I loved it when he called me that. Always have. “Yeah.”
“Thank . . . you.” The words were separated by pain and they were long and hard in coming. The empty tequila bottle bobbed in the distance. Glass reflecting sunlight. A diamond floating on the surface of the world. “For giving me what I needed.” He swallowed and dug his hand into the package. “And not what I deserved.”
I put my arm around my brother’s shoulder.
We sat there a long time. Brothers. It’d been a long, long time. I sketched while he licked and flung Oreos. We finished off the milk and cookies. He started laughing.
I said, “What’s so funny?”
The air had turned ripe and pungent. The last warning before the rain.
“I’ve just been fired.” He raised a finger. “By the American people, no less. Literally got run out of town. Can’t really get hired anywhere, by anyone . . . to do anything.” He sucked through his teeth. “I have no idea what I’m going to do now.”
“You ever thought about a career in the carnival?”
Allie laughed as all three of us watched the bottle disappear out where the ocean touched the sky.
He raised both eyebrows. “No. Never given it much thought.”
“You’ve never really lived until you’ve guessed people’s weights or torn tickets at the tilt-a-whirl.”
“You hiring?”
“Matter of fact, yes.”
“You hire guys like me?”
“No . . . No, we don’t. We hire illegal aliens mostly, but . . .” I started laughing. “Thanks to you, most of them are legal now.”
He chuckled. “I should fit right in.”
We hadn’t laughed this much since we were kids. It felt good.
I finished my sketch. “You got any dinner plans?”
He pointed at the water in front of him. “I hadn’t gotten past the edge of this dock. Much less dinner.”
“We’ve got this weird little Mexican-seafood-fusion restaurant on the island that’s attached to a carnival. The food is off the chain, and the chef they’ve got is winning awards and being written up in magazines, and they’ve got these little fried doughnuts that I just can’t get enough of. And when I finish eating, I walk across the street and pop popcorn, scoop ice cream, and then turn on the cotton candy machine and hand it out free to all the kids and then just stand back and watch them smile. And then I hop on the flying chairs and ride till I get so dizzy I can’t stand up, and then I pick out a valiant steed on the merry-go-round and ride till the music gets stuck in my head, and then, when I’m done, I walk out on the beach and let the water wash over my feet and look for sharks’ teeth and wonder how my life turned out the way it did.”
“And then?”
“Then I wake up tomorrow and do it all over again. Although—” I paused. “Now I’ve got to add nursing puppies into the mix.”
“Puppies?”
“It’s a long story, but let’s just say Rosco was never one to stay home very long.”
I handed him the index card. It was a good likeness. The breeze had blown his hair across his forehead, and somehow I’d manage to capture that kid I once knew on the beach when we were boys. The one whose eyes smiled.
“So you two inviting me for dinner?”
“Something like that.”
Bobby licked the middle of an Oreo. “I’d like that.”
Allie wrapped her arm around my waist, placed her other hand over my heart, and leaned against me. Melting into me. Out in front of us, the ocean was a sheet of glass and the clouds were rolling toward us. Pushing the rain. We could see it coming.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1.At the opening of the story, Allie is faced with two significant losses—that of her husband and the Blue Tornado. In what ways does she cope with her grief? How have you coped with similar losses? Can you relate to Allie’s hardships? Her ways of coping?
2.Why does Joseph retreat to the cabin? Is he seeking something or avoiding something? Or both?
3.How might we compare and contrast Joseph’s life situation with Allie’s? In what ways are they similar? In what ways are they different?
4.Rosco may be Joseph’s dog, but he is still an important part of the story. What role does he play? Suzy is another supporting character who plays a significant role. How does her character contribute to the story as a whole?
5.Joseph appears at the accident as if by grace. Does Allie react to his reappearance as you would expect? Does Joseph? Have you had an unexpected reunion with past friends or significant others? If so, did you feel as if it happened for a reason, as Joseph and Allie do?
6.Much attention is given to the upbringing of Allie and Joseph, and the influence of family—fathers, mothers, and siblings. What did you notice about how these family relationships have affected the lives of each character? Can you relate? How have family relationships and memories affected you?
7.Joseph has seemingly given up on life, but something within prompts him to help Catalina, Diego, and Gabriella. What do you think that something is?
8.Catalina, Diego, and Gabriella are like castaways. They have been abandoned, and they are seeking a kind of shelter—a shelter Joseph is able to provide. Do they provide Joseph with something as well? What might that be?
9.Abandonment can be literal or emotional. Many characters in Send Down the Rain have been abandoned in some way. How so? What led to their abandonment?
10.A major revelation comes to Allie and Joseph regarding Jake. Were you surprised? Did you find this twist believable?
11.With their original homes lost, the characters seek a place to call home. Have you found yourself seeking a “home” at different times in your life? What makes a place feel like home?
12.The novel has a very strong sense of place, from the Carolina mountains to the Florida shores. How are these settings meaningful to the story? Likewise, much of the story takes place on the road, between places. Is the road symbolic?
13.Are the hopes of Joseph and Allie fulfilled? How so? Do you believe new beginnings are possible? If so, what makes them possible? If not, what makes them impossible? Are they partially possible, but only to an extent?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo by Kerry Lammi, www.soulwornimages.com
Charles Martin is the New York Times bestselling author of twelve novels. He and his wife, Christy, live in Jacksonville, Florida. Learn more at charlesmartinbooks.com.
Facebook: Author.Charles.Martin
Twitter: @storiedcareer
Charles Martin, Send Down the Rain
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