Running Out of Rain

by Lori Leger

  They returned to the other group. Cynthia placed her hand on Lena’s arm. “So, when will Jeremy be here, and where do we go to surprise him?”

  Lena clapped her hands together then waved her phone. “Jeremy just sent me a text and said he’ll be here in about ten minutes, but I’ve got a look-out in the parking lot. He can stall him for a little extra time if we need it. My plan is brilliant in its simplicity. Your son will never suspect a thing. Everybody with us, follow me, please!”

  John had to admire her plan, which truly was simple and brilliant. Jeremy entered the club several minutes later and joined his girlfriend at the bar. He had a casual drink with a couple of friends they’d met up with, one of whom introduced him to John Michael, an “acquaintance”. Relaxed and discussing business with a couple of old co-workers he’d spotted at one end of the bar, Jeremy followed the group into the restaurant section of the club. One by one, his family members quietly seated themselves at his table while he was deep in conversation with his friends, his back turned.

  “I’m starving, sweetie. Are you ready to order?”

  Jeremy paused in his conversation to study the menu Lena pushed in his face.

  “So, what do you recommend, bro?”

  “The redfish is great here—” He stopped, turned to face his brother. “Ty, what the hell?”

  “I hear the T-bone is better, but they have a tendency to overcook it, so order it medium-rare, Son.”

  Jeremy whipped around to where his mother had scooted in behind him. “Mom! What the …” He scanned the faces of the multitude of friends and co-workers who’d slipped in and around the table while he wasn’t paying attention. Another shout-out had him searching the crowd who’d lined up behind him. His gaze landed on Lena as his mouth spread in a slow grin. “Oh hell, babe. You got me. You totally got me.”

  “I did, didn’t I?”

  Mick stepped out from behind a wall, holding his daughter. He cleared his throat. “Hey, Uncle Jeremy, I think Zoe has something to tell you.”

  “She does?” He turned to his niece. “What’s up, Zo?”

  The little girl threw her hands up in the air. “Su-pwize!”

  Jeremy burst into laughter as everyone followed suit. “Oh man, I cannot believe this.” He turned to his girlfriend, gave her a big kiss. “You did good, babe. Well done.”

  Lena stood and performed an overly dramatic curtsy. “What did I tell you all? Brilliant in its simplicity.”

  “Happy birthday, Son.” Cynthia stood so she could hug her oldest child tightly.

  “Mom, it’s so good to have you here. Did you fly in?”

  “John Michael and I drove in this afternoon. We’re staying until Sunday.”

  “John Michael?”

  John stood to take his place beside Cyn.

  Jeremy’s eyes widened as he made the connection. “So you’re not a friend of Chad’s?”

  John laughed and shook his head. “Nope. I’ve never met anyone here except for your mother before tonight.”

  “So you two are together?”

  “Yes, we are.” Cyn’s tone sounded cautiously optimistic.

  “I hope you don’t mind me crashing your party,” John volunteered. “I’d have been worried sick knowing she was driving up here alone.” He shrugged. “Things can happen to women alone on the road, you know? And I’ve known Cyn and her parents all my life, but I wanted to meet the rest of her family.”

  Jeremy’s gaze travelled from his mother, to John, then back to his mother. He finally nodded, then pulled her close for another hug. “Good for you, Mom. I’m happy for you.” He pulled back and shook John Michael’s hand again. “Listen, I don’t know the story between you two yet, but all I care about is that she looks happy. Be good to her, please?”

  John smiled and nodded, thankful Cyn had at least two loyal and loving children. “You can count on it, Jeremy.”

  After the meal Mick approached, carrying Zoe. “Tell Grammy goodnight, Zoe.”

  “Night night, Gwammy!” Zoe threw herself into Cynthia’s arms and hugged her.

  Cynthia covered Zoe’s face with kisses. “Where are you going, sweet girl?”

  “She’ll be staying with my parents,” Mick explained. “They live a few miles up the road. I won’t be long.”

  Cynthia craned her neck to see her daughter. “Is Trini going with you?”

  Mick grinned at his motherin-law. “Oh no, she’s much too exhausted to make the drive. It took us a whole two and a half hours to get here from our place in Van Buren.”

