Shine On

by Jewell, Allison J.

  By the time she closed her eyes it was nearly two in the morning and she had to make eight o’clock Mass. Her stomach flipped at the thought of seeing Silas tomorrow, so she tried to keep her mind on other things, like if Bo’s granddad didn’t burn down that barn, who did? Were there more moonshiners in the county than Walter and Bo’s pap? She had no idea… but she was sure of one thing—she didn’t really want to find out.

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Four hours of sleep did not look good on her. Her eyes were puffy and red. She couldn’t get Bo out of her mind but it wasn’t the same way she couldn’t get Silas out of her mind. Bo’s family as moonshiners had thrown her for a loop. Their family seemed so normal, they were smart with a strong farm, respected in the community, and well-known, but they made moonshine. They’d even attracted enough attention that a revenuer had blamed his pap for burning down his barn. She had awoken all night thinking about this, like her body rested but her mind never let go of the new information she’d learned.

  Surprisingly enough, she didn’t feel that tired though. Her nerves were up with the thought of seeing Silas for the first time in days. Emmie put on her best dress, the same drop-waist frock from Chicago that she had worn the day she met Silas. Being he was a guy, he probably wouldn’t even notice. Looking outside the small kitchen window she noticed the gray skies had opened up and it had started to rain.

  Maybe she should add a car to the list of things that she needed to be saving money for, but would never be able to afford. That thought actually made her laugh out loud. Even if she had a car, she had no idea how to drive. Ronnie always told her there was no need for her to learn because she could depend on him to take her places until she married. He didn’t think it was right for a woman to drive around alone. Eventually, she had just given up the fight—choose your battle was an important thing to remember with Ronnie.

  She walked around the stairs and pilfered through a small chest in the living room until she found an old black umbrella. Walking in the rain was something that Emmie enjoyed, however, she’d spent an hour and half this morning trying to look nice: pinning, powdering, primping. The rain was sure to make her makeup smear and leave her ankle-deep in mud.

  Emmie reached to the top of the cabinet and pulled out a large dark brown picnic basket. She’d come across the umbrella and basket a few days ago when she was cleaning. She had been spending so much time away lately that she had barely noticed how the place was beginning to fall apart around her.

  Besides, a day spent on her hands and knees scrubbing the floors and washing the windows meant she couldn’t think about how she had messed up Walt’s income with some silly apple pie moonshine idea. Or that Silas was too busy with his job to phone her. Well, that had been the theory anyway. Her mind still wandered back to those things from time to time.

  Pilfering around in the drawers, she found some of the blue gingham fabric that was left from decorating the moonshine jars. Decorating moonshine jars—her face flushed at the memory. What a dumb idea. She wrapped the fabric around the jars to keep them from knocking against each other on her walk to church. Balancing the umbrella on her shoulder and tucking the basket handle into her elbow, Emmie stepped out into the weather. Spotty settled into step with her.

  The rhythmic sound of the rain drumming on the umbrella was peaceful. Rain always made her feel more spiritual. She couldn’t put her finger on the why exactly. It was just the balance she guessed. People gave the sun all the credit for plants growing, sustaining life, and happiness. She chose to find her solace in the rain.

  The ground was already soft. She walked down the drive, near the road that would lead her to town. Emmie tried to keep most of her weight on her toes but could still feel her heels sinking deeper into the earth. The loud hum of a car was closing in on her. She was surprised when it stopped about ten feet from her. Trick hopped out of the passenger side and waved his arms for her to hurry. She picked up pace, he took her umbrella and pushed her into the car before sliding into the backseat. When the dog acted like he may try to nose his way into the car Silas looked back at Emmie and spoke.

  “You don’t expect me to give the dog a lift to church do you?” A smile played at the corner of his lips.

  “No. Go back to the porch, boy,” she said out the window. He took a step away from the car but didn’t move all the way back to the house until they had pulled onto the street.

  “What were you doing?” Silas asked, shifting the car into gear.

