A Rainbow Above Us

by Sharon Sala

  “I get it, Lord. I damn sure get it. Vengeance is Yours, not mine. Just please don’t let them die.”

  He was sick at heart, and sick to his stomach from the pain. But pain pills weren’t plentiful in jail, and he was left to cope with it on his own.

  He tried to sleep, but the pain in his face never abated, and the simple act of walking exacerbated his throbbing headache. After four hours of sheer torture, he was sitting on his cot, his head down, crying like a baby and wishing God would strike him dead where he sat, when Chief Lon Pittman came into the jail, escorting his visitor.

  “Jud, you’re going to be arraigned at ten tomorrow morning. Mel, you have ten minutes with your father,” Lon said, “and I’ll be standing right up there beside the door.”

  Melvin Boone nodded. “Yes, sir, thank you,” he said, and then walked up to the cell where his father was sitting.

  Jud swiped at the tears on his face but didn’t get up.

  “I didn’t expect to see you here,” he said.

  Mel shrugged. “Yeah, I’m having myself a magnanimous day.”

  “I don’t know what that means, but I’m glad to see you,” Jud said. “Can you tell me how Junior is doing?”

  “He’s alive, and so is Mama, no thanks to you.”

  To Mel’s dismay, Jud covered his face and started crying again.

  “Physical pain is the shits, isn’t it, Daddy?” Mel asked.

  Jud nodded. “And I deserve every bit of it.”

  Mel frowned. “Yes, you do. We all deserve what’s happening. The only one who’s truly innocent is Junior.”

  Jud dropped his head again. “I wish I was dead,” he said, and cried a little harder.

  Mel leaned one shoulder against the bars, staring at his daddy as if he’d never really seen him before, and he absolutely knew Jud Boone was lying when he said that.

  “Well, Randall took himself out. I guess if you want it bad enough, you’ll find a way.”

  Jud choked on a sob and stood up, looking at Mel in disbelief. “What the hell are you saying? Randall did not kill himself. It was just those drugs he was on.”

  “And Randall didn’t get on those drugs until after you sent him after Billie James. You broke what was left of him when you made us beat the hell out of his own son.”

  Jud’s face turned a deep, angry red. “Shut up.”

  “Yep, that’s a fact you can’t ignore. And one week to the day after Billie James’s suicide, he was gone. Damn shame,” Mel said.

  “You just shut the hell up!” Jud said.

  Mel shrugged. “Oh, I’m sorry. I thought since you were washing your conscience clean by admitting the guilt of putting Junior and Mama in the hospital that you would want to clear the rest of it, too.”

  “What about you?” Jud said. “You were a part of it all.”

  “I know, Daddy. My wife left me because of it, even though it happened before we each got married. When she found out, she looked at me like I was some monster and walked out and never looked back. So you know what I did? I looked at myself in the mirror, saw the same monster she saw, and I’ve been trying to drown it every night since in a bottle of booze. It’ll happen. I’m just not sure when.”

  “Go home,” Jud said. “And don’t come back.”

  “I don’t have a home anymore,” Mel said. “But I’m going to hell. Want me to save you a seat?”

  “Get out!” Jud screamed, then grabbed his jaw and dropped to his knees.

  Mel stared. “Don’t worry. I’m leaving, but since you’re in the right position, while you’re down there this would be a good time to pray,” he said, and walked away.

  Jud got up, went back to his cot to lie down, then turned his face to the wall.

  Chapter 18

  Word was spreading all over Blessings about what had happened. They were talking about everything from Cora Boone being taken to the hospital to Judson Boone’s failed attempt at murder.

  And as was always the case when something untoward happened in Blessings, it was all the gossip at the Curl Up and Dye.

  Ruby, loving soul that she was, had tried changing the subject multiple times with each client that came and went, but nobody was buying it today. She was numb from the arguments that popped up between clients because of it, and had given Vera and Vesta hard looks for encouraging it. But a part of her also understood. The revelation of the underbelly of the Boone family’s world was both shocking and horrifying, and knowing that the only innocent Boone in the family was near death because of it was tragic.

