There are many different reasons for one hating the rain. The rain could be spoiling some activity that needs to be done in dry weather, or an activity that is just generally unpleasant to do while it's raining. One might hate the rain because it makes the sky dark and everything on the ground a little more gloomy. One might also hate the rain because they associate the rain with a bad time. This is why Claudette hated the rain.
A little over forty years ago a massive storm hit Claudette's home town of Le Pin. Claudette was only four years old, but she still remembered the storm. It was the first vivid memory she had.
Sitting in her cell at the Paris jail, the dripping of the rain from the ceiling made Claudette think back to that storm. It was a Saturday evening, or maybe a Sunday. Claudette remembered it was some weekend because she remembered her Mother saying it was such a shame that her poor husband had to work on a day of rest.
Claudette's father was a construction worker. He worked long, hard hours building structures of brick in and around Le Pin. At the time of the storm, her father and his fellow construction workers were building a large cathedral in the middle of the town.
Le Pin, being a small town, did not have a proper cathedral. Residents of Le Pin had to go to the cathedral in Courtry, the next town over. But the Courtry cathedral wasn't very large itself, and it was getting full. When the new mayor was elected to Le Pin he ordered for a cathedral to be built in the center of Le Pin.
Not only was the night rainy, but there were very strong winds. The winds blew open the windows, making Claudette's mother and sister, Marie, have to tie them shut with rope. Marie was five year old then, but acted more like an adult than most adults. Claudette, on the other hand, was a very immature four year old who didn't understand why her Mother and Marie were worrying so much about the storm, and was mainly concerned about a little green marble she lost in a little knot hole on her kitchen floor.
Thunder and lightning started. "Mama, I'm scared. Will Papa be okay in this rain?" Marie asked, nervously.
"He has worked in the rain many times," Claudette's mother told Marie. "It is the high winds that are worrying me. I do hope he returns home soon."
Her Mother spoke softly and wisely. Claudette watched her from the floor, fiddling with her remaining marbles and not paying much attention to her mother's worries. She was not the type of little girl who was scared easily. She thought it foolish of her mother to be frightened to the rain.
For the next hour or so, all Claudette could remember was the howling noises the wind was making and her sister telling her repeatedly not to be scared, even though she wasn't.
The next thing she could remember was her old neighbor woman, she couldn't remember her name just her worried eyes, bursting through her doors shouting "Come quick! The cathedral has collapsed! The workers are trapped under the bricks!"
Her Mother let out a cry and followed the woman into the street, not even spending time putting on shoes. Marie and Claudette followed behind her, Marie dragging Claudette by the wrist.
They arrived at the sight of the collapse. The whole town had come out to see the disaster. The entire to half of the cathedral had blown off from the wind and landed on the ground below where the workers were working. It was quite a sight. Debris was everywhere. Some rubble had fallen on workers who cried out for help.
"Shit," Claudette muttered under her breath, causing Marie to give her a horrified look and slap her wrist. Claudette had heard many people swear and mimicked them whenever she was upset, causing everyone around her the shock of hearing such a little girl with such a potty mouth. Claudette didn't care about this, though. She didn't know why there where bad words in the first place. Her Mother said it was a phase. It never went away, though.
Townspeople moved quickly trying to remove the debris. Two big, strong men lifted bricks off of a man who had blood streaming from his face. Claudette was horrified by the sight of the blood. It made her sick. A young woman ran up to the bleeding man, crying hysterically. The man was carried away with the woman following closely behind.
Another man emerged from under the pile of bricks. He stood up, seemingly unharmed. Claudette checked through the crowd of people to see if it was her father. It wasn't. The man's wife and children ran up to him and embraced him. Claudette tugged on her mother's shoulder, nervously.
The rain pelted hard on the townsfolk. It fell so hard it hurt when it hit you. The wind was blinding. People continued to lift bricks away and the ambition of finding her Father built and built.
In the jail cell, Claudette got chills thinking about the time. Why the drippy cell reminded her of the carefully day the cathedral collapsed she did not know. When you are trapped in a jail cell with just a mute woman and a tray of nearly inedible food, your mind wanders. Claudette shivered the type of shiver one gives when they aren't cold.
She thought about how many bricks must have been lifted that night to free the workers. Some were almost unharmed. Others weren't so lucky. They lifted up some bricks uncovering a man who was completely still.
Claudette recognized his scruffy brown beard and green shirt. Her father. The rain beat down harder. People around her Father dragged him out, but it was too late. "He isn't breathing!" a man shouted.
Her Mother broke ahead in the pack. "Louis! Louis!" She cried out her husband's name and fell to the ground beside him. Claudette and Marie watched from aside.
"I'm sorry, Emaline. He has no heartbeat, no breath. He hasn't made it," someone said
"No! No! My Louis! My Louis!" Claudette's mother pounded the ground with her fist causing it to bleed.
The rest of the memory is just a blur of wind and her Mother screaming. Claudette shook her head trying to dismiss it.
It was not just the death of her father that troubled her. Though it was painful, the four years she knew her father were not those she had much memory of. The memories she did have were just glimpses of his face, single words spoken from his voice. They didn't have much meaning to her. What troubled Claudette more was what came with his death. With her husband gone, Claudette's mother sunk into a hole of depression and alcoholism. She couldn't bear being without the man she loved, so she shut herself out of the world. Claudette was left to be taken care of by a five-year-old.
More water dripped down. It landed in Claudette's vile dinner. She ate some of it and swallowed it like a pill with her unclean water. "I hate the rain," Claudette muttered, causing her cell mate to look at her. "I hate it, I hate it, I hate it."