  “Umm… walking to church,” she answered.

  “In the rain?” He shook his head. “Were you in a hurry and couldn’t wait for the car?”

  “I didn’t know you were coming to get me… And, I don’t melt in the water,” she smiled.

  “You’re sweet enough to. Don’t all things made of sugar melt?” he mocked.

  She snorted, “That’s about the sorriest line I’ve ever heard, Silas McDowell.”

  “Ohh,” Trick laughed from the backseat, “a girl just put you in your place, brother.”

  “Shut up, Trick,” Silas barked but then his crooked grin appeared and gave away his amusement.

  “Alright, no more lines… unless they are original. Let’s just say from now on if I ask you to go somewhere, assume I’m going to pick you up, okay?”

  “Alright,” she nodded. “And thank you.”

  ***********

  Saint Joseph Catholic Church was as beautiful as she remembered. It was built in the late 1800s by German and Italian immigrants that moved to the area. Its handcrafted brick walls reached up taller than any of the small houses that surrounded it. Elaborate gothic style stained glass windows displayed popular stories from the bible. Even those in town that couldn’t read or understand the language of the Mass could still learn just by looking at the stories the windows told. Two elaborate wooden doors were propped open welcoming those from the street. By the time they arrived at the church, the organist had already begun playing. The eerie calm of the hymn bursting through the organ pipes filled the air. With every breath you took, the music went straight from your lungs to your soul.

  Emmie had grown up going to Ronnie’s church sporadically. Sometimes in the sermon the preacher would mention the local Catholics. Saying they were just folks that “liked their wine” and “used the church collection to buy new golden things to hang on their altar.” It was the general belief among most of the folks in town that Catholics believed in the same God and Jesus but that’s pretty much where all the similarities stopped.

  Emmie remembered repeating this to her mother once. She’d looked at her with a stern eye and said, “Emma Rose. Who are we to judge how people want to worship? Maybe they just want to make things be as pretty as possible for God. You know how we put on our best clothes? Maybe that’s all there trying to do with their building. It is not our job to judge. You’d be best to remember that.”

  Mama didn’t get angry often but when she was disappointed, her words were wrapped in meaning. It was a conversation Emmie had never forgotten. From that day on when she had gone to church with Ava, she’d only looked for the beauty in the building. She found it everywhere—in the long wooden pews, in the elaborate columns that reached to an arched ceiling, but mostly she found it in the way the church was stone-silent all through Mass other than the music or the priest. It was like everyone there was so caught up in the experience they didn’t have time to think about anything else. It never ceased to amaze her.

  Silas was no different than all of the other church patrons. He walked in and genuflected, bringing his knee all the way to the ground and bowed his head in reverence before entering the pew. She wanted to mimic his movements but was afraid of doing it wrong. So she kept her head down in what she hoped looked like a sign of respect and then scooted across the bench next to him. As soon the three of them were in place and had their belongings situated, he and Trick knelt on the ground. Arms rested on the pew in front of them, hands folded together, heads bent in prayer. He and T
rick seemed to move in unison almost like synchronized swimmers.

  But when she looked at their faces, she realized they were doing more than mindlessly going through the motions. They looked so honest, so pure. Trick’s mouth was actually moving as he whispered some silent prayer. Silas was still but she could tell by his expression that his brain was working. She wondered what he might be praying for. Was he asking for something or maybe it was a prayer of thanksgiving? She would never know. Suddenly, it seemed like the moment was too private to watch.

  She looked down and pushed her umbrella under the pew before deciding to join them on the kneeling bench. She guessed that she needed to do some praying of her own. Emmie closed her eyes and she brought her hands together. Before she whispered the first word, she felt a warm hand wrap around her right arm and squeeze it gently. Emmie peeked open her eyes to see Silas smiling over at her. He looked so pleased. He rubbed her arm and his eyes bore into hers, speaking without words. Then he folded his hands back together and continued his quiet meditation.

