Walk in the Rain

Quickly donning the black, straw Stetson, he stepped out onto the porch. He had to get out of the house. It was getting too stuffy in the small room he was renting. Without looking behind him he pulled the door closed and walked toward the street. He loved this time of day and he paused for a moment to look at the orange glow receding in the west. Then he began to walk with a steady gait down the quiet street. He was over six feet tall and his long, purposeful stride rapidly began to eat up the distance. Even though he had no idea where he was going.

He slipped his hands into his pockets against the chilly winter breeze. No one else was crazy enough to be outside in this cold. Just him and his thoughts.

So this was how things had turned out?

He contemplated the latest development to shake his world as he noted how loud the heels of his boots sounded on the pavement of the empty street. Why did it seem like failure was his constant companion? This was just one more trouble in a long, seemingly endless string of them.

His nostrils picked up the scent of wood smoke drifting from a nearby chimney. He inhaled deeply through his nose. My, how he loved that smell! Something so homey about it. Reminded him of family. And togetherness. A feeling of homesickness washed over him and he swallowed the lump in his throat. What he wouldn’t give to be climbing the steps to the wide, wrap-around porch at the old homestead as the porch light illuminated the bright, red door with its brass knocker. But he was far from home tonight.

He suddenly realized he'd reached a crossroads. Glancing around to get his bearings, he was surprised to see just how far he’d come. He turned left. The park was up ahead and he decided to cut across the block-long grassy area and then head back in the direction of the house.

The breeze had transformed into a cold wind and he tugged the zipper of his jacket up higher and turned up the collar. A few dry leaves tumbled across the sidewalk at the wind's behest. He absentmindedly observed them while the thoughts moved in like manner through his mind.

How am I going to make it through this?

Will the business be able to survive this setback?

What am I going to tell the team on Monday morning?

The financial ramifications alone were staggering. But what of the mental and emotional toll? Were these not just as significant?

He reached the park, stepped off the sidewalk and began trudging through the grass. Surprisingly, it wasn’t completely brown despite the season. In just a few minutes he’d traversed the park and was stepping onto the sidewalk on the other side. He pointed his feet on a course back to the house where he was living, but was not his home.

He was so preoccupied with his ruminations that the droplets of rain sprinkling the roadway went unnoticed. But as they began to grow in both size and quantity, he heard them splat splat splat against the wide brim of the cowboy hat. He looked up into the spitting sky. It was now almost completely black. The clouds obscured the stars.

He didn’t really mind the rain. It fit his mood. It was appropriate.

But as he strode briskly in the cold and wet, his temperament began to improve. A scripture verse suddenly sprang to mind. It was in Isaiah if he was remembering correctly. Chapter 43, wasn’t it?

“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned…”

He spoke the words aloud. There was no one around to hear him anyway. Not that he’d have cared if there were. A slight smile curled the corners of his mouth. Ah, what a promise!

“Dear Lord, I need your help and your strength right now. Please lead me through these next few days. Give me the wisdom to handle this.”

He’d known the fresh air, no matter how cold, would do him good. It always helped to clear his head. A stroll outdoors was just what he’d needed to readjust his perspective. He still didn’t know exactly how he was going to handle the problem, but he’d taken the first step. He’d given his worry to God. A peace settled over his soul. Things would get better.

He approached the house slowly. Not really wanting the walk to end, but also recognizing that his jacket was dripping and rain was streaming off the brim of his hat. He could heard Nana’s voice in his head saying, “You’ll catch your death of cold!”

He stood on the porch beneath the overhang of the roof and regarded the downpour for a few minutes. It was kinda beautiful. God was washing the world.

He sighed contentedly, turned around, unlocked the door and stepped into the warm and inviting interior. As he hung the wet jacket and hat on the hooks on the wall, he grinned despite the overwhelming odds he was facing. He was going to beat those odds. The walk in the rain had invigorated him.

Man, it’s good to be alive.

He sat down at the desk he’d fled from 45 minutes earlier. There was a solution to this dilemma. He and Jesus would figure it out. And one of these days...he’d make his way back home.

Author's Note

This is my first piece of fiction.