Rainy Godmother
written by: Sharon P Wilson
Rainy Godmother!
It was a pleasant spring afternoon in London when Alice Green sat patiently on a park bench waiting for Ben. It was to be their first date, but he had called to say he was running late. He had some problems at work – unavoidable!
In her mind, Alice played out the conversation she had had with her mother earlier that morning.
“Don’t be too fussy, Alice, you’re thirty! Get your skates on, I want grandchildren while I’m still alive!”
Alice could do without the pressure; however, being an only child, most things inevitably fell on her shoulders. Even when her father had died ten years earlier, she had to organise the funeral and comfort her mother.
Her thoughts returned to Ben. They had connected on a dating site, seeming to have many things in common. As she checked her phone again, Alice wondered if the whole thing had been a mistake. Then a young man with sandy hair and smartly dressed approached the bench.
‘Alice?’ he asked, extending a hand. She shook his hand and gave him a small smile. Above them, clouds were forming menacingly in the sky.
Alice and Ben were making their introductions when the first drop of rain landed on them. And as they made a dash for the restaurant, it was positively raining.
It rained and rained throughout the date, not stopping until Alice arrived home wet and annoyed. She slammed her way to the bedroom and shook off her clothes.
‘OK,’ a voice from above said. ‘I know you’re upset, but I had to turn on the taps because I could see you were beginning to like him.’
‘What’s wrong with that?’ Alice asked crossly.
‘I only want what’s best for you,’ the voice continued. ‘You can view me as your rainy Godmother, if that helps.’
‘Well, Godmother, I like Ben and I’m going to meet him again. So please save all that rain and thunder for someone else.’
‘I happen to know the reason why Ben was so late in meeting you.’
‘Do tell,’ Alice said cautiously!
‘He was having an argument with his girlfriend on the phone.’
‘What! he told me he was single. That liar!’
‘My point exactly. So he’s a liar and a cheat.’
What am I going to do now? Alice moaned, looking through the window and upwards to the sky.
At that very moment, she could hear her mother outside her bedroom door and cringed when she shouted, ‘How did it go? Did you get caught in the rain?’
And so it was that Alice Green remained single two years after her unsuccessful date with Ben on that wet afternoon. There were other dates, but they all ended with a heavy downpour. Later on, her Godmother would inevitably explain why he wasn’t right for her.
Tired of getting wet, Alice resigned herself to a life of being a single bookseller. Maybe she would eventually get a cat! So when her colleague Louise suggested she go on a blind date with her brother Jake, Alice only agreed so Louise wouldn’t ask her again.
It was a warm day in August when Alice met Jake Harris, who was also thirty-two and was a struggling poet. They hit it off immediately.
At each meeting, and to her surprise, Alice didn’t get caught in a downpour! It was puzzling, considering Jake barely made any money; she would have expected a rainy objection to their continued courtship. But none came. This suited her as she enjoyed his poetic entreaties. Only that morning, he had sent a witty poem that made her giggle:
My maiden girl of the raven hair and sapphire eyes,
Oh, please tell this lonely boy no goodbyes!
After several months of seeing Jake, Alice had no plans to tell him goodbye. She liked him and could easily see a future with him.
That evening, after a lovely meal in an Italian restaurant, Alice and Jake strolled home, chatting companionably when Jake stopped and pulled Alice closer.
‘Alice,’ he said, his face growing serious. ‘I know it’s a bit soon, but I can’t ever imagine my life without you in it.’
‘Jake, are you saying…?’
He grinned speculatively.
And just then, a drop of rain landed on Alice’s jacket.
‘It looks like rain,’ he said, ‘Alice, what do you say?’
‘I say yes!’ she replied excitedly. ‘Quick! Let’s get home and tell mum.’
‘What was that rain about?’ Alice asked her Godmother later that evening, I thought you approved of Jake.’
‘It was only a light drizzle, my dear. I only wanted to make sure you said yes to your charming poet. You two make a lovely couple. Your dad would be proud.’
‘Thanks,’ Alice beamed. ‘I appreciate your approval because I’m through with getting drenched.’
Outside, the rain had petered out, leaving a serene and pleasant autumn evening.
NOTE:
Based on the Prompt – A Conversation with The Rain
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