First Mates

by Cecelia Dowdy

  “You’ve been to his house?”

  Sarah nodded, causing her earrings to clatter. “Yep. It’s really cool. He has this special computer with an adaptive braille pad. He can read anything on the computer screen because it transposes into braille.” Warmth and enthusiasm tinged her voice.

  “Well, I must say, it’s been years since I’ve seen you so excited over a man. I hope he makes you happy.” She hoped Sarah could find love and happiness, because Rainy didn’t know if love would ever figure into her own life.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The next day, Rainy entered Friendship Community Church, sighing with relief when they made it in time. Rachel and Sarah approached, hugging Rainy and Amber.

  Amber fingered her freshly starched and pressed white dress. “Do you like my dress, Miss Rachel and Miss Sarah?” Her large brown eyes were eager for compliments.

  Sarah kissed Amber’s chubby cheek. “You look fine, sweet pea. Let me take you down to Sunday school.” Rainy squeezed Sarah’s shoulder as she led Amber away.

  Rachel pulled Rainy into a secluded corner of the foyer. People assembled in clumps as their voices filled the wide space. “Did you see Winston? I didn’t realize he was coming to church today. Is he thinking about becoming a member? Me and Sarah were just talking to him a few minutes ago, and he didn’t look so good.”

  Her heart thumped as she gazed at the sea of brown faces cluttering the foyer. She swallowed as she clutched Rachel’s hand. “Where is he?”

  Rachel adjusted her decorative yellow hat. “He already went into the sanctuary. But, girl, let me tell you, he looked so worn and haggard! You didn’t tell us he’s growing a beard.”

  She forced herself to relax. Rachel touched her shoulder. “Hey, what’s wrong? Did you two have another argument?”

  She nodded so hard, her hair almost escaped from the bun at the nape of her neck. “I don’t want to discuss it right now, but we had a terrible disagreement about a week ago.”

  Rachel folded her arms in front of her full chest. “I’m confident you two will work this out. You both have a deep faith in God, and that’s all you need.”

  Rainy chewed on her lower lip as she glanced into the crowded sanctuary. Perhaps she could find a seat in the back, far away from Winston. Thunderous music spilled from the sanctuary as the choir broke into song. Rachel grabbed her hand. “Come on, let’s go find ourselves a seat! I’m sure Sarah will find us soon enough.” Rainy followed Rachel into the sanctuary and they found a seat near the center of the church. She searched the aisles, breathing a sigh of relief when she didn’t spot Winston. Perhaps he’d changed his mind and gone home or decided to leave and worship at his own church.

  As the choir sang sweet songs, worshiping the Lord, Rainy closed her eyes, issuing a silent prayer to God. As the service continued and the sermon was presented, she found her mind wandering on other things. Reverend Marshall was issuing his invitation for people to step forward when an usher slid a cream-colored envelope into her hand. Her heart pounded as she ripped it open. She sighed with relief when she discovered it was from Karen Marshall, Reverend Marshall’s wife. It read: I’d like to see you after service. Please meet me in my husband’s office after the benediction, if possible.

  Moments later, Rainy strolled into Reverend Marshall’s office. She walked around his quarters, checking her watch, feeling relieved that Rachel and Sarah agreed to take Amber to the pancake house for breakfast, where she would meet them when she was finished with the reverend.

  She touched a volume of a set of religious encyclopedias. Dust coated her finger and she rubbed it into her hands.

  High heels clattered on the hardwood floor. Karen Marshall entered her husband’s office, sporting a yellow sheath dress. She resembled a high-energy canary as she hurried about the room, checking stacks of papers. “Oh, he’s not here yet!” She clutched her hands and checked her watch. She ran her fingers through her short gray hair.

  “Mrs. Marshall, who’s not here yet? I got the message that you wanted to see me after service.” Rainy placed her small black leather purse on the desk.

  Karen waved in her direction. “Oh, I’m so glad you made it. I know Winston is here today. I called him last night and he promised me he’d come!”

