quarter-to-four and the rain had already started.

of course, it was merely a light sprinkle, but the forecast this morning said that it would only begin around five o’clock, and by then i had planned to be on the four-thirty train out of this hellhole.

the wind picked up, and i almost lost my hat several times as i marched down the streets of new york city towards grand central station. i watched as people around me desperately ducked inside stores or frantically pulled umbrellas out of their bags as the rain started to pour heavier.

unluckily for me, i had to be at grand central by four-twenty the latest, and according to my gps, i had to keep walking or else i wouldn’t make it.

oh, also, i had no umbrella.

soon the rain became so strong, it felt like little stings as the drops hit my face, and i was entirely soaked through. i thanked the heavens that i had a waterproof case, otherwise i’d probably have to spend an extra two hours in this city, and that was not something i was willing to do.

cursing under my breath, pushing against the wind, i trudged on through miniature rivers and colossal puddles on the sidewalk.

10 more minutes.

by now almost all pedestrians were nowhere to be seen, except for this one tall guy up ahead. he had this white-and-blue checkered umbrella, and he was just standing in the middle of the sidewalk and staring at the puddles, or maybe there was something on the ground. i don’t know, what did i care? i had somewhere to be.

right before i passed where he was standing, a car zoomed by and splashed me with muddy road water.

god, how i hated life.

“hey, want to stand under my umbrella a little?”

i barely realized he was talking, and it took me a minute to register what he had said.

“there’s enough space for both of us.”

i shook my head.

“i have to be at grand central for the four-thirty train to poughkeepsie. i can’t just stand around.”

he paused, checked his watch, and then said

“i can walk you there, it’s only ten minutes away.”

i said nothing.

and so we walked to grand central, this stranger and i, stark opposites.

he was tall, six foot something, with blue eyes and sandy hair. i was short, five foot, with dark eyes and even darker hair. also, he was completely dry, while i was sopping wet.

the ten minutes passed in silence, as we made our way to the station.

and when we got there, he just walked away, and i barely had time to say thank you.

—

it was around three-thirty when i decided to go on a walk, what with being cooped up all day. i checked my forecast; rain shouldn’t have started till five, but i took my umbrella anyways, just in case. i walked down the street, with nowhere specific to be, just to stretch my legs.

at three-forty-five it started to rain, but i liked to feel the little sprinkle on my cheeks and the wind on my back.

of course, when it picked up, i had no other choice but to open my umbrella, because i was wearing my favorite wool sweater, which i didn’t want to get wet.

a shame though. i would’ve loved a nice walk in the pouring rain.

i stopped at my favorite dip in the sidewalk. i loved it there because when it was raining, a big puddle formed and the pitter-patter of the drops hitting the water sounded like a melancholy whisper, or a song, one that i could never hope to understand.

gosh, how i loved life!

that’s when i saw her; a yellow taxi drove through the puddle and the water splashed all over her.

it didn’t really matter though, because she was already really wet. she was clutching her phone as she walked with determination through the streets.

i took pity, she looked so angry. i walked her to grand central station, not that it probably helped, because she was already soaking, but it was the least i could do. she kept on grumbling about being late, something about needing to get on the four-thirty train.

i couldn’t help but think how funny it was that we should bump into each other here in new york. i mean, of all the places she could be, she was in new york at that very moment! how special, how amazing it was to be alive! after she went into the station, i wandered off, dreams of life and glorious things filling my head.

——

LOLOLOL have y’all watched miraculous 🐞🐈‍⬛ this lowkey reminded me of that