Love Knows No Color Pt. 20

Shavonda arched her back as her orgasm took control of her body. She rode me violently, bouncing up and down on my stomach until, overcome by a wave of nausea I grabbed her hips and stilled her. "What's wrong?" she asked, a look of concern on her face.

"Just a little nauseated from all the motion, I said. She stayed seated on me, gently squeezing my dick with her muscles in post orgasmic afterglow.

"Sorry," she said. "Got a little carried away. Forgot you had a hangover. But it felt so good."

"I know. It felt good to me too, until the rocking got to me," I said.

Shavonda looked at me. "You didn't get your nut," she said as she gently rolled off my body. "I love you, you know that?" She took me in her hand, stroking me gently before taking me in her mouth again. Knowing I had been close to the edge, she vigorously bobbed her head on my shaft. The feeling of being made love to by the softest lips I'd ever know soon had me over the edge, and I watched as she greedily gulped down every shot of sperm I gave her.

We kissed in the stillness of a rainy Appalachian dawn, cuddled together sensually. In no time at all, Shavonda was fast asleep. But I couldn't get back to sleep no matter how hard I tried. I had too many thoughts going through my head. I listened as Mom got up, making Dad breakfast before he had to leave for the paper mill.

I gingerly disentangled myself from my better half, taking great care not to disturb her. I pulled a blanket over her naked body before putting on jeans and a flannel shirt, and heading downstairs.

"You hungry?" Mom asked as I walked into the kitchen.

"No," I said. "Stomach upset from last night. I'm going for a walk to clear my head. I won't be long."

Stepping out the backdoor, I headed off the porch, across the yard and into the forest. The mists swirled around the mountains of my childhood as they always had on days like this. As I entered the forest, I could see the mist around the trees in wisps. Walks in the woods on a rainy day had always had a calming effect on me, and it was something I greatly missed living in the city.

I had intended just to take a short walk, but soon found myself on the old road to the quarry way up on the mountainside. Once there, I stopped for a few minutes in the gentle rain before continuing on the path that wound its way to the ridgetop. I wasn't ready to go home yet.

Higher and higher I climbed. Upon reaching the narrow ridgetop, I followed it as it sloped ever upward. The mountain sloped steeply away from me on either side, with rocky outcrops providing occasional clear views of the misty valley below. A wind had kicked up, driving a much harder rain into my face. A crack of thunder could be heard in the distance.

Realizing that a rocky ridgetop was no place to be in a thunderstorm, I looked for a path over the edge of the ridge. Retracing my steps would take me back home, but since I had already followed the ridgetop for a couple of miles it wouldn't do much for my safety. I was already about 1200 feet in elevation higher than where I had started, and the high elevation made me vulnerable to lightning strikes. No, I had to get down off this ridge as soon as possible. And since there was no trail going where I needed to be I would simply have to chance it making my own way.

I knew that the valley off to my left was the one the railroad traversed on its way to the summit tunnel, so that was the side of the mountain I chose. By this time, the rail had become a torrential downpour, and I was way beyond soaked to the skin. With temperatures in the lower sixties, I was also at risk of hypothermia. Making my way through the forest without a path, I would simply have to hope for the best.

Hearing the sound or running water, I discovered a spring. Now we were getting somewhere. The small creek which flowed from the spring had carved a path through the underbrush on its way to the valley below, a path I could follow that would lead me back to civilization. I stumbled down the rocky streambed as the water tumbled lower and lower. The rain and lightning had not let up, but at least I was no longer in grave danger from lightning strikes. My decision to head down that particular side of the ridge was a good choice. The ridge formed the side of a syncline or trough in the underlying rock layers, with the main valley being the bottom. The same layer of rock that formed the valley floor also formed this side of the mountain. The syncline sloped most steeply towards the top of the ridge, and became gradually gentler the lower I got. Had I chosen the north side of the ridge, instead of a relatively easy descent, I would have had to deal with the broken edges of numerous layers of rocks, which meant climbing down outcrops and cliffs, and scrambling over fields of broken rock that had fallen from the cliffs over the eons.

But the heavy downpour also meant the water was rising in the creek. I did the best I could to follow the stream bed, but as the water levels rose it became increasingly treacherous. Eventually, I gave up and picked my way along the sloping bank of the stream as the water thundered below.