  Everyone had an opinion, and the conversation was verging on turning into another argument when Ruby called it all to a halt.

  “Ladies! I don’t know how much blame there is to assess to any of them, and it’s not our business to figure that out anyway. But saying Cora Boone’s decision to divorce her husband and kick him out of the house is the reason this all came to pass is just plain ignorant of all of you.”

  The gasps and then the sudden silence were telling. Ruby never got mad, and she was still talking so they guessed it might be time to start listening.

  “There is one basic fact that none of you have seen fit to mention, and that is Cora Boone’s husband was admittedly being an abusive monster and neighbors witnessed it, which leads me to believe there was plenty that went on there behind closed doors as well. He was on her porch, beating on the door and threatening to kick it in, and it scared her so bad that she nearly had a heart attack. I can attest to what it’s like to be married to an abusive man. He scared me every day we were together, and no matter how long someone has been married, it will never make that okay. So unless you’ve walked in Cora Boone’s shoes and lived her life, you have no right to pass judgment on her.”

  Every woman there was remembering when Ruby was kidnapped out of her own home here in Blessings by her ex-husband, and how everyone in town had feared she might be dead. It was that fact alone that ended the fussing in the Curl Up and Dye.

  “So, while all of you are certainly free to have your own thoughts and opinions on the subject, you won’t be free to share them here, okay?”

  They all nodded.

  “And Cora Boone is one of my clients, so I will be going to visit her after work today, just like I would visit you should you find yourself in the hospital one day. I don’t judge. I just love,” Ruby said, and then glanced at herself in the mirror to make sure her blond hair was still in place and walked back up front. “Who’s next?” she asked.

  “That would be me,” Melissa Dean said and stood up.

  Ruby smiled. “Then let’s get started. You said you wanted a trim before your style today, right?”

  Melissa nodded. “Yes, please. I’m hosting a special dinner for all of the employees at my dry cleaners tonight at Granny’s. She’s even opening up that little banquet room she saves back for the group meetings.”

  “What fun!” Ruby said. “What’s the occasion?”

  “Just an appreciation dinner for how they’ve all helped me transition to owner.”

  “Ah. So let’s make you all pretty then,” Ruby said.

  The gossip session was over at the Curl Up and Dye, but the clients’ chatter about their own families was not.

  * * *

  Making love was hungry business. Bowie and Rowan came home with everything on the list, plus two full sacks of impulse purchases.

  Rowan felt like the world could take one look at the two of them and know they’d made love. She wasn’t ashamed, but it was theirs to know, not something to share. However, when they came in the door carrying all the grocery sacks, plus a blanket that needed to be washed, there was so much going on trying to find places to store all the extra food that the girls never noticed anything different about either of them.

  That gave Rowan time to put on her game face, and Bowie gave her the perfect opportunity
to shower while the rest of them were putting up groceries.

  He winked at her, then offered up the ruse.

  “Rowan…honey…why don’t you go ahead and shower off while we’re doing this. That trip out to your farm was a dirty one.”

  “Yes, maybe it will wash away some of the bad memories as well,” she said, and picked up some clean clothes on the way.

  As soon as she was in the bathroom, both women began to grill Bowie.

  “Is she okay? Was it hard for her to go back? We worried. We didn’t want her to be sad,” they said.

  “She can’t help but be sad, Gran. It looks like a war zone, and there’s silt and flood debris lying around everywhere. The only things on that whole place that are still standing are a rock fireplace and the barn.”

  “Oh, my lord,” Ella said, and shook her head. “Bless her heart.”

  “Rowan wanted me to inspect the barn so she could give the realtor as fair a description of its condition as possible, but it was hard for her to be in there, I could tell. And when I went up in the loft to check the roof for hurricane damage, she insisted on going up because she was afraid. She’s a pretty awesome woman for wanting to conquer her fears and not give in to them.”

