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Rain sat on the couch in her parent's den, cursing herself for eating so much and wondering if you could actually die from eating too much. Micheal and her father, also a mechanic, were in the garage looking over a car her father was rebuilding and her mother was in the kitchen finishing up her cleaning. Rain began to fidget with her birthday present, smiling once more as she thought of the feeling of Mark's lips upon her cheek. ~You need to get a grip, Rain. You're acting like a teenaged girl who has just been shown the affections of a boy for the first time~.
"Well...the blushing cheeks, the smile, the dreamy far away look in your eyes. If you were any other woman, I'd say a man has something to do with this, but I'm sure my daughter told me a couple of years ago that she had sworn off men, telling me 'they're all the same, only wanting one thing and they want it from someone who's pretty'." Rain's mom said as she joined her on the couch.
"I did say that...but somebody may force me to change my mind and swallow those words."
"So, Mark has made that much of an impression with you, huh?" her mother asked. "Seems as far as you could get from what you first told me. I thought you couldn't stand the guy."
"I couldn't stand him at first...he got on my nerves, he was always around, I coulnd't wait to get him out of my hair, I wanted nothing to do with him." Rain replied. "But when we were snowed in and I had to spend time with him and talk to him, I started to see he wasn't that bad a person...and I actually enjoyed being with him. And then there was the carnival..."
"Carnival? You never told me you went to a carnival."
"I guess I didn't mention it to you, did I? Rain said, wondering how that had happened because they talked to each other at least once a week, if not more, and she told her mom basically everything. "We went to a carnival that day I bought you those dolls. Mark found out about it from this gentleman in one of the stores we visited." Rain then told her mother what happened that day...buying Mark the book about motorcycles, the incident with Mark and her car, having dinner, and then the time they spent at the carnival.
"I would have paid money to see the look on your face when he took you out of the car and just left you there. But throwing the water in his face doesn't surprise me...I'm well aware of that temper of yours when someone crosses you the wrong way." Her mom said, still laughing at the story. "I can tell there's something you're not telling me, Rain. From what I've heard, you had a nice day with Mark...nothing wrong with that."
"Of course there wasn't anything wrong with that. I was pleasantly surprised with Mark, not knowing whether I had made a mistake in becoming friends with him. But I've seen over the last few months that Mark is the kind of friend I want...the kind of friend I wish I had found right after...well, before I lost my faith in people." Rain said. "It's just that...well...you see, Mark and I went on this carriage ride at the carnival, and one minute I was looking at the sky and the scenery and the next...well, the next I was in his arms, my head on his shoulder with Mark running his fingers through my hair. I don't even know how it happened."
Rain's mom nodded her head, understanding that it may have seemed silly to other people to be upset over something so small, but knew how profound this was to Rain. "And I take it that you didn't want that to happen...you only want friendship from Mark."
"I'm...I'm not sure anymore. I think I only want friendship, or at least that's what I keep telling myself." Rain looked at the bracelet and sighed. "I don't know how he does it, how he gets me to act like a totally different person, to do things I normally wouldn't do...I can't explain the effect Mark had on me. I was content to have Micheal as my only friend because I knew he wouldn't hurt me, I could trust him, and I didn't need anybody else...but then Mark came along and just blew everything out of whack. I don't know what to do, he has me so confused...and I've started thinking about what it would be like to be with Mark...as something more than a friend."
"That's a big step for you, Rain. I mean, friendship with anybody, man or woman, is a big step for you, but a relationship with Mark...is that something you're ready for after what happened the last time? You have to give a lot of yourself in a relationship and one of those things is complete trust, because anything less is not fair to the other person. You haven't even known Mark for a year. Isn't it a little soon to be thinking of anything more than freindship?"
"I'm not saying I'm ready to give this man my heart or say 'I love you'." Rain turned so she was fully facing her mother. "When I'm with Mark, I have fun, it's that simple. He reminds me of the type of guy I wanted to date when I was in high school, and though I'm scared of being hurt again, I wonder if I'll give up my one chance at finding someone who will love me if I run away from him like I have a tendency to always do."
"Honey, all I want is for you to be happy and if Mark can make you happy, I say go for it. I know if he wasn't a good person, you wouldn't even consider letting him get this close to you, but I want you to be careful...I don't want to see you get hurt again." Rain's mom thought of how to bring up a subject which concerned her. "Is Mark the kind of man who puts more stock in looks than in the person on the inside?"
