This was inspired by Superchick's song, 'Stand in the Rain,' but it's not a songfic. Erm, I think it came out OK. Not my best, but I needed to write something. Review? =)
Lately, the rain had been of significance to Tiana. It meant so many things to her. It was raining the day her father left for the war. It was raining the day they received news that her father was dead. It was raining the day her friend, Ray, died. And it was raining that day she stood out on the porch, thinking.
The steady pound of the rain on the sidewalk, the sound of wind in the trees, the sound of cars motoring down the street in the distance. They all drowned out the sound of her light breathing. She was at peace, content, thinking.
The rain. She had seen so much of it in her life. Mostly on horrible days. And every time, she would run and hide somewhere, just to be alone and breathe. To contemplate the days events. To cry.
In truth, nothing bad had happened that day. Unless you counted the rain. The rain just stood as a symbol to her. A symbol that her life wasn't perfect. But no one's was, right? Lottie's, maybe, but not her own. Not hers.
And yet, the rain was supposed to stand as a sign of purity. It washed away wrongdoings and sins and every bad thing in the world. The rain washed away the blood on her knee when she was five and fell down running. The rain washed away the dirt on the street. The rain washed away her tears when she needed it to.
The rain was both good and bad, apparently.
So she stood on the porch, in the rain, staring out into the street. There were some kids running, laughing, jumping in puddles. The bottoms of their pant legs and skirts were soaked and muddy, but that didn't stop them. They ran, laughed, and jumped, their hair matted down and their faces red from cold.
She remembered her days as a child. Her father would play with her outside every time, despite the current weather. She remembered the days of jumping in puddles and soaking both her and her father's clothes. She remembered him lifting her up and twirling her around, laughing joyously in the rain.
Her father... he was a wonderful man. It pained her to remember him, but she knew that if she didn't, she would forget. But maybe she wanted to forget. She was almost completely certain that even if she tried to forget, he would stay. He was with her in her heart. She knew that. She knew it and it hurt and felt good at the same time.
She stared up at the sky. The sun was hardly visible being the rain clouds, but she knew that above them was a bright blue sky and a bright yellow sun and a heaven, where her father was making gumbo, most likely.
She giggled and heard the front door open behind her. She kept her view on the street, but she was aware that Naveen had come out to stand next to her.
They didn't speak, just stood. They stood in the rain. And no more than three minutes after Naveen had come to stand by her, with one arm around her shoulder and her head resting against his chest, the rain subsided and the sun came out.
C'mon, I know you're reading this. PLEASE review? I'll give you a virtual cookie...