  She spotted her daughter, who’d already moved to the bar and was sipping on a large mixed drink. “I see.” She gave Zoe one last kiss. “Nighty-night, Pumpkin. I’ll see all of you again tomorrow, right Mick?”

  “Yes ma’am. Trini and I got a hotel room here in town for the night, but we’ll pick up Zoe before the cook-out at Jeremy’s place tomorrow.”

  She patted his arm, satisfied for the moment. “You be careful on the road, Mick.”

  “Yes ma’am, I’ll be back in twenty minutes or so.” He took his daughter back and headed toward the doorway.

  She turned to John Michael. “I’m worried about those two.”

  He draped his arm loosely around her neck as he turned them toward the club area. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Mick doesn’t take his marriage lightly and he’s extremely committed to his wife. I think they’ll work it out.”

  “God, I hope you’re right.” Cyn’s eyes widened as the DJ started up Every Storm by Gary Allan. “I love this song … dance with me?”

  “I was thinking I had an envie to dance with a pretty lady.”

  She frowned. “I’m not familiar with the phrase, so I’m not sure if it’s a compliment or not.”

  He laughed. “I guess an envie would be the Cajun equivalent to an Okie saying a hankering, maybe? So, yeah, it’s a compliment.”

  He finished off the last swig of his beer and led her out to the floor. When that song ended they reacquainted themselves with a slow Texas two-step to an old George Strait favorite. They stayed on the floor long enough to master their dance moves. Several songs later, they headed back out to the floor for Blake Shelton’s version of Home, a request from the birthday boy himself.

  They caught up to Jeremy and Lena in the crowd of dancers. She reached out to tap her oldest child’s shoulder. “Nice choice, Son.”

  He nodded. “It’s my girl’s favorite song. She gets plumb steamy for old BS.”

  Lena gave her an enthusiastic nod. “Blake is the only man I’d ever consider leaving your son for.”

  Cynthia nodded. “Understandable.”

  John Michael cleared his throat. “I don’t much like the sound of that.”

  “I know, right?” Jeremy added.

  Cynthia patted his shoulder. “Relax, sweetie. I like my men more mature.”

  He grunted. “Good thing.”

  Jeremy laughed and waved them on. “Carry on, you two.”

  John Michael threw a “Likewise,” over his shoulder.

  Cynthia closed the gap between her partner and herself. The belly rubbing song had her wishing she was alone with him; preferably back in their hotel room. “Lord, I love the way you dance.”

  He squeezed her hand. “I love so many things about you I’ve lost count.”

  She waited until they were positioned in the far corner of the room before looping her arms around his neck. She kissed him long enough and thoroughly enough to prompt a guttural groan from John Michael.

  He pulled back slightly, kissed her nose and touched his forehead to hers. “Mm … what did I do to deserve that?”

  She smiled at the tenderness in his voice. “Oh, it’s just a little show of appreciation for you being here with me, and a promise of more to come.”

  His low chuckle vibrated between them, making her shiver. “I can’t wait to get you alone, Cyn.”

  “Seriously, Mother?”

  The shrillness of her daughter’s grating voice jarred Cyn
thia instantly, like an ice bucket bath with no warning. “Excuse me?”

  Trini’s face contorted with anger. “Oh my God! You don’t even have the good sense to be embarrassed by what you’re doing. You two are making a spectacle of yourselves.”

  Cynthia gazed around the room. People were starting to stare. “I’m sure we weren’t. But thanks to you, we’re all beginning to be.”

  “I have never been so ashamed to call you my mother.”

  “Shut up, Trini.” Tyler stepped forward, grabbed his sister’s arm. “Have you lost your flipping mind?”

  She shook her brother’s arm off. “Didn’t you even love Daddy? He must have known. That’s why he turned to another woman.”

  “Trini!” This time it was Jeremy’s booming voice, sounding so much like his father’s that it got Trini’s attention.

  She swung around to face him. “She’s humiliating all of us by carrying on the way she is.”

  Lena spoke up in Cynthia’s defense. “What’s she doing besides dancing, like the rest of us?”

