"But That's Water From The Sky"

    The weather for the day was looking brilliantly sunny! The kids(6 girls in total), 4 of them my daughters and the other two friends from the gymnastics team that a couple of them were a part of, were outside enjoying themselves, like ANY child[ren] ought to be doing, during most of their childhood. My wife and I were doing house chores, as MOST parents ought to be during most of their ADULT lives. 

    With the doors and windows open, we could hear them running around and laughing. Pure joy resonated from their little bodies as they chased each other. The wind joyfully carried the joyous sounds of their voices and laughter  into the house and into our ears. For a moment is seemed to shine a bit brighter inside my home than outside where the Sun was full blast. Perhaps it was just the smile I wore on my face from absorbing so much purity. 

    And just as it ALWAYS has been and will be, the day continued on with its seconds and minutes ticking away to the next hour and the next. And just like it ALWAYS has been with the weather being as UNPREDICTABLE as it WANTS to BE, what had started as a bright sunny day, began to slowly fade away. At first, only a FEW scattered clouds blocked the path of the Sun for short moments at a time. Then thicker, darker clouds started showing themselves more and more from the South as the storm was headed North, covering the Sun completely, thus turning the bright blue sky into a blanket of different shades of blacks and grays. 

    For my wife and I it made no difference as the rain posed NO threat to the house chores being attended to because it ONLY comes down OUTSIDE. We continued on cheerfully as we both also ENJOY the sound of the drops falling against the house and ground. 

    The noises that had begun to change were those of the girls though. The stomping and laughs eventually died down and were replaced with murmurs of concern. I glanced out of one of the windows to sneak a peek and saw they had huddled around like a football team to discuss their next play. And just like in ANY team huddle, one of the members was NOT REALLY paying attention; my youngest daughter, Sky,(3 years young) was curiously looking up at the dark bodies of mass that were forming up there not KNOWING what they were. 

    After a few moments and suggestions thrown back and forth, my oldest daughter,Sophia,(14 years young), sprang up from the huddle with a big smile on her face and said, "I know what we can do. We can ask our parents if we can play in the rain today!" 

My other two daughters,Serena and Solara,(10 and 8) agreed with a "Yeah!" and jumped with the same enthusiasm while their friends just stared blankly at each other and then at my daughters. The baby going along with the excitement of her sisters innocently, NOT really knowing what was happening, also raised her hands and let out a "Yay"!

    Before ANYONE could say ANYTHING else, Sophia dashed for the door. Serena and Solara close behind. The friends lagged a little due to slight confusion. Sky trailed a bit as well but due to being the tiniest of the bunch. 

    "Daddy! Momma! Can we play in the RAIN?", asked Sophia excitedly, almost KNOWING we WOULDN'T say "NO!" today.

    "PLEASSE!? PLEASE!? PLEEEEEAAASSEEE!?", Serena almost yelling.

    "It's gonna be so much fun!", said Solara without having heard "Yes" from neither of us yet. She seemed to ALSO have sensed we WOULDN'T say "NO!". 

     My wife and I looked at each for what may have felt like an eternity to the girls but was REALLY mere seconds before we BOTH nodded in agreement at the SAME time. 

    Sophia went in first, followed by Solara. Sky had NO clue what was happening when her momma began calling her to come in to get changed yet went right in after her sisters. Serena had ALMOST forgotten about her friends being there because of the joy she felt from what was about to happen had it not been for one of them having touched her slightly on the arm. She turned to them and with a bit of embarrassment in her expression apologized to both of them and proceeded to tell them what they had just heard for themselves; "My parents gave us permission to play in the rain. We're going inside to change into different clothes or bathing suits. Come on. You can each use one of mine." And with that she turned her heel and stepped into the house without even waiting for a response from either of the girls.

    They stared at each other intently STILL intending to figure out WHAT to do NEXT. I witnessed their CONFUSION and became a bit bewildered MYSELF. I, even being a 'grown man', was VERY excited for THEM. I remembered playing in the rain as a kid and the OVERJOY I felt from doing so, as seldom as that was, so I couldn't quite get a grasp as to WHAT I was viewing. It was VERY apparent these two girls DIDN'T share the SAME eagerness as myself and my daughters.

    "Everything ok?", I asked from where I was standing in the living room. "Why aren't you all coming in to change with the rest of them?", I then asked as I proceeded towards where they stood by the door. 

    They both looked up at me and asked almost in synchronicity, missing each other by a fraction of a letter, one finishing right before the other, "We CAN ACTUALLY play in the rain?" 

     I remember feeling dumbfounded by the SHOCK of what I had just heard these precious children ask! I must have gone through some strange portal as I remember feeling as though I was physically spinning rapidly. Then I began seeing flashes of myself materialize into what felt like I was ACTUALLY there. THERE being a day when I was a kid (perhaps the same age as these girls, around 10-11ish) jumping and splashing in the RAIN along with a couple of my siblings and some friends. Instantly, I felt a pang in my soul immediately followed by sympathy towards these kids for NOT EVER having felt the AMAZING feeling of getting rained on like I did back then and 'AT THAT MOMENT' as well. 

    "You mean like ACTUALLY get wet?", asked one of them, instantaneously bringing me right back from my nostalgic yet melancholic moment 'in the past'.

    "Yes. You know like when you shower and/or get in a pool.", I answered with a slightly sarcastic humorous tone so I DIDN'T give off signs to either of them of THEM having done or said something 'wrong' praying they caught the funny part and not the latter. 

    Again, almost in synchronicity, as if they were sharing brain cells and the thoughts came at the exact same moment, they both said, "But that's water from the sky!" 

    Before I could FULLY process their statement my oldest daughter came out from the back room charging towards the door where we stood blankly looking at each other. Them up at me and me down at them. Sophia stopped in her tracks as she noticed the scene that had unfolded in her absence. An awkward silence enveloped the room. 

    "What happened Daddy? Why aren't they back there changing with the girls?", a bit unclear to her the lack of excitement from the girls. 

     "They. Um. DIDN'T know about being able to play in the rain and were asking me about it is all." 

    Before ANYTHING else could be said she reached over, grabbed them BOTH by their arms and almost dragged them into the other room while excitedly she told them "HOW MUCH FUN IT IS!" 

     I stood by the doorway STILL doing my best to process what has just occurred to ME while I heard the first few raindrops smack against the ground in small intervals and sped up fast. At the same time Sophia's voice trailed off in the other direction.

                   **

    Having left the conversation of our daughters' friends NOT having done what we were seeing them do for the first time(and the house chores) for ANOTHER day, five minutes later, my wife and I stood underneath the pouring water and felt ECSTATIC as we watched 6 OVERJOYED girls DANCE IN THE RAIN!