  Chapter Thirty

  The rain caused the luncheon to be moved from the parish lawn to a nearby restaurant downtown. The place was closed on Sundays but being that the owner was a member of the church he was more than happy to open it up. There weren’t any tables large enough for them to all sit together. Ava and Gabe had joined another young couple that Emmie vaguely recognized from the store. They were a few years older than her. She was pretty sure that Ava had gone to school with them at St. Joe. Ava waved Emmie over to say a quick hello.

  “Thanks for my fabric. But I told you not to do that.” Emmie hugged her friend.

  “Pish Posh.” Ava waved her hands. “I can’t look all hoity-toity and have you in some hand-me-down costume. Besides, I knew you’d never let me pay you money, so this way it’s fair. Have you had a chance to start on them yet?”

  “Yep. I started on yours first. I have most of it cut and pieced together, if you want to stop by I could get a couple of measurements before I start sewing,” Emmie said.

  Ava clapped her hands together and the girls made plans to get together later in the week for a fitting. If Ava was this excited over a simple costume, Emmie couldn’t imagine how she would react when she found her wedding dress. She glanced over at Gabe and idly wondered if he had picked up the ring yet. He was in an easy conversation with Silas. It crossed to her mind to ask Silas if he knew when Gabe planned to propose. But then she remembered she had promised Gabe her silence. Emmie sighed and turned back to Ava who was going on about how beautiful the black silk was and how pretty it would be against her skin. Emmie smiled and tried to look happy. She really could use a good party, they all could.

  “Are you dressing up?” Ava asked Silas.

  “No way,” he laughed.

  “Oh, you and Gabe are a pair of wet blankets. I cannot get him to either.” She elbowed Gabe.

  “Well, we better find a seat,” Silas said, grabbing Emmie’s elbow to lead her away from the table.

  The place had filled up quickly. Nearly every available table was taken. Families had spread out their picnic blankets in every space for kids to pile onto the floor. It was warm, busy and loud—such a contrast from the environment at the church. Emmie took her basket up to the row of tables to hold the food. She added a couple of jars of applesauce to each side and put a serving spoon out with each.

  “Got us a seat over here,” Trick called from a small square table in the back where he, Silas, and another young man were seated.

  When she reached the table her breath caught in her throat for a moment, then she composed herself and sat. Sitting opposite her was the tall blond man that had let them into the speakeasy in Smith’s Grove. She swallowed hard and nodded a polite hello to him.

  Her mind raced with questions. How should she act? Was she supposed to act like she knew him? Her mouth felt dry. She was such a fool. Why had it not it occurred to her that she may see someone from the joint out in public.

  “Emmie, this is Robert Drake. I believe you know his father, Sheriff Tim Drake.” Silas pointed to the short dark-haired man sitting with his family in the corner.

  Emmie swallowed hard trying to get enough saliva in her mouth to form a word. “I do,” she nodded. “I do know Sheriff Drake. It’s nice to meet you, Robert.” She held her hand out over the table. He smiled and his eyes looked like they may be laughing at her discomfort. Robert glanced over at Silas but was met was a look of indifference, so he kept his amusement to himself.

  Trick had the same natural talent as Ava. He struck up some conversation about the World Series, trying to ease an awkward moment. Something about the Giants vs. Senators in game seven and a new record. Thankfully, baseball was something that she knew almost nothing about. It would not be obvious if she bowed out of the conversation.

  Silas scooted his chair closer to hers. “Ya alright?” he whispered.

  “I’m fine, really.” She gave him a smile that she hoped looked confident and easy. She could do fake faces. She’d had to give a lot of them in her life. When your step-dad was a drunk and you didn’t even know your real dad, you learned to give fake faces of indifference or happiness. Silas seemed to buy it.

  “Just didn’t think about seeing folks out. But it’s fine,” she whispered. “So, you said his dad’s the Sheriff?”

