RAIN

“Is that all you've got?” Eric yelled as the figures walked away, leaving him bloody on the ground. 

Seeing none of them return, he sighed in relief. “Thank God.” 

He had gone out to clear his head but ended up getting jumped by some thugs who needed change. Unfortunately for them, he was broke. 

If he had known that taking a stroll at this hour would result in a beating, he would have just stayed home. 

Getting off the floor, he slowly made his way out of the dark alley. As he approached his apartment complex, he heard the same whimper he had been hearing for three days now. But just like on the other days, he walked past it. “My life is already a mess... I don’t need any more trouble.”

“I’m home!” Eric announced as he stepped into his empty apartment. Hearing no reply, he let out a dry chuckle. “Eric, you lonely bastard,” he muttered as he limped to his room for some much-needed rest. 

Twenty minutes later, Eric was seated on the rooftop, looking at the stars as the cigarette—he had been advised to quit—burned in his chest. “At least if I die, I could finally be able to sleep,” he thought, taking a puff and exhaling into the night air. The wind picked up, and he adjusted his gaze, looking down at the city, wondering what would happen if he jumped down this very moment. “Would anyone miss me?” he thought again as his eyes swept around the city. “I doubt anyone even remembers me.”

As Eric sat quietly, he heard a voice whisper in his ear. “Do it.” Suicidal thoughts had become frequent recently, especially when he was alone. In times like these, going through with it didn’t seem like such a bad idea. “Maybe I should.” Standing up from where he was seated, he looked down, ready to give in. 

But then, the rumble of thunder interrupted him, and rain began to pour. With a sad laugh, he muttered, “I guess not today.” As Eric stepped away from the edge, ready to head back down, he heard the whimper again. 

Looking down, he saw a puppy cowering under some boxes. It looked as lonely as he felt. 

“Sorry, buddy,” he said, leaving the half-smoked cigarette on the ground as he exited the rooftop, drenched. 

Rather than heading back to his apartment, Eric found himself outside, under the rain, staring at the helpless puppy. He could see the puppy shivering, and his heart twisted. He squatted down, stretched out his hand, and instantly, the little puppy left the box and ran to him. 

Eric picked him up and took him back inside, wondering what he had gotten himself into. 

“Just for tonight, okay? I’ll warm you up, and then you’ll have to find another home,” he said calmly, covering the puppy with a blanket. 

The next day, Eric woke up feeling something on him. As he opened his eyes, he saw the little brown puppy sleeping soundly on his chest. Unable to help himself, he began to gently pet him, and the puppy responded by cuddling closer. 

“Good morning, buddy. I have to go to work now.” 

During his shift that morning, serving and attending to tables, Eric couldn't help but think about his new furry friend. He made sure to feed him what little he had and kept him covered, but he worried about whether the puppy was okay. 

When his shift ended, he stopped by the supermarket to get some food and found himself in the pet section. As he scanned through the items, feeling hopeless and unsure of what to buy, he overheard a girl nearby say, “The orange one is really popular with puppies.” 

“How did you know?” he asked.

“Your eyes were fixed on the puppy aisle,” she replied. 

“Oh…” he chuckled. “Thank you. I’m new at this.”

“Don’t worry, it gets better.” 

Eric paid for his groceries, which consisted solely of dog food, reminding himself to get actual food later. 

Eric had always felt lonely coming home, but seeing the little puppy wag his tail at his arrival made him smile. 

“Hey, buddy… you hungry?” 

The two little barks in response made Eric smile brightly. 

However, he felt worried about this newfound happiness and didn't want to get too comfortable. 

“I’ll still have to let him go,” he reminded himself as he stared at the sleeping puppy. 

Days turned into weeks, and Eric kept reminding himself that eventually, he would have to let the puppy go

Eric knew it would eventually happen, though he didn’t know when.

One day, Eric came back from the supermarket with snacks and yelled, “Rain!” But he heard nothing. He yelled again, “Rain!” yet still couldn’t find his little puppy. Growing increasingly worried, he checked everywhere, but there was no sign of Rain.

Tears began to well up in his eyes. He knew this day would come, but he didn’t realize how much it would hurt.

“Rain,” he whispered as a tear slid down his cheek. That night turned out to be the worst night for Eric. 

He could neither eat nor sleep. Rain's presence had always given him peace and helped him relax.

But now, he was alone again. With a bitter laugh, more tears fell.

Every day, Eric would go out in search of Rain, but would return home without him.

Then, one night, as he searched for Rain in the alley, those men appeared again.

“You got any spare change?” 

Eric did have some change, but he was too upset and felt the need to vent his anger on someone else. With an annoyed smile, he replied, “No… so what’s it to you?”

The men, not liking the response, approached Eric, and that’s when he noticed the leader had a gun. Taking a step back, the initial courage left him.

“We’ll show you not to have a smart mouth,” the leader said. But before they could do anything, a bark was heard.

“Is that a dog?” 

Then a growl followed, and the leader let out a loud scream as he ran off with a torn trouser, his goons right behind him.

Eric stood there, wondering what had just happened until he saw the brown furry puppy.

“Rain!”

Picking him up instantly, he held him close, praying this wasn't a dream.

“Rain, where did you go?” he asked.

But all Rain did was wag his tail and bark happily.

“Is he your puppy?” someone asked. Turning around, he saw the lady he had met at the supermarket.

“Yes,” he answered, unsure why she was there.

“Oh, I’m glad I finally found you. I’ve been searching for his owner for days.”

“I’m sorry for the stress. I must not have closed the door properly, so he must have gotten out.”

“It’s fine. I enjoyed my time with him.”

They began to walk slowly toward Eric's apartment.

“Thank you. I’ve been looking for him,” he said.

“Do you stay here?” the lady asked.

“Yes… Why?” 

“I live here too. I moved in about a week ago.”

Stretching her hand, she petted Rain in Eric's arms.

“And this little fellow welcomed me.”

“Oh!” Eric laughed, realizing that Rain had been in the same building the whole time, and he had no idea.

As they reached the apartment complex, Eric escorted the lady to her own apartment, which was on the top floor.

“Thank you once again… umm…” 

“Penelope,” the lady cut in, giggling.

This made Eric laugh.

“I’m Eric,” he finally introduced himself.

As they said their goodbyes, Eric walked back down to his own apartment with an asleep puppy in his arms.

Grateful to have his friend back and also for the new one he had just made, he said to himself, “Not so lonely anymore, are you, Eric?”

He entered his apartment, reminiscing about the events of the day.