The Simple Things

She felt the warm rain before the first drops hit her skin. With a sigh of deep contentment her face turned to the sky, and as the first drops caressed her face, she felt perfectly at peace. Spreading her arms to catch as many drops as she could, she slowly began to spin her body.

"This is what heaven must be like," she thought happily.

A bolt of lightning and a peal of thunder sent a thrill down her spine. These were the times she lived for. She could no longer contain herself, and burst out in unprovoked laughter for the sheer joy of it all. Another clap of thunder and the sky let loose. She lowered her head quickly and her feet began to move as if the very wind had given them leave to ignore gravity. The puddles collecting on the ground flew up to meet her as her feet deftly worked their intricate patterns through the water.

Suddenly she felt the weight of the worries of the past few months fall away, and she was free! Her dance slowed and her voice took up their rejoicing, her song joining in with the sound of the falling rain and the booming thunder all around her. As she sang, she moved gracefully, feeling the water dripping from her forehead and eyelashes. Her clothes were soaked and stuck to her body, so drenched in moisture the rain drops fell through the fabric and landed on her skin.

If only every night could be as perfect as this, she mused as she finally calmed herself and sat down on the rain-soaked ground feeling the water move swiftly past her. She watched others run past, sheltering themselves as best they could with jackets, umbrellas and anything else they had available. She wondered why anyone would go to all that trouble to avoid the bliss which was even now healing the emotional wounds she'd suffered from the stress of the week. With another sigh she let herself fall back, and spread her body out to catch every possible drop of the cleansing waters.

Her muscles relaxed and she closed her eyes to the falling rain, feeling the wind caress her skin. Suddenly she became aware of another presence. Her eyes opened slightly as she glanced up into the beautiful blue eyes of her best friend. He smiled and extended a hand. Slowly, as if in a dream, she put her own out, and was gently raised from her watery bed.

When she was firmly on her feet, she felt his arms go around her in a protective embrace, and they began to sway lightly to the beat of the raindrops falling ever faster all around them. Her head found its way to his chest, where she could feel the beating of his heart, steady and soothing. He began to sing softly in her ear, the voice that had brought her comfort so many times before now serenading her as they danced.

As suddenly as it had begun, the storm ended. The swaying stopped, and she looked up into those eyes she trusted so well. Her gaze was greeted with a soft smile, and she was lightly spun and then pulled to him again. Their arms went around each other, and the two of them walked in silence back toward shelter, each thinking their own thoughts. As they parted for the night, she whispered "thank you" in his ear and gave him a swift kiss on the cheek. With a hug and a reverent "good night" they separated.