Disclaimer: Not mine.

Archive: Pfft. Anywhere.

~*~*~*

He went to one of his meetings again. Which means that I'm left alone
in the house with my son. It scares me sometimes when I remember the
long nights when alcohol was the center of attention.

Smelling the air, I scan the room and my eyes stop, fixed on an open
window. I'm not big on air conditioning, for not having it in my childhood.
I can smell the rain in the air and hear the thunder roll in the distance.

Pausing, I close my eyes and count the seconds. If I remember correctly
from my childhood, the storm's six miles away.

Getting up from my chair, I walk to the kitchen and open the door to
the patio. Standing outside, I feel the rain on my arms. It's not that
soft rain that you feel *during* a storm, but more of the prickly rain
that falls before the soft rain.

Crossing my arms, I tilt my head upwards. I can see a shadow across the
bricks and I don't have to turn to know that Colin is standing in the
doorway. He comes out and stands next to me, mimicing me but with his
arms spread out.

I do the same and laugh, looking down at him. He opens his mouth and
lets the rain go in. Suddenly, it begins to pour and with a look in my
direction, he runs to the protection of the kitchen, still looking at
me.

I can't go in. Not just yet. I want to hear the thunder come closer.
And I won't catch a chill. The temperatures have been to high for that.
Though, I do shudder slightly as I feel a drop of rain fall from my hair
and down my back. It tickled.

Licking the saltiness away from my lips and around my mouth, I open my
eyes and look ahead of me. I watch lightening strike the sky and wonder
about something as I hear the thunder come after it. How can some people
have a terrible fear of thunder, but not of lightening? Is it because
they can *see* the lightening, but the thunder is just a *sound*? I mean,
most everyone knows that lightening can kill and thunder can't.

My son is still standing in the doorway. Shaking my head, I start back
towards the kitchen door at a slow pace. I think back at something Colin
told me that morning. He told me that my attitude towards things change
as soon as his father walks out the door and then comes back in.

I believe him.

As I enter the house, I take one look outside before shutting the rain
out. When my husband comes home from his meeting and asks what I did
tonight, I'll tell him the truth. I stood in peace with our son.

~*~*~

~*~*~*