After a mile or so of following the stream ever lower, I emerged from the valley beneath a towering steel trestle that carried the railroad line over the creek bed. Turning left, I climbed the bank the hundred or so feet up to track level, then started hiking down the railroad tracks. I guessed I was a couple miles above Ray, and thus about 3 ½ miles from home. At least I had a good clear path to walk, though its openness made me once again vulnerable to lightning strikes. Luckily, the lightning seemed to have gone away, though the heavy rain continued.

After about 40-45 minutes of walking, I came to Ray, where the railroad went from two to three tracks. Two of those tracks cut through the end of the ridge via Ray tunnel, the third wound its way around the ridge on sharp curves. Built on the original 1880s alignment, this track served as a bypass around the tunnel for trains with extra tall cars that wouldn't fit through the tunnel.

I could hear the growl of an approaching train coming upgrade, the roar of its locomotives joined by the high-pitched squeal of wheels being pushed to the very limits of traction. The sound almost disappeared as the locomotives entered the short, gently curved tunnel, then became deafening as the locomotives burst out of the tunnel and slowly ground their way past me. An endless line of assorted freight cars rolled slowly past, with another set of locomotives pushing hard on the rear. As I listened to the locomotives grind their way to the top of the mountain, it occurred to me that trains are a lot like life should be. That the train would make it to the top was a given. The railroad would make sure that it had enough power to make it, and if it didn't they would send out even more resources to get it to the top. But it would make it. Failure was not an option. If only real life were like that.

After the sound of the train faded off into the distance, I intently listened for another. Hearing none, I figured I was safe and ventured into the quarter mile of curving darkness called Ray Tunnel. By this time, having walked for hours in soaking wet socks and sneakers, my feet were starting to blister. My pace slowed as walking became more painful. And I still had over a mile to go. At least it was dry in the tunnel, even if it was significantly colder.

Emerging from the inky blackness at the other end, I was once again pelted by the heavy rain. By this time, the winds had died down, and the thunder and lightning were long gone. Visibility had dwindled significantly as the rain kicked up a mist. I had only walked a short ways, when I noticed headlights of a vehicle coming up the access road. I knew the train crews had seen me on the other side of the tunnel. Thinking that they had probably radioed in about a suspicious person lurking around the tunnel in the pouring rain, my first thought was that the vehicle was a railroad cop. I needed to get out of sight.

As I started to leave the railroad right of way and slink into the forest, the vehicle stopped and a lone figure emerged. It was too far away, and too dark, to really see who it was. "Jason, is that you?" a female voice called out. I looked, then waved my arm at Shavonda. "It IS you!" she yelled. "Thank God." I watched as my lovely wife, in white shirt and jeans, ran towards me, sandals flapping as she moved.

Reaching me, Shavonda pulled me in a hug, kissing me repeatedly on the lips. We were both soaked to the skin, but she didn't care. "Come on," she said. "Let's get you home." Grabbing my hand, she led me back to the jeep.

The heat was turned all the way up as she slowly drove back down the access road. Once we reached the paved road and headed along the creek, I could see the water threatening to spill over its banks. The rain still hadn't slacked off. This was no ordinary storm. It was only then that I realized how much danger I had been in. Downed tree branches littered the roads, and Shavonda moved slowly to avoid them.

Arriving back at the farmhouse, we entered looking like two drowned rats. Shavonda's white shirt was now transparent, revealing the black bra she wore. The rain had ruined her hair, causing it to kink up. Mom, Grandpap and Jamie stared at us as we entered. "Look who I found!" Shavonda said happily. Even soaked to the skin, her smile made her beautiful. The others had a look of shock, then relief on their faces. "He was down by the railroad tracks." I shivered uncontrollably as I limped over to the couch.

"You better get him into some dry clothes," Mom admonished. "And nothing funny. You two have company."

"I'll be a good girl, I promise," Shavonda replied as she pulled me towards the stairs.

We quickly stripped out of our wet clothing in the bathroom, leaving it in the tub. I reached for Shavonda's body as she pulled dry clothes out of the duffel bag. "No, Jason!" She slapped my hands away. "I promised I'd be a good girl."

