Soulmate in The Storm

The sky was more than an omnipresent grey… it was crepuscular. Mid-afternoon but the sky resembled twilight.  As I sauntered along at an old man’s pace on the blacktop of a worn road, I felt the first drops break free from the clouds. Cool, icy driblets descended from the ubiquitous grey clouds. They made strange polka dot like patterns on the sidewalk. Soon enough, the beads colored the whole sidewalk a darker, charcoal grey. The frigid tears from the heavens gently touched me, slowly made its way through my wavy, unkempt hair. I was going to be soaked. Already I was finding difficulty seeing past the sheets of rain. I wondered idly if this was what it was like if someone tried to peer out from inside a tornado. I realized that it was getting colder. The harmless zephyrs that were refreshing a while ago transformed into harsh, glacial winds. What’s a little rain? Shoving my hands in my coat, I continued strolling down the familiar streets of the town.

Then, the most amazing thing happened before my dumbfounded eyes. I squinted through the pelting rain to see a tall, lanky figure with a black umbrella making its way to me. After several moments, I heard the sound of his boots on the fast-growing puddles that decorated the ground. He wore the most awe-inspiring, the most beautiful smile I had ever seen in my entire existence. He was beautiful. Timid drops of rain adorned his hair. His eyes were endearing and blue. I felt as if they spoke a flummoxing, unearthly language I had never heard. His expression was kind, enchanting as he deliberately held the umbrella over me. My feet of their own accord moved closer to him so the umbrella was sufficient to shield the both of us. The falling bullets made loud, dissonant sounds against the nylon but my ears hardly made it out. The loud, pouring rain could not drown out the deafening rhythm my heart put forth. It fluttered quick and fast like the wings of a sweet hummingbird. My stomach was assaulted by the most violent butterflies ever. They played boisterously inside of me incognizant of my desire to maintain composure. The brief moment of shock soon passed and I managed to present him with a small smile as meager thanks for his consideration. He held out a hand and without pausing to think about anything, without pondering the wisdom of responding, I slipped my hand into his. His palm was solacing and warm. Warmth coursed through my felicitous veins and found my center. In one never-ending second, his eyes bored into mine. My heart, my entire frame trembled as if his gaze was so penetrating. Maybe, it was. I felt as though he saw deep into my soul and was satisfied, elated by what he saw. It was as if we knew each other. Without uttering a word, he gestured and led me to the nearest form of shelter - a bus stop. I was headed there before he came along.

Before we could sit, before I found my small voice to ask for his name, the bus came bustling. Its doors opened, inviting us in. I still hadn’t found the words. I ended up giving him a rueful smile and ascending the bus. He didn’t come along. Oddly enough, I didn’t expect him to. It was as if the magical time was over and it was time to return to cold, depressing reality. It was like the moment, the period of time when everything was how it should be had flitted by. It felt appropriate. Felicity of that magnitude must be ephemeral. Such happiness couldn’t be an abundant entity. Surely some balance must be struck in the ever-changing, perplexing universe. I found my seat and stared out the window where the boy still stood. The bus began crawling and the mysterious boy slowly disappeared from my view. His shape was obscured by the deluge. I smiled to myself, wholly certain I would see him again.