Eccentrically

The hair on my arms rose because of the cold rain that eagerly dropped from the gray sky. I thank God that it seems to be cooling down already, almost as if its tears are being dried up by some unknown element. Sometimes, it makes me wonder what would happen if I lived in a place where it often rains and pours. Will I be able to get used to its climate or would I be ignoring it for the most part? Somehow, life doesn’t permit ignorance. I’d probably be bringing an umbrella with me everywhere I go.

“How does this look?” I asked Megan as I turned to let her see all my sides. Perfectionism was never my thing, but somehow, first dates are all about impression. The cruelty of that fact is something I will probably never understand. “Meg?”

“Come on, Eli.” Megan said with her voice rather a mixture of both a coarse and undesirable tone. “Are you going to start asking me what to wear every fucking time you dress up?” Megan’s my little sister of only one year. You’d think after getting me, my parents would slow down a little with their ‘creations’. But, nevertheless, I got myself a younger sis – still not sure if I’d be thankful for that, though. “I have a life you know.”

I frowned at her. She’s such a turn off. It makes me wonder how she got into this whole Goth thing in the first place. All she wears is either a dark shade of violet or black. “How high and mighty, Megan,” I commented back, removing a Fall Out Boy band shirt I got from Nora last year. I used to be a fan of FOB but then I moved back into Rage Against The Machine. “Say, should I wear this scarf to go along?”

“Eli, it’s raining not the apocalypse.” She sighed before standing up to walk towards me. Megan eagerly stripped off all the things I wore on like a newsboy cap and support pins on my cargo shorts. “Take this and that off.” What the hell. She has no right – at all. “Now you’re ready.”

“Wait,” I quickly countered back, but Megan began on pushing me down the stairs pass our small living room to the front door. My soles were almost burned by how fast she moved. “I forgot my umbrella.”

“You don’t need an umbrella.” She pointed over at the scary gray sky. What the hell is she talking about? Looks can kill. “Look, the sun’s about to show.” Megan said one last time before slamming the door right in front of me.

Liar.

The sky hasn’t cleared up at all. Word of advice: Never listen to your younger pissy sister – ever. As I trudge on pouring rain, my clothes that I prepared for an estimate of an hour is all drenched up in cold and possibly acidic rain. My skin begins to feel itchy, so I’m guessing that this is the commodity of water falling down from the sky in the early 21st century. Next time, I’ll be smarter and just steal Mom’s car without permission.

“Young man!” I heard an old piercing voice call out to my side. For minutes, I’ve been walking with a heavy load at the back of my head. I may or may not be hearing myself think with all the rain dropping against the pavement. “What are you doing in the rain?” I gave myself the benefit of the doubt and turned. It was an old lady, also known as Mrs. Jenkins from down our lane.

“I’m enjoying myself.”

Old Jenny laughed at me like I was a comedian earning a penny from each word I’d say. Not that I’d be one in the first place. I have bigger dreams than making people laugh. “Why,” she smiled, rolling her windows down even more. “You can hitch a ride with me if you’d like.”

“No thanks.”

Mrs. Jenkins smile quickly turned into a snide. “But I oblige,” she said in her old lady voice. Everyone always acts nicely to her; I guess it’s important to. But right now, I feel no remorse for anyone who offers me rides. Because if I get sick, I’m going to blame someone whose name starts with M and ends with N.

“No thanks.” I walked on.

Persistent old woman.

A few more moments passed. I think I’m about to snap like an idiot sitting at the middle of a railway. Somehow, even though I wanted to be alone, I needed someone to be right beside me. I can’t explain that feeling. I just needed someone, anyone. I’m sorry for denying you, Mrs. Jenkins.

A small car parades to my side. I easily noticed it, with its color and basic features. Grace rolled down her window.

“Hey,”

“Hey.”

“Umm…” her voice sounded quite unsure, almost as if trying to piece words that were never meant to be placed together. I felt my feet stepping forward, like I didn’t want to hear whatever she was going to be saying. Wasn’t my day bad enough? Why should my girlfriend feel any pity for me? “It’s raining.” Grace said before I stepped.

“Oh,” I forced myself a smile. “I like the rain.”

“But you’re,”

I felt my eye twitch in ignorance. “Yeah, I know.” I heard myself saying. “I’m drenched.”

“Maybe you’d like to,”

“No, no,” I instantly cut her off with the hopes that she’d stop saying anything. “I’m alright.” I quickly gave her a peck on her cheek. “I can walk.”

“Wait!” Grace called out to me as I began to run all the way to town. My impulse got the better of me. It’s just because I couldn’t take another more second of humiliation right there at that very moment. “You can’t just,” I heard her say last.

“Let’s just meet up there okay?” I turned to look at her with the fakest look of pleasure on my face.

“Okay.”

Minutes later, I still wasn’t in town. It’s like my soles have gotten heavier that I couldn’t even bring it up to the slightest height. I felt depressed. What a way to look like a loser in front of the town’s oldest sweetheart and my own. Life sucks when you haven’t got an umbrella to shield you from the rain, or even your face to hide your own embarrassment.

“Eli!”

I turned to look my back. In my surprise I saw Grace running towards me with an umbrella clasped tightly on her hand. She was wearing a raincoat. “Grace?” I mumbled out in surprise. “Oof!” Grace landed on my chest with a huge crash. “What are you doing?” I asked in surprise. “It’s raining.”

“That’s what I wanted to ask you!” Grace chuckled lightly with the voice of a siren. “Let’s walk together.” she reached for my hand and wrapped hers tightly around it. It felt warm.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” she replied in a certain way that made her sure of everything in her words. “Of course I am.”

“Wait a sec,” I said, pulling my backpack down to take a scarf out. When Meg stripped me down, I just knew I couldn’t go out without this lucky scarf of mine. “Wear this first,” I wrapped the scarf around her neck gently. “There. So you won’t get a cold.”

“Thanks.” Her smile made my heart warm up like a gentle presence that would make your chest explode in happiness. She tiptoed and gave me a light kiss on the cheek, same as what I’ve done earlier but meant just as much to me than her. “Love you,”

“Times a hundred,”

On second thought, I think I love the rain.