"Are you asking me if my face bothers him? The answer from what I've seen so far is no." Rain started laughing. "Mark thinks I'm beautiful, he thinks I'm pretty, when he kissed me today on the cheek, he didn't hesitate or look disgusted...and I actually felt my heart speed up." Rain felt her cheeks burning red, something that was becoming a regular event for the day. "Can you believe I'm carrying on like this...all over a GUY?"
"Of course he thinks you're beautiful...that's something I've known all along. Perhaps if I get enough people to say it, you'll actually begin to believe we're telling you the truth." Rain's mom remarked. "I'm happy to see you've found somebody who's made you rethink some of your ideas, and that you're giving Mark a chance. I hope he doesn't disappoint you because you deserve some kind of happiness for once in your life, but from talking to you and seeing the look on your face when you speak of Mark, I think you'll be fine...and I have a feeling that Mark won't intentionally hurt you. But I still want you to take care of yourself, and if you think that Mark is going to hurt you in any way, don't be afraid to walk away from him...even if it means he could have been the one for you."
"Believe me, if I even think for one second that Mark will hurt me, I will walk away. But for once, I'm going to ignore the voice in my head, try and forget the mistakes other people have made and the pain they have caused and not hold then against Mark, and just let what happens happen." Rain said. "I'm still a little skeptical and scared of what might come of this, though."
"As to be expected, but with time, maybe those feelings will eventually disappear." Rain's mother smiled, loving the fact that some semblance of the daughter she knew years ago was showing her face.
"Well, I need to see what Micheal and dad are up to. If they're too involved in that car, I'll never be able to pull Micheal away from it." Rain stood to leave, but turned and gave her mom a long hug instead, surprising her.
"What was that for?" her mom asked.
"My way of saying thank you for listening to me."
"I'm always here if you ever need to talk."
"I know...I love you, mom."
"I love you too, honey." Rain's mother watched as her daughter walked towards the garage. She was crossing her fingers and praying Mark wouldn't turn out like the others had and hurt Rain...one more disappointment, one more rejection and who knew what that would do to Rain. If Mark turned out to be as caring and concerned for Rain as Micheal, then she knew she had nothing to woory about. Actually, Rain's mom thought for the longest time that Micheal and Rain would end up together, it just seemed like the logical next step after the two had become so close, but it never happened. ~I guess everything happens for a reason...and maybe Mark is the reason~.
Taking a beer and a Dr. Pepper out of the fridge, Rain walked from the kitchen and down the stairs to the basement where Mark was playing a game of pool by himself. Rain handed him the beer, receiving a thank you in return, and sat down with her drink, picking up her book and returning to her reading. She was so engrossed in her reading, she didn't notice that Mark had stopped playing and was watching her as she read a book he had bought her two days before for pet lovers called' Chicken Soup for the Cat and Dog Lover's Soul'. Several times during the afternoon he had looked up from his game to see Rain either laughing or sighing or wiping a stray tear away as she read, telling Mark his purchase had been a good one. Mark opened the beer Rain had just handed him and took a long sip, still looking at Rain and thinking of how much things had changed over the last four months since Rain's birthday. He didn't know why or what changed Rain's mind, she never told him out right, but Mark noticed how Rain began to except his invitations to dinner or for a night out, would talk to him over the phone, or would invite him over to her house. Rain took things slowly, as Mark expected, but with every dinner, every movie, every late afternoon drive, and every late night conversation, Mark and Rain became closer and closer, a strong freindship developing. Mark showed Rain day after day that she hadn't misplaced her trust in him, that she was making the right decision.
Another thing Mark was able to get Rain to do was to open up a little more about herself and her past. Mark learned Rain was originally from Colorado, when she was growing up she wanted to be a veterinarian or a photograher or an artist, but circumstances caused her to follow her father's profession, and she moved to Tennessee the summer after her senior year in high school. For everything new Mark learned about Rain, she still didn't shed any new light on what had caused the scars on her face and body, why her family had moved to Tennessee, or what had caused her to be so distrustful of people. However curious Mark was to know the answers to these questions, he knew it wasn't as important as what he knew of the person Rain was now. For example, Mark learned that when Rain wasn't feeling well, a cup of raspberry hot chocolate and some soft music such as Enya helped her to feel better, when she had a bad day at work, it was best to leave her alone for a few minutes and then go and talk to her...and a shoulder massage didn't hurt things either, and when she was having one of her migraines, it was best to give her her medicine and let her sleep where she was, be it the couch or bed, until the next morning, when he would always check on her.
