When it Rains

By Atonia

Part 4

Lilly had set up the meeting in Central Park, Mark had a description of Rachel Pederson and she had one of him.  He wandered along the pathways vague memories of being here before with his mother before they left for England. She’d told him about the divorce that was already in the works and left it up to him whether he wanted to finish his schooling in America or go back with her. For him it was a no-brainer. He’d gone back to Yale picked up his belongings and quit school.

Rachel stood just under the bridge watching him walk toward her, he hadn’t seen her yet so she had a moment. His longish hair whipped about in the breeze, bearded he had the look of his father about him, the way he walked and held himself. He was two years younger than she was, he stopped, he’d seen her so she stepped out of the shadows.

Mark hadn’t been told her age but he was surprised that she was probably around his age, long blond hair falling over her shoulders, jeans and a sweater with a long knitted scarf around her neck, boots, hands in her pockets. She smiled shyly.

“You have to be Mark Sutter.”

“Do I have to be?” he smiled, “Rachel.”

She walked closer to him caught his eyes. “You have to be, you look like him.”

“Can’t help that” he tilted his head she was a striking woman with a direct blue gaze that caught somewhere in his chest.

“Shall we walk? I knew we would eventually meet, that you would find out about James.”

“There was no mention of him in the will.”

“No, your father settled an amount of money on him some time ago, he has a trust fund that he will come into when he’s twenty-one.”

“Does he know, James I mean, does he know who his father is?”

“Yes, he does.”

“Your husband is in an institution?”

“Yes, he’s twenty five years older than me and he began losing his memory about eight years ago, he has dementia. He doesn’t recognize me anymore and I’ve stopped visiting on a weekly basis, I only go about once a month now. James has never seen him.”

“How did you meet my father?”

“My husband was a friend of his, they played golf together. When he became ill William was there for me, helped me with him until I couldn’t care for him any longer. We became lovers and…James. Does this shock you?”

“No, nothing shocks me about my father.”

She glanced up at him and continued, “William provided me with a house and we lived as man and wife although we could never be married, he would have I’m sure of that.”

“Why didn’t he give him his name?”

“Because I’m married.”

“That must have been confusing for James.”

“No, James is only six, he’s too young to understand about that, I’ll tell him someday when he’s older. He was very upset when William died, he tells his friends his father is in heaven with the angels.”

“That’s debatable. I’d like to meet him, my half brother.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Mark. I’m not sure how I would explain you.”

“Why do you have to explain me, just an introduction…maybe someday when he’s older you could.”

“The resemblance is too much even though you have a beard and dark hair, you have his eyes.”

“The kid is only six, I think I have a right to meet him.”

“You have no rights where my son is concerned. I’m sorry I didn’t mean that to sound…”

“No bother. You’re probably right; I have no rights, just a desire to meet my brother. Especially since I’ve met his mother.”

She stopped and turned to him. “Come for dinner tomorrow night, Lilly has the address. You could perhaps be his uncle?”

“I’m not his uncle.”

“No, of course not I just thought it might be easier to explain.”

“Six years…why did he never tell me I had a brother.”

“I can’t answer that, he never talked much about you, oh some stories about you when you were around James’s age.”

“That’s all he’d have known. He left us when I was eight.”

“It must have been hard for you without a father around.”

“Yeah…it was.” They resumed walking.

“You must have some memories of him too.”

“None that I’d share, I’m afraid they’re not good ones, Rachel.”

“I’m sorry you missed out on your childhood with him, he wore that too you know. I think he felt he had a second chance with James. A chance to do it right this time, he was good with him, read him to sleep every night.”

“Ha, probably the same old boring stories….” He had been about to say that he’d heard when he was a boy.

“James has a book that he gave him and they would read together.”

“Grimm’s Fairy Tales?”

“Yes,” she smiled, “how did you know?”

They’d come to a crossroads and Mark stopped and looked up at the sky, gray…chance of rain. “I don’t suppose he ever said anything about leaving his company to me,” he looked back at her, “why did he do it?”

“I really don’t know, but he said not so long ago that he’d never given you anything that meant anything to him. He hadn’t bought you a present since you were a small boy. It was soon after that he went to see his lawyer.

“So he thought this would make up for it…giving me the one thing I wouldn’t ever want. The thing that took him away from us, that killed us all. Hah, yeah…he put some thought into it for sure…probably laughing up his arse on the other side.”

“Oh I don’t think he…”

“He knew what he was doing,” Mark kicked at a clump of grass.

“I’m sure he meant well, he didn’t do it to hurt you, Mark. Maybe he thought you’d want the company he’d built up from nothing, something he’d put his life into…that maybe you would understand him a little better.”

“The more I find out the less I understand him at all.”

Rachel looked at her watch, “I have to go pick James up from school, tomorrow night around 6:30?”

“I’ll be there,” Mark met her eyes, his hands in his pockets. He watched her walk down the path and found a bench to sit on and slumped down his face lost in the collar of his coat.

Mark returned to his office and tossed his coat on a chair. Lilly would be in shortly to start filling in the blanks for him. There were too many blanks, he sat down at the desk and ran his hand through his hair. Freeman knocked quietly and brought in a tray of coffee and sandwiches.

“It may be awhile before you’re able to have a decent meal, I thought sandwiches?”

“Ta, Freeman.”

“Will you be going out tonight?”

“I…I don’t know.”

“Perhaps you will have someone in?”

Mark thought about Jo, “Maybe.”

“Is there something I should do, restock the bar?”

“Yeah, that sounds good.” Freeman whirled around and left, Mark wondered if his feet hovered above the floor. He ate a couple of the sandwiches and was on a second cup of coffee when Lilly came in.

“Are you ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“You met with Rachel?”

“Yes, she seems like a nice person.”

“Your father loved her.”

“In spite of that,” he cocked a brow, “she’s invited me to dinner tomorrow night to meet James.”

“I’ve never seen him, your father kept that part of his life private.”

Mark sighed, “What have you got for me there?”

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