And... it rained

I glanced at the watch once again. It was getting late. I walked to the window, placed my face against the glass, cupped my eyes with hands and stared outside. The sky had darkened to another shade. The trees ruffled wildly. I couldn't hear it from this side of the glass but I could already make out the sounds in my mind. It almost felt like I was daring the clouds to rain before I left. Any other day, I would have left long ago. What was I waiting for today? I stepped back and looked at the watch again. There was no way I could finish the meeting before the phone rang. The phone was not important. It was a routine call that meant to remind me that I ought to leave. I walked to the cubicle of the concerned person with whom I had the meeting. He wasn't there, so I left a message for him about rescheduling the discussion, packed my bag and walked off.

May be if it were not a Friday, I would have left my laptop and walked back home without worrying about the dark clouds but Fridays are different. I signed out and reached to open the main glass door. A cold gust of wind struck my face and for a moment it took my breath away. It is on one of these days that I am glad that I decided to walk down to office everyday. The traffic was at its peak. The main road in front of my office was roaring with life or rather honking with life. The lights of the vehicles danced against the darkness that the clouds had enveloped the city in. The Leela continued to stand majestically above all the hustle bustle on the other side of the road. It was difficult to catch every aspect of one single moment. What did I miss, I had no idea. I looked up at the dark sky. There was nothing ominous about it but rather a feeling of celebration filled my heart. The wind was still blowing wildly and noisily - the noise rising with the roaring traffic. It was almost like they were competing against each other.

I took my usual way and walked down the foot-path. The familiar waft of freshly fried bhaajjis and roasted peanuts hit my stomach. They stood there everyday, but the weather today made it impossible for me to ignore them. Too lazy to open my backpack and find my wallet, I satisfied myself with the smells alone and continued to walk. When I reached the over-bridge, I looked down at the stretch of dancing lights on the road. I had always been awed by the sight. Stretching beyond the horizon the lights always looked like a parade of colorful stars, or may be reflection of the sky. But not today. Today the stars were not visible and so this stream of lights spoke for itself. I was still awed as I walked down the stairs and reached the familiar lane that reached the place that I called my home for now.

The sky growled once, and I looked up at the sky. It wouldn't be long. I increased my pace to reach my gate just as the first drop of rain fell on my face. Once beneath the roof of my room, I opened the windows to welcome the long awaited rain. The sound of the rain and the smell of the freshly wet ground intoxicated me. I looked out of the window. The flowers had already opened up to drink thier fill, the grass had soaked up to turn green and the leaves were dancing to the beats of the rain. What was it about first rain that I loved -  it was too difficult to make one choice.

Give me rain, the sweet intoxication of the first shower of rain... and it will fill all my senses.