Rainbows He's incline to Pursue

Rainbows He's incline to Pursue

by Jack L. Trail

After all this time, all the tears, all the forgiveness, not counting the sleepless nights . The family never forgave him, but you did . Mom didn't after all his pipe dreams, promises never kept . Always thinking fast on his feet, and with it all the inevitable lame excuses .

It had been a dry spring, dust and dirt lay deep . The ground lay parched . The light rain had turned heavy . As she turned on to the four lane, headed south . The reflections of her young life, living with a very dysfunctional father . Putting his dreams and desires above everything else . Him with exceptional skills of always it seemed putting his " Fantasized ideas of making the quick buck ". And always finishing a distant second, their mother and both girls . But the mother, somehow held the marriage together, mostly for her girls sake .

This all was running though Bonnie's head, as she drove through the rain on this spring evening . The blinding glare of on coming lights from other vehicles, and heavy tractor trailers, passing, drenching her windshield, blinding her momentary of the glistening rain soaked glare on pavement made for a hazardous driving conditions . Her radio offered ,little in taking her mind off the telephone call from the police station in Topeka . With all the rushing of all the memories of her father's irresponsible misguided schemes .

Her and her sister, Tina, always made excuses for him, in trying to defend his honor . When family and friends would chastise him, for his shiftlessness, to avoid work, in giving his family a proper living environment . Him going months at a time without employment . Instead spending time with the " low life " . But Mom , took over where he didn't, and provided the meager existence they encumbered . Taking in washings, cleaning other peoples houses, as well doing back breaking ironing of other's cloths . She did so to have food on the table and shelter . Trouble really started in their marriage started in their when articles of jewelry, came up missing such as her mother's opal earrings . And they were found in a local pond-shop . But his dreams of an easy life, with dimwitted ideas, his buffoonery actions and just plain stupidity to make a quick buck . Always failing, to his blaming others for his incompetence . His excuse was " lady Lucky " was unkind to him ". And then the wife divorced him, after years of him not trying . She was free at last .

And so after all the decades later, he finally turned up for of all things shoplifting . A pair of house shoes, his down fall on this rain soaked evening . Soon at the police station, a officer holding the door open for her as she entered trying to close her umbrella .

He was let out after she posted bail, with a court appearance at a later date . He'd aged much more than when she'd seen him last . But he always had that handsome smile. That radiant gleam in his eyes, the warm bear hug attributed to his fondness of anyone doing something kind in his favor . His reassuring voice would win over a "sinner". A bit heavier, still a chain smoker, his terrible habit of chewing gum cracking and that of a booze hound with an atrocious breath . But he was still " Poppa" not reliable iota . And he was still Dad to her, no matter what the masses, spread their stories of his unreliable doings .

But even now holding the umbrella, over her head as he accompanied her to the car, in the down pour that just got heavier . Getting in pulling his rain soak jacket collar down . He giving her again a sincere apology of his misguided actions, and her coming to his aid . As well a" promise to pay her back " . In the dim car light and her seeing his cigarette burn in the darkness . She felt the love she still had for him . Even after all his misgivings, he was the man, she'd seen hurt her, as well the rest of the family. with his boastful. ostentatious promises that never materialized .

The windows fogged up, and she left the engine run, and let the defrosters do there job , Now looking him in the eye for the first time, The rain, grew heavier, as the wipers, beat out a rhythmic cadence. she ask

" What now Poppa ? "

" Nothin' I, guess.... I've got a few things up my sleeve, your not to worry, about me little girl . " He said as he lit another cigarette, off the old one .

" I'm twenty-seven, I , still worry, others don't, but I, do ... Often when my telephone rings, I get this knot in my stomach . It's going to be something about you did, bad or wrong . I'll feel this way always-"

He interrupted her, cigarette sparks flying and him also issuing a coughing spasm . " Listen, little girl. your old man still has the world by the tale. So I ,haven't hit it big or had that big thing come my way . But the odds are in my favor . It's just a matter of time All them that call me crazy ! And let me remind you the " Big Enchilada "is still out there , So let them think, I'm reckless, unpredictable, questionable, always open to doubt . They don't know the real me . "

She put the car in gear, and backed out of the parking space, turning on the lights, Passing street light after street light . They soon stopped by a rundown hotel on the seeder side of town . Some of the lights on the sign that was over the door, a few where burned out others flickered in the cool night .

Him embarking , sticking his head back into the passengers window , and declaring . " Thank you again Darlin, for coming to your old man's aid . Say before you go how's your mother doing, she still at that waitressing job, back home ? "

" No Poppy, that's way old news, you didn't know then ? "

"Know what ? "

" She hit the lottery, a million in one chance of a life time drawing, and is in Hawaii . Tina, has been with her on the big island, for over the past two years."

" She has had a wonderful, rich full life, living in an oceanside condo . Tina is a physical therapist .

I'm to join them next month. Finally getting rid of this terrible job, along with a creep of a boss, who has trouble keeping his hands where they need to be without me, having to tell him, all the time . "

She now gazed into the hollow man, sweating profusely in front of her with this totally stunned expression, eyes bulging, and voice quivering uttering a single word in compliance of not being included .

" Sh...She won the lottery'.... ? "