His Umbrella Queen

He waited at the bus-stand under the shade. The dark clouds were swarming above him. He wrapped his books with his raincoat. His only fear was that they would get wet. A smile grew on his face. With the books safe, he could enjoy the rains. He loved the season and refused to miss the first shower. The dark clouds finally relented as the drops grew in size and number each second. He left the shade then and got on to his bike. People around him found his action strange. They ran in for shelter as the rain started pouring while he had done the complete opposite. He plugged in the key and went down the road with a roar. He enjoyed each drop that made contact with his physical being. He weaved his way through the bicycles, the bikes, the autos and the cars - all of them moved at even a slower speed than his.

Still lost among the raindrops, he took a left turn. Unconsciously, he slowed down. It wasn’t a pothole in the middle of a road nor was it the fierce wind. He saw her blurb of black and red in the middle of the road. As he got closer, he saw her fumbling with her huge red umbrella. She was dressed in black and made quite an impression with her contrasting umbrella. He had no idea what she was doing there…….coming or going…..running or walking. He saw her give up her struggle as the umbrella refused to relent. She ran into the building on the side of the road. Without thinking, he slowed his bike till it stopped. He parked his bike on the side and followed her inside.

He stood at the door but his eyes followed her. She sat in one of the middle rows. There was a couple performing on stage. Though their dance was interesting, his eyes kept going back to her. Her gaze seemed to be straying to some dark corner. He sensed there was someone there. He watched her and didn’t realize when the dance ended. There was a loud cheer from the front row. She stood up then and started walking towards the door……… towards him. He realized he would finally have a look at her face. As she walked past him, a hesitant smile crossed her face as she waited for him to allow her to pass through the door. He watched her silently as she boarded an auto and was out of his sight in a few seconds.

A smile grew on his face.
The things that this city's rain exposes people to. To feel it, he had run in.....to the rain, to a voluntary halt, to a momentary glance, to an unforgettable encounter.

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