  Her heart seemed to drop ten stories. Winston was coming here, into Reverend Marshall’s office? Questions jumped through her mind as fast as popping kernels of corn. She opened her mouth, hoping to ask at least one question. Before she could utter a sound, Winston stepped into the office.

  It had been a little over a week since their disagreement, and he looked just as haggard as Rachel described. She fought to resist the urge to hold his hand and kiss his cheek. His sadness cut through her like a knife. She’d hurt him, and there was nothing she could do about it.

  Karen Marshall fluttered about the office before she closed the door. “Oh, Winston, I’m so glad you’re here!” She pushed him into one of the thick leather chairs and motioned for Rainy to sit. “Rainy, I would have called you last night, but I’m so absentminded that I lost your phone number. Sending you a note during service seemed to be the best way to get you here afterward.” She pulled a pair of glasses from the desk and placed them on her thin nose. Pulling a stack of papers toward her, she faced both of them. Pursing her lips, she scanned through the papers. “I have here a copy of the script for the Christmas pageant. I’m sure my husband spoke to you two about leading this ministry.”

  Winston cleared his throat. Rainy closed her eyes as she enjoyed the sweet tangy scent of his cologne. “Mrs. Marshall!” His deep voice blended with her shaky tone. He looked at her, his hazel eyes full of sorrow. “I’m sorry. You go first.”

  She squeezed the wooden chair arm. “Mrs. Marshall, Winston and I never gave Reverend Marshall a response about the pageant.” She paused, praying for her thundering heart to slow down.

  Winston cleared his throat again. “Mrs. Marshall, we won’t be able to lead the children’s ministry. I’m sorry if we misled Reverend Marshall into thinking otherwise.”

  Karen’s small birdlike mouth pursed as she removed her glasses. “My goodness! Why not? Is it because you’re not a member of the church, Winston? Are you uncomfortable getting more involved with this church when you have your own church?”

  He shook his head. “No, it’s nothing like that. I don’t have a problem in doing God’s calling in this church.”

  Mrs. Marshall shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

  Rainy started sniffling. She quickly pulled a tissue from the box and blew her nose. She turned away, not wanting to expose her suddenly damp eyes.

  “My goodness, Rainy, what on earth is the matter?” Mrs. Marshall’s voice softened as she approached Rainy.

  Winston’s chair scraped against the floor as he stood. “Mrs. Marshall, could you leave us alone for a minute?”

  Rainy stood, hoping her legs could withstand her weight. “No, don’t leave us alone. I really need to get going.”

  Warmth and sincerity shined from Karen Marshall’s dark eyes as she gazed at the two parishioners. “I think I understand now. How about I leave you two here for a while? Rainy, nobody is forcing you to stay, but just remember you need to have faith in Jesus to work through your problems.” She paused as she walked to the door. “That advice goes to both of you.”

  Rainy sighed as she turned away from Winston. “I had no idea you’d be here today.” She swallowed and walked to the window. Bright sunlight spilled into the room, illuminating tiny dust motes as they danced in the air.

  He joined her at the window, placing his hand on her shoulder. “You not only need to have faith in Jesus, but you need to have faith in me. You need to give me…give us a chance. Our faith in God is already the most solid foundation for a relationship.”

  Rainy squeezed her eyes shut. This was so hard! She’d missed Winston so much over the past week. Was she being foolish? Being with Amber helped to dull the ache that carved her heart. However, she knew
she needed more than the love of a child to see her through this. “I still need some more time to think about this.”

  He sighed. “Well, you can think about it if you want to. But don’t think about it too long. I can’t wait forever.” The soft warmth from his hand evaporated and his heavy footsteps sounded on the wooden floor as he exited the room.

  Rainy continued to think about her unexpected encounter with Winston over the next few days. He plagued her thoughts and dreams, and she constantly prayed for the courage to do the right thing.

  She was still thinking about Winston when she returned home from work in the middle of the week, exhausted. She changed her clothes and sat on the couch and rested for a few minutes before Amber declared she wanted dinner. She sighed as she walked into the kitchen to give her the evening meal. As she scooped leftovers onto a plate, she wondered how much longer she could care for her beloved niece. She knew that once Amber was back home, she would miss her like crazy, but on the other hand, she wanted her freedom and her single life back. As she placed the plate in the microwave and pressed the button, her phone rang.

