An Umbrella

Today it rained heavily. The clouds had never been this heavy so they had to let go like never before.

A girl was walking back to her house when the outpouring started. She had not even reached halfway her home when the winds started roaring, when lightnings started crashing. Everybody on the way was searching for or had already kept themselves under some kind of protection from the rain. She was the only person walking on the road; clothes all wet, makeup all messed up. Did she not have an umbrella? Maybe. Or else why would she not open it?

To the people standing under roofs, the rain was harsh, it fell like hailstones on the shoulders, but to the girl, the rain had never been this gentle before. To those people, the wind was cruel, it carried away boxes and boxes belonging to them, it messed up their hair, but to the girl, the wind was soft like the breeze, that only knew how to whistle in her ears. The feeling of raindrops flowing through her body was heavenly; it reminded her that she was alive and breathing. The roads were all muddy yet grace was what carried her as if she walked on water.

Just before she reached her home, the rainfall stopped. She was all wet until then, and not to forget, for ending up that way people stared at her as if getting wet in the rain was a crime. Did she care about those stares? Not a chance. That would be the least of the things she cared about.

Nearly after an hour of walking, she finally reached her home, walked up through the stairs and entered the hallway where her mother had been waiting for her to arrive. The first thing she received was not a pair of warm clothes but an endless series of scowls for not carrying an umbrella, for being so careless when the weather forecast clearly mentioned that heavy rainfall were to occur that very day. She deserved that for being so reckless. Eventually, she changed to a pair of warm clothes, had some coffee to herself, and started reading the novel ‘Emma’ by Jane Austen.

Just before the dinner she remembered a work that she had to do but had not done. So, she picked up the bag she carried that very day and pulled out an umbrella. Yes, an umbrella. She had forgot to keep it on the rack for the next day. Yes, she had the umbrella all along.