When It Rains

Growing in my stomach was an unsettling feeling as the thunder and lightning flashed through the sky. It was 10am in the morning and the rain had begun to pour slightly, around 1am. I woke up with a grievous headache. If it wasnt for the excessive cleaning that had to be done yesterday, I would have been well rested. Mom and I took on the task of prepping and preparing for our guests. The ones that will be arriving today. I took my breakfast to my room. Father dreads the thought of me eating in my room, considering that I almost never clean up after myself. So I snuck my way up the halls. I placed the tray of freshly boiled eggs, steamed asparagus, a tomato salad and a glass of water on my tabletop. I have been an aspiring vegetarian since two weeks ago, when my father sold our family pig Nickes. I had won Nickels at a fun fair at the age of six when I visited my auntie's farm. I protested to father that Nickes was like any other member of the family, to which he replied that I was getting too consumed with my studies and other social activities and not taking care of Nickes. He then went on to add that Nickes was getting too big and slobby for us to keep. I then began my rebellious stage of becoming a vegetarian. At first, father was a bit worried and offered me to get a puppy or a cat, which he said would be easier to take care of than a pig. He even suggested a pet bird, but being stubborn as I was, I refused all other options. They eventually grew tired and just allowed me to do what I wanted. I have been eating all things green since then. I looked out the window into the far-off distance where the clouds were gloomy and pitch black dark. I placed my face slightly outside the window. The tiny drops of rain lightly hit my skin as I inhaled the fresh breeze staring off into the distance. The breeze was cool and the leaves that fell from the trees danced their way down the footpath into the stream that settled not too far from our house. After breakfast, I showered, combed my hair and proceeded into the back yard over the fence into the grassy fields of trees where I continued my story Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. I had been determined, since I was nine, to read all the books that my father had in his studies. Papa segregated his collections into different age categories, so as I got older, the more advanced and sophisticated the books were. I had already read Life on the Mississippi, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Pudd'nhead Wilson, which was my favorite of all the Mark Twain books. I opened the book and got lost in the pages when I heard shouting coming from the far end of our house. "Lucia Darling!" I heard mama "Why are you in the rain?" "It's not falling that hard mama!" I shouted, still focused on my book. I did not realize at which point in time I had fallen asleep, but I was awoken by little nudges that startled me. "Lucia!" I heard Papa and I stood up, sitting on the grass wiping the sleep from my face. My clothes were slightly drenched by the rain. "You're going to catch a cold lying outside here." He said, sitting down next to me. "I haven't the slightest idea when I fell asleep." I answered, dusting the dirt and grass from my dress. "Has our guest arrived or had I been awoken at the right time?" "Unfortunately, they are not here yet. Your mother said you've been outside for quite sometime now. Is there something bothering you?' Papa asked. I thought about it. The Oberlins had visited us before when I was younger. I remember climbing trees and dancing around the field with Jenny, but their son Scott was always distanced, he never associated with anyone and spent most of his time in his room. I always felt really weird and uncomfortable around him. "I guess the thought of seeing my childhood friends again has me a little distorted. Jenny must be all grown up. I wonder if she will remember me?" I answered him shyly. Papa turned to me and said "The years may change you as an individual, they may make you stronger or make you weaker, but they can never take away the memories that you share with others." I smiled and shook my head at papa. He stood up, reached out his hands to mine and pulled me up from off the ground and we both headed back to the house. "Is it me or does that storm seem like its getting closer and closer?" I pointed to the dark area that this morning seemed a distance away. "Looks like it's going to be a rainy night." "Lucia! Can you help me set the plates on the table?" Mom asked. The night was creeping in and the place was already pitch black with the dark clouds that hovered over the town. "Weren't they supposed to be here already?" Mom asked Papa, who was sitting in his chair reading the newspaper. "There was a flight delay because of the storm." Papa said. "The storm that seems to have reached us?" Mama looked out the window with a worried look plastered on her face. "I just hope they arrive in time before the rain begins to fall?" "Or the power goes out." I added. A while later, a car drove up. Mama looked at papa and papa looked at mama. "I guess they're here." Papa said, and mama got all flustered. Taking off the apron that was covered in flour, she quickly dusted off her hands and dress and patted her hair to make sure it was still neat. Mama was all about presentation, preparation and punctuality. And as mama opened the door for our guests, a gush of wind came bursting through the door, causing the vase that contained the freshly picked roses that sat on a table next to father's chair to fall and break. It was at that point that the rain began to fall violently. The patter of the rain was quite loud and the drops were gigantic. Mama and papa rushed to Mr. and Mrs Oberlin to assist them with the bags. Jenny had seemed to have gotten her suitcase stuck at the front door and I hurriedly tried to assist her. The rain became more intense. Together we lifted the wheel of Jenny's suitcase over the area where it was stuck and she dragged it smoothly inside. Mr and Mrs Oberlin had already made their way into the house and I turned back to see the performance of the rain. I noticed a figure in the distance slowly walking toward the door. "Is that Scott?" I tried to see clearly. "It had to be him." The rain had already soaked every inch of him, but even so, I still grabbed the umbrella that stood right at the side of our door in the draining basket and rushed out to him. He would definitely catch a cold with the rain falling so hard. Surprisingly, it began to fall even more intensely. I walked to Scott, trying to hold the umberlla firmly. The wind had almost blown me away twice already. I looked at the person in front of me. His hair was white, his eyes gray, his clothes drenched and the water running down his face. He looked lost as he got closer and the atmosphere began to get cold. I reached out the umbrella for him to take shelter but he didn't stop. Starting into my eyes, he pushed passed me and headed towards the door. I left dumbfounded as I turned around to look at him. He continued walking without looking back, almost as if he had never seen me standing there. He entered the house and at that moment the wind blew the umbrella out of my hands and into the fields. I felt the heavy drops of rain hitting my skin, but before I could get back inside I was already soaked from head to toe. I walked into the living room, my clothes wetting the floors and the carpet with every step I took. "Why did he just leave me in the rain after I rushed out to help him" I mumbled to myself. Getting quite angry at the situation, "Now I'm soaked and shivering, that ungrateful piece....." "Lucia!" mama shouted "When in heavens did you go out in the rain? You are dripping wet.' "He was ..........." I turned to look for him. Dry as a desert. Not a single drop of water was anywhere to be found on him or his clothes and his hair was now dark and so were his eyes. "...... in... the..... rain" I stood there confused, looking stupid. How did he ........