  Silas sighed. You could always count on Emmie for a loaded question. There was so much more to that question than the words she asked. He chose to avoid the loaded part and just go for straight-line honesty, “Yep, that’s what I said.”

  She stared right at him, blinking her eyes. God, he should take her in when he’s questioning people. She communicated more with each blink than he did with a mouth full of words. Where was she going with all of this?

  “Let’s go get food before it’s all gone,” Silas said, interrupting the World Series discussion.

  Silas grabbed her hand and led her to the makeshift buffet. It was odd holding hands in public. Not a bad odd, just odd. People noticed because Silas was a stranger in a small town and they were curious. If he noticed, he didn’t let on. But then again, he wouldn’t let on anyway. It wasn’t his style. He didn’t really seem to care about what folks thought.

  While they waited in line she stood on her toes behind him and whispered, “I have some more questions… about the sheriff.”

  He nodded never looking back. “I thought you would.” Then he helped himself to a couple spoonfuls of beans and a sliver of cornbread while grinning up at her. She caught his meaning and laughed in spite of herself.

  When they returned to the table the conversation turned back to sports. Emmie had completely tuned them out to watch a couple of kids on the floor play a game of jacks. She laughed as one little girl continually beat an older boy. He didn’t like it and pouted away before they could finish the last match.

  “You did a good job,” she smiled down at the child.

  “Thanks.” The little girl smiled back showing she was missing at least three teeth.

  “You changed your mind on my offer of school, yet?” Silas asked. She hadn’t noticed he was watching the jacks’ game too.

  She shook her head. “I already told you. I want to try this myself. You were right though.”

  His eyes widened, “I was? What about?”

  “There is no timeline. Just because it doesn’t happen now, doesn’t mean it won’t. I’m going to figure this out.” she said. Nothing like a little rain and a good service to help clear your head. Well, that and watching Bo talk to passionately about his family’s moonshine tradition. She wanted to speak with passion about something. The only thing she felt that strongly about was teaching. When she worked with Max, she felt like she was doing something important, something that mattered. Just like Bo felt when he was talking about his family’s tradition.

  Robert interrupted their conversation, “So, what about that Harris case against Mr. Johnson? You were working with Johnson, right? I heard he got off.”

&
nbsp; “Yeah, we represented Johnson. He was acquitted of all charges.”

  Silas shrugged. Emmie knew he wasn’t going to elaborate.

  “Well, I still say that Johnson was a scapegoat for him. He was afraid to put the blame on the real fellow. Johnson’s just an old man, easy target. Cliff Harris is a…” Robert started then looked Emmie and chose his words carefully, “…coward for throwing the blame at him.”

  Silas said nothing just shrugged noncommittally again. But something about his eyes told Emmie that he agreed with Robert.

  Cliff Harris, she had just heard that name. It was with Bo and Walter last night. Silas was representing Bo’s pap? Was this the case he’d been spending all of this time on lately?

  “The barn trial,” Emmie said aloud. All three of the guys turned and looked at her. So she added, “Sorry, the barn that burned, right… that’s what you’re talking about?”

  Robert nodded, “I’m surprised you know that. Most women around here don’t keep up with the ’shine wars.”

  Emmie chewed her lip trying to think quickly. “Oh, I think I just overheard someone talking about it at the shop the other day.” She felt guilty for the lie as soon as it came out of her mouth. She didn’t want them to know how she’d heard it. No doubt they would be curious why Bo and Walter would talk to her about that sort of thing.

  Silas frowned and faltered for a moment before picking up the conversation. He didn’t believe her lie.

  ***********

  Trick caught a ride home with Ava and Gabe. It was weird that Emmie seemed to spend more time with Silas than Ava now. So much had changed in her life in the last few months. She guessed it was just as well considering Ava would be a married woman soon. Things change.

  “I’ve still got my questions, you know,” she said on the drive back to her house.

  Silas nodded. She had expected him to tease her for asking so many questions but he didn’t. He seemed to be as lost in thought.