She's My Ind of Rain

Growing up with my Aunt who was just a few older than me is something I will never forget. She was more like an older sister than anything else. As a result, in my teenage years, we had developed a close relationship. At sixteen years old she started working at the Dixie Dairy Bar a restaurant on the main drag in our hometown.

It was a throwback to the old soda jerk fountains we all have heard about and still served hamburgers, hot dogs and fries. The current owner only kept it open because it reminded him of the old days of his youth. As long as it paid for itself it would exist. Now it was attracting a crowd because of its heritage value.

One summer afternoon when I was in there at the counter drinking a Root Beer Float my aunt confided in me that she was craving an alcoholic drink. At that time, she was eighteen I was thirteen. When I had finished and prepared to leave, I asked for a plastic bag? She asked, why? I said to hide something in it. She reluctantly gave me one. I thanked her and then winked at her as I slipped out the door.

Everybody in our town of fifteen thousand knew who I was, as a result, I knew I couldn't get away with much. But it also afforded me the luxury of being able to wheel and deal with all sorts of people from all walks in life. So, it didn't take long for me to get what my Aunt wanted for a pretty good deal. It required me making three deals to get it accomplished but I did.

About an hour and a half later I slipped back into the same counter stool that I had been a while ago. My Aunt quite surprised to see me said what do you want as she poured me a coke on the house from the fountain. I replied to give you back the bag you loaned me as I placed back on the counter. She looked into the bag and got a huge smile on her face.

"You little shit," She said with a huge big grin. "Dale Allan Britton, You're not as goody goody as your mother thinks."

"So, Auntie," I responded. "I don't think you're in any position to squeal on me."

She laughed and said, "Smartass, you got me there."

I told my aunt to enjoy it before I gave her a wink and ran out the door. In the bag had been a mickey of Canadian Club. From that point on she knew that if she needed something, I was capable of finding a way to get it for her or find a way to make it happen. Today we would say I had friends in low places. They if needed today would still be there for me. At that time of our life, the legal drinking age was twenty-one. I drew the line at gambling or drugs because I knew that was what the police were more concerned with.

It was a little girl in there with her father who had noticed me as I interacted with my aunt who got her father's attention on me. The little girl could not understand how I could call the waitress behind the counter Aunt. The father having knowledge of my family explained how that had come to be.

"Rainey marks my words," Her father said. "The young man is going to have an interesting life as an adult as he grows up if he is directed in the right way."

My mother the second oldest of sixteen could not understand why her younger sister and I were so close. We both saw ourselves as kindred spirits in the walk of life. Whenever she needed help it was me who she got to help her. Whether it was moving from one apartment to another or something easy it was me she wanted with her. When I got my first job, she made sure I was treated right by my employer.

I was not a goody goody as my mother thought, but I was also not a wild child either. The way I played it was done in such a way that I never got caught. I had developed a knack for knowing what people wanted and made more money wheeling and dealing then I did while working part-time.

When I graduated high school, I didn't even attend the big event, because to me it was just a waste of my time. To me, it seemed unnecessary and not important. I had already hit the road having saved enough to start a business on my own.

I had been sixteen years old when my grandfather stopped in at my parent's place around four in the afternoon. For weeks he had been going all over the state looking for a new driveshaft for his old tractor that he used as a backup when his new one was broken down or being serviced. I asked him what he had been looking for, so he told me. I came back from making a few select calls and told him to drive me to pick up his part.

We drove to the edge of town to a shop he said he would not be caught dead in, because of what had happened there years before I was born. I walked in and told the clerk that I had talked to someone about a drive shaft for a seventies model John Deer. The clerk said I got two of them right here still in their original box. I pulled them as soon as we got off the phone. Finding the price, a lot less then what he had budgeted my grandfather bought both.

"I would never have thought of looking here," he said. "Both of them are still brand new. I have to come back here and see what else I can find that I've been looking for."

That store became the first place my grandfather went to when looking for a part for any piece of machinery that was a bit old. If they didn't have it, they knew who did and if they could get it. You have to understand that because of how many children he had raised he had to get through life stretching a dollar as far as he could. Thanks to him I had learned to do the same.

I was racing to a deadline on my bicycle and like all kids were jumping stop signs, cutting corners and doing whatever else I could to save time. Out of somewhere appeared a car that had to slam on his brakes to avoid hitting me.

The man got out of the car in pure rage and took it out of me. I laughed at him, stuck my middle finger up at him and said shit happens just get over it. That infuriated him more. I just let it run off of my shoulders and went on my day.

On Monday as I was headed home from school a young kid stopped me and said.

"I want to thank you," the girl said.

"For what," I replied. "I don't even know you."

"My names Rainey," she said. "It was my father who blew up at you on Saturday afternoon. You saved me from getting the brunt of it."

"No big deal," I said. "Somedays some people just have to make mountains out of molehills."

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Having made enough off of the street I wanted to do something with my life. I moved two towns over closer to the big city and within two months had opened up my first pizza restaurant. I used the first one to create some new kinds of pizza's that soon became popular. It allowed my business to grow quickly. I ran it as cheaply as possible and kept my labor costs down making it a very profitable enterprise.

