Raindancer

There was once a boy who liked the rain. Whenever a storm started, he'd run out of the house and dance in the shower of the tiny globules of water, letting them drench him inside and out. It was as if he had attained nirvana every time he danced in the rain. His mother used to be mad at him later because he would always catch a cold, seeing as he had thick, curly hair.

As he grew up, his love for rain grew with him. He loved jumping in the puddles that formed in the ditches on the road, he loved the muddy water that would drench his shoes and socks every time he jumped into a puddle. His friends nicknamed him Raindancer. They were reminded of him every time it rained and throughout college they loved seeing him come to class in the rainy season, drenched to the bone, with a broken umbrella in his hands and a sparkle in his eyes.  They all warned him that he would catch his death of cold someday and he shrugged it off saying he was too far gone to care, before sneezing loudly into his handkerchief.

One day he was at the canteen having a cup of coffee, when suddenly someone asked him if he would mind sharing the table. He shook his head no and the stranger sat down. This person was about five-eleven, with neatly parted hair and a goatee. There was something about him that magnetically kept your attention on him. He introduced himself and said he was just a year above our protagonist in the college. After some time, they started to talk about hobbies and he mentioned he liked the rain. That sparkle returned to our hero's eyes and he started to gush out about how he too liked rain, infact loved rain. Their tea had gone cold by the time their conversation was over and the canteen had been lit up with tubelights too. Both of them had missed their afternoon classes, but it seemed worth it to them.

The stranger smiled and it was as if his entire face joined him in the smile. His entire face was animated by it- his eyes twinkled, his mouth curved upward and laughter lines appeared around them. So it was thus that a friendship was struck up. They both eagerly awaited the rainy season and would hum Simon and Garfunkel's song "Kathy's Song" while walking in the rain. They would discuss Dylan and The Eagles and Jimmy Page. They had the same tastes in books too. His favourite was To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and his friend with the goatee preferred The Little Prince by Antoine de-Saint Exupḕry. They were inseparable throughout college and they would spend weekends in each other's company as well. The stranger had become a close and treasured friend.

Then one day, college ended. The job hunt began in earnest.  Our protagonist's friend managed to land one, but it would take him out of the country to France. He was delighted with the job, but wondered what would happen to his rain loving  friend. Our protagonist was contemplating that as well, but then again, it was a small world what with Skype and WhatsApp and they swore that they would stay connected.

The days blew by and suddenly it was time for him to leave. He was accompanied to the airport by his friend and just before the final call for his flight, they embraced. His friend gave him a kiss on the cheek and walked off towards the terminal exit.

Our protagonist stood there and saw the plane take off, taking with it someone he had loved. He wondered what it would be like now, without his presence in his life. He stayed there absorbed in thought for a while, then headed off towards the exit point of the airport.

Just as he had stepped out of the building, it started to rain. He put his hand on his cheek, where the memory of the kiss was implanted and started to walk away.

The Bilge Master