Rain? Not on My Parade!

an unmatched pair of shoes, a meeting, and a broken umbrella
My mission; write a story or poem and incorporate these things........



I flip on the radio in the bathroom to catch the news before I jump in the shower.  “Severe thunderstorms today”, I heard the weatherman say.  Darn it!  I made a mental note to grab the rain gear.  As I stood under the calming water, I prayed for a good day.  I knew that I had to be mentally alert and at my best.  The new boss had called a meeting  for 8:00 am.  Now, who in the world calls a meeting for first thing on Monday morning. Let me get my coffee, chill a little, get ready for my day; then have a meeting.  We knew it was going to be stressful.  This new boss had changes in mind that my department had speculated about since news of his arrival.  His reputation definitely preceded him.

I grabbed my purse and all the things on the kitchen counter that, thankfully, I had put out the night before.  There was no time to start the car to allow it to warm, so I’d have to deal with the cold.  Donning my rain coat, umbrella and briefcase, I scurried out the door, jumped in the car and headed down the interstate.

As I pulled into the parking lot of my building, the pounding rain on my convertible top reminded me of the “severe weather” forecast.  Parking spaces are limited, and my being late, forced me to park in the back forty.  Grabbing all my necessities, I ran for the door.  A major gust of wind came at just the right moment and turned my umbrella inside out.  I hate those things anyway.  They are sissy looking.  There I stood in front of the security guard, drenched from head to toe with a broken umbrella in my hand, resembling a drowned rat. With all the dignity I could muster, I bid him a good morning  and hurried to the restroom.  Thank goodness for curly hair and the air hand dryer.  With a little touchup and a last glance in the mirror, I wasn’t looking too bad.

I entered the room to see my co-workers seated, their backs to me, as they faced the CEO.  I was only a few minutes late so the meeting was just beginning.  As the CEO of the company started to speak, my thoughts raced back to the past hour.  How in the world I got here without too much ado was a miracle.  I was partially listening as he introduced me.  The new what?  The new vice president?  People were applauding and I was stunned.  There had been rumors flying around the office for weeks but I had not heard the one I was hearing now.  Everything else was a blur.  Congratulations and new plans and fast actions were the tune of the day.

Later that evening I returned to my apartment, ready for a glass of wine and a hot bath,  feeling especially proud of myself.  I poured that much needed glass of wine,  shucked the clothes and ran the bath water.  With wine glass in hand, I lowered myself into the water. I looked over at my clothes in a crumble and noticed an unmatched pair of shoes .  So much for the good deal I got the day I bought the “buy one pair, get one pair half off” special.  Yes, there lay a black pump and a blue pump.  I slid down into the water laughing to myself.  I wonder what the day would have been had the sun been shining and the shoes matching!