Let It Rain - [Kay's Story]
Prologue - When the Rain Begins to Fall
By Anne"Life is a series of experiences,
each one of which makes us bigger,
even though it is hard to realize this.
For the world was built to develop character,
and we must learn that the setbacks
and grieves which we endure help us in our marching onward."
Henry Ford [1863-1947]
----~8~----
The world was very unforgiving.
Kay finally realized that.
But it was too late now.
It was Kay's second realization.
Her third realization was that today was so far cloudless.
The sun's rays bounced lightly on her face as she laid upon the grass. She was in Harmony Park on Easter Sunday. Usually she would have been at home getting ready for the traditional Sunday brunch the church held before mass. Not today. Today, she was alone by her own choice. With a sigh, Kay turned on her stomach and let the sun's heat beat on her neck.
Kay was dressed warmly for a rather sunny day...
The weather man said it was going to rain.
Her hands were together as she rested her chin on them. She studied the grass in front of her.
She never saw so much hurt in her mother's eyes when she told her that she wasn't coming to church. Kay didn't feel right sitting with her family as the whole town whispered about what she had done. Kay stammered an excuse and prayed that her mom would not pressure her into going.
Her mom didn't.
Her mother was still disappointed in her. The anger long since passed. The disgust and humiliation that she endured for more than a month left painful scars and even more painful memories. For a long time, she was a hermit and never left her room. Kay finally had a room to herself. Only because Jessica didn't want to share the same room with her. So Jessica moved in with Charity and Kay was left alone. Again.
Noah was in town. He never missed Easter Sunday since it fell on his spring break. He was at least cordial to her, but even Kay could see the curiousness about what had happened to her. Kay never told him so Charity spoke for her. Noah never got her side of the story, but Kay wanted to keep it that way.
She was shutting her family out.
For once, it was not the opposite.
Even after one month, no one gave her the forgiveness she craved. The forgiveness she needed.
There was the thing of blame.
Kay knew it fell on her.
A diary was in front of her. It was simple, brown leather book with no lock and key. The pages were empty. It was a present given to her by Charity on her birthday last May. Kay never used it mostly because she hated Charity then. Mostly because she wasn't the diary type of girl.
But now since she was alone, it felt fitting to put her thoughts on paper. Not to be swarmed by the endless pity and misery she felt inside.
Kay reached out to touch the diary and felt warmth. She sat up. Then she began to open and flipped through the pages. She almost went blind at the white pages as the reflected the sun's light.
She slammed it shut and started to think.
Kay figured that they left from her house. She had no watch on. Nowadays, time never seemed important. Nothing felt important....
Miguel practically hated her and the dirt she walked on. Simone... she tried to help Kay, but Kay didn't want that to happen. The last thing Kay wanted was for Simone to be dragged through the mud with her. Reese was still hurt by her. His forgiveness was unreachable. Then you have everyone else. The little respect she once had was gone. Softball practice was never an issue. Her team hated her and her coach vocalized his stance about her. Church was uncomfortable. Only for the mere fact that she didn't belong there.
Maybe forgiveness wasn't an option.
But, Kay wanted to get it back. She wanted a second chance. What she wanted was her family back. It took this experience for her to finally realize how much they and their love meant to her.
So she started to walk home and hoped she could start over when her family came home from brunch. Maybe she'd even go to church with them. Kay doubted it. It needed to be little steps.
----~8~----
The cloudless sky developed gray clouds. A sign of rain. Kay didn't notice. Thoughts of the past occupied her.
She held on tightly to the book as she began to walk down the street her house was on. Wind was picking up. She shivered and looked p only to frown. It was going to rain. Kay hated being in the rain.
Out of nowhere, her heart started to beat quickly and a lump began to develop in her throat. Kay blinked and wrapped her arms and her diary even more tightly around her. Something felt off.
The familiar green minivan was pulling through her family's drive way.
Kay watched it.
She wondered if she was early or if they were late.
Her feet didn't move.
Kay had no clue why.
She wanted to run. Suddenly, the hope that she had of rebuilding her relationship with her family, flew out the window. Kay closed her eyes for a moment and saw their faces all over again. Nightmares plagued her about the day she was found out. It was something she would never forget.
When she opened her eyes, the van was coming down the street. It felt like slow motion to Kay. Should she wave? Should she hide? Kay couldn't hide if she wanted to. The street was out in the open. But she couldn't exactly wave either.
So she stood there and waited.
The green minivan came closer. They could see clearly by now. Kay started to feel light headed and squeamish. Maybe she should have stayed in bed and pretend to be asleep today.
The wind was picking up again. Kay hugged herself, trying to keep warm. She had no idea why the weather turned so bad, so quickly.
The minivan stopped. The front passenger side window rolled down. Kay could see the red hair of her mother's. She smiled, slightly. Maybe her mother was going to invite her along. Her mother hated for the family to miss Easter. Even one family member.
For a brief instance, Kay finally felt calm.
The green minivan exploded into flames.
She shielded her eyes at the explosion, dropping the diary in the process. Kay couldn't even scream as she stood there. Kay watched the flames engulf the car. The fire was so strong. They didn't make it. No one could have.
She fell to her knees in weakness and used the palm of her hands to support her. She closed her eyes as a drop of water touched her forehead.
The once cloudless sky turned grey.
And it began to rain.