A Rainy Tuesday

By Kyliah McRoy

It was a rainy Tuesday afternoon. The clouds covered the sky like a fluffy blanket as the sound of the rain hit the bus roof. The bus abruptly stopped, and the doors swung open like they were trying to hit a fly. "WEST SEATTLE" I grabbed my bag and stepped into the aisle. I kept my head up, closely following the girl walking as slow as a turtle in front of me. I reached the front and thanked the bus driver. I hopped off the school bus, bag in hand, shoes unlaced, and more than ever, ready to go home. The doors closed behind me, and the bus started moving. The roaring engine of the bus faded into the distance as I stood there looking for my umbrella. The light rain dropped from the sky, landing on my face. My brows narrowed, and a faint sigh escaped my mouth. I couldn't find my umbrella; I zipped up my bag, tossed it onto my shoulders, and started walking home. The day long and tiring, filled with schoolwork; I didn't get much sleep the night before. My stomach growled, begging for food because lunch failed to satisfy my hunger. I looked down at my sports bag. And realized how today I am home earlier than usual. Most days after school, I spend my time in the gym. Running and dribbling a basketball with my teammates, passing the ball to the open corner for a quick three. But today wasn't like most. My coach didn't feel too well, so he canceled practice. And now I am home earlier, stepping off the bus. While it's still light out, I'm used to leaving the school building around 7 when it's dark. Because it's winter, it gets darker faster.

My little feet splashed in the puddles on the sidewalk. The sidewalks covered in wet leaves. When stepped on, it had no crunch but a sponge-like sound. I walked past the rundown corner store with a flickering dim light. The chipped blue paint uncovered the old oak wood, barely holding the store together. I continued to walk on the broken and chipped concrete sidewalk as the rain colored it into a darker gray. The trees swayed back and forth, allowing raindrops to trickle onto and down my face. Cars pass by, honking and splashing in the puddles. I reached the crosswalk, the orange hand illuminating in the rain. I stood there waiting for it to turn to the little man that signaled me to walk. "beep boop." The orange hand disappeared, and the white man appeared in its place.

I started to walk along the white-painted bars that showed the path to safety. Skipping every few, it seemed like a game in my head. Halfway through, it started pouring. Coming down, and of course, today, I had forgotten my umbrella. I bolted for the end of the crosswalk. The white man had disappeared, and now a countdown to my demise began. Each step trying to cover myself from the rain. I made it safely across with three seconds left. The rain still poured, pouring, so I ran the rest of the way home. Through the secret passage, the trees gave me cover as I stopped to catch my breath. The air dense as fog as I panted, barely holding onto the oxygen I had left in my lungs. My hands were numb and freezing, and my shoes soaked from running through the puddles. I caught my breath, and I began to run home.

I ran up the stone steps turning my bag around to my front, the rain crashing down on my roof. Under the safety of my porch, I searched for my keys with one hand. I came up empty-handed, baffled. I started using two hands to dig and claw around the pocket where I always put my keys. But nothing turned up. "Could I have possibly put it in a different pocket?" I started searching my other pockets but still nothing! I let out an angry grunt as I dropped my bag and pulled out my phone. I dialed my mom's number and let it ring. The rain started to sound like hail, still pouring and hitting the roof. My shoes so soaked I could feel it seeping into my socks. The buzzing of the phone stopped as my mom didn't pick up. I let out another furious grunt. This one, the air escaped my mouth, forming clouds in front of my face. It seemed as though the entire world turned against me today. School was long and tiring, practice canceled, and my stomach cried for food. To top it all off, forgetting my keys just made it worse. I sat down, soaked and upset, and. And started to cry, cold and wet from head to toe. I locked myself out with no idea how long it would be until my mom and sisters came home. The rain hitting the stone driveway comforted my soft weeping and sniffles. Tears rolled down my face as I picked up my phone to call my mom again. This time she picked up!

"Yes, dear, what do you need?"

I started crying even more.

"Mom, I left my keys inside, and it's pouring rain, and I'm soaked, and I'm cold. When are you going to be home." Tears ran down my face, and snot left my nose.

"I won't be home for a while. I'm in the middle of a meeting, Kyliah." I started crying even harder.

"Wow, it's okay, though; your sister will be home soon. Her practice is just finishing up. I will give her a call, okay?"

"Okay,"

I managed to get out of my mouth. She hung up the phone, and there I sat.

Tears ran down my face. As though rain perfectly landed on my face. I sat there listening to the showers of nature. The trees move with the wind. It seemed as though time had stopped moving. Hearing the sound of nature comforted my sorrows and seemed to have washed away my worries. I listened to the purifying and calm rain, which brought me peace. My tears had dried, leaving my face crusty as I sat . Sitting on the previously cold stone now warm under me. It seemed as though the rain hitting the ground and the trees moving with the wind. And the soft songs the birds sang. Was the world telling me, "We are not against you."