  “Then where on earth did you have the picnic, if the place was so awful?” Pearl asked. “I’m the one who suggested a picnic, and now I feel bad.”

  “No, don’t feel bad, Gran. I could tell that was not a good place and suggested stopping by the lake on our way home. I could see how relieved she was at the suggestion, and we found a pretty place. By the time we were through eating, her whole attitude had changed. And she fell asleep on the way home, so she’s had a big day.”

  Pearl clapped her hands. “Did you have a good time, too?” she asked.

  “Are you asking me if I’m smitten yet?” he said.

  Pearl shrugged. “Maybe.”

  He grinned. “Well, I won’t keep either of you in suspense. I’m officially smitten.”

  He left them putting up groceries and went to put the blanket in the wash before either of them spotted the bloodstain. He dumped it in, adding detergent, and set it to wash in cold water so the stain wouldn’t set in the fabric, but he didn’t start it up until Rowan got a chance to put her clothes in with it, too.

  Just as he sat down to take off his work boots, his phone signaled a text from Chief Pittman.

  Junior Boone survived the surgery. Condition guarded. In ICU. You saved his life. Judson Boone in lockup, facing attempted murder and more. Here’s to happy hammering on Miss Pearl’s house.

  “Everything all right?” Pearl asked after he laid the phone aside.

  “It was Chief Pittman letting me know the kid survived his surgery but is not out of the woods. He’s in the ICU. Judson is in jail. Attempted murder charges being filed, plus more.”

  “You gave the boy a chance, Bowie. It’s in God’s hands now.”

  Bowie nodded. “I know.” Then he heard the water go off in the bathroom. “Sounds like Rowan’s out of the shower. I’m going in after she gets out, then we can have an early supper. I might even be tempted to play cards with you all later, if you aren’t playing strip poker.”

  They both giggled, and then they sat down at the dining table to plan what they were going to cook for the evening meal, while Bowie finally got the boots off then got a beer from the fridge and sat down in his recliner with his laptop.

  He began going through messages from some of the foremen on other jobsites, and after answering questions and problem solving through the lot, he logged out just as the bathroom door opened. Rowan came out carrying her clothes.

  He pointed at the washer.

  “It’s ready to start. I waited so you could put your clothes in with the blanket. It’s old and long past fading, so it won’t hurt anything.”

  His thoughtfulness struck her. “Thank you, Bowie.”

  “You’re welcome. I’m going in next, and since I’m off for the rest of the day, we’re going to have an early supper.”

  “And he’s going to play cards with us!” Pearl said.

  “Oh, really?” Rowan said. “What are we playing?”

  “Anything but strip poker,” Bowie said, and then headed for the bathroom, while the sound of her laughter wiped Jud Boone and his madness slick out of his head.

  * * *

  It was just after 7:00 p.m. when Ruby locked the front door of the Curl Up and Dye. She went toward the back, turning off lights as she went, then took off her smock and hung it on a hook in the break room. She was still thinking about Cora Boone when she sat down to call Peanut. Being able to call him husband was still a rush she did not take for granted, and she smiled when she heard his deep, sexy voice.

  “Hello, beautiful. Are you on your way home?” he asked.

  “I’m locking up now, but I want to run by the hospital and check up on Cora Boone. She’s probably a little short on family and visitors. I won’t be there long, but I don’t want her to think the world forgot about her in the middle of all this mess.”

  “You are a good woman, Ruby, and I am seriously proud you’re mine. Unless you want to come home to eat, why don’t we just meet up at Granny’s around seven thirty?”

  “Oh, sweetheart! What a wonderful suggestion. Yes, I’d love to. We’ve been swamped today, and I want nothing more than to get off my feet and enjoy someone else’s cooking tonight.”

  “Then I’ll see you soon,” he said. “Love you. Drive safe.”

  “Love you, too,” Ruby said, and then shivered as she disconnected. He so hung the stars in her sky.