  Trini lifted one hand. “Family busi—”

  Jeremy shoved her hand aside before she could finish. “If you even think about being rude to my girl, I’ll throw your ass out of here so fast your head will spin.” He poked a finger in her face. “You know, Sis. You should work a little harder at hiding your crazy. You really should.”

  “I’m not crazy!” Trini waved her finger at her two brothers. “You two are if you think I’m going to accept any of mother’s appalling behavior. Aren’t either of you ashamed? You should be, for Dad’s sake.”

  Mick stepped forward, apparently having just returned to the club. “What the hell’s going on here, Trin?”

  She turned on her husband, fueled by plenty of self-righteous fury. “I already told you, this is a family matter, so it’s none of your concern. But, as a cautionary warning, don’t even think of humiliating me by dancing with your slut of a girlfriend in a public place. It’s bad enough I have to witness my mother acting like a tramp.”

  “That’s enough.” John stepped in front of her, obviously determined to defend his lady.

  “You don’t have the right to speak to me that way,” Trini snarled. “You’re not my father.”

  “That’s obvious. If I had been, you’d be as respectful toward your mother as your brothers are.”

  She turned to Mick. “Are you going to let him speak to me that way?”

  Mick raised both hands. “None of my business, remember? Besides, it sounds like John here knows what he’s talking about.”

  “You’re a lousy husband!”

  “Enough!” Cynthia snapped. “I have had enough of your childish temper tantrums. It’s time to grow up.” She grabbed Trini’s arm, totally fed up with her daughter’s attention-grabbing-drama-queen-antics.

  “Let go of me!” Trini tried to twist out of the iron grip, but she was no match for her irate mother.

  Cynthia pushed her into the women’s restroom, checked the stalls to make sure they were empty before turning on her daughter.

  “What the hell is wrong with you, Trini? I can overlook your reaction to me finding love with another man. Your reaction is way out of the normal range but considering how badly your dad spoiled you, I’m willing to give you more time. But, I cannot stand by and watch you ruin your own marriage because of your father’s stupidity.”

  Trini’s eyes narrowed to angry slits. “My father was not stupid.”

  “Your father made a stupid choice, and then compounded it with a series of even more stupid choices over a two year period. He wasn’t perfect, Trin. Get over it!” She took a step forward to get in her daughter’s face. “Trust me, if I can, it can’t be nearly as difficult for you.”

  “You don’t understand anything.”

  “Don’t I? I was his wife. I loved him. I honored him. I doted on him. I was faithful to him—always. He. Betrayed. Me. He betrayed my marriage. Not yours.”

  “You couldn’t have loved him if you’ve moved on so quickly.”

  Cynthia couldn’t stop the hysterical laughter from bubbling up at her daughter’s ludicrous accusation. “Quickly? A year and a half of wondering what the hell I could possibly have done wrong to make him turn to a woman the same age as our daughter? Trust me, Trin. There was nothing quick about those eighteen months.”

  Trini shook her head but somehow managed to keep her silence.

  Cynthia paced the length of the room to gather her thoughts. “Was Gene remorseful? Maybe. He died of a massive heart attack in the prime of his life, probably due to the stress from living a huge lie—from living the separate life he’d kept hidden from us, his family. It had to be eating at him, don’t you think? He must have worried that I or someone in the family would discover what he’d been up to.”

  She turned on her daughter again. “But I can tell you this. Your father didn’t turn to another woman because he wasn’t getting what he needed at home. I gave that man everything he wanted; everything he needed from me. He got greedy. That’s on him. He’s to blame, not me, and sure as hell not Mick. I’m not going to let what Gene did ruin the rest of my life. And you damn well shouldn’t either.”

  Trini’s eyes welled with tears. She blinked several times to keep them from spilling over. “The father I adored could not have done that. He just couldn’t.”

  Cynthia placed her hands gently upon Trini’s shoulders. “He could. He did, Trin. It wasn’t my fault, or your fault, or your brothers’ either. It was his fault. We all have choices to make in this world—forks in the road where we can either choose the righteous path or not. We have to rely on our strength, our morals, and our ability to distinguish right from wrong to guide us into staying on the right path. Your father was weak. He chose the wrong path.”