To society, in general, I came across as a clean-cut kid. So, I opened my first Pizza restaurant and ran it for two years and sold it for a good profit. I had worked in one for two years part-time growing up. I repeated that same process two more times both times moving closer to the big city. Each time I sold the business I allowed them to use the name although I retained the right to it. I succeeded only because I put the time into it and sacrificed my social life.

That was when an investor decided he wanted to buy all three locations and use it as the core on which to develop a new franchise business. To complete the deal, he had to buy the rights to the name from me. When he learned I had quite a few new pizza recipes that had not been revealed he got serious about it with me.

After going through the book of them he began to see the marketing value of them when his business had grown some. He ended up offering me a hundred thousand cash and ten percent of the net profit if I became an advisor. I also had to agree never to reveal or set up another pizza company in competition with him. In turn, he got a book full of recipes to introduce into the market as the business grew.

At the age of twenty-six, I was now worth about three hundred thousand. Little did I know that the agreement I had made through the lawyers had set me up for life.

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I got called back by the family to my hometown because my favorite aunt was in trouble. Her husband had in a heated argument with her had in anger drove accidentally into oncoming traffic with her in the car causing a multiple vehicle accident. I drove overnight from the mini trip I was on and arrived to hear that she had passed away due to complications caused because of the accident.

After the burial my grandfather her father said I need your help because the county won't give me custody of the children. That really pissed me off. My grandfather who had raised sixteen children with his wife had been told by child services that he was too old to raise his own grandchildren.

He was planning to fight for them in court, but I agreed with him that it would just take too long. I told him I was in, so we started to plan. The only thing that was important to me was getting my favorite Aunt's children to him.

I was with him when he blew off the doors of the courthouse on a Saturday afternoon with his double barrow shotgun and sat down on the court steps waiting to get arrested. We got our wish and were behind cells within minutes. We had, free room and board for the weekend. It had been the first time in my life that I had been behind bars in my life. I swore it would be my last. Let's be honest when my parents found out about it, they were not impressed with either one of us.

They hauled my grandfather out to an interview room on Sunday. He was gone for a long time. When he got back, he told me it had gone better than he had figured and that he might have got all things worked out. If he was right, we would know Monday morning. On Monday we were hauled before one of the county's family court judges. That made total sense to me because what we were really dealing with was a family situation.

Since neither one of us had previous records the Judge wanted to know why we would do such a stupid thing. My grandfather told him the whole story. The judge said you could have gone to court to fight for them.

"Your honor," I said. "I beg to differ with you. The children are seven, five and four years old. With the court system plugged up the way it is it would have taken months maybe years for my grandfather to get just a hearing. The children need their family now. Their father is in jail and now charged with involuntary manslaughter as a result of their mother's death. Emotionally they need to be stabilized as fast as they can."

"Even being placed in foster care is going to create further unnecessary drama being brought upon these young children's lives." I went on to say. "What gives any human the right to do this to them. They don't need to be further victimized by the society that's trying to protect them. Being around people they feel secure with is what is needed. It will provide them a sense of still belonging and the security needed because they are with the family. Children at their age are the most impressionable how we handle this situation is going to affect them the rest of their lives."

"Jim, who is the young man," The judge asked my grandfather?

"My grandson, Dale Allan Britton" He replied. "The only son of my second oldest Dora."

"He takes after you," the Judge said as he turned back to me. "Young man your argument has merit. The question is, do you? Tell me about yourself."

For the next few minutes, I explained what I had done for the last six years of my life. I knew how I presented myself at this time was very important. The judge seemed extremely interested. He asked a bunch of questions and I answered them as best I could. He adjourned the court for five minutes and ended up taking about an hour and a half. When he came back, I found him hard to read as he hid his thoughts very well. My grandfather and I got called back to his bench.

"Jim your granted custody of your three grandchildren. I have ordered them delivered to your farm today," The Judge said. "The total cost to replace the door plus an equal donation to the local charity of your choice is the cost of your attention gathering stunt. But there is a condition to that ruling and it depends on your grandson accepting my proposal."

"Thank you, Your Honor," My Grandfather said.

"I will agree to your terms," I said. "If it means my grandfather gets the kids."

Then the judge turned to me. "Dale Allan Britton congratulations you just agreed to become the newest rookie to our town's police force. In three months, the new school year starts at the local university. Your sentence is this; you will remain in the town of Jackson's police force until you get your license to the bar. With my recommendation, you have been accepted to both. Let me make it clear this is not going to be a ride in the park. It will require a great amount of effort on your part."

"Sir I will have to go back and move my stuff so I will need the rest of the week to get myself organized," I said.

"That's fine because I have a small house on the side of my property that's sitting empty that you will be living in." He said. "I'm becoming your mentor because of your natural ability to explain the facts in such an effective way."

I could not help but notice the look between my grandfather and the judge so as soon as we got back outside, I said. "Why did you set this all up?"

