Bring on the Rain (36 page)

Madeline went to Brook’s room, seeing
traces of both Karla and Coy everywhere. Karla, in a few things
she’d left behind. Coy in the pictures on the dresser, the jersey
lying on a chair, a few things he’d bought Brook, a stack of CDs
with Brook and Coy written on them.

As much as she wanted to destroy those,
Madeline threw away only Karla’s things. She cleaned Brook’s room
and knew her daughter had to be the one to keep or throw away those
traces of Coy. Madeline was weeping silently, wanting to stomp that
jersey.

They’d not only hurt her, they had
humiliated her. They had ruined her Prom, all Brook’s girlish
romantic dreams… The two people she loved the most, gave the most
to, had betrayed her.

Madeline picked Brook up that evening.
Then she called Gee Gee. Madeline laid it all out, asking Gee Gee
to tell Max she’d call after Graduation.

Two weeks more, was all she was
asking.

“
How is Brook?”

“
Like I was, only she didn’t
have to deal with the sexual part.”

“
I’m coming in, Graduation.
I will fight Bud tooth and nail if I have to. She’s in no shape to
move in with him and start getting pressure.”

“
How am I going to do this?
Tell Brook now…about Max?”

“
Just do it, Madeline. It is
not going to get better for her for a long time. You may as well do
it.”

“
All right… Max can come on,
be at the Graduation. We can go out and talk while you talk to
Brook…about whatever.”

“
I’m taking her with me even
if I have to drag her, Madeline. I’ve about had it with those damn
Copper Creek men!”

“
Well, Mitch will likely be
in Max’s life someday.”

“
Fine, but he’d better be a
decent person to him. I’m not as tolerant as you.”

Madeline said absently with a heavy
head and an ache that wouldn’t ease, “Bud is getting a hotel room
in town I understand. Maybe you can head him off, if you get here
early.”

“
Find out where, I’ll book
at the same place. Put Brook on the phone for a moment.”

Madeline did, sitting in a chair while
Brook lay on the bed.

She said, “I don't know, Dad’s having
my car sent ahead, yes. No, I haven’t registered at any college
yet. Oh? Europe where? I…maybe. I’d be a bummer right now, Aunt Gee
Gee. Well, thank you, I’m feeling pretty foolish. I know, my
birthday? Right after Graduation.” Brook sat up, looking at
Madeline with a brow raised.

Madeline mouthed, go if you
want

“
If you can talk Dad around,
sure, why not. I have to get out of here.” Tears came again, Brook
sniffed. “No, I’m okay. I’ll likely see him at the ceremony and
Karla too. It’s all around the school probably. Nothing of that
sort happens without talk.”

Brook laughed at something Gee Gee
said, “I will. I’m glad the year is over. I’ll see you. Yes, I’ll
call you in the middle of the week, after I run it by him. Love you
too. Here’s Mom.”

Madeline got on the line. “You
see?”

“
Yes, my God, she sounds
awful. Madeline I feel for you. I’m calling Max. I am going to tell
him about Brook, and Coy too. Let me get back to you.”

Madeline hung up, went to Brook’s room.
Brook lay on the bed on her side, the CD she played was
melancholy.

“
What can I do?”

Brook sniffed, wiped tears away, and
sat up. “I think I’ll go with Aunt Gee Gee. What will I do with my
new car?”

“
We’ll lock it in the
garage. Um, when you run this by your Dad, maybe you should make it
sound educational, cultural, something that will appeal to his
snotty tastes.”

Brook laughed. “I thought I would. Aunt
Gee Gee is talking about hiking and chilling out. I’m going to tell
him I’m taking classes.” She rubbed her eyelids, which looked
raw.

Madeline held her hand. “Are you going
to get through Graduation all right?”

“
I will. I want it all done
and over.”

“
After you call Bud, I need
to talk to you.”

Brook said, “I’m going to call him
Monday.”

“
I’ve got to face Jenna. You
know that, don't you? I think she should know.”

“
I don't care.” Brook was
incensed. “I don't want to see either of them!”

“
I’m taking this whole week
off work. I want Tuesday, you and me. Okay?”

“
Okay.” Brook asked then,
“Is this going to be about Mitch?”

“
In a way, yes. I’m sorry,
but he’s not Coy.”

“
I know. I never confuse
that bunch like you did.” Brook looked across the room. “I don't
want to talk about Coy for a while.”

“
Sure.” Madeline stood.
“What can I get you for Graduation?”

Brook thought a moment, “A classy set
of luggage that will look good in Europe.”

Madeline smiled wobbly. “You got
it.”

However, after Madeline left the room,
she heard her daughter crying for several long hours. She heard the
CD’s hitting the wall and walked out later, smelling smoke and
seeing Brook in the back yard. Brook was standing with her arms
wrapped around her stomach, crying and burning a pile of stuff.
Coy’s jersey was on top the pile.

~*~

Monday, Madeline drove to Jenna's
house. She sat a moment in front of the split-level. It was amid
rows of other houses all built the same. She reflected on their
friendship, on when the girls were toddlers, the years of sharing
and bonding, the past when she had thought of Karla as her own
child too, and Jenna like a sister. Something had gone wrong,
broken, and she was hurting inside too.

Madeline knocked. She could hear the
yelling from inside the house.

Jenna yanked open the door. She had a
black eye.

Madeline swallowed. “Can I come
in?”

Jenna stepped back and closed the door.
She led her to the sitting room where Karla was standing by the
sofa looking flushed and angry.

“
He beat her up.” Karla
ground out, “look at her! Her whole body is bruised.”

“
Is it true? Did
Tony—”

Jenna nodded and sat down on the sofa.
She looked defeated, brittle. “I got a warrant out for him. He’s on
the run they tell me.”

