Heavy rain fell from the sky on a Saturday afternoon. Mindy and her roommate, Danielle were hanging out in their warm and cozy dorm room. Danielle was laying in her be, wrapped up in her Powerpuff Girls covers as she kept her focus on her phone. Mindy sat at her desk by the window and watched the rain pummel the campus. She soon got bored with watching the rain. She set her pencil on top of her psych homework and stood up.
“I need to go feel the rain,” she said.
Confused, Danielle finally pulled her eyes away from her phone and looked at Mindy. “Feel the rain? What are you talking about?”
“I love rain,” Mindy replied. She went to the door on the other side of the room. “There’s just something about the rain that makes me feel . . . animated.”
Danielle turned her attention back to her phone and said, “Whatever, Mindy. Just don’t catch a cold.”
Mindy left the room and headed to the stairs. She went down nine flights before going through one of the building’s side doors. Right away, she felt the gentle taps of raindrops on her skin. She was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. The cool rain that pelted her body instantly made her feel euphoric. To her, it felt like mother nature was giving her a massage.
She walked across the residents’ parking lot and went to the edge of Lake Linda. It was just a man-made pond that was created a few decades before, but that didn’t stop Mindy from admiring it as it devoured the rain. She watched as countless drops plopped into the pond. The sound and the sight of the rain hitting the water was almost hypnotic. The scene before her eyes was simple, but she knew that it was better than anything that she could watch on Netflix. The rain provided all of the joy and satisfaction that she needed.
Mindy stood there for a little while. She didn’t know exactly how long she had been there. She didn’t care. She lived in the moment, undisturbed until she heard squishy footsteps in the grass behind her. She turned and saw a girl creeping towards her under the shelter of a black umbrella. The girl appeared to be around the same age as Mindy, probably a resident of the same dorm. The long-haired brunette wore glasses with flowers on the frame, and she had a little mole on her face that was just to the left of her nose.
“What are you doing out here all by yourself in the rain?” the girl asked.
“Just living,” Mindy answered.
“Aren’t you cold?”
“I’m fine. It’s nearly seventy degrees right now.”
“Yeah but the water . . . Well, I’m Rose. What’s your name?”
“Mindy.”
Rose looked at the mini-lake. “This is pretty. Is this sort of thing one of your hobbies?”
“Yes. Are you familiar with Bob Marley?”
Rose smiled and started singing. “Don’t worry, about a thing, Cause every little thing, gonna be alright.”
“You have a beautiful voice, Rose.”
Rose giggled and said, “Awe, thank you.”
“Bob once said that some people feel the rain, others just get wet.”
Rose was quiet for a moment, taking in what Mindy had just said. “What did he mean by feel the rain?”
Mindy looked around until she spotted a gut running to his car. She pointed at him. “You see how that guy’s trying to avoid getting wet by speeding up? He probably thinks of the rain as something bad. Discomforting. Annoying. When he runs, he makes it look like the rain is hurting him. But if he would just let himself feel the rain, he might find joy in it.”
“But what if he just wants to stay dry for some other reason?” Rose asked as the guy finally got into his car.
“His speed won’t make a difference in this rain. He was soaked by the time he got in. Why did he stress out over the inevitable when he could’ve just enjoyed the moment?”
“I guess the rain usually is seen as a bad thing. Rain rain, go away, Come again another day . . .” Mindy grabbed the umbrella from Rose’s hand and closed it. Surprised, Rose asked, “What are you doing?”
Mindy stared through the round lenses into Rose’s hazel eyes. “Don’t you feel it?”
“If by feel it, you mean cold and surprised the yeah. Give me that back.” Rose took the umbrella back from Mindy. She was about to open it, but then she stopped and looked it over as if she was inspecting it. Then she sighed and lowered the umbrella. “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” she said.
Mindy laughed cutely for a moment and said, “I just thought of something cool that we can do. Follow me.” Mindy started walking and Rose went right beside her. As they walked, Mindy noticed that Rose looked tense. Her face was scrunched, posture stiff, and fists clenched.
“Loosen up a little,” said Mindy. “It’s not acid.”
“I know,” Rose replied.
Within minutes, they reached the mud volleyball court. It was a standard volleyball setup, but instead of sand, there was mud. Mindy pulled off her shoes and socks and slid the pant legs of her jeans up. She stepped into the mud and looked at Rose.
“Come on in,” Mindy said.
Rose looked down at Mindy’s feet, appearing to question the situation. “Why would I step in there? How will we clean ourselves off?”
“It feels nice. Just get in here, Rose.”
Rose reluctantly obliged and removed her footwear. She slowly entered the muddy zone. There was a slight look of shock on her face as her feet touched the cold mud and it made a squelching sound beneath them.
“Oh my god! It’s getting between my toes!”
“That’s the best part,” Mindy said cheerfully.
They were quiet for a moment. The sound of the pouring rain filled the silent void. Soon,
“So now what, Mindy?”
Mindy took a few seconds to think. What could they do that wouldn’t get them too dirty? “Hmm . . . let’s dance.” Mindy held out her hand. Rose looked a little puzzled as she slowly placed her hand in Mindy’s.
“I’m not any good at dancing,” Rose said.
“Me neither.”
They shuffled from side to side, looking like a pair of penguins. They were striving for the elegance of ballroom-style dancing, but they more closely resembled a three-legged race duo. Mindy didn’t care though. She was focused on Roses’s sweet smile and how pretty she looked with her hair all wet.
They attempted a twirl as Rose lifted their hands over their heads and Mindy did an awkward spin underneath. She lost her footing in the mushy mud, but Rose caught her before she could fall.
“We must look really stupid out here like this,” Rose said.
“Yeah. We sure do.”
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