A Rainbow Above Us

by Sharon Sala

  Pearl was sitting at the dining room table, and Ella was at the stove.

  “How are my girls?” Bowie asked, taking note of how fast Rowan went to help Ella.

  “We’re good. How are things going at the house?” Pearl asked.

  “Really good, Gran. We got the headers in, so now the walls are all gone from the front door through the kitchen, and through the dining and living area.”

  Pearl was beaming. “I absolutely can’t wait to see all that,” she said.

  “The crew got your master bath and walk-in closet framed up today, too, as well as opening up a door from your bedroom into the bathroom en suite,” he added.

  “Your day was far busier than ours. We’re going to be spoiled by the time we move back in. We haven’t had to do anything but cook a few meals and enjoy the luxuries of your home,” Ella said. “Mama took a nap this afternoon, and I watched some of my shows. The only industrious one was Rowan, who got a little cabin fever and took a walk around the trailer park.”

  “You did? So, how was it?” Bowie asked.

  “It was great and didn’t take any effort to walk,” Rowan said. “It felt good to be outside. Did you guys know there’s a creek just behind this side of the trailer park? It’s just a few yards into the woods. And there’s also a tiny playground at the back of it. It has two picnic tables, a grill, and a swing set. I think there are quite a few kids who live here, too. I see one little redhead riding her bike a lot, and I hear others playing.”

  Bowie shook his head. “I haven’t gone any farther here than where I parked. Was it hot?”

  “Not too bad,” Rowan said. “The sidewalk is shaded almost all the way around, so I didn’t really feel the heat.”

  “If you’re going to clean up before supper, get at it,” Ella said. “It’s almost ready.”

  Bowie laughed. “Yes, ma’am. Give me about ten minutes, and I’ll be back.”

  He pulled his work shirt over his head as he headed for the shower. Rowan looked away, for fear the girls would see the shameless lust she was feeling for that man, and went to help Ella.

  A few minutes later, they were seated and talking as they ate.

  “So how did your new hired hand do today?” Rowan asked.

  “He did good. Really good,” Bowie said.

  Pearl looked surprised. “You hired a new hand? Someone local?”

  Bowie nodded. “The kid who keyed my car.”

  Ella gasped. “You hired a Boone?”

  “I hired a kid who wanted to work off what he owed me,” Bowie said. “He didn’t know anything about me except that I broke his daddy’s nose. We talked. He had no idea of the history between our families. The kid has a sense of honor or he wouldn’t have faced me and asked if he could work off part of his debt. Without me going into all the ugly details, he gets the drift.”

  Pearl nodded. “Then you made the right call…for both of you.”

  Bowie paused. “One other thing. I dropped the charges against him. No one else knows this except Chief Pittman, so keep it within the family for now. My insurance will pay for the repairs, except the deductible, and Junior is working that off.”

  Ella smiled. “You are a good man, Bowie.”

  He shrugged. “I didn’t do it to be magnanimous. I did it because of who his parents are. The Boone family has a tendency to raise their young with extreme prejudice. This boy is not what I expected. He didn’t blame anyone but himself, is upset about what’s happening within his family, and wants to do the right thing. I think he deserves a break.”

  “What is happening to his family?” Rowan asked.

  “According to Junior, Cora kicked Judson out of the house and filed for divorce. His aunt Nellie, who’s married to Melvin Boone, is leaving Mel and going back to Kentucky. And Junior’s parents, Emmitt and Tiny, are at odds with each other, too.”

  “You’re not serious?” Pearl said.

  “Yes, ma’am. It appears the men in Cora’s life, including Randall, all lied to her. They knew what Randall did to Mama. And they knew I was his. What shamed Cora most, from what she said to me, was they knew I was blood kin and denied me. They knew I was her grandson and lied to her.”

  Pearl was silent for a few moments, and then she sighed.

  “I’m glad to know this. Cora and I were friends before we were married.”

  Rowan frowned. “And getting married made you enemies?”

  Pearl nodded. “Because the men we married already hated each other. It was so ridiculous, but neither of us could fight a blood feud, and that’s how the separation began.”

  “I understand being angry at someone,” Rowan said. “But I don’t understand not getting over it.”

  “That’s good to know for the times in the future when I totally tick you off,” Bowie said, and then grinned at the look on her face.

  “You are impossible, aren’t you, Bowie James?”

  “Not impossible, by any means. But there’s probably still some assembly required.”

  She fired right back at him. “Then somebody pass a screwdriver, please. I can’t be hanging around with someone who has a screw loose.”

  He laughed.

  “I do believe you’ve met your match,” Pearl said.

  “Lucky me,” Bowie said.

  Rowan didn’t respond, but she was thinking it. Oh no, Bowie James. Lucky me. Lucky, lucky me.

  * * *

  Supper at Emmitt and Tiny’s house was quiet. They both kept waiting for Junior to talk about work, but he hadn’t said a word. Tiny noticed he’d brought back the lunch he’d taken with him, but he hadn’t mentioned anything about that, either. So as his mother, she decided she had the right to question him.

  “You haven’t said a word about your day,” Tiny said. “How did it go?”

