The Rain Began to Fall (26 page)

Dear Kyle,

Please find enclosed an offer on “The
Fishing Trip” I am sure you can’t refuse. It looks like we have a winner! Call
me
asap
and let’s talk about
it!

Congratualtions
!

Gary Pierce

Kyle’s hands were
trembling as he began reading the second letter.

Dear Mr. Pierce,

I have read the manuscript, “The Fishing Trip”,
you submitted on behalf of your client, Mr. Kyle
Tilston
.
I was thoroughly delighted by the story, and I feel he has written a true gem
in literature. As the Senior Editor at Titan Books, I am prepared to offer an
advance of $100,000 to secure the publishing rights to this novel. Please
contact me as soon as possible and let’s discuss future works and your client’s
relationship with Titan.

Sincerely,

Adam
Graceson

Sr. Editor/ Titan Books

He re-read the
letter, too astonished to get it on the first pass. But then he yelled and
pumped a fist in the air.

“Yes!” he shouted
at the top of his lungs. A couple of unsuspecting patrons walking through the
parking lot near him offered wary smiles and kept moving along. He then jumped
in his car and squealed the tires out of the parking lot, exceeding the speed
limit a bit as he sped back to his apartment.

When he arrived
home, he ran to the door, fumbled and dropped the keys, picked them up, and finally
made it in. He opened his phone and punched Leigh’s home number, on the off
chance she may be back from her meeting.

“Hello?” answered
a voice on the other end. It wasn’t Leigh.

“May I speak to
Leigh, please?
he
asked, still breathing hard in his excitement.
And it was in his voice; there was no containing it.

“She’s not here at
the moment,” Cheryl answered. “May I ask who is calling?”

“My name’s Kyle
Tilston
. I’m a…a friend of Leigh’s,” he replied, and on the
other end of the line, Cheryl smiled at his word search.
Friend?
she
thought.
I think a bit more
.

“Do you know
whe
…never
mind.
Just tell
her…never mind that too,” he stammered. He took a breath. “Is this Mrs.
Thompson?”

“Yes it is,” she
responded. This young man sounded terribly excited.

“Sorry I’m
babbling,” he said, chuckling. “I’m a writer, you see, and I’ve been trying to
get published for years. I just got a deal from Titan on one of my novels this
evening!” His voice had been climbing with each word to the extent he
practically shouted this last.

“Well
congratulations, Kyle!” she replied sincerely.
So he’s a writer?
She
read her share of books, and she knew Titan was a big outfit. This young man
had accomplished quite a feat.

Kyle caught
himself, and realized he was sharing his great news with Leigh’s Mom, whom he
had never met. Oops.

“Sorry about
that,” he apologized. “I know this sounds unusual to you. I’m just.... a bit
excited, you know?”

“Well, I can
certainly understand that!” she said. “You have every right to be!”

“Thank you Mrs.
Thompson!”

“And I’m sure
Leigh will be happy for you. Would you like for me to have her call you when
she gets in?” He thought for a second.

“No, no,” he said.
“Actually, I think I’d rather tell her in person. I’ll see her tomorrow. Would
you mind keeping it a secret?”

“You can count on
me,” she responded, “and congratulations again.”

“Thank you!” he
said. “It was good talking to you Mrs. Thompson.”

“Same here,” she
replied, smiling. “I’m looking forward to meeting you…
sailor
.” And then
she hung up, leaving Kyle on the other end staring at the phone, perplexed.

After his
conversation with Cheryl, Kyle called his agent. Gary soon got down to
business.

“I’m booking you a
flight up here next week,” he announced. “I’ll firm up the date and time and get
back to you.”

“Next week?” Kyle
responded. “New York?”

“Absolutely,” he
replied. “Think you can clear your schedule? Mr.
Graceson
wants a face to face in his office. You’ve hit the jackpot, Kyle.”

“I’ll be there!”
he responded.

When Rob arrived back
home late Sunday evening, Kyle caught up with him and shared his second round
of good news. It was a poignant moment. Rob, who had shared Kyle’s literary
dream for many years, was almost as excited as his friend was. With beers in
hand, Rob raised his.

“To
you, my man!
Your ship has come in to shore!” he toasted. “Or
ships
,
I should say! How much good fortune can a guy have in one weekend?”

