Rain

DB#12

Pat was busy. Please welcome my new editor Kenjisato. He came to my rescue and did a great and quick job. Thank you!

Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain.

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CHAPTER 1: ROLF

I met Rain when she was dancing in the streets of Seattle, unfettered and free, arms flung out wide as she spun around and around, and tossed her head back, giggling as she twirled.

It was pouring down with rain. I remember it well.

She made me smile and forget about everything I was thinking at that moment. I thought I glimpsed a fairy flitting between flowers. She had short pixie-style blonde hair.

People walked by her, hidden under the safety of their umbrellas; some giving her the side-eye, but most avoiding eye contact, so they didn't get pulled into her craziness.

The girl was least bothered about the fact whether someone was watching her, or not. She was in her own world.

The dancing girl took a long turn and collided with my chest. She giggled and looked at me curiously. I felt that her sparkling eyes were looking inside me, somehow.

She offered me a hand and asked, "Dance with me, kind sir?"

I looked around. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"For a start, it's raining hard, and there is no music," was the first lame excuse that came to my mind.

She shook her head, as a mother does to a child.

"Rain is a blessing... and not to be rained upon, is not to be blessed," she said, in a matter-of-factly tone.

"And there is music. You just have to listen," she whispered, and she opened her arms to include everything around us.

She took my hand and pulled me out of my shelter and into dance position without giving me time to think.

"It's a waltz," she said with a wink.

I'm not entirely sure why, but I decided to dance with her in the rain. Perhaps, it was simply that she was beautiful. Perhaps because I had lived my entire life, letting what others might think of me, take control of the way I acted. Maybe her madness was contagious.

So we waltzed around and around, oblivious to anything except each other.

When the music playing in Rain's head stopped, she kissed me on my cheek and said, "Thank you for the pleasure of your company, fine gentleman."

And she curtsied.

I shrugged, took a bow and answered, "The pleasure was all mine, my lady. Let me buy you a cup of coffee."

I was soaking wet, and shivering with cold.

She smiled and took my arm, "I accept your invitation. Lead the way."

We walked arm in arm to the nearest cafe.

I sat there trying to dry myself off with some paper towels I got from the toilet.

"I must look like a bedraggled mess."

"Not at all, you look lovely," she objected.

We looked at each other long enough for it to get awkward.

"Why do you like the rain so much?"

She smiled at me and said, "I'll give you a hint. My name is Rain."

Suddenly everything made sense.

"I am Rolf, well, my real name is Rudolf, but everyone calls me Rolf. Nice to meet you."

"So... tell me, Rolf, do you like rain?"

"That's a tricky question. Your name is Rain, are you talking about yourself, or the rain, itself?"

She tilted her head to the side, curiosity evident in her expression.

"I suppose I could make it easy on you, and say I like both."

"I am glad to hear it," Rain said, wringing the water out of her short hair. "So what do you do for a living, Rolf?"

"I am a digital technology and culture major, which is a fancy way of saying I want to start in web design and eventually tell other web designers what to do. Oh, and I want to be successful enough at it, that I'm not working on porn websites. What about you?"

"I am just living my life one day at a time like the rest of humankind."

Rain and I talked and talked. She didn't seem to mind the water running down her forehead, cheeks, and dripping off her chin.

She was into hiking and nature. We spent a lot of time exchanging stories about the outdoors and the places we visited. Rain had been in a lot of places all over the world. Compared to hers, my list was pathetically short. Apparently, she had never gone to college. When I told her I lived in Middletown, she told me she had heard about my hometown, but she had never been there.

"You live in a charming small town, what are you doing here in Seattle?" she asked me.

"Taking a seminar about cybersecurity. Now, I'm heading back to Middletown. You?"

"Me? I don't have a fixed destination, I am enjoying my journey. Those mountain trails you told me about sound interesting, and I've never swum in a lake."

I didn't think it was appropriate to mention that I couldn't swim at all.

"Can I tag along with you?" Rain quickly asked. "I'd love to spend a few days in Middletown. Sounds like a delightful place."

It took me one nanosecond to make up my mind. "Of course."

That's how Rain entered my life.

