Bring on the Rain

 My watch buzzed as we were stepping out the door for our walk to pick up Lucy. Rain starting soon in Arlington, VA, it warned. 

"Should we drive?" I asked Heidi.

"We need the walk," she reminded me. "I'm going to bring an umbrella."

"I'm going to wear a hat," I said. "I don't care if I get a little wet. I"ll shower when we get home."

And off we went: down the winding steps, across the condo complex at the bottom of the hill, left at the corner, jaywalking (or jogging) across Walter Reed, down the bike path, up the winding hill, through the high school campus, across George Mason, around the corner, and up the street.

We heard the first rumbles of thunder a mile and a half in as we made our last turn. "I didn't see anything about thunder!" I said to Heidi. "Because that might have changed my mind."

"No kidding," she nodded as we climbed the steps to get Lucy.

"Do you guys want a ride home?" Sarah, our dog walker offered.

"Do we?" I asked Heidi.

"We need the walk," she reminded me again, and we quickly leashed up Lucy to head home.

"Call me if you need to," Sarah said helpfully.

We were just past the stadium, which had been full of athletes practicing three different sports on our way, but was now deserted when the wind almost turned Heidi's umbrella inside out and the skies opened. "Run for the snack bar!" I shouted over the storm, before my hat blew off and I had to reverse course to retrieve it.

We were both soaked by the time we got to the covered space. "I think it's going to let up soon," I said, pointing to the noticeably lighter sky to the southwest. 

We stood dripping for a while, but just when we were about to call for help, the torrential rain turned to a very manageable downpour. "Let's go!" I said, and out we stepped into the rain. 

Heidi's umbrella was fully protective, and my hat? Well, it stayed on my head, and to be honest I didn't care that I was wet. The wind was fresh and the rain was too.