Let the Rain Come

Retta sat on the steps, waiting. The weather had been beautiful all week, but clouds had begun to gather in the morning, and now there was a thick grey blanket across the sky. The air was thick and wet and stagnent. 

That's okay, thought Retta. It will rain soon. 

The wooden steps were damp with dew, soaking through Retta's jeans. Retta didn't mind though. She would be soaked soon enough. 

In the peeling white farmhouse, Retta's mother sat at the window. After a minute of watching her daughter she sighed and walked into the back kitchen. When Retta was younger her mother would drag her inside whenever it rained. Retta had always fought against her, and eventually her mother had given up. She didn't understand why Retta liked to sit in the rain, but she let her. 

Retta saw her mother leave the window. She turned back, facing the road and continued to wait for the rain.

Good, she thought. Privacy.

She lifted her face to the sky and hugged her knees to her chest. Her face was already becoming red and she could feel it. 

Come on, she prayed silently. God, don't let me— Just let it rain, please. 

She shook her head to relieve the pressure. Her nose was beginning to run, and the redness had reached her eyes which began to water. She shifted her position and bit her lip. 

"Please."

That's when the first drop hit her arm. Then another. One on her leg. Another on her forhead. Then the rain really fell, tapping on the roof and the gravel and the hood of the car. 

Retta smiled a sad smile and wiped her nose on her sleeve. She ressted her chin on her knees and blinked, letting one tear slip down her face. Followed by another. And another. Until her tears mixed with the rain and tapped to the wood at the same beat. Her breaths caught sharply in her throat, and her silent sobs hung in the air, thicker than any rainstorm.

When she was finished, she stood, cheeks washed clean from the rain, and went back inside. 

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