The Scent of Rain

by Jones, Julianne

  Jaena led Mitchell into the living room and told him to make himself comfortable and promised not to be long. Mitchell looked around with interest. It was a small room crammed with books and small porcelain collectibles. There was no television, no sound system, no electronic equipment. Jaena could see that he was wondering what they did of an evening.

  “No wonder you do so well in your studies: there are no distractions.”

  “There are books.” She pointed out the obvious. “I’ll try not to be long.”

  Within seconds Jaena was back in the room. “What should I wear? I mean, jeans or a dress? I don’t know where we’re going.”

  “Jeans would be fine. And that jacket you wore when you met Pop. It looked nice on you.”

  So he had noticed. Conscious that Mitchell was waiting and that her landlord was not the talkative type, Jaena resisted the urge to just stand under the shower and allow the hot water to warm her from the outside in. Instead, she hurried through her shower and styling her hair and was dressed and ready to leave only thirty minutes after she had deposited Mitchell in the living room.

  His eyes shone when she entered the room, but all he said was, “You ready?”

  She nodded and tried to ignore the feelings of disappointment. She said goodbye to Trish on the way out and followed Mitch to his car. It had stopped raining, but the footpath was still slippery from the recent downpour and Mitch placed a guiding hand beneath her elbow as he led her to the car. Opening the front passenger door, he pulled the picnic rug off her seat and threw it onto the back seat.

  “You don’t need that any more and hopefully it will dry there.”

  She nodded and climbed into her seat and fastened the seatbelt. “Where are we going?”

  “Wait and see.”

  “Okay.”

  Suddenly she felt nervous with Mitch. Was this a date? He hadn’t said so, and she had just assumed it was a friendly get-together, but now she was feeling anxious. How was she meant to act? What was her role?

  Soon Mitchell was parking the car and, taking her hand, leading her into a small restaurant that she had heard from other students was quite expensive. Her nervousness increased. She was surprised to hear him asking for a table that he had previously booked. Had he planned this?

  As the waiter led them to their table he whispered in her ear. “I booked while you were having your shower. I’ve heard the food is great.”

  When they were seated, and their orders taken, Mitchell looked across at her and smiled.

  “What?” She couldn’t make out his expression.

  “Oh, nothing. I was just thinking how blessed I am right now.”

  Jaena took the bait. “Why now?”

  “Because I’m sitting opposite the prettiest girl in the world, of course.”

  She blushed and didn’t know how to reply. This was a side to Mitch that she wasn’t used to seeing. She searched for something to say.

  “You know, you still haven’t told me your story.”

  “My story? But I told you when I took you to meet Pop.”

  “Hardly. I’m sure there’s more to it than you were born at home and have two brothers. Please, I want to hear it. All of it.”

  “Now?” Mitchell was surprised.

  “Yes. Why not?”

  “I don’t know. It’s just not very interesting and I thought we could talk about other things.”

  “Like what?”

  He shrugged.

  “I told you before: let me be the judge of whether your story is interesting or not.”

  “Well, you can’t say I didn’t warn you.” He took a breath and begun. “I don’t remember what I’ve already told you so you’ll have to forgive me if I repeat myself.” He winked and she dropped her eyes in confusion. “My first memory, I think, is of Mum telling me that I was going to be a big brother. It was just before they left for the hospital. I must have been about four or five.”

  He paused while the waiter set their drinks down. Jaena lifted the straw to her mouth and took a sip. “What happened?”

  “I don’t really know. Dad came to me that night and said that I had a sister, but that she’d died. I didn’t really understand what that meant. All I know is that he and Mum were pretty upset although they tried to hide it. I found out years later that her lungs were under-developed and that she had only lived a few minutes.

  “Things seemed to change in our family after that. Mum used to cry a lot. I’d find her sitting at the kitchen table or in her room, just crying. She tried to put on a brave face, but I knew – I heard her. It scared me, even though I didn’t know why. And then my grandmother died. I knew that she’d been sick and then suddenly she wasn’t around anymore, so I started to understand what death meant. It was a difficult time in our family.”

  He paused and took a sip of his own drink. “It was sometime around this time that your grandfather and my grandfather went their separate ways. I’ve wondered lately if things had been different – if my grandmother had still been alive – if Pop would have reacted the way he did. I mean, he did what he thought was right and he thought your grandfather and mother were acting contrary to Scripture – no offence intended – but my grandmother, well she had this calming influence on my grandfather and I think she may have been able to make him see that perhaps there were two sides to the story and that he had to be careful about judging without knowing the whole story. I don’t know. It may not have made any difference.”

  Mitchell again paused as the waiter brought their meals to the table. When the waiter had gone, he looked at Jaena. “Would you mind if I said grace?”

  “I’d like that very much.”

  Mitch reached out his hand and Jaena gave him hers. Quietly Mitch thanked God for the company and for the food. As soon as he had finished, he released her hand and began eating. After a few mouthfuls, he put his fork down.

  “This place deserves its reputation. The food is as good as I was led to believe. How’s yours?”

  “Delicious. But what about the rest of the story?”