  “Hello.”

  Her brother’s voice carried over the wire, deep and strong, with just a twinge of happiness. “Sister dear, how is everything?”

  “Mark?” She clutched the phone, still in disbelief that her brother could sound so ecstatic.

  “The one and only. I was wondering if you were ready to give Amber back now?” As if on cue, Amber left the table and pulled Rainy’s blue jeans with her small hands.

  “Is that Daddy? Can I talk to him?” Rainy gave her the phone as she finished dinner. Minutes later, she took the phone back from Amber. She hurriedly made preparations with Mark to return his daughter.

  “You sound much better.” She sat at the table as Amber ate her dinner.

  “Yeah, I’ve been to see Pastor John a few times, and I’ve started going to church again.” He paused and the heavy silence carried over the wire. “I’ve heard from Cindy.”

  “She called you?”

  “Yeah. She’s back in town and she wants to see Amber. I didn’t mention it to Amber since I don’t want her getting her hopes up about seeing her mom again.”

  Rainy sighed as she twisted the phone cord. “I can understand that.”

  “So, how’s Amber been acting?”

  She gazed fondly at her niece as she continued enjoying her dinner. “Sometimes good, and sometimes not so good. You know how it goes with children.” Questions about Cindy’s return swirled through her mind, but she didn’t want to ask in front of Amber, and she figured she’d get better answers once she saw him in person again.

  She rang off with Mark after agreeing to the arrangements to return Amber. Amber scraped the plate with her fork. “Aren’t you going to eat, Aunt Rainy?”

  Rainy shook her head as she sat in the chair. Perhaps she’d find the energy to eat dinner later. Since she’d broken up with Winston, she’d found her appetite had almost diminished. She felt sad, guilty and tired. The only bright spots in her days were her job and Amber.

  When Rainy told Amber the good news, she jumped from her seat. “Yeah! I’m gonna see my daddy.” To celebrate, Rainy took Amber out for a sundae at Candace’s Creamery.

  Hours later, Rainy sat alone, thinking about her mistake. She was so embarrassed that she couldn’t bring herself to apologize to Winston. After Amber was in bed, she wrote him a letter, asking forgiveness, and seeking the possibility of meeting next week to discuss the matter. She still felt scared and afraid, but hopefully she would learn to trust Winston and get over the experience she’d had with Jordan.

  She mailed the letter the day before she boarded a plane to return Amber to Mark. She hoped when she returned that Winston would welcome her back into his life with open arms. If he didn’t, she knew that she couldn’t really blame him. She’d already caused enough hurt and pain with her actions and she knew that Winston had had enough trouble and heartache over the past year to last him a lifetime.

  Winston pulled into his driveway, exhausted from his game of basketball. He found that playing the sport, as well as running numerous laps on South Beach, helped to exhaust him to the point that he didn’t think about Rainy so much.

  Sweat poured down his skin as he clutched his basketball under his arm. As he pulled the mail from his box, the wind blew and rain started pouring from the sky. He dropped a letter, and before he could retrieve it, it blew away. “Probably a bill,” he muttered as he walked toward his home. He saw the letter land behind a bush, and the return address caught his eyes. “It’s from Rainy,” he breathed. He dumped the rest of his mail in the foyer as the rain continued to pour from the sky.

  The envelope and letter were drenched, but he did manage to decipher from the wet, mottled script that Rainy wanted to speak with him. He quickly dialed her number and was disappointed to get her answering machine. He recalled her late nights at the office so he called her work phone number and heard her voice mail state that she would be out of the office for part of the following week.

  He slammed the phone down and paced his living room. It continued to rain, and he barely listened to the droplets of water as he tried to figure out a plan of strategy. He had to see Rainy and he didn’t want to wait for her to return from wherever she was. Was she out of town, or was she merely taking a few days off? Was she having more problems with Amber? These questions plagued his brain as he paced his living room floor.

