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"Ahh...I see they finally let you leave." Mark said as he watched Rain walk towards him and took the empty space on the ottoman. He could tell the three of them must have had quite a time talking together because Rain still had a smile from ear to ear on her face and her cheeks were still flushed from all the laughing she had done. "How were you finally able to escape?"
"We probably would have talked for another couple of hours or maybe even all night, but your mom started to get tired, so we decided to call it a night." She looked at him, still not able to stop smiling...and that's when Mark saw the mischievious gleam in her eyes. "But not before I learned a thing or two."
Mark looked at Rain with suspicion. "What did you three talk about?"
"Ohhhh...a little of this, a little of that." Rain replied. Mark didn't like that answer. "You know, one of the most embarrassing things a mother can do is to talk about when their kids were growing up, and all the things they did when they were little...but one of the most ENTERTAINING things a person can listen to is someone else's mother talking about their children."
"Oh no." Mark said, burying his head in his hands. "What did they tell you...or should I ask?"
"Ohhh...how they couldn't have people over without you running out of your room and around the house stark naked. Seems you were a little streaker when you were a kid...which surprises me. I wouldn't have guessed that." Rain was loving every minute of this...but Mark was wishing the floor would just open and swallow him up. "And they also told me about that crush you had on one of your teachers."
"No they didn't." Mark's face was about as red as Rain had ever seen it.
"Yep...I heard how you would always bring her apples or flowers before school and how you would get all dressed up for her...even sneaking into your dad's cologne. But serenading her...that was cute." Rain said. "I heard that even her husband thought that was cute."
Mark started shaking his head, sinking off the ottoman to the floor and hoping the embarrassement would just kill him right there. Rain's laughter ringing in his ears told him his prayer wouldn't be answered that night.
"Well I guess I won't tell you some of the things your sister told me. I'll just keep those stories in my back pocket for future...blackmailing use." Rain moved to the floor beside Mark. "I think I've just about paid you back for your littel carnival fiasco...just about."
Mark mumbled something that was incoherent and let his head fall back onto the couch. "I'm gonna get my sister for this."
"And just think, I get the opportunity to learn even more of your deepest, darkest secrets when I spend the afternoon with your sister tomorrow...that'll make you squirm a little." Rain said as she wrapped her arm around Mark's shoulder.
"You're enjoying this a little too much for my tastes." Mark grumbled. "What are you two going to be doing?"
"Shopping, get a bite to eat, at least enough to hold us over till dinner, meet her fiance...just be two silly women for the afternoon." Rain answered.
"You actually agreed to this?" Mark asked, surprised. She had just met his sister and to go off and spend an afternoon with her, a person Rain barely knew, blew him away.
"Your sister is just as persistent as you are, so she never really gave me the option of saying no. Besides, I get the same feeling from her that I've gotten from you and Micheal which means I won't have to worry about anything...except for the fact that she wants to do a make-over on me." Rain laughed at the thought.
"I could have told you that was coming since she owns her own beauty salon."
"Yeah, well hopefully I can change her mind about doing one on me. Her time would be better spent doing that on somebody else." Rain hid a long yawn behind her hand. "Think I'll be heading to bed now, it's been a long day and I'm ready to go to sleep."
"I guess I'll see you sometime tomorrow...at least I hope so since my sister is kidnapping you from me." Mark said as he turned his head to look at her.
"Samantha said 'he gets you the rest of the time and we only get you for the week-end, if he doesn't like the fact I'm stealing you for an afternoon, then it's his tough luck'." Rain said.
"Then I'll take you sight-seeing after dinner if you're not too tired. That's what I was planning on doing with you tomorrow anyways."
"Sounds good to me." Rain replied. "So, when are you going to let me have it? I know you've been dying to say a certain phrase to me since we got here."
"And what would that be?" Mark asked.
" 'I told you so', 'You thought they weren't going to like you', 'You got all worked up over nothing'. Come on, I know you want to say something to me."
"Nah...I'm just glad you're having a good time so far." Mark said. "That's more important than saying 'I told you so'."
"If you're gonna be gracious about it, then I won't push it. I'm sure you'll let me have it some time later." Rain said. "I know we've only been here one night but I'm already glad I came with you. I'll see you tomorrow, either at breakfast or before dinner." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and then made her way to her room.
Mark closed his eyes and smiled. ~I told you so~.