  Mitch gave a low laugh. “You’re not going to give up, are you? Well, as I think I’ve told you before, when our grandfathers went their separate ways, things changed in our family. Dad started preaching more and more with Pop, and eventually gave up his job so that he could minister full-time. It meant he was away a lot more often and we found that hard - Mum especially. She had to be the decision-maker when he was away and then he’d come back and expect to slip back into his role as father and head of the family as if nothing had happened. I saw how Mum struggled and not just with that. While Dad was away, Mum would often get requests for him to speak at various engagements. She had to make the decisions about whether to accept or decline on his behalf – remember this was before emails and cell phones – it would be easier today than it was then. She would look at the calendar thinking that we would have six weeks uninterrupted with Dad when he returned from wherever he was speaking, and then another engagement would come up and if she accepted it, it would mean that we might be lucky if we got two weeks with him. She had to balance her own needs with those of the ministry. She made a lot of sacrifices that very few people knew about. My brothers and I got used to not seeing Dad all that much, but I don’t know if Mum ever got used to it. I think she was lonely a lot of the time.”

  Mitchell stopped talking and finished his meal. “As I said, not very exciting.”

  “Is that all?”

  “What more is there?”

  “School. Hobbies. Friends. Girlfriends?”

  Mitchell gave her a mischievous smile and she reddened again as she recalled the time she’d told him about Clayton and he said he was just sussing out the competition. Did he think she was doing the same?

  “I had friends and, yes, some of them were girls, but never any girlfriends. Pop came to live with us a few years after my grandmother died and he had a huge impact on my life. He used to tell me that if I wasn’t old enough to get married, then I wasn’t o
ld enough to date. I listened to him, and until now, have not dated.”

  Until now? Did that mean what she thought it meant?

  “So no girlfriends?”

  “No girlfriends.”

  She wanted to say that she knew that there had been plenty who had been interested, but it sounded too personal. She tried to think of something else to say and was relieved when the waiter approached to remove their plates.

  “Do you want dessert?” Mitchell asked. “I’m thinking I’d like to try their Mud Cake.”

  Jaena opened the dessert menu. “I’m not sure if I can eat another bite, but the Lemon Curd Cheesecake with crushed almond toffee sounds intriguing.”

  “Let’s get it.” Mitch signalled the waiter and placed their dessert orders. He also ordered two coffees. “If you don’t want one, I can drink yours.”

  “Coffee sounds lovely, even if it will keep me awake half the night.”

  He grinned like a naughty schoolboy. “It will give us more time to talk then.”

  She laughed. “I’m on music in the morning at church. I have to be there early. I’ll need my sleep, coffee or no.”

  He pretended to be disappointed, but she could see that he was concerned that she get the rest that she required. They both knew that with a full-on semester that they couldn’t afford to allow themselves to become exhausted.

  “Your Pop is an incredible person. I saw that when I met him, and what you’ve told me, well, you are blessed. Are your other grandparents living?”

  “No. Mum’s parents died when she was only fifteen. She married Dad two years later.” At Jaena’s raised eyebrows he nodded. “Yep, she was only seventeen when she married Dad. He was twelve years older. Dad was an only child, but Mum had twin brothers. They both married and had large families so Christmas and other family get-togethers aren’t too low on numbers.”

  “There were times I hated being an only child, but Mum had four brothers and Uncle Marcus had a sister and they all had families so there were always plenty of cousins around at Christmas and birthdays. It would have been very lonely otherwise. I think a sibling or two would have been nice.”

  “Don’t you believe it,” and Mitchell laughed.

  The waiter brought their desserts just then and they both began to eat. After a few minutes, Jaena pushed her plate away. “This is divine, but I can’t finish it. I’m sorry.”

  “No worries. I’ll have it.”

  Jaena shook her head in amazement as Mitch finished his dessert and then hers. His eye caught hers.

  “I’ll run an extra kilometre or two tomorrow to work it off.”

  Jaena stirred her coffee. “Didn’t you tell me that you went to Bible College? You haven’t mentioned that yet.”

  “Yes. Bible College for two years. I had no idea what I wanted to do when I left school and Bible College seemed like a good idea. It was, too. It gave me a good understanding of what I believe and why. Pop and Dad thought it would prepare me to work in the ministry – and it did – but after a year, I knew it wasn’t what God wanted me to do. Some, like Dad and Pop, can serve in ministry or on the mission field, but others of us are called to serve just where we are.”

  “And how did you come to that conclusion?”

  Mitchell was quiet for a few minutes as he drank his coffee. He put the cup down in the saucer and looked at her. “It was an electrician that worked on one of the stages we were to speak on. Everything was going wrong for him, but he just kept on working and remained so calm and cheerful despite everything. It had a profound effect on me. You see, I admire my Dad and Pop for what they do, and I know they live what they preach, and I’ve seen the results of what they do, too, but for months I’d been wondering if it was really for me – if I had really been called to this work. I seemed to be feeling more and more unsettled with the task I’d taken on and questioning what I was doing there when I wasn’t even a very good Christian. We were in England at the time – in one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen – and I hated it. I wanted to come back home. I dreaded every night getting up in front of people and singing and playing the guitar or giving my testimony or whatever it was I was meant to do. I felt like a great big fraud. I was also hunkering to go to Uni – get an education. I’d always loved maths and physics and I wanted to study them further, but I didn’t see how I could use those subjects – those gifts if you like – for God. And then I met this electrician and things changed for me. He was living out his faith minute-by-minute in his workplace – in everything he did. And I realised that I didn’t have to be involved in ministry to be effective. I could live for Christ wherever He called me to be. I knew right then what I wanted to do. I enrolled in Uni online that very night, but it wasn’t until we were on the plane flying home that I told Dad. The funny thing is – well I guess it isn’t so funny because it’s obvious that God had a hand in it all along – he knew that I wasn’t destined to remain in the ministry. He didn’t try to discourage me at all.”