I have always been quiet and reserved, but not shy. I was happy to observe and listen to my social surroundings because I didn't know how to say my opinions out loud. The majority of my school reports had the terms 'quiet', 'nice', 'well-behaved', 'need to take part in the discussion.'

I had a rich, vibrant inner life from a young age, and I did not see anything wrong with it. I never felt the pressure to adopt that cool and aloof attitude that seemed to be pervasive among students. Instead, I was a perfectionist, who would pile green vegetables on my lunch tray, held my hand high when the teacher asked a question, and who would craft two art projects, when I was only required to make one. School became a place for me to use my creativity productively.

I may have been alone, but I was not lonely. I enjoyed my inner life without embarrassment, and to the greatest extent possible. However, others did not see it this way. My mother and I argued constantly over whether I was happy being alone. To a concerned, extroverted mother, there was no way I could have been happy without a bountiful group of friends behind me. As a result, I pushed myself to become louder, more giggly, and more outgoing.

But even when I enjoyed socializing in certain contexts and environments, I still preferred to be alone.

I really tried to date, but girls saw me as a friend material, not as a boyfriend. A new word was added to my description, 'safe'.

"Do you have a girlfriend? I don't want a jealous girl chasing me with a knife because I stole her boyfriend."

I snorted. That idea of a girl chasing another girl with a knife because of me was hilarious. I know I should have said something cool like, "I am just dating and having a lot of fun right now," with a smirk on my face, but that wasn't me.

So I just said, "You don't need to worry about any girlfriend. What about you? Any jealous boyfriend with a lot of muscles I should be worried about?"

Her face clouded for a second. Somehow, I had touched a sensitive spot.

Rain shook her head. "I never had a steady boyfriend. I don't want to spend my life tied to one guy, living in the same town, surrounded by the same people."

Her words made my heart sink.

"I intend to live my life to the fullest. I want to travel and visit all the corners of the world. I want a life of adventure. You should try it."

Her words stung like a slap. Rain had pegged me right.

CHAPTER 2: RAIN

"Welcome to Middletown, Rain. 'Small town, big hearts.' The mayor coined that motto. It's corny, but it's actually true."

As soon as I laid eyes on the small town below us, I knew I'd found my new adventure. For how long? I didn't know. My time was always ticking.

Rolf seemed to read my thoughts.

"I'm pretty sure you'll get bored soon. There is not much entertainment around for a woman of the world like you."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. Small towns have their charm that lures us to enjoy the simpler, quieter things in life. Everything's slightly slower and more relaxed. Simple life, simple people."

I could see he didn't like what I said.

"Is that how you see me? Simple?"

My lips curved into a smile. "You? Of course not! I didn't mean to offend you."

"None taken."

I knew Rolf thought I was just saying it for his benefit, but I truly believed he was special.

I had become really good at reading people. He was not a simple guy, but a rather complex one-- he was a good, decent guy with a lot of heart; he was caring and generous; he was smart, but didn't flaunt it. All his life he had played it safe and done the right thing, but I was sure he had an adventurous side.

"There is just one problem, Rain-- you're never going to find an empty place. It's peak season. Everything is booked here," Rolf said, driving around Main Street.

"A place to stay? I thought I was going to stay with you..." I said, making him blush. He looked really cute when he blushed.

"Ah... Okay... Sure... You can stay with me."

I liked his charmingly naïve style.

"Don't worry, Rolf. Your virtue is safe with me. I promise." I said, raising my right hand.

He twisted his mouth at my words, but said nothing 'til I laughed. Then he laughed with me.

"Can you take me to the lake?"

"Of course, we can go there in the morning."

"In the morning? Why wait? Let's go now. I bet it's beautiful at night."

Rolf looked at me. It was a look I had seen before. He was thinking I was crazy, but he was too much of a gentleman to say something. So he just shrugged, smiled at me, and nodded.

I wanted to walk, but he insisted on going in his car.

We reached there in no time. Rolf parked his car near the lake, and we made our way down to the water's edge, walking hand in hand.

"Well, here it is."

The lake was like glass and the calmness was broken only by the ripples the loons made, and the fish jumping up after large water bugs.

"It is breathtaking. Look at the beautiful reflection of the moon in the water," I said, absorbing everything.