  He finally returned to his car and drove to her house. The thunderstorm made his driving more troublesome, and he turned his windshield wipers on. About a half hour later, he pulled into Rainy’s driveway and was disappointed to see that her car was nowhere in sight. “Where could she be?” he muttered.

  He recalled Sarah’s address. Minutes later he pulled into Sarah’s driveway. Lights winked from the windows amid the torrid rain. He ran to her door and pounded on it. Minutes later, she opened it. “Winston!” He quickly strolled into the house and stopped as soon as he saw the chunky man with dark glasses sitting in her living room. A decorated cake with candles sat on the coffee table and cups of steaming coffee filled the air with their aromatic scent. Sarah was decked out in a yellow dress and her face was made up. She glared at him, seemingly disappointed that her date had been interrupted. “Sarah, who is it?” The man’s deep voice filled the room as he stood.

  “It’s okay, Carl, it’s just Winston, Rainy’s friend. Carl, this is Winston—Winston, I’d like you to meet Carl.” She introduced them as she guided Carl’s hand toward Winston’s. That’s when he realized the man was blind. A red-tipped white cane stood in the corner. They shared a firm handshake before Carl returned to his seat. Sarah led Winston into the kitchen. He noticed two dirty plates at the table and a set of matches on the counter.

  “Okay, Winston, this had better be good. I was just about to light the candles on Carl’s birthday cake.” She glared, placing her hands over her lean hips.

  “I didn’t mean to interrupt your date, but this is an emergency. Where’s Rainy?”

  “Hmm. I don’t know if I should tell you that. Do you know if she wants to talk to you?” She pulled a cake knife from the drawer and lifted the matches from the counter.

  He sighed. “Of course she wants to talk to me. That’s why I’m here.” He explained how her letter had gotten wet in the rain. “I couldn’t make out all the words, but I know she wants to meet with me sometime next week.”

  “Well, I know you wouldn’t lie about something like this.” She told him that Rainy had returned to her parents’ dairy farm to return Amber. “Mark wanted to pick her up, but he couldn’t leave the farm chores for the weekend.”

  “Thank you.” He kissed her cheek, said goodbye to Carl and ran out of the house. The rain continued to fall, but the thunder and lightning had stopped. When he returned home, he called his travel agent and booked a flight for the following day. Rainy Jackson was going to be getting a surprise visit tomorrow. He just hoped and prayed her l
etter had stated that they should reconcile and try to renew their relationship.

  The scent of cow dung and hay filled the cool autumn air as Rainy walked to the secluded brook on her parents’ dairy farm. Cows mooed in the distance, eagerly awaiting the evening milking. She sat on a rock and snuggled beneath her jacket.

  She smiled as she fondly recalled Amber’s reunion with Mark. He’d cried tears of joy as he clutched his beloved daughter. She hoped and prayed everything worked out for the small family. Cindy, Amber’s mother, had returned for a brief period of time. She’d spent a few hours with Amber, and had arranged to visit her regularly with Mark. Rainy still had unexplained questions about Cindy’s sudden reappearance, and she wondered if she was still with the man she’d had an affair with. She questioned where Cindy was staying and found that she was staying in town with a relative.

  She sighed as the cool evening air blew through the trees. She still ached to speak to Winston, but she just couldn’t find the courage to call him. She almost dialed his number three times, but after punching in a few of the digits, she’d hung up the phone in frustration. She knew he must have received her letter by now, and when she checked her home and work numbers, she didn’t have any messages from him. “Lord, does this mean I’ve messed things up pretty badly? Does Winston not want to be a part of my life any longer?” She asked aloud.

  “I’ve wanted to be a part of your life, Rainy, ever since we first met on the cruise.” Winston’s deep voice carried over the wind. She gazed behind her. Was she dreaming?

  Winston walked toward her, and he looked as fine as ever! His dark jeans hugged his lean hips and his jacket covered his broad shoulders. “Winston, what are you doing here?” She moistened her dry lips as she gazed at the man that she loved.

  “I’m here to see you.”

  “But, how did you find me?”