  She went out the back door to her car, then drove straight to the hospital and parked.

  The sun was below the treetops, and shadows were long as she crossed the parking lot to the entrance. It was well-lit and far from empty, but after being kidnapped right out of her own home months earlier, she had lost her sense of safety. She was close to running by the time she reached the building, and then breathed a quiet sigh of relief once she was inside. She stopped in at the gift shop, picked out a small vase of flowers, and then remembered Cora often brought a People magazine to read when she got her hair done, so she picked up the latest copy and went to pay.

  After inquiring as to the floor and room number, Ruby headed for the elevator, rode it to the second floor, and began looking for Room 214. The door was closed when she found it, so she knocked, then heard Cora call out, “Come in.”

  “I hope I didn’t wake you,” Ruby said. “I just got off work.”

  “No, I wasn’t asleep. It’s so kind of you to come.”

  “Of course I’d come. I’m so sorry this happened, and I understand how frightening it is to be threatened by someone you’re supposed to be able to trust and love.”

  Cora was trying to control her emotions, but the kindness was both unexpected and touching.

  Ruby handed her the flowers. “I picked out pink roses, for the rosy pink that’s always in your cheeks, and a People magazine I hope you haven’t read.”

  “The roses are beautiful. Thank you, and no, I haven’t read this one yet. It will really help pass the time.”

  “I can’t stay long, but I want to know how you’re feeling, and if they’ve determined anything.”

  “Oh, I feel all right, and no, there’s nothing specific yet, but they will run a few more tests tomorrow,” Cora said. “Mostly, I just feel stupid, and guilty—and a whole host of other emotions I can’t rightly name—for what amounts in my mind to harboring the devil.” Then she started to cry.

  “I’m sorry, sweetie,” Ruby said.

  Cora reached for a tissue to wipe her eyes. “Nothing for you to be sorry for. I still haven’t figured out if I was just naive about what was happening under my nose all those years or just too big a coward to admit my fears and call Jud and the boys on them.”

  R
uby patted her arm. “We can’t change the past. But we can always change what’s happening now. We’re not locked into stupid by default.”

  Cora sighed. “I know, but the hard part is if I have the guts to still live here with everyone knowing how and why my family just imploded. And we don’t even know if Junior is going to survive. He’s the only true innocent of all of us.”

  “I’ll keep the both of you in my prayers,” Ruby said. “And just for the record, I was ashamed to show my face in Blessings after I was kidnapped. I’d never talked about my past here, and then all of a sudden it was in everyone’s face in all its ugly glory. And look at me now. As long as we draw breath, we have the option to change what we don’t like.”

  Cora clasped Ruby’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “You don’t know how much this has meant to me. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to visit, and thank you for the gifts. I will think of you every time I look at those roses.”

  Ruby smiled. “I’ll keep tabs on you, and I’ll keep you in my prayers. Have a good rest tonight and I’ll see you soon, okay?”

  “Yes, okay,” Cora said, and waved as Ruby went out the door, then turned on the light above her bed and reached for her glasses. People magazine beckoned.

  Ruby rode down alone in the elevator and left the lobby alone. The parking lot lights were ablaze, and there were fewer cars than when she’d come in. She was telling herself all the way out the door not to panic, when she saw a very tall, very familiar figure walking toward her. The relief that went through her was huge. She went to meet him and then walked into his open arms, hugging him ever so tight.

  “It’s things like this that make you absolutely irresistible. How do you always know?” she asked.

  “You’ve seen my scars and I’ve seen yours. That’s how the best love works, and you’re my best love,” Peanut said. “I’ll follow you to Granny’s.”

  Ruby looked up at him there, so tall and so beloved. “You might as well. You’ve already followed me to hell and back. Granny’s isn’t all that far.”

  Peanut held out his hand, and she took it. They walked hand in hand between the vehicles until she was in her car and it was running, and then he loped a few cars down to where he had parked and followed her out of the parking lot.