We stood on the wet sand, before edging closer and letting the small waves break over our feet and ankles. It was cold, but at the same time, it was refreshing and delicious.

I could have stayed there all night, staring out into the darkening sky, inhaling the fresh air, and reminding myself how lucky I was to be here.

I pulled my skirt up, winding it around my fingers, so it wouldn't get wet. The air was brisk and chill.

"Do you swim?" I asked Rolf.

"No, I don't know how to swim. I was never cool enough to hang out at the beach like the other kids at school."

I could tell Rolf was not feeling sorry for himself, but simply stating a fact. He was comfortable in his own skin.

I sat on the cold sand and patted a spot on my side. Rolf quickly sat down, and I rested my head on his shoulder.

"I almost forgot there were so many stars," I said. "You can't see them in the big cities. Out here, without all the light pollution, you get a better picture of just how many other worlds, how many solar systems and galaxies there are in the universe, and how small we truly are."

Rolf wrapped his sweater around my shoulders, and looped an arm around me, drawing me close.

"How amazing is that on all the grains of sand, in all the universes, we somehow find ourselves here," Rolf whispered in the dark.

I turned my head to look at him in surprise. "That was beautiful!"

"What?" he asked, blushing again. "I can be poetic too, if I want."

I smiled at him. "I like this side of you."

His cheek went a bright shade of red.

"Are you a season, reason, or a lifetime?" I asked him.

"Come again?"

"You said we found ourselves. The universe joined us. I am asking if I came into your life for a season, a reason, or a lifetime."

"You lost me there," he murmured thoughtfully.

"Well, someone comes into your life for a reason, when they come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or spiritually."

"Like a physical therapist that helps you to recover from an injury."

"Kind of. Sometimes is more subtle than that. A person, you met by chance and helps you to make a difficult decision, or opened your eyes to something you were missing. Then, at some point, when the need has been met and the work is done, the person leaves."

"I get it," he said, moving his head up and down slowly.

"Some people just come for a season," I kept explaining to him. "I had friends in whom I can confide. I had friends with whom I had a great deal of fun. I had friends who taught me important lessons about the world and myself. We enjoyed our time together immensely. But it was only for a season."

"Like a coworker you are close to, but then you change jobs and the relationship changes or vanishes."

"Something like that. Your best friend from high school or your college roommate fits in this category. I knew a lot of people during my travels, and I am still in touch with some of them, but our relationship is not what it once was."

"Have you met many men in your adventures around the world?"

I nodded and said nothing else because I suspected what he wanted to know.

However, he insisted.

"Have you been 'close' to many of those men?"

I let out a long sigh. Men could be so dense.

"Look, Rolf. I don't want to be rude, but I don't kiss and tell. What I do with my life is none of your business."

"You're right, I am sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

"It's okay. I just don't want you to get the idea that I have slept with a crowd of men. Let me tell you about Lukas."

"You don't have to if you don't want to."

"I want to. As I said, I don't want you to get the wrong idea about me. He was an Austrian guy I met on a train when I was backpacking through Europe. I stayed with his family. I became quite close with all of them. He and I shared a love of dance, and spent a good deal of time together because he was a great dancer, and gave me lessons in the Viennese waltz, a dance I had always wanted to learn."

Rolf nodded slowly. I could tell he was jealous of a guy he never met, and that wasn't part of my life anymore. Males are such possessive creatures.

He had a jealous blue eye, into which he seemed trying to put a friendly light.

"One of my favorite memories of Austria includes dancing a long Viennese waltz with Lukas down an almost-empty train platform.

"Now it's your turn," I said to change the subject. "Think of someone who came into your life for a reason."

Rolf was quiet, deep in thoughts.

"Um," he paused, rubbing his chin. "The first person that comes to my mind was Mr. Carpenter, my baseball coach in school. I thought I was a shit-hot baseball player and was heading towards the Big Leagues, but he soon dissuaded me of that idea. He didn't dance around the truth, and he didn't pander to kids or their parents. If a kid was good, he told them, and if a kid wasn't good, he told them that, too. Turned out I was a crap player."

We laughed at that.

