Rainy Day

Wednesday is possibly the worst day of the week. Smack dab in the middle of the week, when the weekend starts fading from your memory, but there's still another two days of the week until the weekend comes around again. Wednesday afternoon's are by far the most boring time of the day, and it doesn't help when work is slow, and there's nothing to do but stare at a computer screen all day, sipping at a mug of very bad coffee and occasionally eating a 'snack'. To put it simply, work on Wednesday afternoons are the worst.

And that day, I found myself in the exact situation I described previously, nibbling on a stale donut, until I could go downstairs to the vending machines for my lunch break. The window three desks away from me showed a bleak and rainy day, cars filing onto and off of the freeway, while an airplane would rumble by our building every 15 minutes or so. My face was set in a bored expression, and I glanced to the clock on my desk. Five more minutes until my twenty-minute lunch break. I could feel the excitement building.

Starring at my mug, which was full of weak, cold coffee, I glared at the bright orange letters that spelled my name, David, out clearly. I had gotten the mug as a gift from my mother's best friend from when she went to San Diego, and it just so reminded her of me, that she had to get it for me. I didn't see how a dancing bear could remind her of me, especially when said bear was wearing pink sunglasses and holding what looked like some underwear. Maybe it was supposed to be a towel…

My brow furrowed at the thought. It can't be that hard to draw a towel, could it? Looking at the clock again, I had one minute until my lunch break 'officially' started, but I've always been one for breaking the rules.

Stretching as I stood, I loosened my tie a little to make the simple red length of cloth around my neck more comfortable to wear. With a sigh, I turned to the stair exit, going down two flights of stairs before I got to the main level. I opened the door and walked through the lobby. The rain was really pouring outside and it made me feel sleepy, the way the rain almost sounded like music.

The marble floors of the lobby gave the room elegance, as well as a dangerous edge because if those floors got wet, watch out! You could slip and break your back. I nodded at the security guard who looked as bored as I felt, watching the rain fall outside because he had nothing better to do.

Reaching the staff break room, I was glad to find the room empty. I didn't feel like socializing, especially with the idiots who worked here. It wasn't too hard to enter files into a computer, so you couldn't blame the company for hiring the cheapest workers. For me, this job was only temporary, to help pay for my college expenses, which are, believe it or not, quiet expensive.

Paying for a soda and a bag of chips, I looked in the staff fridge for my turkey sandwich. Taking the food to a table, I knew something wasn't right. I thought about it for a second, before I realized it was the window. It felt wrong leaving the window shade closed, when I could watch the rain fall, and maybe catch a glimpse of lightning. Opening the shades light filtered into the room, I saw her.

She was a woman I worked with in the office. Her name was Harriet, and she was beautiful with dark red hair, dark green eyes, and a very pale complexion. If not for the fact she was a nut case, Harriet would have been very popular around the office, especially with the men. They say she kicked some other employee in their 'private area' for lack of better words. Even I can't deny the fact that I'm attracted to her beauty, and I'll find myself watching her if I'm not paying attention, but I'd rather not risk a kick to the, ahem, family jewels.

When I opened the window shades though, there was Harriet, sitting in the rain, an umbrella a small ways away from her, along with her shoes next to it. She had her head back, as if embracing the rain, and she smiled. She was getting muddy, her hair was way past soaked, and her mascara was definitely running from the rain. And yet despite that, I found her to be beautiful sitting in the rain the way she was, maybe even more so because she was so nonchalant about her appearance. I wanted to join her, and just let go.

And then the strangest thing happened. I did.

I walked outside, smiling at the security guard as I went. I reveled in the feel of the cool rain on my skin, and the smell brought a grin to my face. The rain tasted like no other water I knew, and it gave me courage. It made me feel as though I could break boundaries, and bend the rules.

I sat upon a bench, taking off my shoes and socks, leaving them behind carelessly, looking only for one person. Looking only for the woman that intrigued me, though I had refused to acknowledge it before then.

I walked on the cold grass, which tickled my feet, and soon my shirt and jacket were sticking to me like a second skin. Turning the corner of the building, I came upon…

No one. She was gone. As were her shoes, and her umbrella. There was no sign of her. My heart seemed to deflate, but I vowed to look for her, and find her because she was what I truly wanted on that horrible Wednesday afternoon.

I jogged back in the building, not caring that the security guard looked at me strangely as I passed by him. I rushed up the stairs, back up to the second story, where she worked, as did I. My mind was full of hope, and I wanted to see if she knew me, if she thought that I deserved a chance.

I slowed to a walk, and I opened the door to the second story floor. The typing of my co-workers didn't immediately stop when I walked out of the stairwell, but as I passed by, people began to wonder. They wondered why I was so wet, and why I walked so fast. They wondered why my face was so set, so determined. But I didn't care. I didn't care they thought I was strange, walking back into the office soaking wet with no shoes on. I didn't owe an explanation to them. I owed an explanation to her.

And there she was, as soaked as I was, watching me in awe. I could see she recognized me, and it made me feel good.

"Harriet,"

"Yes," she answered.

"Will you come with me?" I asked.

"What would we do?" she asked, like a test for which I might pass or fail, but either way, it all relied on my response.

"We can just dance in the rain," I answered smiling, holding out my hand. She smiled slowly, taking my hand, and we both walked outside into the rain, leaving behind our co-workers who stared open mouthed at our exchange, wondering what the hell happened that rainy day.