Before The Rain
A Wordspill
Today,
posted a drawing on Notes that gave me feels for reasons I don’t understand. After ruminating on it, I have to write something. That makes this a wordspill—when words well up and just need to spill out. I hope you enjoy.I remember the time before the rain.
The sun would shine, the sky was blue, the grass was green and soft. You could go places, see people.
I miss that.
Unfortunately, when the rain started, I was in my basement level apartment. I had little windows near the ceiling which peeked above ground level, to get some natural light into the place.
It’s not been all hermitage—the apartment building has twelve floors, so I’ve gotten to know my neighbors.
On the third floor is probably my best friend in the apartment, his name is Dan. Dan has a wife and two kids—a lovely little family. Sometimes they’ll come visit me and we’ll play games on my coffee table with their kids. Sometimes I’ll visit them and they’ll treat me to a nice meal.
We all make do with what we can, as long as it’s raining.
One day Dan asked me, “Why don’t you have anything on your walls?”
It’s true—the walls were bare. It never really occurred to me, I guess I was so focused on making sure all my stuff was in it’s proper place, it never struck me to decorate, or even that I could. I didn’t have anything. That’s how I answered—”I don’t have anything to put up.”
“Nonsense, there’s always something.” He was one of those friends that is pushy, in a kind way.
“Do you have any photos?” his wife, Jane, asked.
“I’ve got some on my phone.” I told her.
She took my phone from me and scrolled. She sent herself a few, and promised to print them out for me.
A few days later, they came to visit, and she had a gift. She had found a little box and tied a ribbon around it. It was beautiful. Inside the box were some simple printed photos.
I looked through them all, but one I paused on.
It was a photo of a bustling shopping center, from a balcony overlooking the shoppers. It was so bright and clean. I don’t remember when I took that photo, but it brought back a flood of memories. Memories from before the rain.
Dan snatched the picture out of my hands. “This is the one!” He had a thumbtack with him for exactly this purpose, and before I could say anything he stuck the photo on the wall. “There, nice isn’t it?”
“It is, it really is,” I replied, “Thank you.”
I don’t watch TV anymore. I moved a chair over so I could sit and look at the photo, pinned to my wall. I imagined names for all the people in the photo, what they were doing, what they were buying. I forgot all about the rain.
There was another photo that Jane had printed. It was a sunny day, a park, a field. The grass looked green and soft.
I put it up next to the shoppers. I felt brighter, lighter.
I don’t need to remember the time before the rain anymore. I can go there any time I want.
This has been a Wordspill! It’s a little different from what I usually write, I hope you enjoyed!
AJPM