The tranquil, repetitive rhythm of raindrops splattering on the windows of her house woke her. The girl got out of bed and looked out the window. Everything seemed cleansed by the rain. A single street lamp lit that part of the small neighbourhood.

Across the road an old woman sat on her porch, watching the rain. She saw the girl looking at her and smiled.

Strange. The girl thought. It’s four in the morning.

Downstairs, the television blared. The girl’s mother had likely been drinking again. The smell of cigarette smoke drifted into the room.

-_-_-_-

In the morning, the rain had slowed to a steady drizzle. The girl’s mother had disappeared. The girl stepped out onto her porch to watch the rain. She noticed that the old woman from last night was still sitting on her porch, watching the rain. Strange. The woman noticed the girl standing across the road and smiled. The girl smiled back.

-_-_-_-

A few days later, after the light rainfall, came a heavy rain. Water poured down from the clouds. The girl left her drunken mother in bed and stepped outside. The wind slanted the rain towards the old woman’s house. The old woman was seated on her porch again, watching the rain.

“Don’t you get wet?” the girl called out.

The old woman made a beckoning motion towards the girl and pointed towards her ear. The girl ran across the dirt road and onto the old woman’s porch.

“Don’t you get wet?” the girl repeated.

“Well, aren’t you getting wet too?” the old woman asked the girl. Now that the girl had run across the road, she was also caught in the rain.

“Good point…”

“It doesn’t bother me. It’s Mother Nature’s way of cleansing the earth; purifying it. Some might call it a new start.” The old woman replied.

“Hmm…” the girl took in and pondered at what the old woman said.

The two watched the rain for a while until the girl’s mother stumbled out the door. “Geh bak ‘ere…” she managed to slur out at the girl.

“I’m sorry. I have to go.” The girl said to the old woman.

The old woman gave a simple wave and smiled.

-_-_-_-

The sound of a car door slamming could be heard. The girl looked up from her book. Her mother was in her bedroom, having a smoke. The only other person in the neighbourhood was the old woman. The girl looked out the window. A man was talking with the old woman at the door. The girl remembered seeing the man around before. He turned and stumbled towards his car. He was drunk.

-_-_-_-

After the girl finished washing the dishes, it began to rain again. The girl stepped outside. The old woman smiled as the girl approached her.

“Who was that man that was here earlier?” the girl asked.

“He is my son.” The old woman said.

“He looked drunk.”

“He drinks and he uses. He ran away from me when he was fifteen. Now, he comes back every once in a while to check on me and bring me groceries. I figure that if he ran away, he doesn’t want me to look for him.”

“He’s a good guy then, if he comes and checks up on you.”

The old woman was silent for a minute.

“I heard that he even made a girl pregnant, then abandoned her.” The old woman said.

The girl thought.

-_-_-_-

The next rainfall was a thunderstorm. Nevertheless, the girl and the old woman were on her porch again, watching the rain.

“Why do you watch the rain?” the girl asked.

“It is calming. And I have nothing better to do.” The old woman replied.

There was a long silence between the two. Rain splattered on the ground.

Then, the girl spoke.

“My mother was never married. She used to be a respectable lady until she met this man. After he found out she was pregnant, he left her. She then started down the dark path of cigarettes and alcohol.”

The old woman listened. “So you think I may be your grandmother?” she asked.

The girl nodded.

-_-_-_-

What happened during the next rainfall was the oddest. The girl’s mother stumbled home from the nearby convenience store, a pack of cigarettes in hand, just as the old woman’s son drove up. The two stared at each other for a moment. Then the girl’s mother gave a loud wail and dashed into the house. The old woman’s son dropped a bag onto his mother’s porch and left without a word.

-_-_-_-

A week later, the girl woke to the sound of sirens early in the morning. She dashed out her front door to see two paramedics wheeling the old woman into an ambulance. She had died of a heart attack. One of the paramedics gave the girl a notebook.

“I think she wanted you to have that.” He said, and left.

-_-_-_-

The notebook was a diary. There was only one entry.

-_-_-

Have you ever just watched rain fall to the ground? Notice how it falls lightly and heavily at the same time? How it quickly transitions from gentle, light rain to sharp, heavy daggers? Sometimes you should just take a break from your fast-paced life, slow down, just for awhile, and just sit back and watch the rain, though if you live in the city, it is very hard to admire rain in its most natural form, with unnatural sounds distracting every minute, and who knows how polluted the air is.

I’ve always wanted to walk in the rain, without having to hurry to shelter, without the worries of catching a cold. I want to walk in the forest alone during rainfall, but also knowing that I am not truly alone, that I am not far from my loved ones. Rain brings out the tranquil side of one, for all they can do is sit and watch, helpless to change the weather to suit their needs. When you sit back and truly watch the rain, you notice that sliver of sunlight and blue sky peeking out from behind the dark clouds, and you know that there is always a brighter side. Then, before you know it, it is all gone, to be replaced by a clear blue sky, with the shining sun, singing birds, and a pale rainbow reflected in the sky, symbolizing hope and a new start. Sometimes, when it may not seem like it, rain can be a blessing.

-_-_-

After that, the girl continued to watch the rain. It reminded her of the old woman and their silent bond.

-_-_-_-

Light rain drizzled down. An old woman sat on her porch, watching the rain. Across the street, a girl stepped out onto her porch in her pyjamas, watching the rain. She spotted the old woman and dashed over to her. They were both silent as they watched the rain.

-_-_-_-

During the next rainfall, the old woman spoke.

“You know I used to be just like you, meeting a friend in the rain…” the old woman said and began to tell the girl her story.