"You don't like water chestnuts? I can't believe that, they're one of the best parts, Samantha. Well, let me have them...no sense in wasting them." Rain said as she reached over with her chopsticks and picked up the offending objects off of Samantha's plate. "I see that particular dislike runs in the family...your brother feels the same way."
"That's because my brother is smart." Samantha replied, finishing the little bit of food that was left on her plate. "Those things are disgusting."
Rain and Samantha were enjoying a midafternoon lunch, trying to hold their stomachs over until seven when they would be having dinner with Mark and his parents. They had visited several stores, so many Rain had given up counting how many, before Samantha had finally found a dress she wanted to wear that night. It was at this point Rain learned they were going to a very, very nice restaurant...the kind where they had ten thousand kinds of forks and spoons and you needed to know which one to use at which time. After hearing this, and silently cursing Mark's neglect in mentioning this, Rain decided her black pant suit probably wasn't a good choice for the affair. Saying this turned out to be the biggest mistake Rain had ever comitted...she knew the minute she saw Samantha's face light up and heard the gears turning in her head that she was in trouble.
"Well then we're just gonna have to find a dress for you now." Samantha said with a smile. "I think we should get something that will bring out your eyes...yes, a silver or grey dress is exactly what you need. There were a few I saw at one of the stores, if we hurry we can check them out."
"Whoa...hold your horses. I don't think I'm up to running around another hundred stores just to find me a dress. Maybe I'll just go ahead and wear what I brought." Rain said, trying to dig herself out of the hole she found herself in.
"Oh no you don't...you're gonna get off your a%* and come with me to find a dress." Samantha said as she stood up and gathered their trash to throw away. "Because I intend to put you in a dress that will make my brother's heart speed up and just plain blow him away. And then I'm gonna take you back to mom and dad's because I already know what I want to do with your hair and your make-up..."
"Samantha..." Rain started.
"Eh-eh, I don't want to hear another word from you. Now come on." Samantha gently pushed her towards the exit. All Rain could do was give a defeated sigh and let Samantha lead her wherever she wanted Rain to go.
Rain stood in the dressing room of the forth store Samantha and her had visited, four or five dresses hanging on the door in front of her...dressses she had no chance, or intention, of wearing. It wasn't because they were ugly or she thought they weren't appropriate for the restaurant...Samantha had picked out dresses which were both beautiful and stunning. Rain's reason for being so difficult with Samantha were deeply personal, reason she couldn't tell Samantha without actually showing her. ~Is that something I'm ready to do, with someone I just met yesterday? To have to turn around and see a person with that 'look', a look of revulsion and disgust, on their face~? Rain turned her attention back to the door when she heard a faint knock and Samantha asking if she could come in. Throwing her jeans and a shirt on in a hurry, Rain told her to come inside.
"You didn't like the last dress?" Samantha asked, and Rain shook her head no. "What about this one?" she held up a silver satin, sleeveless dress that fell to the floor and had a back that stopped half way down.
"I can't...I can't wear that." Rain said, looking down at the floor.
"Why not, Rain? This would look great on you." Samantha was just about to give up on Rain. "Am I missing something here? I've been picking out dresses that I think you would like, but you've disliked every single one and you won't tell me what you want. Tell me what's wrong, Rain. I can see how upset you're getting and I hope I'm not contributing to that."
Rain fiddled with the buttons on her shirt, shifting her weight from side to side, trying to think of what to say. Looking up at Samantha and seeing the worry on her face, Rain decided to just be honest with her and tell her what was bothering her. "Could you close the door, please?"
"Sure." Samantha followed Rain's request and once that was done, she turned and waited for Rain to make the next move.
"The reason...the reason I haven't been, been choosing any of the dresses you've brought me is because...is because..." Rain gestured towards the dresses. "You've been picking dresses that have low backs or spaghetti straps or are sleeveless, and I can't...I can't wear those because...of...of my...back."
"Your back? What's wrong with your back, may I ask?" Samantha asked, a second too late to realize it was probably the worst question she could have asked. She kicked herself for letting her curiosity get the better of her. "You don't have to answer that. I shouldn't have asked in the first place."
"No..no, it was a logical question to ask." Rain said, trying to reassure her, as ironic as that was. "You see the scars on my face and how bad some of them are, but this isn't the worst part of my injuries. The worst part is...is my...back, and parts of my legs." Rain had to stop and look down. Her lips were beginning to tremble and her vision was becoming blurred, telling Rain the tears were about to come. Rain remembered the humiliation she felt the last time someone had seen her back...it was when she figured she would never find a person who could look past her appearance. "And although these dresses are beautiful and I wish I could wear them because they're exactly what I would have worn when I was in high school, I just can't...because of this."