  Junior looked straight at his daddy. “Are you gonna lose it if I talk about him?”

  Emmitt flushed. “No. Say what you want.”

  “I liked the work. All the guys on his crew were really nice to me, and so was the boss.”

  “He told you to call him Boss?” Tiny asked.

  “No. He said I could call him Bowie or Boss, which is what his crew calls him. I chose to call him Boss because he is one.”

  Tiny shrugged. “Oh. Well, I just didn’t want him to be ordering you around and lording it over you.”

  Junior frowned. “Mama. All bosses order their employees around. And I don’t even know what ‘lording it over me’ means. Please pass the chicken.”

  He took another piece of fried chicken from the platter and took a big bite.

  Tiny watched him licking his fingers and frowned. “Use your napkin, please, and what kind of work did you do?”

  Junior wiped his hands and his mouth, then laid down his fork. “If I get all this said, then can I finish supper? I was starving, and the chicken is good.”

  Tiny didn’t like the question, so she ignored it.

  “Why were you so hungry? Didn’t he even let you eat the lunch you took?”

  Junior rolled his eyes. “You guys are just looking for something to disapprove of, and I already told you he was nice. He sent me to eat with the rest of the guys, and he paid for everything. We went to Granny’s. I had a burger and fries and a piece of chocolate pie. As for the work, I did a lot of lifting and carrying because the lumberyard delivered some supplies and me and the guys carried them into the house. I watched them hang two big headers. I did whatever they asked, and being a builder is something special, Mama. They fix people’s homes, or they build new ones. Homes aren’t just pretty to look at. They furnish shelter and safety for people, and I might want to do that someday when I grow up.”

  Emmitt was in a state of shock. He knew why Bowie had come back, but he didn’t know that was what he did for a living.

  “So, how many men work for him?�
� he asked.

  “I’m not sure, but I know it’s a lot. The guys said they’re only one crew, and that he has about twenty more, working on different projects at the same time.”

  “Twenty more men?” Emmitt asked.

  “No, twenty more crews. There are six men with him here, but there are lots more in each of the other crews.”

  Tiny was thinking of the money, and the greedy side of her kicked in before she thought.

  “If you get in good with him, you could have access to a rich lifestyle someday.”

  Junior blinked, then looked at her as if he was seeing her as someone other than his mother. And he didn’t much like what he saw. His words were measured, but the tone in his voice was about one shade short of angry.

  “Right now, Mama, I’m trying to work off a debt I owe him for messing up his car. So you and Daddy need to get on the same page here. Are you still hating him because he’s the bastard son Uncle Randall didn’t want…or has he become more appealing because of the money you think he has?”

  Tiny gasped. “Emmitt Lee, you do not talk to me like that!”

  Junior pushed his plate away and stood up. “Well, I know I’m not discussing him with either of you again, and I’m not hungry anymore. Excuse me.”

  Tiny was pissed. Now that she couldn’t fuss with her son anymore, she turned on her husband. “Well, you just sat there like a bump on a log and didn’t say a word to him about how rude he was to me!”

  Emmitt shrugged. “You’re the one who wanted to talk about it, and now you messed up his supper. Just because you didn’t like the answers doesn’t mean what he said was wrong. And I still don’t want to talk about him, so this discussion is over.”

  Tiny started yelling, and Emmitt started yelling back.

  Junior sat on the side of his bed, wondering which parent he’d wind up with when they divorced. From the sounds of the fighting, it wouldn’t be long in coming.

  He was still in shock about a whole other side to his family that he’d never known about and was struggling not to be ashamed of the lot of them.

  He was tired, and sad, and a little sick to his stomach. He kicked off his shoes, stripped down to his undershorts, and turned back the covers. He’d showered when he first got home and wanted nothing more to do with his parents tonight. So he set his alarm for work and crawled into bed and closed his eyes.

  * * *

  Judson was drinking a beer and watching television in his underwear, something he’d never done at home. Cora was all about propriety and wouldn’t have put up with that.

  He’d spent all day waiting for his sons to return his calls, but it had never happened. He couldn’t stand not knowing what was going on, but it was beginning to appear that if he wanted answers he was going to have to get them for himself, and tomorrow was as good a time as any. He just had to figure out how to go about it, because he didn’t intend to advertise his presence to anyone. He was going to show up unannounced and find out what the hell was going on that they didn’t want him to know.

  * * *

  Mel was alone, and he was drunk. Nellie was gone, and he never got to say goodbye. He was trying to envision the rest of his life alone, but nothing had occurred to him yet that would be considered positive.

  Nellie had left a note—of sorts. Not really a note, just a tying-up-loose-ends kind of thing. Basically, all it said was “These are yours,” and left her debit card from their bank, her keys to the house and car, her cell phone that was under his phone plan, her wedding ring, and her checkbook to the bank account on the table.

  She hadn’t taken one damn thing from this house but her clothes and makeup. Her car was still in the driveway. He had no idea how she got out of town, but she took nothing with her of their lives together. Every connection they had was left behind.

  Mel tried to pour himself another shot of whiskey but the bottle was empty, so he set it back on the table, kicked back in the recliner, and meant to turn on the TV. But somewhere between pressing the Power button and cognizance, he passed out.