  Jaena was silent when he finished, unsure what to say. This was another side of Mitch that she’d not seen – a side that she felt honoured to have been allowed to glimpse. The waiter brought their bill and Mitch took it up.

  “Mitch. I … please, will you let me pay half? I’m working and you’re not and …” She stopped, afraid of offending him.

  “I invited you, remember? Perhaps next time we can agree on some arrangement. Besides, I had work in the holidays. I’m not totally broke.”

  Consenting, Jaena glanced down at her lap as she replayed his words in her head. Next time? Were they a couple now? Is that what he thought – what he wanted? And what about her? Was it what she wanted? Or did she misunderstand?

  But his words when he dropped her off were clear enough. “Remember that you promised to take me to meet your folks. I think it’s time, don’t you?”

  “Weekend after next?” she queried as her heart did funny things in her chest.

  “Weekend after next, it is,” he agreed. “I’ll look forward to it.”

  *********

  Jaena knocked on the bedroom door before pushing it open with her foot.

  “Happy Father’s Day,” she sung out as she placed the tray on the bed. Marcus pushed himself up against the pillows and reached for the bedside lamp. Beside him, Madi stirred and opened one eye.

  “What time is it?” from Madi.

  “Just after seven,” Jaena replied.

  “Seven. It’s Sunday morning,” Madi complained.

  “That’s right: time to get up.”

  Madi moaned and sat up.

  Marcus looked at the tray in front of him. “You’ve outdone yourself this time, Jaena.”

  “Here, this is for you.” She handed him a small gift with accompanying card.

  He opened the card, read it and laughed. He reached for Jaena and planted a kiss on her head. “Thank you, honey.”

  “It’s true, you know. You’re still the best looking father any girl could want.”

  Madi took the card and read it.

  “Honey, your father was the good looking one in the family,” Marcus protested.

  “I hate to tell you this, Uncle Marcus, but I’ve seen photos and I think you’re far better looking than my father. My father’s looks were contrived – but you, well, you are just yourself and you are the more handsome one.”

  “She’s right,” Madi said as she handed the card back.

  Marcus looked at his wife in surprise.

  Madi smiled. “Damien was – how do you put it? – flashy. Charming. He knew what to say and how to use his looks and he made girls’ hearts flutter, but he didn’t have your gentle spirit. I just wish I’d realised it earlier.”

  “Well, I’m glad you didn’t.”

  Now it was Madi’s and Jaena’s turn to look surprised. Marcus laughed at the expressions on their faces. “If you hadn’t married Damien then Jaena wouldn’t be here today and think what a loss that would be. Hey, what’s this?” He took another parcel tha
t Jaena held out to him.

  “It’s an anniversary gift. Whether you remember or not, it’s your wedding anniversary this week. And I won’t be here so I want you to have it now.”

  Marcus handed the gift to Madi while he reached for the smaller one that had been with his card.

  “And there’s something else …”

  Marcus and Madi looked at Jaena expectantly.

  “There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

  “Ah …” said Madi.

  “Who?” asked Marcus.

  “Mitchell Gallagher,” replied Jaena and Madi together.

  “Who is Mitchell Gallagher?” Marcus asked then watched in amazement as his wife and the daughter of his heart collapsed in laughter.

  Jaena and Mitchell’s Story

  Chapter Thirteen

  Jaena pulled into the driveway and turned the ignition off.

  “Well, here we are.”

  “Yes.” He surveyed the two-storey bungalow and tried to imagine what he would find inside. He knew from Jaena that Marcus had opened it up and made it more compatible with modern living, but from the outside it could be any one of the other one hundred year old homes in the small cul-de-sac. But this was the house Jaena called home and he took more interest in it than in any of the others.

  “Thanks for letting me drive your car.”

  “My pleasure.” Actually it wasn’t, but he couldn’t tell her otherwise.

  “I’m a shocking driver. Uncle Marcus has always said so.”

  He turned and looked into her eyes then. “Yes. You are. I agree with your Uncle Marcus.”

  She laughed. “Well, he taught me so he’s got no one to blame but himself. Come in and meet the mater and pater.”

  “I’m home!” Jaena announced as she opened the front door. He would’ve held it for her, but she was already ahead of him, not giving him the chance to be chivalrous.

  A woman, presumably Jaena’s mother, came out of the kitchen and Jaena introduced them. “This is my friend Mitch Gallagher.” He couldn’t fail to notice the note of pride that had crept into her voice. So …