“
How long, Jenna. How long
has this gone on?”

“
The whole time. It
started…over small things, but on the trip, it exploded.” She
looked at Madeline. “We didn’t go to Dollywood, never planned on
it. He made me think we were going somewhere romantic; to try and
get closer to each other…I…I cannot believe I let this happen to
me. I’m not like this.”

“
Did he bring you
home?”

“
No, I rented a car.” Jenna
rasped, “It gets worse. He has maxed out all my credit cards, and
even borrowed on the house. I’d put his name on the deed…I’m in
deep trouble.”

“
I can’t go to school now,”
Karla growled. “She let him screw us. He never even talked to
anyone like he said. I called the college…and they told me they
never heard of him.”

Madeline looked at Karla. “Then you can
work and help her out.”

Karla snorted with disgust. “I’m not
going to pay for her mistakes. She forgot all about me.”

“
Grow up and get a frigging
job,” Madeline grouched at her. “It won’t kill you.”

“
Karla’s right—” Jenna
began.

“
So? You made a mistake.
Karla is a grown girl, she can damn well support herself, and it’s
not going to kill her to wait on college.”

“
Oh, that’s smooth,” Karla,
said sarcastically. “That’s right. I am not Brook, am I? I can’t
have what I want.”

Madeline glared at her. “If you hadn’t
betrayed her friendship I’d probably step in and help you. As it
is, you had better be thankful that I can stomach the sight of you.
She was good to you. You were staying at my home.”

“
What’s this about?” Jenna
cried.

“
Let her tell you.” Madeline
stood up to leave. She told Jenna, “When this mess is over, and
Tony is caught, call me. I’ll see what I can do.”

“
The sheriff said he’ll
probably get charged with assault, which won’t carry much. He’s
sure Tony won’t live around here again though.”

“
I'm sorry about
everything.”

Jenna started crying. “I'm sorry I
didn’t listen. I still don't understand how it
happened.”

Madeline shook her head. “It’s over.
Think about getting things lined out. If you need a place to stay,
call Ruby, she’s got a guest cottage I’m sure she’ll let out to
you.”

“
What about
Karla?”

Karla cut in. “I’m leaving here! Right
after Graduation. Fuck this hick town.”

Jenna was sobbing.

Madeline told the girl, “Why don't you
chill out, Dammit! You screwed up too. If you want to leave after
Graduation, leave. But don't put your mom through hell because of
it.”

Karla glared at her. Her lips in a
twisted smile. “Maybe I’ll be pregnant by Coy Coburn. Maybe they’ll
cough up some money to send me off in style.”

Madeline couldn’t believe her ears!
She’d felt as if this kid was her own once. She was shaking when
she grit, “You do what you have to. It looks like you planned it
all along anyway.”

Karla smiled, coolly. “Mom’s the fool,
not me.”

Madeline had to get away from her, so
she did. She walked out of the house and drove to a parking lot.
She sat there wondering if she had ever known Karla anyway. Slumped
back, listening to traffic in the distance, wondering— if she had
the emotionally energy to give Jenna the support she would need...
She had to. She was broken, beaten. Tony, the sonofabitch. Madeline
hoped they caught him.

~*~

“
I called Dad.” Brook was on
the porch, her feet on the banister, seated in one of the kitchen
chairs when Madeline returned.

“
How’d it go over?” She
tossed her purse and keys aside, sat in the wicker chair and helped
herself to Brook’s ice-tea jug.

“
At first he freaked, big. I
told him Aunt Gee Gee knew all kinds of royalty. Then, he was like,
you’ll need a better wardrobe, and can your mother afford
it.”

“
What did you say?” Madeline
smiled. Bud was so…Bud.

“
I said, no. Could
he?”

Madeline laughed for the first time
that day.

Brook sighed. “My car will be here on
Wednesday. I got a call from the cleaners, my Graduation dress is
ready.”

“
Want me to pick it
up?”

“
Yes.” Brook unscrewed the
cap on the nail polish and said, “Coy has been calling.”

“
Yeah?”

“
I only answered once; I
told him to stop calling, and to leave me the hell alone. I told
him if he spoke to me, or came near me during Graduation, I was
going to have him arrested.”

“
What did he
say?”

“
He kept saying my
name.”

Madeline watched her a moment. “He call
after that?”

“
Yep.”

“
Are you going to be able to
deal with this, or do you want to go to Ruby’s?”

“
I’m not hiding
out.”

“
You think he’ll try and
come by here?”

“
I thought of it. I was
wondering…if you’d called Jude, and said anything.”

“
I wanted your permission
first.”

“
If it will make Coy stay
away. You’ve got it.”

Madeline waited until Brook went inside
to pack clothing for goodwill, and go through her things. It was
distraction, Madeline knew, to keep her mind off the pain. She’s in
there, tearing things apart, emptying boxes, and packing away her
little girl life.

Madeline took the phone to the porch
and called Jude. It was starting to drizzle. It matched her mood
perfectly.

“
Jude, its
Madeline…”

“
This is Coy. Can
I—”

Madeline hung up. Sitting there for a
second, letting her anger burn out. She finally went in and took a
shower. She changed into jeans, boots, and a sweatshirt. It was
raining steadily when she told Brook she was picking up the dress
and going for a drive.

In the middle of the messed up room, on
the floor cross-legged, Brook said, “Unplug the phone, and lock the
door.”

“
I will.” Madeline told her
she would bring home dinner.

Madeline picked up the dress, hung it
on a clip in the jeep, and drove to Copper Creek.

~*~

The hills and valleys were green, dark,
and fresh as the rain showered overhead. She glanced up at the old
farmhouse, wondering who lived in it from the family
now.

Madeline looked further, up at Mitch’s,
when she pulled into the drive at Jude’s. Mitch’s truck was
gone.