A Scene From My Imagination.

Writers Write. Even if no one will ever read it.   At least that is what the "experts" say.  So here is something that I have had in my mind  for a few days now. 

It was a cool, overcast day in July when Mike finally got off work.   The forecast was for rain, but the clouds did not look as ominous as the weather channels predicted.  In fact,  it looked like it would be a perfect day for a run.  With the clouds offering protection from the sun,  and the breeze providing a cooling effect,  the conditions were nearly perfect. 

But it was more than that.   Dawn, one of Mike's co-workers, had hinted that she might go out for a walk in the same park after work.   Mike had bumped into her several times before during previous runs and it was always a pleasant encounter.  In fact,  he found himself actually looking forward to these happy meetings. It was a welcome distraction from where his mind usually went on longer runs.  

He liked her.   But having just  come off a bad break-up,  he found himself more cautious now.  He was not sure how to proceed or even if he should take the leap into another relationship so early after ending such a long one.  It was a confusing time  and he did not know exactly where he stood with anyone from the female side of things at the moment.   Before the break-up,  other women were invisible to him... From a romantic point of view.  He was faithful and loyal to the girl he was married to. 

But that all changed after the affair.   His heart was shattered and his soul was crushed!  A woman he had trusted for years had betrayed him in the most wicked of ways.  And now he felt as if he could trust no one ever again.  Never to that level. 

But Dawn had somehow found a way into his mind.  He found himself thinking about her now when he was alone.  They had already gone out after work for an unofficial Drink where he ended up telling her his secret.  No one at work knew that he had been struggling to keep his marriage together for the last year.   It was an internal struggle that no one else needed to know... until it was over. 

And even then, Mike continued to fight the internal battle to keep his emotions in check.  No one likes a sad sac story from someone who cries in his beer.  But Dawn managed to get it out of him anyway.  With minimal effort, Mike ended up telling her everything.   Like an catastrophic collapse  of a dam,  the raging waters that were held behind it spilled forth in an uncontrolled manner.  And now his secret was out.   

All the while, Dawn listened carefully.   She offered explanations for certain behaviors that women might do or say.  But otherwise,  she simply listened.   How could she possibly respect him  now that she found his weakness?  Any future prospects with her seemed highly unlikely.

And yet he continued to think of her.   Mostly out of a welcome distraction from thinking about his wife's infidelity.   Or the Man she had had the affair with.   Anything that could keep him from thinking about those two was worth hanging on to.   Dawn was the first woman to show an interest in him that seemed slightly more than a simple friendship.  Could it be that she "liked" him.   It had been so long since he could pick up on those subtle ques that women dropped that they might be interested.  And he was out of practice, having been out of the game for as long as he had been.  

Mike laced up his shoes and  prepared to hit the road.  The weather channel said that the rain would not start until after 5:30, so he had plenty of time to squeeze in a 6 mile run and make it back.  And even if it did start to rain a bit,  he would probably enjoy it at that point in the run.  "Nothing beats a cool shower after running in the heat." He told himself.   

And there was a chance he might see Dawn. 

He had to be realistic.   With the clouds looking ominous,  there was a high probability that she would skip the park walk and head straight home.  It would not be out of the ordinary. So he told himself that even if she was not out there, he would at least be able to catch a run in  decent conditions for July.  That would be his silver lining.  

But what if she was there?  What if they bumped into each other again... "Unplanned."   Would he pause to talk with her or run by with a wave?   Of course he would talk with her!  He found his mind beginning to wander down where the conversation would go.   What would they talk about?  What if the rain began and they were both caught out in it?   The number of paths his mind raced down soon became exponential.   He turned on his ear buds and ran out the door.  

The music was a motivational tool that helped him dig into  particularly longer runs.   It was another reason he enjoyed running because only then could he listen to this brand of music.   The clouds began to darken and the breeze picked up. Still,  Mike continued to run,  thinking about the possibilities of a chance encounter.  And also about the likelihood of it remaining only in his mind.   The weather was beginning to remind him that his fantasy scenario was most likely not  going to play out they way he had imagined. 

But he continued on... Running through the gates of the park and onto the path.  A few people were still in the park walking their dogs or trying to squeeze in a last minute bout of exercise before the rains came.  However,  the park looked empty.   Normally, the park was packed with people and dogs and children running around.  Each of the covered picnic sections were bustling with activity.   But not today. The word was out and the rain had a way of keeping people inside and away from outdoor activities.  By this point,  Mike had given up on the thought that Dawn would be out on her walk. 

But a small part of him continued to hold on.   "What if she brought an umbrella?"  He asked.  Perhaps she liked walking in the rain and enjoyed the calm and peaceful feeling the rainfall presented. what if she bumped into each other just as the rain began and were trapped under one of the covered picnic areas?  A fantasy, he knew... But the thought was rather exciting.   

A mile into the park now and the rain began to fall.   The wispy mist that was gently touching his face now turned into droplets that hit his hat and shoulders.  The rain was beginning to show on the sidewalk as he ran down the path.   His fantasy of seeing Dawn was quickly coming to an end as reality began literally hitting him in the face.   There was now a minuscule chance that Dawn would be out on this.   She surely would have either turned around by now or decided to  not go out at all.  Either way,  the fantasy was dead.   It now became a run in the rain.   6 miles with a refreshing shower along the way.

Near the second mile, the rain picked up.   There was no one in the park now.   The gentle rain became an torrent similar to the monsoon season in Thailand. The water was now running down the sidewalk like a river.  Mike's shoes began to splash in the puddles as they formed in depressions along the way.  His  hat, hair and shirt were now thoroughly soaked and there was no escaping the feeling of saturation. With nothing better to do,  Mike began to sing.   

The overwhelming feeling of misery suddenly became one of play.   Like a child frolicking in the rain, Mike stretched out his arms and danced around as if he were Gene Kelly in a movie.  His Earbuds continued to play the music as he danced to the  silent tune.  He imagined that if anyone saw him now, he must look ridiculous.  Yet he continued to run, and sing and dance in the rain.   What else could he do at this point?  

With the park exit nearing, the rain relentlessly continued.  Mike signed and smiled to himself as the run was coming to and end.   Looks like his imagination got the better of him once again.   There would be no Dawn encounter on the run.  No pleasant conversation while they walked together.   No seeking shelter from the rain  under one of the covered picnic areas.  It would merely be a run in the rain, with some singing and dancing.   Alone.   Another moment with no one to share it with. 

But then he saw it. 

A car driving up to him and rolling down the window.   

It was Dawn.

Mike pulled at his earbuds to free his hearing.  "Dawn!  It is impossible that you should be here!"  He blurted out.  "Impossible!" 

Dawn looked up in shock.  "I was going to go for a walk, but it started to rain."   She explained.  "I just stayed in the car thinking it would end soon enough, but it looks like it won't."  

Mike shook his head in disbelief.  "Impossible!"  He kept saying.   As if  the universe had bent to his will and granted him  one of his most remote wishes.   What were the odds that someone would wait in their car and decide to call it a day moments before he stumbled upon her?   The odds were nearly...

"Impossible!" He said silently with a smile.   Regardless of the chances,  she was there with him now.   

And his heart leapt. 

"So...  Do you need a ride?"  Dawn offered.