  Trini asked the one question Cynthia had asked herself since Gene’s burial. “Could you have forgiven him if he’d lived, Mom?”

  She nodded. “That first mistake, I could have. If he’d come to me and told me what happened, I would have forgiven him, and he knew me well enough to know that.” She paused and added, thinking it was make or break time. “Even if Tamara hadn’t miscarried his child, I would have made the effort to work things out.”

  Her daughter’s eyes widened in horror. “That was true? Ty said he’d heard a rumor but I didn’t think …”

  “I only recently heard about that.”

  Trini’s gaze narrowed. “From who?”

  “Your Godfather paid me a visit a few weeks ago.”

  “Uncle Charlie went to Louisiana?”

  Cynthia nodded. “He told me everything. He seemed determined to make me understand how honorable Gene’s intentions were, and then how cornered and helpless he was afterward. How everything he did, was only to protect me and our marriage.”

  “Did you believe him?”

  Cynthia leveled a hard gaze on her daughter. “Not for a second.” She leaned back against the marble surfaced lavatory and crossed her arms. “Rather than admit his mistake, he kept going. He chose one wrong path after another until he couldn’t find his way back to doing what was right, anymore.”

  “And Uncle Charlie knew what he was up to all along.”

  Cynthia nodded. “They all knew, honey. They all helped him cover it up.” She shook her head. “I felt so betrayed. By my husband, and by every single person in that department.”

  “That’s why you left, isn’t it, Mom?”

  “I would have moved closer to your grandmother, regardless. But it made it a hell of a lot easier to leave, I admit that.”

  “How could he do that to you?” Trini said, sounding defeated. “I’ll never understand it. He should have been satisfied with what he had.”

  “I agree with you, Trini. He should have been. But he wasn’t.”

  “And if Dad wasn’t satisfied with you …” She paused to take a deep breath. “What chance do I have to keep Mick from doing the same thing to me?” She shook her head slowly as the tears fell in steady
trails down her face. “I couldn’t take it, Mom.” Trini squeezed her eyes shut, finally covered her face and sobbed into her hands.

  Cynthia’s heart constricted at the sight of her daughter in so much pain. “Oh, honey, Mick is a good man and he loves you. The one thing Gene and I agreed on when it came to you was that you had somehow managed to find then marry the one man in the world who was willing and able to put up with your prima donna attitude.”

  She stepped forward and pulled Trini close for a hug. “Please don’t alienate your husband over your father’s mistakes. Cherish your marriage.”

  Trini’s voice cracked as everything came to a head. “I’m sorry I’ve been so horrible to you.”

  Cynthia held her sobbing daughter close. “I know, Trin.” She let her cry. When Trini’s sobs slowed to sniffles, she gave her a handful of tissues. “Now, as Grammy Bess would say, dry your eyes, ma petite fille. There’s a party waiting for us out there.”

  Trini splashed cold water around her eyes and dabbed at them with tissues. “How do I make this right? Jeremy’s going to be so pissed because I ruined all Lena’s hard work and effort.” She caught her mother’s gaze in the mirror. “And Mick. God, Mick is probably on the phone right now with a good divorce lawyer.”

  Cynthia had to hold back her threatening grin. “Nonsense. Lawyers don’t work this late on Friday nights.” Trini’s laughter had her smiling. “Nothing’s ruined. Your brothers are used to your dramatics, and no doubt Mick is too, by now.”

  “You’d think he would be, wouldn’t you? But, I may have pushed him past his limit this time, Mom.”

  “You’re not giving the man nearly enough credit. But first, you’re going to go out there and apologize to your brother and Lena, and then make it up to Mick. Take advantage of this time away from your child. Appreciate the chance to be a couple rather than parents. Dance with your husband. And at the end of the night, take him back to your hotel room and make love the rest of the night. But most importantly, learn to trust again, Trin. It makes all the difference in the world.”

  Trini nodded, walked toward the door. She stopped, turned back to look at her mother. “I’m so sorry Dad was such a fool, Mom. I love you.”