Nerve Endings Firing Away

Now it is raining now it isn’t. This lil’ game of celestial hide-n-seek has been going on in this southern city for some time now. Blame it on El Nino or “I dunno“, it rains regularly and precisely for almost 40-45 minutes every post-3pm and then lets the sun have its space again. Today I was in downtown Atlanta on a perfect summer afternoon when it clouded up suddenly and the skies opened up sending everyone scampering, including yours truly. Thankfully, sheltered by the cooler confines of a downtown office, I took in the sights of the rainy urbanscape. A skinny woman holding on to her oversized umbrella fight her way through the rain yet unfortunately not keeping as dry as the college-going blonde sauntering through the same rain carelessly, without an obstructive umbrella.

Two geriatric individuals, being patient enough to stand on the kerb have no chance against the splashing wave of rainwater unleashed upon them by a zooming SUV. The little black kid enjoying the rain unmindful of her tired-looking mommie’s continuous screams to get back under the umbrella. People of all colors and sizes huddling under the retractable awnings of streetside pizza places. Camrys and Saturns having a field day speeding through the emptied downtown streets, their windshield wipers swishing wildly. The side curbs, filled to the brim with the sudden windfall, go about purposefully carrying the stormwater to the nearest pothole. The downpour stops as abruptly as it begins as if responding to someone turning off the heavenly tap.

The pizza awnings relinquish their overarching protector roles as people tumble out on the drenched streets. I hurriedly rush out on my way to the transit station, Bob-Beamonizing the gushing gutters. Sid was right, rains do romantisize the urbanscape if you pay heed.