and engrained for him,
or her, to overcome.

“I bet,” he
replied. “All the bells and whistles, right?”

She stared hard at
him, trying to understand why he hadn’t kissed her just now. Had he suddenly
developed a conscience about her relationship status?

“Right,” she
responded, glancing down at her watch. “Well, looks like lunch is just about
over.”

She looked back up
at him and he was smiling warmly. His eyes, ever dazzlingly beautiful, were
sincere and captivating. The ice around her heart began melting.

“Leigh…” he
started, but she held up her hand.

“Let’s just forget
about it, okay?”

“Can’t possibly do
that,” he replied. He pushed off the tree and took her hand gently in his. She
started to resist, pulling back, but he wouldn’t let her do it, gripping her
hand more firmly. “I can’t forget
you
, Leigh.” He released her hand, and
it fell limply back to her side as she stared at him, bewildered.

“I’ve got to go,”
she said, shaking her head.

She walked off,
and as she went he watched the motion of her hips under her tight skirt; her
lithe, sexy body.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way,
he thought
.
And if there’s a way…I will.

And with that
thought, he followed.

CHAPTER 5
 

Cheryl Thompson
walked into the den of her home and found her daughter sitting cross-legged on
the sofa, busily keying data into her laptop. Her long blond hair hung around
her face as she bent over the keyboard, concentrating on the work at hand.
Before she spoke, Cheryl thought of the hard fact that her only child would
soon be married. Leigh had come home to visit and spend time with her mother as
often as possible during college, and had moved back home after graduating.
They had both grown closer and dependent on each other for solace and emotional
support after Austin’s death. A year ago, when Gene proposed, Cheryl had been
delighted for her daughter; but she had also naturally dreaded the day when Leigh
left and she would be alone.

“What are you
doing home this evening, hon?” she asked. Startled by her mother’s voice, she
jumped slightly. Cheryl laughed.

“I’m sorry. Did I
scare you?”

“Whew, yeah!”
Leigh responded, patting her chest. “I was just totally engrossed. What’s that
you said?”

“I was just
wondering what you’re doing home on Friday night.”

“Gene’s working
over,
again,
” she answered.

“Looks like you
are, too.”

“Just catching
up,” she sighed.

“Seems to me
you’re both working a little too much lately,” Cheryl chastised. She walked
over to the couch. “Mind if I have a seat?”

“Not at
all.”  Leigh moved her papers off the couch onto the coffee table to make
room, and Cheryl sat down beside her.

“How are things
going for you honey?” her mother asked concernedly.  “You seem a little
distracted lately.”

“So I’m told.
Things are okay, I suppose.”

“Who else told you
that?”

“Well, Gene said
the same thing the other night when we were out,” she responded.

“Anything you want
to talk about?” Cheryl pressed. “You’ve got your wedding coming up, and I know
it’s a trying time. I remember how uptight I was, although I didn’t have much
time to feel that way.” She smiled, remembering how quickly she and Austin had
married when he returned from the Navy.

“Not really…..well...
I guess I do have a question, mom.” She turned sideways on the couch to face
her. She had struggled with the idea of talking to her mother about her recent
feelings; she didn’t even want to admit them to herself. But she couldn’t deny
her attraction to Kyle, and after they had parted earlier today, she was
terribly confused. She had concluded that something must be wrong if she was
entertaining the idea of kissing another man at this point. She needed some
support for what she kept telling herself: that this was natural, that it
wasn’t anything to worry about.

“What was it like
before you married?” she asked.

“What do you mean,
dear?” Cheryl responded with a quizzical expression. Leigh sighed and
continued.

“Was there anyone
else? Any drama?” she asked tentatively, realizing the question was loaded.
“I’m just curious, mom!  Don’t go guessing on me, okay?”

Cheryl smiled. She
knew her daughter was on an emotional roller coaster right now. She quickly
filed through her mind, but she couldn’t recall anyone else in Leigh’s life
that she had been serious about. It could be someone from her college days.
Lord
only knows
, she thought, and realized she was doing exactly what Leigh had
asked her not to. She had always been supportive of the engagement; indeed, she
had her part in gently nudging the two together when they came of age. But she
wouldn’t be entirely surprised if Leigh was having second thoughts about
marrying Gene. She had wondered at times, in recent years, if she was truly
happy with him, or if she was just staying on a safe and familiar path, denying
herself the opportunity to explore her heart. She knew Austin’s passing had
profoundly affected Leigh, and there had to be some measure of comfort in the
roots of her long relationship with Gene. But she also knew one couldn’t build
a future on the past. She knew that as well as anyone.

