It Rained

(Originally Inked - 28 February 2004)

It was going to rain.

She had heard it on the radio, when she was washing the dishes in the kitchen. She could see the breeze stirring in the leaves on the ground, in the tall branches of the trees outside her yard.

It was going to rain.

He had just read the forecast in the newspaper when he was riding the subway. He could see the papers flapping as he walked past the newsagent; the sheets that were hung from windows to dry, flapping high above the street he stood by.

It was going to rain! She could smell the damp in the air as the wind picked up and she could sense the waiting all around her as she stepped into the yard. She lifted her face, eyes closed and breathed deep; the wind mussed her hair, stray strands against her cheeks, her lips, her neck. The wind danced about her, snatching at her clothes.

It was going to rain! He closed his eyes and thought of her; she loved the rain, loved to wait for the rain. He could see her standing with a smile on her face, arms open, welcoming the wind playing about her. He could almost forget the smells of the city, of the street where he stood, as he thought of the smell of the earth getting damp, as the curtains rose and the rains came down.

She smiled, feeling the rain flow down her, softly stinging her flesh. She breathed in deep the fresh smell of the wet earth and squished her toes in the mud beneath her feet. She smiled as she greeted the first rains with the joy of a waiting lover.

He smiled, remembering the sight of her standing in the yard. He smiled as it rained on him as well.