The Rain Man

Clouds of dark grey swarmed in the sky, making the early morning feel like night, Ashley’s Keurig made sad whistling tones as it poured out her coffee. She sipped it, burning the tip of her tongue, cursing, she rushed to pour some water to soothe it. Ashley opened her daily planner trying to ignore her screaming tongue and checked breakfast off the things-to-do list section. The prompt underneath asked her to jot down some things she was grateful for. Coffee that doesn’t burn your tongue, getting to skip work- she scratched that out and stared at the blank page with cursive titles. Ashley stabbed one of the smiley stickers it came with onto the center of the page and shut the book, she picked at the forgotten bits of tape and pink still stuck to the front of the planner. It was a gift from her co-worker Miranda to motivate her to be ‘more productive’ in her life. Instead, it just gave Ashley a reason to stare at her problems in ink. It had been packaged in bright pink paper and frilly blue string, Miranda’s friends giggled when Ashley opened it, Miranda beaming with her charity. She tucked the planner in her backpack and poured the rest of her coffee into a travel mug. Ashley figured she would beat the traffic instead of staring longingly at the planner for it to write out her life for her. 

***

“Ashley, I have the best news look!” 

Ashley had just reached her desk, successfully avoiding eye contact with everyone to find Miranda already standing by her desk, dressed in a bright blue suit, her hair done in loose curls, her heels polished. Ashley must have looked as though she had been run over by a train.

“Ashley, my finger, look!”

Miranda had her dainty hand in the air in front of Ashley’s nose, a massive diamond on her ring finger.

“Frank proposed last night, it was so romantic, Ashley you have no idea. He had the band play our song and had this bouquet of flowers that-

Ashley could hardly pay attention as her story was drowned by the entrance of Kaden, his dark hair perfectly curled on his head, dressed in a suit that accentuated his lean figure, Ashley waved to him as he passed, him not noticing her, distracted by someone across the office calling his name.  

“- then he opened the box and I nearly fainted. Isn’t that great Ashley?”

“Yeah, great. Congrats.”

“How’s your love life going Ashley?”

Ashley was saved from admitting to Miranda the boring tale of going to bed at 10 and staring at her planner hoping it would grow legs and tell her how to be an adult, to her phone ringing. 

“Business calls.”

“True Ashley. Well bye, Ashley!”

The day passed in a blur of calls, jot notes, and an angry customer which only intensified the grumbling of Ashley’s stomach by the time her lunch break arrived. She planned to be the first out of her chair to get ahead of the microwave line when she turned the corner to find Kaden was already there. She took way too long looking for her leftover pasta in the fridge. 

“Hey Miranda, congrats! I was in on the whole plan from the beginning you know.”

Ashley jumped at hearing his smooth deep voice addressing Miranda as she sauntered into the room, pushing past Ashley to pull out her tray of sushi. 

“Isn’t it just a thrill?” she asked, wiggling her ring in Kaden’s face. 

“Definitely eye-catching.”

“Ashley sweetie are you using the microwave or are you just staring?”

Ashley could feel herself grow warm as she realized she was watching their conversation. Her eyes focused on every word that exited from Kaden’s lips. The pasta container motionless in her hand. 

“Uh, yeah just admiring your ring again.”

Ashley turned around and stabbed a minute into the microwave and left as fast as she could. She didn’t fully check her pasta and was left with semi-cold noodles and lumps of tomato sauce which she choked down at her desk as she tried to disappear.

***

By five Ashley’s coworkers were packing up their bags. There was a buzz around Miranda’s desk with several of their coworkers in excited conversation, including Kaden. They were all getting ready to go to some fancy bar downtown to celebrate Miranda’s engagement. Ashley hadn’t been invited but had to pass by Miranda’s desk in order to leave the building. She put her head down and watched her shoes and was just passing them, hand reaching for the door, when Miranda’s shrill voice called, “Ashley sweetie, come here, come here!”

Ashley turned and the group had fallen silent, watching her as she did her best to smile and stand straighter. 

“We’re going to this cool place downtown in about an hour, you should meet us there Ashley!”

One of the receptionists rolled her eyes and another raised an eyebrow toward Miranda. They all stared at Ashley waiting for an answer. She took a deep breath. 

“Yeah, I have some things I need to do. I'll see if I can swing by.” She looked up at Kaden as she said this and found him staring right through her as if she were a piece of glass. 

“Cool Ashley. See you!”

The group burst back into their conversations, Miranda at the center of them, as Ashley waved and left the building to the safety of her car. The clouds still looked as angry as they had been in the morning. Ashley wondered when it would finally rain.