  * * *

  Cora was picking up a few things from the Piggly Wiggly before it closed for the day, and as she was going down the baking aisle, Mavis West, the secretary at Blessings Elementary, was coming from the other direction. She and Mavis sat side by side every Sunday in Sunday School class. Cora was expecting a smile. Instead, she got a frown and a rude interrogation.

  “Well, hello, Cora. Didn’t expect to see you out and about,” Mavis said.

  Cora frowned. “Why in the world not?”

  “I would have thought, after what I heard about you and Judson, that you wouldn’t be showing your face in town.”

  Cora’s eyes narrowed angrily. “Exactly what did you hear that led you to believe such a preposterous thing?”

  Mavis’s face turned red, and her voice rose just the tiniest bit.

  “I heard you kicked him out of the house for a little fuss down at Granny’s. Granted it wasn’t Judson’s best day, but hardly worth breaking up a fifty-year marriage.”

  Cora was stunned. “This is what’s going around Blessings?”

  Mavis nodded.

  “And you believed it? Not that it was any of your business to begin with…but that just tells me you weren’t the friend I thought you were.”

  Mavis glared. “So you’re not denying it?”

  Cora lifted her chin in defiance. “How long have you lived in Blessings?”

  “Nearly eighteen years,” Mavis said.

  “Then, as Judson used to say, you don’t know hell from high water. There’s been an ongoing feud between those families that goes back three generations. And what Jud did at Granny’s was part of that. The man he assaulted—the one he threatened to kill—is his oldest grandson, who he has rejected since the day he was born. So you take your hateful self on down the road and don’t talk to me again unless it’s to apologize,” Cora said, then moved past Mavis with her head held high.

  Two hours later, Cora was still angry, and after cleaning up the kitchen from her supper, she went out onto the back porch to watch the sun go down.

  She’d been thinking back over her life all afternoon and had come to the conclusion that it could have been worse, and it could have been better. There was a huge hole in her heart where her family had been, but the family she thought she had was only in her mind’s eye. So she grieved for the loss of her innocence, and for their culpability in such brutal crimes, and wondered if she’d ever be happy again.

  Tears fell freely as the setting sun turned the sky a brilliant wash of pinks and orange.

  “I see it, Lord. I know you’re trying to cheer me up, but it’s going to take more than one sunset to right the wrongs.”

  Cora sat until light began fading to dark, and when the first stars came out, she went back inside. Had she seen the shadow she cast as she entered the kitchen, she wouldn’t have recognized herself.

  The stoop to her shoulders and the dragging steps she was taking didn’t fit the woman she’d been. Jud wasn’t the only person suffering through a divorce. Just because she’d been the one to file didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.

  * * *

  Bowie came out of the bathroom, thinking Rowan would already be asleep, but she was sitting up in bed with her legs crossed, staring off into space.

  “Hey. Is everything all right?” he asked.

  Rowan had been so lost in thought she hadn’t heard him come out. “Oh, yes, I was just thinking. I got a call today from one of our neighbors asking to let him know if I was going to sell my property.”

  Bowie sat down on the side of her bed and slipped his fingers between hers.

  “Are you conflicted about it? Were you thinking about keeping it?”

  “I actually hadn’t thought about it at all, other than I never wanted to set foot on it again,” she said.

 
; Bowie was startled by the vehemence in her voice. “Because of what happened during the flood?”

  “I guess,” she said, and looked away again.

  He stayed with her in her quiet space, fully understanding where she was coming from but so sorry that it had happened.

  Finally, she looked up at him again. “I guess if I’m going to sell it, then I need to see what’s left. The real estate agent will want to know.”

  “Whoever you use, they’ll take their own pictures for advertising it, but I’ll take you. All you have to do is say the word.”

  She took a deep breath, as if she was about to jump in deep water, and nodded. “Yes, I need to go. Who knows? Maybe it will settle some of the horror that’s locked in my mind. Maybe seeing it again will help.”

  Bowie lifted her hand to his lips and brushed a kiss across her knuckles. “Good for you.”

  “You pick a day when you feel comfortable enough to leave the jobsite. It won’t matter to me. You do need to know it’s about ten miles from Blessings,” she said.

  “I’ll see how tomorrow begins, and if it looks like I can get away for a couple of hours, I’ll call. It’ll give you time to get dressed.”

  “Thank you, Bowie.”

  “You’re welcome,” he said, and then leaned forward and kissed her—gently at first, then longer, more intensely, until Rowan moaned.

  At that point, Bowie stopped. They couldn’t take this any farther, and he didn’t want to tease.

  “Believe me, stopping is the last thing on my mind, but here we are, with the best chaperones ever behind that door.”

  “I know. I guess I don’t have a stop button where you’re concerned.”

  “You weren’t on that trip alone,” Bowie said. “Do you feel like you can sleep now? If not, feel free to watch television. I can sleep through anything.”

  “No, I’m ready to sleep, and I’m sure you are, too. I kept everyone up last night.”

  “You don’t really expect me to complain about holding you in my arms all night. Or waking up beside you this morning, do you?” he asked.