Rain

Let it rain. For gods sake let it rain.
Six months now and not a single drop.
And no sun either. Just a vast grey cloud covering every single mile of
the sky. As far as you can see, as far as you can go. And the humidity,
its so sticky, like before a thunderstorm, but the thunderstorm never
came, everything just stopped at the point before the first drop even
had a chance to fall. Its probably up there now, hanging in the middle
of a cloud. Just ready to fall... But nothing.
Sometimes it gets so quiet that you think you've gone deaf. And you're
certain the thunder is going to start any minute. The other night I
heard roaring in the distance, coming down the river, which is just a
stream now.
It was about midnight, and I was trying hard to sleep, but was put off
by the fact it was so hot I was sticking to the sheets, plus I haven't
washed the bed clothes in months, that kind of thing is considered a
waste of valuable water these days.
Anyway, I was trying to sleep, and there it was, thunder, coming down
the river, loud as you like, and we couldn't get enough, I jumped out
of bed, and rushed outside in my underwear, waiting for the rain to
soak me, and I wasn't alone, the whole street joined me, though some
had managed to put on dressing gowns, or were still dressed, but within
a minute of the first roll of thunder the street was filled with people
hoping to get drenched in the first rain storm in months. If a tidal
wave had poured down the street towards us, I get the feeling that we
would have run towards it, arms wide, ready for its embrace, ready to
be swept away into the river, ready to be drowned.
But the rain never came, the thunder lasted for maybe twenty minutes,
and not a hint of rain. And everyone stood listening, not daring to
breathe, as if the combined force of their breath would blow the storm
away. I stood outside for about half an hour after it had stopped then
went inside, some people stayed out there a long time, the guy next
door broke down in tears, revealing exactly what everyone else felt,
letting it all go, letting it take hold of him and shake him until
there was no emotion left anymore, no sadness, no bitterness, and
definitely no happiness. And everyone else just stood there, staring,
not daring to say anything, some not even daring to look. The next day
his wife found him hanging in the basement, she didn't display even the
slightest bit of emotion that he had the night before.