***

Wine glass downed, Ashley was attempting to put on eyeshadow but instead looked like a twelve-year-old at a birthday party who had put on too much glitter. She wiped it all off and let her hair down. It didn’t bounce in the way Miranda’s did, it looked flat and boring. Ashley sighed and decided she would walk to the bar, she was already half an hour late could use the walk to build her courage. 

The sky was a fury of dark clouds as she waited for the rain to impale her. Her flimsy umbrella was perched against her shoulder, the fraying edge hardly a weapon against mother nature; the best it could do was keep her dry long enough to get to the bar if it finally started to rain. PLOP. Ashley jumped at the sound of something wet hitting the pavement behind her, freezing her tracks. Ashley turned slowly, raising her umbrella slowly bracing herself, expecting just a puddle or bird but instead, she found a man drenched head to toe staring back at her.

All thoughts of her destination vanished as Ashley stared at the man. He looked strange with the water from his skin shining from the street lamp, his face a shadow, and Ashley realized with a flush, he was fully naked. He stared at her not knowing what to say.

“Uh hello?” Ashley tried.

“Hi.”

“You’re sort of naked.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Ashley stared at the man, her eyes wide, trying not to stare. She wondered how much wine she had. He stepped closer to her and Ashley stepped back.

“Please just stay there. How did you get in this- uh, predicament?”

The man was silent. 

“Where did you come from?”

He pointed up at the dark clouds which still hadn’t leaked a single drop. Ashley tried to look for a balloon or airplane or something that would explain how the man had fallen from the sky. She was coming to the conclusion that he was probably dangerous and that she could run home from where she was when he asked,

“Could you help me, I know this is strange but I mean you no harm.”

“How do you propose I help? You are a naked man and I am a woman who could be walking into a really bad situation if I say yes, so-”

“I’m cold, please, if I could just have a place to stay for a few days and then I will fade back into the rain I swear.”

Maybe it was the wine, maybe it was the way his voice rose in panic with each word or the fact he said he was going to become rain again. She took off her sweater.

“Here, cover up for now and follow me.”

Ashley walked home, her strange companion not uttering a single word as he walked beside her, her sweater tied around his waist, keeping enough distance apart.

“Wait there,” Ashley said as she entered her house. She rummaged through her closet and found some sweats and a giant shirt.

“Thank you.”

Ashley and the man stared at each other, she could make him out better now they had escaped the dim light from outside. Her clothes were tight on him and he had watery blue eyes and sandy hair. He took in her house as if he was looking at it through a lens. The man was not much taller than her and seemed unaware of his chiseled features. 

“Are you hungry?”

The man nodded and followed Ashley into the kitchen where she made some toast and filled a glass of water. She watched as he munched each piece with satisfaction, he never touched the water. 

“Is there someone you need to call?”

He shook his head and continued munching. Ashley was interrupted by her phone ringing in the silence. Miranda’s name lit up her screen. She had forgotten all about going to the bar.

“Ashley, Ashley sweetie did you see one?”

“See what Miranda?”

“They’re calling them rain men, they are just falling from the sky. I was talking with one and he was so handsome Ashley, you wouldn’t believe it.”

Miranda paused and Ashley could hear her laughing as someone said, Why bother with Ashley, she’s so boring. Ashley flushed.

“Actually hey, Miranda? There’s one here. One of the-rain men in my house, I saved him. Not boring at all.”

Miranda squealed and told everyone in earshot.

“Ashley, you have to tell me everything at work tomorrow.”

“What are those?”

Ashley looked up expecting to see the rain man still at her kitchen table, but he had left his chair, piece of toast in hand, poking around Ashley’s house. He had found Ashley’s discarded paint brushes and old canvases. 

“Oh. Nothing honestly, they’re from a different time.”

He finished the piece of toast and held up Ashley’s watercolour of the sea she had painted when she went to Nova Scotia a couple of years ago. It was painted at sunset, the colours vivid in oranges and purples, the sea replicating its image.

“This one. This is art.”

Ashley could feel herself growing warm and brushed off the comment, despite her heart taking a small leap. He sat down on Ashley’s couch propping the painting beside him and passed out. Ashley stared at him for a moment and then gently wrapped him in a blanket.

***

Ashley woke the next morning wondering if the rain man had all been in her head and that she had just gotten too drunk when she heard humming from her kitchen. The rain man had made her a giant stack of toast and was in the middle of munching on one of his own slices, when she entered, he brightened like sunlight on the water when he saw her. 

“Good morning. Thought you would be hungry.”

Ashley picked up one of the buttery pieces with a smile. 

“I also went through your closet and think you should wear this today.”

