A girl bought an umbrella yesterday — to protect herself from the rain.
It was a nice thing to have it. This way she could see the rain falling all around the umbrella, but not have to get wet.
She was protected.
She could walk up and down the sidewalk and people wouldn't bump into her because the size of her umbrella gave her a bubble of air all to herself.
People would compliment it sometimes — they would say that they liked the pattern or they just liked the way it looked against the grey sky.
She seemed sophisticated — her umbrella made her stand out from the general scene ... but in a good way.
The girl across the street appeared in the opposite light.
She blended in with the grey sky to a fault — to the point of almost disappearing.
Her hair and clothes were drenched in rain. She had no umbrella.
She was not protected.
People bumped into her as she walked because no one noticed she was there. But it wasn't her fault.
She didn't have the opportunity to get dry because where she lived it was always raining. For her, there was no escape.
The girl with the umbrella had noticed her, but she hadn't said anything. She had been glad that she was dry unlike the other girl. She was glad that her clothes weren't plain.
Just then a car came down the street that stretched out between the two of them.
It swerved to avoid getting the girl with the umbrella wet and instead plowed right through a puddle closer to the plain girl without the umbrella, soaking her even more.
The moment was full of silence and the sound of falling rain.
The girl with the umbrella expected the girl without one to yell or call after the driver for what he had just done .... but instead ... she just stood there.
The girl without the umbrella let the rain wash over her with her eyes glued to the pavement blurred by tears that could have been confused for raindrops.
It was hard for the girl with the umbrella to watch.
She called out to her:
"Hey! You can share my umbrella if you want."
The girl without the umbrella looked up.
She hesitated, then crossed the street, then whispered, "Thank you."
It was a nice thing to have it. This way she could see the rain falling all around the umbrella, but not have to get wet.
She was protected.
She could walk up and down the sidewalk and people wouldn't bump into her because the size of her umbrella gave her a bubble of air all to herself.
People would compliment it sometimes — they would say that they liked the pattern or they just liked the way it looked against the grey sky.
She seemed sophisticated — her umbrella made her stand out from the general scene ... but in a good way.
The girl across the street appeared in the opposite light.
She blended in with the grey sky to a fault — to the point of almost disappearing.
Her hair and clothes were drenched in rain. She had no umbrella.
She was not protected.
People bumped into her as she walked because no one noticed she was there. But it wasn't her fault.
She didn't have the opportunity to get dry because where she lived it was always raining. For her, there was no escape.
The girl with the umbrella had noticed her, but she hadn't said anything. She had been glad that she was dry unlike the other girl. She was glad that her clothes weren't plain.
Just then a car came down the street that stretched out between the two of them.
It swerved to avoid getting the girl with the umbrella wet and instead plowed right through a puddle closer to the plain girl without the umbrella, soaking her even more.
The moment was full of silence and the sound of falling rain.
The girl with the umbrella expected the girl without one to yell or call after the driver for what he had just done .... but instead ... she just stood there.
The girl without the umbrella let the rain wash over her with her eyes glued to the pavement blurred by tears that could have been confused for raindrops.
It was hard for the girl with the umbrella to watch.
She called out to her:
"Hey! You can share my umbrella if you want."
The girl without the umbrella looked up.
She hesitated, then crossed the street, then whispered, "Thank you."
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