“No kidding!” Kyle
responded, laughing.

“And
to you,” Kyle responded, “my best friend.
I honestly wouldn’t have made
it without your belief and support.”

# # #

On Monday morning,
Kyle woke with an indescribable happiness in his heart. It was difficult to
imagine that in the last two days he had won the woman he loved and landed his
first book deal.  He showered and got dressed, then prepared a peanut
butter and banana sandwich, humming. As he drove to
Falstead
,
he thought about how his move to Charlotte had resulted in the best events of
his life, proof that one never knows what lies around the bend; that if one was
determined and persistent, great things could happen. He recalled a quote by
long ago heavyweight champion Gentleman Jim Corbett: “…
fight one more round,
remembering that the man who always fights one more round is never whipped.”

He had the window
down, and the fresh morning air of May blew through his hair. As he approached
the traffic light where they had raced that morning – a time that now seemed
like ages ago – he had to brake fairly hard to slow down; he had been stepping
on the gas in his enthusiasm.

As he got closer,
he saw a familiar red Porsche sitting in the left lane.

“No way,” he
muttered, grinning.  As he pulled along beside her, he was amused to see
her applying make up to her face, just as she was that day.

Leigh was glancing
at the traffic light, hoping it would turn soon. She was running late, after a
long night spent burying the past and awakening to the future, when she heard
the loud roar of an engine beside her. No mistaking who it was.

She looked over at
Kyle, and he was smiling big, motioning her to roll down her window.

“Hey baby!” he
hollered.

“Hey!” she
hollered back. “Is this déjà vu or what?”

“No kidding!” he
yelled back. They both glanced up at the light.
Still red.

“Hey, guess what!”
he hollered again. She stretched her head out the window.

“You’re going to
have to quiet that hot rod down, darling!” she replied.

“No can do, babe!”
he responded. “I said, guess what!”

“What? What?” she
hollered back,
laughing.
He seemed awfully excited
about something! She glanced up at the light. No go.

“I’ve done it!” he
shouted. “I’m getting published!” He was laughing and waving the letter out the
window. She was astounded.

“That’s
wonderful!” she hollered.

He glanced at the
light. “And I’m getting an advance! A hundred thousand dollars! It’s big time!”

“A hundred
thousand?” she replied, laughing. “I told you so, didn’t I? I’m so proud of
you!” She was overwhelmed with joy that his dream had come true; that
her
dream had come true. She looked at his beaming smile, his excited face, and she
felt complete for the first time in her life.

“I love you, Kyle
Tilston
!” she yelled as loud as she could.

“I love you too,
Leigh!” he shouted back.

Car
horns blowing loud.
They both looked up at the traffic light.
Green.

He smiled and
pointed a finger ahead. She returned his smile. Then they stomped their pedals
to the floor, and the roar of the engines filled the morning air as Kyle and
Leigh raced into the future, side by side.

Kyle
Tilston
and Leigh Thompson were married on August 20th of
that same year, alongside Rob Fenton and Mindy Whitlow in a double wedding.
Kyle went on to a successful career as an author, writing twelve best- selling
novels. Kyle and Leigh purchased the land where they first made love – one
hundred acres in all - and built a large, log cabin house on that hill. They
filled the home with five children: three girls and two boys. They loved each
other all of their lives.

Rob and Mindy
Fenton started Fenton Sportswear in Charlotte, and the successful business grew
to a chain of 25 stores across the southeast. They could not have their own,
but adopted three beautiful children. The
Fentons
remained lifelong friends of the
Tilstons
, and
Carley
Tilston
, daughter and
second oldest of Kyle and Leigh, would one day marry Brock Fenton, the eldest
son of Rob and Mindy.

Gene Sykes moved
to New York City and joined his father’s firm there just one month after the
break up with Leigh. But he inexplicably quit the firm after six months, a move
that resulted in a severe strain on his relationship with his father, one that
would remain the rest of their days. He moved to Chicago soon after and opened
a small office, taking on only select cases. The practice never grew beyond
himself and a paralegal/secretary. He visited his parents in Charlotte on the
holidays while they were alive, and after their passing, he never returned. He
died at the age of seventy-nine in an assisted living facility, and the attendant
on duty reported that the counselor’s last words were only one: “Leigh.”

He was a lifelong
bachelor.