The Storm

Their apartment wasn't in the best of neighborhoods. 
Some might even call it squalid.
but as newlyweds it was all they could afford.

Their landlady was a little different, but quiet, raising her daughter alone.

It was a story evening, and they were beginning to cook dinner.
As often happened during storms, they fully expected to lose electricity.

He got out the bbq equipment, and began heating the coals on their little patio.
Earlier rains had gotten their rugs soaking wet.
They were vivid blue, with giant circles on them, each a different color.

She laid them out end to end on the walkway, underneath the canopy of trees.
It created a beautiful colorful tunnel,
and if you imagined closely, felt as if you were walking under water.

They were planning on a meal of hamburgers and soup.
Their apartment was an end unit, with some basement storage.
She slipped down there to get extra candles.

As the storm raged on, it dumped loads of rain.
Some of the rain accumulated on the sheet of plastic
that was hung as protection against the elements.

A gust of wind pushed the sheet of water all over her, coating the back of her legs.
The water scalded and she cried out.
For some reason, the rain water was very hot.

She winded her way back around the kitchen to find matches to light the candles.
She also wondered how to heat the soup with just the candle flame.
When she turned around, she found their landlady nestled into the arms of her husband.

From the looks of it, this wasn't the first time this had happened.
He cradled her, sheltering her from the storm, from her fear of storms.
He held  cigarette between two fingers, offering it to her lips,

as both her arms were clenched tightly around his neck.
The little girl just stood and looked on.
She glared, staring at them, then marched past the three of them

and kept walking
down the bluesy-green tunnel she'd created
and out of his life forever.


wow. strange dream!