Rain turned so that her back was to Samantha and looked at the hand which was holding her shirt together, she hadn't bothered buttoning the shirt when Samantha had knocked on the door. She slowly lowered the shirt so that the collar fell to her waist and moved her hair out of the way of Samantha's view. Samantha could only stare, not able to speak or move a muscle. Large areas of Rain's back had been rubbed raw, the skin looking irregular and pink, along with many jagged-looking scars which were found all over her back. Inside, Samantha was saying ~Oh my God~, only guessing how painful it must have been when this was inflicted on her, and trying to find the words to express her sympathy. ~But my sympathy and pity is not what she needs...it's probably what she's always received from people~. Samantha slowly walked over to Rain and raised the shirt back to her shoulders, which began to shake because she was now crying. "I...don't...want...Mark to see...this, not yet, because no matter...how many times I put on a brave face, it still HURTS when I hear the things people say. And I don't...want to hear those things...from Mark."
Samantha turned Rain around and wrapped her in her arms, letting Rain cry on her shoulder for as long as she needed. Rain was finally able to get herself and her emotions under control, and when she did, she pulled away slightly from Samantha, embarrassed by how she had broken down in front of her. "I'm sorry I just kinda lost it there. It's not something I usually do, especially in front of someone I've known for about 24 hours."
"Don't apologize...sometimes you just need to break down and let things out...though I prefer to do it with a couple cartons of Ben & Jerry's while watching a sappy romantic movie with a friend or two around. Next time, remember the ice cream and the movie." Rain started laughing which made Samantha smile, at least she was perking up some. "Seeing your back doesn't change what I think of you, doesn't change the person you've become to me, just like your face didn't influence my opinion of you. And I know my brother thinks no differently than me, but I can understand how you feel because me seeing you and Mark seeing you aren't the same thing. He'll surprise you, though, because he always looks past things that other people always get hung up on...and he thinks you're beautiful anyways. And he'll STILL think you're beautiful when you feel comfortable enough to show your body to him." Samantha wiped away the remaining tears on Rain's face. "This was suppose to be a fun afternoon, so no more tears. If Mark see's that you've been crying, he'll never allow me near you again and I'll never hear the end of it from him."
"Thanks for...for this, Samantha. This is what I've missed by not having a woamn as a friend...the ability to just cry amd just let my emotions flow without hiding them. As good a friend as Micheal has been, sometimes you just need a woman there who understands a little more why you act like you do." Rain remarked.
"Anytime, Rain." Samantha said as she hugged Rain. "The only bad thing about this new friendship is my phone bill's going to be a b*^%h now because I'll be calling you know. Oh well, I'm sure my fiance will get over it soon enough. Okay, we still need to find a dress for you, and I now I know what style to get...you think it would have eventually gotten through my thick head that maybe you didn't like sleeveless or thin-strapped dresses. But anyways...I think I saw a dress that would be perfect." Samantha was out of the room and back in a of seconds, holding a gray satin, floor-lengthed dress which was overlayed with black lace. Rain tried the dress on and immediately fell in love with it...it had a square neck line, which complemented her necklace, and sleeves that stopped just below the elbow, and the dress completely covered her back. After Samantha voiced her overwhelming approval, Rain changed back into her clothes and paid for the dress. They hurried out of the store because now they only had about two hours to get ready and still needed to stop by Samantha's house to pick up a few things she would need. After that errand was complete, they were back at Samantha's parent's house...only offering a rushed hello as they flew past Mark and her parents and barricaded themselves in Rain's room.
Mark looked at his parents. "Wonder what that was about."