“Well, you know,
there was some
drama
, as you put it,” she replied. “I’m sure I’ve told
you this before; at least of how your father and I met. But there
is
a
back story.”

“Let’s hear it,”
Leigh demanded, “and don’t leave anything out!”

“Okay. What I’m
sure I
haven’t
told you about was a boy named Chris Bollinger that I had
been dating for a while before your father came along.”

“Really?”

“That’s right. We
attended the same church, and we had known each other since we were children.
My parents liked him, or at least mother did. They were strict puritans, and I
wasn’t allowed to even look at a boy without grief! Chris finally got up the
nerve and came calling one night to ask my father’s permission to take me out.
He was petrified! You should have seen him!”

“I bet!” Leigh
exclaimed.

“My father
begrudgingly gave him his permission. I was so excited, and boy crazy of
course!”  They both laughed at this. “Anyway, Chris was nice, and we got
along real well. Everything seemed right. We dated for almost two years, and I
was, naturally, planning my life with him. But one day, a girlfriend and myself
happened to be at a diner in Newport News when a group of sailors came in,” she
continued. “But you know this part of the story,” she said, waving her hand
dismissively.

“No! Go on! It’s
been a long time, and I want to hear it, mom!”

“Alright,” she
replied.

“So what in the
world were you doing in Newport News anyway?” Leigh asked. “I don’t think
you’ve ever told me.”

“Well, my friend,
Janie, had taken a job as a nanny for a couple there,” she explained, “and she
wanted me to visit her. She sent me the bus fare, and I went without
hesitation! I had turned eighteen that March, and I had never been further than
fifty miles from Asheville. I was ready, let me tell you!”

“Wow, I’m sure,”
Leigh responded, trying to imagine her “home body” mom actually venturing
forth.

“Anyway, one
particular sailor took a fancy to me, and was brash enough to come over and
plop down right beside me in the booth. I couldn’t believe it!”

“Dad, right?”
Leigh asked, remembering that part of the story where her mother and father had
met.

“That’s right,”
Cheryl affirmed. “I’d never been in that situation before. I was in a
strange place, and I certainly didn’t have a great deal of experience with men.
What was I to do? Anyway, I don’t think he would have moved if I had asked.
Besides, your father was so handsome in that uniform!” Cheryl’s eyes took on a
faraway look, and she smiled as she drifted back in time. Leigh smiled also,
mentally comparing her mom’s story of her father’s boldness with the way Kyle
had sat down across from her at the picnic table.

“He talked to me
so forward, as though he had known me all of his life, so confident. He asked
me all kinds of questions, where I was from, what school I had gone to. After I
got over my shock, I found it easy to talk to him. He told me he was from
Charlotte, and the more we talked, the more attracted to him I became. He was
so different, so handsome and charming! He asked me for my phone number before
he left, and I gave it to him.”

“Why mom?” Leigh
asked sincerely.

“I can’t tell you
why, but I knew in my heart it was the right thing to do, Leigh,” she answered
firmly. “He told me he was going to be discharged in three months, and said he
would call me whenever he got in. When he had to go, he took my hand and said,
“Wait on me.” Right then and there, I knew that I would.”

Leigh sighed.

“Within a few days
after I got back home, Chris asked me to marry him. Had the ring and
everything.”

“No!” Leigh
exclaimed.

“He did,” Cheryl
affirmed.  “He couldn’t possibly have known anything about Austin, but he
must have sensed something was amiss.”

“How did you
handle that?”

“I just put him
off, told him I wasn’t ready, that we were too young. I simply had to see your
dad again. When he got out of the service, he phoned me and told me he would be
in town that Saturday, and he wanted to pick me up and take me to dinner and a
movie. I accepted, and he showed up wearing his dress whites. My parents were
shocked, wanting to know who Austin was, and “where I thought I was going?”
Chris was supposed to be at a young men’s meeting at church, you see, but he
came over that evening while I was out. And, although my parents tried to save
his feelings, when he pressed, they told him where I was.” Leigh was listening
intently, and Cheryl noticed she was absently nibbling on a fingernail.

“Stop that,”
Cheryl gently scolded. Leigh’s hand flew down to her lap. “You’ll ruin your
pretty nails! I’m so proud you’ve let them grow out, and you don’t need to...

“Okay, okay!”
Leigh exclaimed. “Go on, mom.”

“Anyway, before
the night was over, I knew I loved that sailor, brash, bold and all. I met with
Chris the next day and told him everything. He broke down bad, bless his heart,
and it
was
hard for me to do, but the way I felt, I didn’t have a
choice. I went where my heart took me, and I thank God I did,” she finished.

BOOK: The Rain Began to Fall
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ads

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