Watching Rainstorms

You used to watch rainstorms. Not for the brilliant drops of water glistening off the windowpanes, and not for the unexpected flashes of lightning and thunder that sometimes rattled vases from their mantles or utensils in their drawers. No, you’d watch the rainstorms so you could run outside when it was over and observe the ripples in the newly-formed puddles on the street. The patterns and waves took on a life of their own and enveloped your malleable mind with welcome memories. It brought you back to the times when you were with her on the lake, your unobtrusive rowboat slowly rocking back and forth to the rhythms of the cool flowing water beneath you. Even when you weren’t looking up at the pristine sky, the sun met your eyes through hers, it’s reflection off the lake dull in comparison...