Rain

Looking Forward

By

Byron Lin

Rain pelted down the day Missy Hemlock came home to Baltimore. She splashed through the splatter of the wet, biting her lip and frowning. Why was that? She had just bought these classy knee-high boots, burnt sienna with belt-buckle clasps near the tops. After such a long trip in from New York, she needed someplace she could drink, having turned twenty-one three weeks ago. Her twin brother Marc, who was supposed to pick her up from Union Station, was late. Her right eyelid twitched, the same way it always did when it rained. 

Her navy blue pea coat was getting soaked, and she could feel water seep into her boots. Weren’t they supposed to be waterproof? She should have just waited inside at the bar in the train station.  And why did she have to leave her umbrella in New York? Maryland weather varied quite severely this time of year; rain one day, snow the next, then high winds, and then maybe a day of warmth and sunshine.

Her inky black hair, twisted into an elegant knot at the back, started to hang down around her face like a silky, damp curtain. She irritably brushed it out of her face, but her only reward was more stinging droplets assaulting her face. To her immense relief, her brother pulled up in his midnight blue Acura.  She dragged her one rolling suitcase behind her, praying its contents didn’t get as waterlogged as the rest of her. 

“Marc!” She yelled, as though he would be able to hear her over this tempest. She flailed wildly, trying to get his attention, while mindful of losing her balance and toppling into the nearest large puddle. Marc honked the horn and flashed his lights to indicate he had spotted her. He pulled up to the curb alongside her. She opened the door quickly got in, huffing. 

“You’re late,” she grumbled, crossing her arms and refusing to buckle up. 

“Well hello to you too, sis,” Marc replied with a cheeky grin. “What’s your problem?”

Missy didn’t reply. She just turned to look him in the eye and punched him on the arm. 

“Hey! Ow! What did I do?” her brother yelped. 

“What happened to you picking me up from the train station?”

“I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Why didn’t you respond to my text?”

“I was driving!” 

Missy huffed again. She fastened her seat belt before pushing her drenched hair out of her face. 

“What are you going to do about your stuff?” Marc asked.

“What?” Missy answered blankly. 

“You pretty much just got in and started yelling at me,” 

Missy slapped a palm against her forehead. 

“You’re right,” she muttered, opening the door to retrieve her rolling suitcase. It had fallen into the same puddle she had managed to avoid earlier. “Oh great, just my luck…”

“Welcome home, sis,” Marc said, as he got out from the driver’s side. “I’ll get it.”

Missy turned around again. She could feel a migraine coming on. She heard her brother open the trunk. He hoisted the suitcase and plunked it down inside as quickly as he could before the rain could get inside. He closed the trunk again and got back inside the car. 

“So how was your trip?”

“Just get us to Arundel Mills,” Missy replied. 

*

Meanwhile, at Arundel Mills, Marc and Missy’s friends were waiting for them as patiently as they could. Sitting in the food court drinking smoothies helped. Marc and Missy’s friends were Henry Lei, Zoe Keiko, and Eduardo Ferrin, who everyone called Edo. Edo had his arm wrapped around Zoe, while she leaned in on his shoulder. Henry was leaning back in his chair, tipping it off the floor.