On Ashley’s couch, he had laid out a dress she had bought years ago with the tag still sticking out of the sleeve. It was a shimmery blue with delicate flowers on the edge. She had bought it with the intention of going on a date with Kaden but it sat collecting dust at the back of her closet. 

“Go, put it on, toast can wait.”

Ashley put the dress on, the rain man was right, her eyes shone and she looked put together and- pretty. 

“You’re absolutely beautiful.”

Ashley smiled and gave the rain man a twirl, he laughed in delight and took his hands in hers, and spun her around her kitchen, humming a soft tune. Ashley paused breathless and beaming and her phone alarm went off. 

“Hey listen I’m going to be late. Is there anything you’ll need while I’m gone?”

The rain man shook his head and wished her luck. 

***

With her head held high, Ashley entered the office, she never noticed there were small red peonies at the entrance and that her desk had the window with the best view. The sun was bright in the sky, the clouds from the day before had cleared after the raining of men. Miranda was already waiting for her. 

“Tell me, tell me, Ashley sweetie! Did you fall in love with a rain man? Did he seduce you?”

Ashley gaped at Miranda, she never looked at her closely before. Her mascara had left a rim under her eyes which Ashley used to think was a dark and mysterious look but it just looked like she had been crying. Her dress was wrinkled and her shoes were only shiny because of the reflection of the lights. 

“We eat toast.”

Miranda waited expectantly for more but Ashley instead began to take off her coat revealing the full effect of her dress. 

“Wow, that dress Ashley-”

“Hey Ash, you look so nice today.” Ashley turned to see Kaden on the other side of her desk, coffee in one hand, the other in his pocket, eyes tracing up and down her figure. 

“Heard you met a rain man. Listen, I think it’s high time we go to lunch, my treat.”

Ashley nearly fainted as she nodded and he squeezed her arm as he passed. Miranda was busy looking at something in her nails. 

“I was going to ask if you wanted lunch with me.”

“Sorry Miranda.”

“Yeah, whatever. You know I spoke with a rain man too, you’re not special or anything, just plain under that pretty dress.”

She stormed off. She could overhear one of the receptionists say that Miranda’s fiance hadn’t shown up last night. 

***

“So I did what any human would do, despite how bizarre it was and-”

Ashley paused in her story. Kaden was scrolling through Instagram nodding occasionally.

“And? Listen Ashley you're cute. Never really noticed you before but this rain man thing could make you better than even Miranda.”

"I thought she talked with one too, she said-"

"No she's a liar, tells us all of your secrets you know."

The waitress dropped them off some water. Kaden gave her a charming smile and his eyes watched her until she disappeared into the kitchen. He resumed his scrolling. 

“Uh yeah. The rain men are quite interesting. I wonder why just men or-”

“Cool stuff.”

Ashley stared at Kaden. Not a hair was out of place and his suit was freshly pressed but he could barely look at her and when he did, it still felt like he was looking through Ashley. 

“Listen I have to go”

“We haven’t ordered yet.”

“There's somewhere I would rather be.” 

***

Ashley went home to find the rain man had set up her easel and was looking at each of the colours of paint she had. He had a paintbrush and was attempting to draw a silhouette but the water kept running down the page.

“Would you mind painting a picture of me?”

Ashley set her stuff down and got to work opening the paint and picking each brush.

“Sit over there.”

Ashley got lost in the art, each brushstroke making the paper come to life with the watery image of the rain man, using blues and purples until she was finished. A couple of hours passed but it felt like minutes. Ashley looked at her handiwork. The rain man stared at the painting and then at her.

“It's incredible. No one has ever captured me like that,'' he said. “Can I take this with me?” 

Ashley looked at him, his hair was wet and it looked as if he just showered, his fingertips felt wet in her hands. She asked where he was going.

“The rain is calling me- us back. It's hard to explain. You have been a highlight of my journey here. Thank you for trusting me.”

Ashley looked into his blue eyes and sighed thinking of going back to the office where Kaden has probably told everyone how she ditched their date, Miranda spinning lies about Ashley’s character, achieving nothing in life.

“Can I come with you?”

He walked close to her, hands on her cheeks. He looked at her, fully seeing through her eyes and into her soul, it was as if he was reading a well-written story and was entranced by the words of her personality.  

“Are you sure?” He asked. “You can’t come back here.” 

Ashley nodded. 

It was the first time she felt sure of anything in her life, she took his hand and they disappeared. 

Days later when people began looking for Ashley, all they could find was her apartment the way she had left it, not a thing out of place. The only curious things were a plate of toast and a puddle of water found on the kitchen floor.