Rain stood in front of a full length mirror and looked at herself, kind of shocked by what she saw, barely recognizing the woman which reflected back at her. That woman looked, dare she say it, as close to beautiful as she had been in a long time. Samantha had done a good job with the make-up she had applied, not putting too much on, but just enough, especially around her eyes trying to bring out their color. The lipstick Samantha had chosen was kinda dark in Rain's opinion, but somehow between her hair, the eye make-up, and the dress, it looked like a reasonable choice. And then there was her hair...Rain thought Samantha would just leave it like it was, maybe pulling part of it back, but Samantha had other plans which included straightening her curls, and that only took forever. Rain was about to tell her to just stop it and she'd wear it natural, but Samantha was able to prolong her patience enough to finish so that Rain's hair, which normally fell half way down her back, now fell to her waist. Rain stepped closer to the mirror and did something she hadn't done since the accident...she actually focused all of her attention on her face. Ever since the accident, Rain had trained herself to look at her face without actually LOOKING at her face, and this continued to the point where she did this without consciously thinking about it. But now Rain looked at her face and began to see just how much it had changed. Many of the scars she remembered from the day she had first seen her face after the accident, ones she had burned into her memory, had faded to barely visible lines, others were only small pinkish lines.
The major scars on her face, the ones which crossed her right cheek and the one which followed along her hairline on the left side of her face, still looked bad, but not as bad as the first time she saw them. Rain backed away from the miror and sat down on the bed, waiting for Samantha, who was saying hello to her fiance, to return. Samantha, the crazy person she was, wanted to walk Rain into the living room so she could see the look on her brother's face...basically she wanted to see Mark faint on the spot. Rain just wanted Mark to like how she looked, hoping he wouldn't start laughing at her or look at her like she had a third eye. Feeling restless, Rain stood up and began to pace the floor, alternating between rubbing her hands together and playing with her bracelet, a thousand scenarios running through her head, and each one ending up worse than the previous. By the time Samantha came to the door, Rain had managed to work herself up to the point where she decided she wasn't going anywhere and was staying put.
"Rain, don't be silly. Just calm down and take a deep breath." Samantha said she held her hands.
"What if he doesn't like how I look? What if he thinks I look stupid?" Rain asked.
"He won't be thinking about any of those things, As a matter of fact, he won't be thinking AT ALL as soon as he sees you." Samantha answered. "Now come on, everybody's waiting...especially Mark."
Mark looked out the window, hands buried deep in the pockets of his tuxedo, barely aware of the conversation occuring between his soon-to-be brother-in-law and his parents. He was looking forward to seeing Rain for the first time that day, and finally spending some time with her that evening after dinner. A small part of Mark was annoyed at his sister for occupying all of the afternoon with Rain, but from what Sam had told him, they had an enjoyable afternoon and a new friendship had formed. The sound of an approaching motorcycle pulled Mark's eyes to the road, and the machine was just in his view when he heard a collective gasp from behind him.
"Oh my, you look...you look incredible, Rain!" his mother said, walking over to her.
"Thank you...and so do you." Rain said, looking at the black dress she was wearing. "Oh, and happy anniversary."
"Thanks." Catherine remarked. She turned to face her son who was still rooted to his spot by the window, eyes as wide as saucers and fixed on Rain. Catherine shook her head, laughing, and turned back to Rain. "I think he agrees with me, but if you want to talk to him, you'll have to be the one to walk over to him."
Rain smiled and moved in the dirction of Mark who was still as still as a statue, having not blinked nor taken a breath since she walked into the room. She stopped when she was only inches from him and poked Mark in the arm.
"What was that for?" he asked.
"I wanted to make sure you were still alive...and to get you breathing again." Rain answered. She took a step back and turned around in a circle so Mark could fully see the dress. "Well?"
Mark reached for Rain's hand and raised it to his lips, kissing it so lightly she wouldn't have known unless she hadn't seen it with her own eyes. He lowered his head to where only she could hear what he said, and whispered, "I guess whoever invented the word beautiful must have been thinking of you. You're gonna make it hard to remember that I'm suppose to be celebrating my parent's anniversary and not concentrating on you because you're taking my breath away right now, Rain."
Now it was Rain's turn to just stare at Mark and lose her ablility to breathe. ~Does he know exactly what to say to stop a girl's heart or what~? Who knows how long they would have just stood there staring at each other if not for Mark's father loudly clearing his throat.
"Okay, could you two possibly pull yourself away from each other long enough for us to get to the restaurant?" his father asked, holding back a smile. Mark and Rain gave him a guilty, sheepish smile and started towards the door. After helping Rain into her coat, Mark and Rain got into their rental car and his parents, sister, and her fiance got into his parent's car and everybody headed to the restaurant.
"That was a great dinner and a wonderful way for your parents to celebrate their anniversary with their family." Rain said as Mark drove. "After all these years, you can still tell how much they love each other."