Mark was about to return to his game when he saw Rain reach up and sweep her hair over her left shoulder, moving some strands of hair out of her view of her book. He was mesmorized, loving how she looked when she made that simple move, and Mark soon forgot about pool and his drink, only concerned with looking at Rain...and this was something he could have done all day. Rain felt a pair of eyes gazing on her and lifted her head to see a pair of emeralds staring in her direction. Rain gave Mark a smile, a reaction that almost a year ago would have been unheard of, but Rain knew the reason behind Mark's gaze...and it wasn't the same reason, or should she say excuse, behind other people's stares. Actually, Rain liked it when Mark would look at her, something she NEVER thought she'd hear herself say, because he made her feel desired and attractive...and she couldn't even describe how she felt when she would see a beautiful woman walk by her and Mark and he wouldn't even acknowledge the woman's presence, and when Rain would ask Mark why, he would say 'because everything else pails in comparison to the beauty you possess'. Mark moved around to her side of the table, preparing to take a shot, and was just about to strike the cue ball when Rain reached up and grabbed his waist, tickling him and causing Mark to knock the ball off the table. Rain broke into a fit of laughter when Mark turned and gave her a shocked and surprised look.
"You think that's funny?" he asked, placing his arms across his chest.
"Yeah I do." Rain answered. "You were concentrating so hard on that shot, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to distract you."
"You shouldn't distract a person like that when they're playing pool."
"Why? Seems like a simple game to me that doesn't require that much effort."
"Oh it does?" Mark said with a smile. He held out his pool stick for her to take. "Why don't you show me what you can do."
"Okay." Rain marked her place in her book and took the pool stick. "Teach me, o great one."
Mark took the next couple of hours to show Rain some of the basics in playing pool, and Rain ended up giving him the best laugh he had had in quite some time. If she called a shot and went to hit that ball, she would hit the ball on the opposite side of the table, and if she went after another shot because she was sure she'd never hit a particular shot because it was too hard, the hard shot would be the shot she'd hit. By the end of the lesson, Rain was doing a little better...at least she was hitting one or two of the shots she was calling, but she was nowhere near Mark, who, she had to admit, was a pretty good pool player and entertaining to watch...though she could tell he was showing off a couple of times. Because everything between them ended up in some kind of friendly competition, Mark made a deal with Rain that he would teach her how to play pool one or two times a week so she, in her own words, could 'beat you senseless and wipe that smirk off your face'...a challenge Mark readily accepted. They had just stopped playing and were trying to decide what to do for dinner...dine out or order something when Mark ememberd he was suppose to ask Rain something.
"While you're thinking about dinner, here's something else for you to think about." Mark started. "Are you off the week-end after this one?" Rain nodded her head, curious as to where this was going. "Okay, now I want you to remember that you are under no obligation to say yes, but that is the week-end of my parent's wedding anniversary, and they have been asking me whether or not I was bringing you."
Mark immediately saw the doubt and uncertainty cross Rain's face. "Why do they want to know that?"
"I guess because I've been talking about you so much that they want to meet the person behind the name." Mark answered. "You see, it's been a long time since I've talked to my parents about a woman as much as I've talked about you. They are so anxious to meet you, they've already bought you a plane ticket so that you wouldn't have to worry about that."
"They bought a plane ticket for me?" Rain asked. ~Great, I'd feel bad if I said no after they've already bought me a ticket~. "Who will be there?"
"My sister, my parents, and me. We're going to take my parents out to their favorite restaurant."
"What have you told them about me?"
"I've told them only what they needed to know." Mark read between the lines and understood what she was really asking...did they know about her scars. He had told his parents and his sister that Rain had been in some kind of accident which had left scars...and that would probably be the main reason why Rain wouldn't accompany him to Texas.
"Then they'll probably be a disappointment to them."
"Why would you say that?"
"Because of how I..."
"Don't you dare say 'because of how I look'." Mark interrupted. He cupped her face in his hands and made her look into his eyes. "If I could take away one thing, I would take away all of your self doubt and the way you berate youeself sometimes. These..." Mark traced each scar on her face with his index finger. "mean nothing to my family as they don't mean anything to me...they won't judge the person you are solely on something so trivial. They're gonna see what I see, a nice, caring, fun, and beautiful woman."
Rain leaned her forehead against Mark's chest as he rested his head on top of hers. Every now and again, she needed someone to pull her out of the pool of self doubt she sometimes found herself sinking in.
"Rain, you don't have to say yes."
"I know that." Rain whispered into his chest, and then she lifted her head up. "Can...can I think about it over dinner and then give you an answer?"
