No Saints (Part 4 of 6)

Even with that rain and the weekend traffic, the store was no more than ten minutes away. The rain kept coming in waves, alternatively slowing the traffic and speeding it up. I always wondered why people couldn't drive more smoothly in the rain.

A traffic light ahead turned red and I slowed down, and my mind slowed down as well. Caroline and her butter. What if when I would be back, she'd send me out again? Bread? Lima beans? Besides, she had said she wanted butter, but she didn't specify whether it was salted or plain butter.

I reached into my pocket for my cell phone, but it came up empty. As the traffic started moving again, I patted myself but I couldn't find anything. I must have had left it on the coffee table, or on the cupboard. Maybe Caroline had put it away for me, she always tidied up behind me. I took the first turn and sped back home. It was much better to look stupid and getting more details, than to come back with nothing but plain butter when she wanted salted butter and a can of corn.

I pulled up behind the house. I wasn't going to walk in like a complete moron, not in front of Mike. Mostly he would have started talking more and more, and it would have taken one hour before I could go get the butter. As it was, I was going to be about ten minutes late.

I got out of the car, lifted the lapels of my jacket and closed it tight on my chest and neck. I was going to get really wet. I went in the dark backyard, walking in long steps to avoid the deep cold puddles of rainwater. I should have had the yard landscaped, with some sort of pathway to the rear deck.

I leaped one large puddle, nigh a pond, and put one foot on the steps up to the deck, and stopped. The deck was illuminated by the window in the rear of the kitchen, and although the rain was falling hard on me, blurring my vision, I could see someone moving. It was Caroline, of course, but something made me stop and wait.

Whatever told me to wait was right. Barely a second after Caroline passed in front of the window, I saw another shadow. A bigger one. Mike.

He walked in front of the window and Caroline joined him. They both had glasses in their hands. Caroline was smiling. It was a warm, welcoming smile. Mike was laughing, but all the noise was drowned by the rain.

Mike said something. Caroline laughed, her cheeks turning a deeper tone of red. Blushing. Mike talked again and got closer to her. She laughed and covered her mouth. Mike put an arm around her and drew her close. Caroline didn't stop him, instead she put her arms around his neck and laid her head on his chest. She was smiling.

Then she looked up to him and they kissed.

A vehicle passed by and startled me. Slowly I turned around and returned to the car.