My only flannel shirt lay soggy and useless in the tub, so I changed into jeans and a t shirt. With it being summer, we had neglected to pack a jacket for me. Shavonda put on a nice red sundress that came down to her knees, and wrapped her ruined hair in a headscarf. She looked at herself in the mirror, then laughed. "I look like I belong on a pancake box," she joked. For the first time that day I smiled.

"You should totally wear your hoop earrings with that scarf," I said. And I was surprised when she did. In dry clothing, we joined the rest of the family in the living room. Grandma Waite was in the kitchen playing Uno with the kids, but the rest were still sitting waiting on us.

"See, I was a good girl," Shavonda said to nobody in particular. She sat me down with the family, and went into the kitchen.

"Jefferson, that woman loves the hell out of you," Grandpap said. "She was worried sick about you. When that thunderstorm hit, she tore out of here looking for you. That was about three hours ago. How are the roads?"

"It's bad," I said. "Tree branches everywhere. Creeks starting to flood. I'm surprised we still have electricity." I sat shivering uncontrollably. Shavonda returned with a mug of hot tea, she'd spiced it up with some rum and dumped 5 or 6 spoons of sugar in it. She also had a hot bowl of tomato soup for me. Noticing how cold I was, she went upstairs, returning with a blanket which she wrapped around my shoulders. Then she lit into me.

"Jason Waite," she yelled. "What were you thinking? Don't you EVAH do that again! You coulda been hurt or killed out there! It took me hours to find you! I don't want to have to raise three children by myself!" I saw Grandpap arch his eyebrows and look at me funny. Shavonda continued her rant, "You don't have the right to leave me! I've waited all my life to find you." She sobbed softly," You don't have the right..."

I pulled her down on the couch with me and held her tight while she let it all out. It had been a rough day and it wasn't over yet. After Shavonda had calmed down, Grandpap started to talk.

"She's right, you know. You don't have the right. I may not approve of your relationship, but you are married now. And one thing I'd disapprove of even more would be if you left her. You're married now. That means you take care of her."

I stared at Shavonda in disbelief. As his words sank in, she broke into a wide, beautiful grin. "Did he just say what I think he did?" she asked.

"Yes, he did," I replied.

But he wasn't finished. "Shavonda," Grandap said, "I am glad you came here. I can see that you love my grandson. I also see that you are an intelligent, ambitious young woman. You have carried yourself with dignity, grace and compassion, even to those you knew didn't like you. All of that impressed me. But two things impressed me even more. First, you risked yourself to find Jason, and you did it without hesitation. And last, you just said you'd raise his kids if anything ever happened to him. You didn't think about it. It came naturally. You're a good woman."

"Jamie and I talked with Julia while you two were gone," he continued. "We can see now that Nora was wrong about you, and Julia was right. I regret not wanting to meet you."

"In our defense," I said, taking a sip of my tea, "when Nora visited here, all she did was try to pick with us, to try to embarrass us and make us ashamed. Von is not the kind of woman who is ashamed of anything. Nora didn't like our interracial relationship, so we rubbed her nose in it. Von and I had been friends before we ever met in person. And once we did and it was obvious where we were headed, I vowed that I'd never try to hide her. I'd never be ashamed to be seen with her in public. That wouldn't be fair to either of us. She may not look or talk like me, but that's ok. Those are things I love about her. Matter of fact, I love everything about her. She's my best friend as well as my wife. And what people like Nora don't understand is that we've withstood far worse than she can ever do to us, and we're still together and stronger than ever. Today you saw that love in action."

Jamie spoke next. "My mother told us you were a floozy," she said to Shavonda. "She said all sorts of bad things about you. We believed her, because who wants to think their mother could be that petty. I resented you showing up at Grandma's funeral. I thought you and Jason just wanted attention. But when you gave Mom that necklace, knowing she hated you, I started to question why I didn't like you. I'd never met you. I didn't know you at all, and I needed to before I passed judgement on you. I know it's over a year late, but welcome to the family."

"Thank you," I replied. "Now you've seen firsthand what I've known all along. Honestly, Shavonda is the one who married beneath her. She's the ambitious one here. I'm the one who was working just to survive. She's followed her dream and It paid off for her. I didn't. I'm lucky she considers me worthy."