"It's the kind of relationship I always wanted to have for myself. The respect and love my father has for my mother...it's how every woman should be treated." Mark checked both ways for traffic then pulled into the parking lot of his old high school. "WELL, this is where I attended high school, or should I say, where I suffered through the bowels of hell."
"So this is where you and Micheal went to high school." Rain said as she looked at the building. "Was your high school experience one you remember with good memories or one you'd rather forget?"
"A mixture of both. I was known as the school freak because of my height and got teased quite a bit, but I did find some good friends, and my best friend, Micheal, there so all and all not a bad expereince."
"Any long-lost high school sweethearts to speak of?"
"That question came out of the blue." Mark said, giving Rain an amused look. "Why do you ask?"
"Just curious, that's all."
"There was one girl. I met her my junior year and we hit it off right away, everyone figured we would end up getting married and so did I. Well she went to college in the area while I was learning everything about motorcycles here and we still remained close...close enough to move in with each other." Mark stopped talking and looked straight out the front windshield. "But things changed after she graduated. She got this really great job at a well known business...a job she had always dreamed of getting, and began to emerse herself in her work. I began to notice how she wasn't inviting me to any of her get togethers at work or introducing me to any of her friends from work, and if she did, she always insisted I wear something that covered my tattoos or didn't wear any of my jewelry that had to do with death. I don't know how long I put up with this, or why, before I confronted her and asked if I was becoming an embarrassment to her. She told me I was no longer the type of guy she wanted and I wasn't going to fit into the life she had created for herself. So she left me, moved out of our house, and I haven't heard from her since."
"Well that was very nice of her." Rain remarked, surprised at the anger she felt for a woman she had never met. Rain gave Mark's hand a gentle squeeze which caused him to look at her. "If it makes you feel any better, I say she was a fool to let a man like you go."
"It does make me feel better, but it's water under the bridge now...and I got the last laugh because I'm with you, a woman who accepts me for the weird and wacky person I am."
"I defintely agree with the weird part." Rain laughed when he started tickling her.
"There are a couple more places I want to show you." Mark said as he pulled out of the school. He ended up showing Rain some of his favorite stomping grounds from his teenage years and also some of the places he and Micheal had 'terrorized'. The final place he drove to was a small park. It was only 10:00 and he wasn't quite ready to take Rain back to his parent's house, not just yet. He parked the car and opened the door for Rain, taking her hand and walking her towards one of the paved trails. They held hands as they walked through the park, talking about nothing and just relishing being alone with each other after such a busy day during which they hardly saw each other.
On their second trip through the park, Rain spotted a swing set and tugged Mark towards it. She was planning on sitting in one of the swings for a little while, but Mark, having plans of his own, sat down instead and pulled Rain down in his lap, holding her in a tight embrace as she leaned against him. Rain looked up at the top of the swing set and giggled slightly. "Do you think this thing is strong enough to support both of us without breaking apart?"
"Don't know, but I hope so." Mark said, looking up with her. Doesn't matter, though, because this is what I've wanted to do all day...to have you this close."
"Hmmm...so how many times did you silently curse your sister out today for stealing me away from you for the afternoon?" Rain asked, closing her eyes and smiling.
"I lost count actually." Mark answered. "But I got over it pretty quick when I realized you were going to be with me after dinner, and there was no way she was going to pry you away from me."
"She couldn't have convinced me anyways."
"Good." Mark said as he pulled her closer, to the point he was almost crushing her, as another blanket of silence settled over them.
"Are your parents gonna start worrying about us because we haven't come back yet?" Rain asked, breaking the silence.
"No, I told them I was going to show you around the town and not to stay up or wait for us because we would be out late." Mark answered. "My mom said just don't come in at 2 or 3 in the morning."
"We probably should get back before then, nervertheless, if we plan on waking up on enough time to catch our noon flight and not be cranky."
"Yeah, you're right...I'm not exactly at my best in the morning if I haven't had enough sleep."
"THAT is the understatement of the YEAR." Rain remarked as she turned to look at Mark, laughing the entire time. Her laughing faded away when Mark began to tenderly touch her face, moving his fingers back and forth across her scared cheek.
"My God, you're so beautiful." he softly said. "And it's not just because of the make-up or because you did something different with your hair...all that did was enhance how stunningly beautiful you already are, something I didn't think was possible."
~Yep, there it is again...the fast beating heart, the inability to breathe properly, and the feeling that it's suddenly become a little warm out here~, Rain thought.