"Whatever you want is fine with me." Mark answered.
Rain noticed a brief look of disappointment make its way across Mark's face. It disappeared as quickly as it appeared, but Rain caught it nonetheless. "You want me to go with you, don't you?"
"It doesn't matter what I want you to do if you don't want to go."
"Answer me truthfully...do you want me to come with you?"
Mark thought about saying no because he didn't want her to feel pressured to say yes, but she wanted an honest answer and he had to give it to her. "Yes, I want you to come with me, but it's your decision." Mark gave her a small, reassuring smile. "I’m going to order us a pizza. I don't want to deal with the restaurant scene tonight and I'm sure you feel the same." He went off in search of the phone and the phone book, leaving Rain to think about what she wanted to do.
Later that night, after the pizza had long sinced disappeared and Rain was on her way out the door to head home, she gave Mark her answer which was yes. She had to say that word about twenty times because Mark kept asking 'Are you sure? Are you very sure?' about twenty times himself. Once he was satisfied that she WAS sure about coming with him, he wrapped her in his arms in a big hug.
"I was hoping you'd say yes."
Mark flipped through the channels absently, finding nothing that held his interest long enough to keep him from pushing the channel-up button. He thought he was going to do something with Rain that afternoon, since it was Sunday and neither had to work, but she had told him she'd rather stay at home by herself for the rest of the day. Ever since she had agreed to go with him to Texas, Mark noticed that Rain was becoming more and more distant, keeping to herself and staying at home more. Mark's first thought, of course was she was having second thoughts about their upcoming trip which was only five days away, but when he asked Rain if that was the reason behind her sudden mood change...when she was actually TALKING to him...she would say no. Mark wondered if he should have been doing more, if he should have been going over to Rain's house and staying with her, being with her during what seemed to be a very trying time. Micheal was absolutely no help to Mark, offering no explanation for Rain's behavior, though Mark knew Micheal wasn't telling him something...he had known Rain for too long and too well to not know what was bothering her.
Mark was on his third trip through the channel line-up when the doorbell rang. ~Maybe she changed her mind after all~. When he opened it, Rain wasn't the person who greeted him, instead an older woman stood on the other side of the door. She looked vaguely familar to Mark, but he had never seen this woman before in his life.
"Can I help you?" he asked, wondering if she was looking for Micheal.
"Are you Mark?" she asked in return.
"Yes...do I know you?"
"You don't know me but you are the person I'm looking for." she smiled when she saw an even more confused look on Mark's face. "Let me introduce myself...I'm Rain's mother."
This was followed by several minutes of Mark's coughing because she had picked the moment when he had taken a sip of his coke to tell him who she was. When the coughing had subsided and his eyes were no longer watering, Mark looked at Rain's mother, not knowing what to expect.
"Well I've never had THAT kind of reaction to an introduction before." Rain's mother remarked. "But I guess every man fears the dreaded visit from the parents." Mark could only offer a nervous laugh in response to her last statement. "Are you going to invite me inside or are you going to make me stand out here all day?"
"Oh...uh, I'm sorry...uh, come in." Mark said, stepping back to let her walk into the house.
"First of all, you can get the 'dead man walking' look off your face. I'm not here to interogate you or anything along those lines." Rain's mother began. "I've noticed over the past four or five months that I can't have a conversation with Rain without your name being brought up. I have to say, you've managed to do something nobody has done for a long time, and that is to bring out a part of my daughter I thought had died...so much so that she agreed to accompany you to Texas. Now, I don't meddle in my daughter's business without her knowledge of it, but I needed to ease some of the discomfort I was feeling entrusting my daughter's safety to a man I've never seen or met before. Understand where I'm coming from?"
Mark nodded his head. "Any parent is concerned with their child's safety and I'd expect no less from you...especially since I'm taking your daughter a couple hundred miles away to a place she's never been."
"So I was wondering if you would humore an old lady and keep her company while she has lunch. We could take the time to get to know a little more about each other."
"I'd hardly call you an old woman. You barely look old enough to be Rain's mother."
"Ohhhh....I see we have a charmer here. No wonder my daughter is so impressed with you."
~Rain must get her sense of humor from her mother~, Mark thought. "I'd be delighted to have lunch with you, Mrs...?"
"Call me Cynthia. Mrs. is too formal for my taste." Cynthia said, answering his silent question.
"Okay, Cynthia. I just need to put some shoes on and grab a jacket, then we can go." Mark hurried off to get ready, and after he said a silent prayer to whoever was listening, Mark and Cynthia were on their way.