"Don't sell yourself short," Shavonda said. "You're a very smart man. The only reason you haven't followed your dream is that your ex-wife didn't hold up her end of the bargain, and you had to quit school. Somehow, you are going to get your degrees. Even if you have to go to online classes. I want you to get those degrees, and I will help you any way I can."

Changing the subject, Shavonda asked Mom if she could use the dryer, then excused herself to gather our wet clothes from the tub. She took them down to the cellar where the dryer was. I could hear her puttering around in the kitchen for a while. Soon she came out with a bowl of box mashed potatoes, hot and steaming. "I figured you hungry," She said, "And that soup wasn't going to do it for you."

Jamie laughed. "She knows you well, I see." My love of the mashed potatoes that came in flake form was legendary in the family, though nobody could figure out why I preferred them over homemade when I preferred homemade everything else.

The phone rang, and Mom answered it. "Yes, she found him," she said. "He was down by the tracks." She handed the phone to me. "Your father wants to speak to you."

"Hello," I said.

"What were you thinking?" Dad asked. "It's dangerous out there."

"Just had to clear my head. I didn't know sever weather was coming. It was just a light rain when I left. But it's really nasty out there now. Trees down and creeks flooding. Be careful on the way home." We talked for a little while longer, then he had to get back to work.

With the rain still coming down, though not as hard, and the creeks already flooding it was decided that Jamie and Grandpap were staying the night. Once our clothes were dry, I put on my flannel shirt for warmth, and everybody moved out to the back porch. Shavonda, as she always did when we were here, put her feet in my lap and I instinctively rubbed them for her. We were all a little anxious about Dad. It was now past time for him to be home. I figured he'd be late but since we didn't know the road conditions we didn't know when he'd show up.

Jamie and Shavonda had really hit it off. We listened as they swapped tales of college life. Jamie had gone for an education degree, and had gotten a scholarship where the state paid her tuition in return for her teaching in schools in a remote part of the state where they had a hard time attracting teachers. Having grown up in the middle of nowhere, the district they assigned her to had a familiar feel. It also wasn't more than a couple hours' drive from where she'd grown up. She was off for the summer and was able to stay and help Grandpap deal with the tragedy of losing the love of his life.

Grandpap, for all his bluster, had taken to Shavonda. I could see it in his eyes, and the way he listened intently whenever she spoke. I was glad we'd reached out to him, though I wished it had been under better circumstances.

To be honest, my grief at Grandma Duncan's passing had knocked me for a loop. When Pap Waite had passed away years before, I had handled it well. He'd been almost like another father to me, and a huge influence on my life. But he'd had Alzheimer's and his mind had deteriorated over a period of about 5 years to where the last time I saw him he didn't know who I was. It was heartbreaking to see, but at least I was prepared for it when he finally passed. This was different. I hadn't had a chance to say goodbye, to prepare myself for the inevitable. And it had hit me hard. I was still walking around in a daze, like I was watching myself go through the motions. I was numb now, but at least it didn't hurt quite so bad.

Shavonda, like the queen she was, had acted as my rock. And in doing so, she brought comfort to others in the family as well.

After I had settled in and was warm again, Shavonda removed my shoes and socks and assessed the condition of my blistered feet. Mom brought a basin, peroxide and a pin, and showed Shavonda how to care for my blisters. Being a city girl, this was all new to my queen.

It was well after dark when Dad finally got home. He'd had to detour miles out of the way due to impassable roads. Trees were down everywhere and it was dumb luck that the house still had electricity. To keep my mind busy, I cooked him some hamburgers. Shavonda stood with me, rubbing my back the whole time.

We put the kids to bed, reading them a couple of stories. Miracle had fallen asleep in the playpen, after spending most of the day being held by Jamie, who'd fallen in love with her. I scooped her up gently, and took her upstairs with us. Shavonda and I ended up cuddling most of the night. She held me close. Just the feeling of her warmth and soft skin against mine helped me to get through another night. And this one was oddly silent. We noticed the trains, which were normally passing through frequently at night, were missing. It must be bad out there if the railroad was shut down.