napa

Of course. Of course I go to bed with alarm set and shoes at the ready, wake up to grey skies and unrelenting rain. The hummingbird crystal revolves slowly as my thought turns around this new prospect, catching no light from the dreary scene from the window. I lie still for a long minute, waiting for that determination to hit before sliding the blanket from off my legs, quietly slipping off the air mattress, careful not to wake sleeping siblings. I tighten my ponytail and step down the orange-carpet stairs in my socks, stopping at the bottom to lace up my shoes.
When I turn into the kitchen, grandma is already up with her bran muffin and orange juice and she looks pleased at my attire. With a bright smile and cheerful good morning she's quick to pull a waterproof jacket from the front closet and fits my iPod securely in the hidden pocket before helping me pull it over my head.
On the porch, I hesistate only a moment. The air is fresh, soggy, and the slight summer chill rocks the porch swing with ghost's hand. Chills run involuntarily up my spine and propel me to motion, leaping from the porch steps and into a run.
The first time around, I revel in the rain. I make a game of skipping the puddles, avoiding the marshy city strips. But I can't always make it as the rain falls harder, as the puddles swell to lakes. By Center Street my shoes are soaked through and my shorts are satched; the cold is exhilarating and I have fallen into a steady rhythm. The scratchy whisper of Imogen's music sings of beauty in the breakdown, of that maddening sound and half a mind to throw it all away. When I pass another lone runner, it seems the rain has caught her by surprise and her small Chihuahua is shivering under her arm as she sprints to an open door across the street. The playground is dripping raindrops reflecting the primary colors of the jungle gym metal and, when I reach the top, the rain changes direction, my face chilled through.
By the time I'm back in Jacob's Circuit I fall back onto the sidewalk and turn slowly around the circle until I'm back under the portico. I fall onto the swing and let it rock me back and forth as the day's tears fall all around me, the world wet and wonderful.