Writer: Sima Chand

“Rain, rain, go away! Come again another day!!”, I sat in my balcony as I watched the little girl shout in the rain. The sky was somber and the air was filled with the constant pitter patter. I was never a ‘dancing in the rain’ type of person but watching the little girl gave me some kind of solace. It had been raining since the morning and all I had done that day was sit in the balcony with my cup of coffee. The cup of coffee that melted my worries away or blended them in the background, I wasn’t exactly sure. It was all I could do with the energy I had summoned up. A streak of lightning struck the sky and the little girl ran inside her house, screaming. The day was gloomy, sure, but so was my heart.

It had been exactly 24 days. 24 days since I last talked to him. 24 days of constant flashbacks and memories. 24 days full of agony and pain. 24 days that somehow felt like 24 weeks.

We were fireworks and magic. The kind of relationship you read about in books. But I guess fireworks do lose their sparkle real quick. I watched the heavy rain as it drifted me towards those days. Those monsoons we got suddenly attacked by the rain. Oh how both of us hated it. His crappy raincoat that provided no protection, leaving both of us drenched. This rain flooded me with those random memories. How it would rain out of nowhere everytime we stepped out together, how I used to say it was the sky crying now that we were separating for the day, and how he used to say I had to make my logic work in summer before making such assumptions. I wondered if he thought about all those times too. I wondered if the rain reminded him of the day I reached dripping wet to his show. The first time he had performed a song in the theatre. How I was so excited to support him that I forgot to carry an umbrella. I was late already so I had to run in the rain instead of going back. How I reached to a theatre full of people, soaking wet. And how he had laughed looking at me asking me if I knew this invention called an umbrella. Well, in my defense, I was hoping the rain would stop but i guess the rain was hoping the same about me. Neither of us stopped though. Like they say, the rain was falling hard and so was I.

These random memories come out of nowhere and leave me with a combination of smile and tears. Though much time hasn’t passed, it is a constant struggle. But I know it’s for the best. I am going to be alright. I know 24 days are nothing compared to the 3 years we shared. There are probably going to be a lot more days like this, even worse. But I believe it will get better with time. The rain didn’t wash him away, but maybe he doesn’t need to be. Maybe he’s like the stain on my dress I needed to have in order to be careful not to spill anymore. I took another sip of my coffee. The same coffee that melted my worries away or blended them in the background, I wasn’t exactly sure. But with every sip, I could feel a surge of hope running through me. The rain had stopped now. I looked up and could see a ray of sunlight piercing through the clouds. It was a promise for a better day. I mustered some more energy and got up. In a distance, I could see the little girl jumping in puddles with her friends. I smiled at the girl, and at the day and how it had the courage to transform itself. Maybe I could too.

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