Dancing In The Rain by Patrick Councilor
[ In The Darkest Hour ]
The rain soaked Niles' suit as he fumbled with the spare tire. He had probably ruined his hand-stitched suit, but at this point he didn't care. His frustrations set in too deep for him to worry about his garments or to convince himself that he didn't even know how to use the jack to lift the car. The tire was completely blown and he would helplessly tinker with it until the tow truck arrived.
Just when he had gone off the road and was about to call Triple A, Daphne had called. He had told her what had happened and asked her to make the call to Triple A for him.
Yet his anger and frustration was too much for him to sit still as the rain pelted his car. He had been out here for a while. Several people stopped to help him, yet he declined their help, letting them know that Triple A was on the way. Ah, what was he doing? He was getting nowhere with this tire.
Crouching by his tire he tried to use the tire iron to pry the hub cap off. He felt someone standing there. He looked up and in the falling rain stood a vision… an angel… she was beautiful.
"Daphne… What are you doing here?"
She didn't answer him. Instead, she reached a hand out to help him up. "Dance with me Niles."
His skin went cold at her words. Her face looked so calm – so patient. How could she be with so much going on? "Here? At the side of the highway? In this down pour?"
"Take me in your arms Niles." Then she repeated. "Dance with me."
He stood to meet her at eye level. Those beautiful eyes. Her lips pressed to his and the tension in his shoulders went away. The anger and the frustration dissolved. The cold rain didn't seem so cold anymore. Was she an actual angel coming to take his soul away from the wreckage?
He put his arms around his wife and they danced to the undetectable rhythm of the rain. Suddenly, nothing else mattered. There wasn't a care in the world. It didn't matter that his car had a flat and he was soaked to the bone. It didn't matter that they were leaving the beautiful Emerald City. The only thing that mattered in this universe was that they had each other and that their children were healthy and safe.
"I love you Daphne," he whispered into her ear.
"What are you doing for the rest of your life?" she asked him.
He smiled. "You know, it really doesn't matter as long as I have you."
"I love you Doctor Crane."
They kissed and the rain baptized them in celebration. Celebration of their wonderful relationship. Celebration of life.
"I don't know what I would do without you," he whispered to her.
"Well, I know what I would do without you."
He stopped to look at her. "What would you do?"
"Spend the rest of me life looking for you."
He tried to swallow the lump in his throat. Those were the nicest words he had ever heard. Slowly he moved toward her until their lips barely touch and it sent wonderful chills up their bodies.
They danced in perfect unity together.
The tow truck arrived and Niles stopped dancing with Daphne only long enough to give the keys to the driver and sign the paperwork.
The gentleman hooked up the car and shook his head at them as he watched them dancing in the downpour. Yet it wasn't from a point of view of watching two crazy people without enough common sense to come in out of the rain. No, it was more along the lines of what a lucky couple to be so in love.
The driver had taken the Mercedes away for some time before Daphne brought her lips back where they should be – to his.
"Tell me this," Niles said.
"What?"
"Tell me that you didn't walk here."
They laughed together and she kissed him again and again.
The world could be crashing down around them, but that didn't matter today, for love tends to conquer all.
You know, it's true… Vivian Greene said it best:
"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain."