A walk in the rain



from "My White Sindow"

 I stood on the corner, my shoulders hunched down inside the thin jacket I was wearing. There was a slight breeze coming across the bay and a misty rain clinging to my glasses.

I wiped my nose with the sleeve of my jacket and sneezed. Normally I enjoy a soft cool breeze coming off the bay, especially when it brings a soft rain with it. The rain and the breeze clean the city of its smog and grime.

But today I was miserable and the cool wet air didn’t feel all that great. I was headed for the corner store to get some cold medicine and then I was going to bundle up in front of my fire place and read “War and Peace” “War and Peace’ is my favorite book. I have owned the damned book for fifteen years and I have never finished chapter one. I read it strictly for putting myself to sleep.

I walked into Johnnie’s Grocery and right into the barrel of some kind of hand gun. I am not a person that cares for guns so I had no idea what was pointing at me. All I could see was a big black hole that looked like a cannon to me.

The guy on the other end of the hole was small and nervous. He had a hood that covered all of his head and most of his face. He could have been white, black, Mexican, or Chinese for all I knew. I didn’t want to stare at him. I have no idea why but I guess I thought he would shoot me if I did. He didn’t say anything but pointed to the rear of the store where two other patrons were. I walked back to where they stood.

Johnny was at his open register. The robber made some kind of motion with his gun and Johnny handed him a fist full of cash. He turned and looked at us and motioned to the floor with his gun. Johnny and the other two patrons got on the floor. Like a fool I just stood and looked at him. He pointed his gun at me and then he heard a siren. He looked at the door and then back at me and then turned and ran out into the rain.

About thirty seconds later a police car pulled up in front and two of the cities finest came in. Johnny had triggered his silent alarm.

Instead of a warm blanket and a fire place, I had a cold police station to spend the afternoon in.   I spent two hours explaining that I could not give them anything but a general size discription.

I got back to my apartment at four and poured myself a nice big glass of Bailey’s and snuggled down in front of the fireplace with “War and peace”.

I was asleep by four-thirty.

written for "thursdays tales"  Prompt taken from a post on "My white Window" - ~Don't threaten me with Love, baby. Let's just go walking in the Rain.~