"However, Mr. Carpenter refused to let me quit. 'The team needs you. You made a commitment, and you have to keep it. A good man always keeps his word.' So instead of quitting, I stayed and Coach pushed me, pushed everyone on the team, so that even though I was never going to be the baseball star I'd dreamed of, the team went on to win the premiership that year."

"Are you still in touch with him?"

Rolf shook his head. "He died not long ago. Even so, I hadn't talked with him in ages."

"I am sorry for your loss."

"Thank you. You said people come to your life for a reason, a season... and a lifetime."

"Very few people come to your life for a lifetime," I said in a whisper.

Rolf nodded. I could see in his eyes that he knew what I meant. "Family fits into this category," he said.

I nodded. "Not every family, but yes, most of them."

"Some true good friends, you can count with one hand. Those who had always been at your side in difficult times, that you both hold on to each other during both good and bad times. If you have people like that in your life, you are truly lucky."

"You're right," I gave him a sad smile. One of the prices you pay for your freedom is that you don't take roots. I grew up in a foster home. No one knew who my parents were. I belong to nowhere and no one.

It was a starry night and the stars twinkled, each trying to tell its own story. I could spend the entire night lying on the sand, talking to the stars. It wouldn't have been the first time that I slept on a beach. I inhaled the fresh air and reminded myself how lucky I was to be here and to be alive.

I could feel Rolf lying at my side. There were good vibes between us.

Rolf said, "I read once that a grain of sand on a beach represents just how big our planet is in comparison to the universe. And to think that we're each just a tiny speck of dust on that grain of sand... It shows you how small a part we play in everything."

He was a smart guy, someone to look up to.

"I can teach you to swim," I said, all of a sudden. Maybe this was my reason to be here. "At least enough, so you won't get into difficulties if you go in the water."

I knew he was trying to look brave, but he shivered when he said, "I'll think about it."

He looked cute with his eyebrows scrunched together and his cheeks all flushed with red.

CHAPTER 3: ROLF

The next day, we went to the lake. Rain was a force of nature. It was almost impossible to say no to her. I was afraid to go into the water, but the same impulse that drove me into dancing with her in the rain caused me to go into the lake.

Rain grabbed my hand, and we tiptoed into the cold water. The coolness wrapped around my toes and swallowed my ankles. I froze, a combination of the cold water and my fear making my muscles rigid.

I swallowed as I stared out at the dark-blue depths. In this particular spot, the lake was almost flat and completely smooth. I didn't want to look scared with Rain by my side.

"How about for today's first lesson," Rain suggested after a few moments, "I just teach you to float."

"Okay," I agreed warily, letting her lead me deeper in.

I drew in a deep breath, told myself to be brave.

"Georgios taught me how to swim when I was in Greece; he was a lifeguard. You're safe with me."

"She met a lot of guys all over the world," I thought. "Am I just another name in her list?" I couldn't help but feel jealous of every guy that she had met. I shook my head trying to get rid of these thoughts. We were not a couple. She was just a girl I met in the street and invited to my place.

"Relax and lie back on the water, lift your feet from the bottom," Rain coached me.

It was hard to relax when my heart was hammering with fear.

Soon, with Rain's gentle coaxing and her firm hands keeping hold of me at all times, I was able to float on my back and stared up at the blue sky.

"You're doing well, Rolf. Don't move your arms and legs."

I was breathing fast, my efforts were clumsy, but at least I was keeping my head above the water.

On the way to the lake, Rain and I had visited a store at the mall, which she insisted was all she could afford. I had waited patiently as she tried on a variety of swimsuits before settling on a pink two-piece. It cut low over her breasts and then skimmed the top of her thighs.

"Tell me about this guy, Georgios?" I tried to make my voice sound casual and light.

She rolled her eyes but answered anyway.

"He was the person who taught me how to swim. He lives in Greece. I like to meet people wherever I go. I have never been afraid to talk to strangers. That's how I met some of the most wonderful and interesting people along the way."

Why Rain brought up such strong feelings in me?

I tried not to get jealous. I knew there were no reason nor right for me to be jealous, but still, I couldn't shake the prickly feeling that came over me. The inexplicable feeling that I didn't like Lukas and I didn't like Georgios, I didn't like them at all, even though I'd never met any of them. The idea of some other guy touching Rain, kissing her was killing me.