Nightly Stroll

 The rain began as a series of slow falling tears. The water dripped lazily from the sky and I felt no need to take out my umbrella, opting to enjoy the feeling of droplets on my skin. My boots thudded against the street as the drops fell on my face, my hair, and my hands. The slow tears became anguished sobs as the droplets accelerated their descent towards the earth. I paused, took the umbrella from my purse and opened it. Now the thudding of my boots was accompanied by the soft pattering of rain hitting nylon. I made my way to the crosswalk.

The light shined bright red against the dark gray backdrop of the city. As I waited a woman was running towards the same cross walk, no umbrella in sight. She stood next to me waiting for the same light, shifting from one foot to the other, shivering slightly. I glanced at her and shifted closer, hovering the umbrella over both of us.

She turned to me and smiled, showing bright crooked teeth.

“Thank you so much!” She yelled over the falling rain.

“No problem,” I answered, with a little smile of my own.

The light turned and the white figure told us it was safe to pass. We stayed close together under the shelter of the umbrella. She slowed down her running pace and I tried to walk a bit faster. She didn’t say anything else and I didn’t try to initiate a conversation. We reached the other side of the crosswalk.

“Where are you going?” I asked, now facing her.

“There’s this coffee shop about a block down the street,” she said.

“I could walk with you? It’s raining pretty hard and you don’t have an umbrella,” I told her.

“I couldn’t trouble you like that but thank you,” she replied.

“Alright, have a nice night!”

I turned away and started walking in the opposite direction. As soon as the woman left the safety of the umbrella she began to run. I didn’t glance back, just let my feet thud against the street with the same slow rhythm as before.