"The Judge has been watching you for years," My grandfather said. "He was in the Dairy Bar the day you brought your Aunt the mickey. He said it brought a smile to his face. Since then he has watched you play the system and never really do anything that would bring the law down on you. To him, you had a knack of knowing just how far you could go without drawing attention to yourself. You had a natural sense to keep yourself out of trouble."

"When you got your first job, he was surprised at how you approached it because your mind soaked everything about the pizza operation up. You're telling him what you did with that knowledge proved that very point." My grandfather explained before going on. "The Judge said you reminded him of him when he was young and did not want to see someone with that sharp of a mind throwing it away on things that would not make a difference."

"When I got hauled out of the cell yesterday for an interview it was to talk to him. He had already decided on a course of action about you and he asked me what my thoughts were on his plans." My grandfather explained. "I told him, that if you were given a reason you would rise to the challenge. Thankfully I was right."

"What I did not see," My grandfather said. "Was the fact that he would use my wanting my grandchildren to force you into it. Dale, The Judge has outsmarted us both."

I borrowed my grandfather's flatbed, tarps, and rope to move from my small apartment into the small house that was not so small to me. The judge had set me up and deliberately changed the direction of my life. I was still trying to figure out what the Judge had seen in me. The judge and his daughter came over to welcome me.

"Dale Allan Britton," The Judge said. "This is my youngest daughter Rainey Elizabeth McDonald. Rainey, Dale is the newest member of our town's police force."

I offered her my hand and she took it. Rainey didn't seem to be impressed with me. Believe me, the feeling was equal. Looking back, I now believe the fact that I had lived life on my own was the difference. My body language might have sent the message that I wasn't interested.

I was also very upset that I had been suckered into going back to school at the age of twenty-six.

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After returning my grandfather's flat deck I went over to the Judges and borrowed one of his thick books on Criminal law. Knowing the reason why I wanted it the judge picked out the one that would help me the most with my new job. Even though I had been hired he wanted to make sure that I had the basic knowledge to do the job.

Since I did not have to report for the first day of training until the start of the week, I took most of the week learning what I could about the law and how it was applied by the court. It was noted by Rainey that I always was reading and learning about the knowledge I knew my new job entailed.

"Dad, Dale is taking it seriously," Rainey said one night. "I thought that he would just try to skim his way through it."

Her father laughed and explained, "Dale is like me. It took someone to kick me in the ass to force me to make something out of my life that makes a lasting difference. He mentored me as I will him. I think Dale will do bigger things than I ever did. He has the mind that is always thinking."

Most of my law courses could be done online via virtual classes. There were two where I had to attend twice a week on the university campus. Once I got my hours worked out, I laid out the schedule for my classes and studying time. During this time Rainie was attending school full time at the same local university.

One winter night I was sitting in class and the instructor picked me to debate another student on the merits of a case that had already been decided. Our instructor asked us to push the case to the extreme. I took the side of the defendant and raised questions about the case that had never been brought up before that had been included in the case study. When the two-hour discussion was done most thought that I had won based on the merits that both the plaintive and the defendant had failed to bring up in the actual case. Unknown to me Rainey had chosen that night to sit in on the class.

"My dad would have loved to have seen that legal discussion," Rainey said to me as I was heading out. "It is plainly obvious that in the original case the defendant had a piss poor lawyer."

"I'm just glad that I had prepared myself for a discussion," I said. "I never expected to have to present the case as if I was presenting the case before the judge."

"Dale, I want to thank you because I learned tonight just how quick you have to be when defending someone. Even the littlest detail if missed could cause a defeat for a defense." Rainey added, "You must have studied that case for hours."

"No, not really, that would do no good," I said. "I just looked at it from both sides to see what I would do differently. It forced me to look at it through different eyes than how the textbook presented it. It ended up leaving me a bunch of questions that I could not find answers to and I brought those questions out tonight."

I ended up walking Rainey back to her car before going to get my truck. From that little conversation, we both had broken the ice and learned that our first impressions of each other had been wrong. Neither one of us had a clue about the other but there appeared to be a mutual attraction.

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"Dad," Rainey asked one night, "Does Dale ever stop to enjoy life? If he's not working, he always studying. The university's admin department has told me he's way ahead on most of his courses. If he keeps his pace up, he will complete his first year in seven months."

"He's a worker," The judge explained. "Even when he was young, he was always running when everybody else walked. The Police Chief says he's the best officer he has ever trained. Thanks to him the department has been able to turn a couple of kids' lives around. Dan's fair but will ream someone's ass out for being stupid."

"In high school, he did what he had to, to get by. Yet he was already experienced with life on the streets. The chief and I used to be amazed by the things he did and why. Yet none of those who he wheeled and dealed with ever felt they were taken advantage of or played." The Judge went on to say, "He's used that knowledge he learned the hard way on the teenagers he deals with and strangely they seem to relate to him. Dan accepted the deal so his grandfather could get custody of his cousins. He gave his word so he will do his best to keep it. Only marriage to a good woman and kids will slow down a man like him."