Not a Pluviophile!

Pluviophile - a lover of rain; someone who finds joy and peace of mind during rainy days.

The big grey clouds fill up the sky like smoke-filled kitchen, accompanied by a loud thunder sending chills down my spine and disappointment right across my face, then came a big bright purple lightning bolt jolting my plans and gushing them down the drain. I peeped out of the big window in search of the sun which blazed like a volcano a while ago but instead found gigantic rain drop scrolling down the window pane. I hate the rain. ugh! I miss all the fun. A good march break Sunday gone for a toss. I'm now stuck in the small ancestral cottage my grandma owns. Nothing wrong about the cottage, I love it absolutely but there are better things I could have done outside today if not for this rain. The weather is being so unpredictable nowadays, I blame global warming for it and of course, the joke is on us because we humans cause it. "Enough of the whining Amaya, rain is the perfect gift given by god! enjoy the view from here, it is breathtaking " sighed my mom patting my head and heading towards the kitchen to make some yummy snack for us. Well, I might not enjoy the rain but I do love mom's rain snacks so I had to shut up. I sprinted to my favorite spot by the window in my grandma's bedroom where she had a tiny study/library for herself waiting for mom’s snack, I started witnessing the ultimate game where every rain droplet race against each other to reach the end of the huge window pane, just then I heard some pages’ ruffle in between the books stacked in one corner near the desk, that was the first time I notice the small book stack in all these years. I have no right to call this my favorite place because I haven't really discovered the place completely. Sorry for the upsetting tone but you can clearly see why I'm gloomy like the weather today. So I walked towards the sound and saw a bunch of envelopes and postcards popping out of a huge book which seems to be a criminal law book, hoping to discover blueprints to the secret passage hidden in the cottage since ages instead I found fragile old papers, I could recognize grandad’s handwriting on them, they were letters addressed to my grandma. Wow! That got me excited, I might just get to imagine some of the wonderful moments in their lives, they were one adorable couple. Scanning through the letters, wondering which one to pick first, I looked up and smiled at my grandfather’s portrait hung above me and then I involuntarily picked up a letter that caught my attention “To my not so Pluviophile…” it said. I found a comfortable place to sit by the window on the silk cushions that my grandma adores, the letter read as follows.

“To my not so Pluviophile-Dear Lili,

How are you doing? I hope you and the kids are doing well, I’m sorry I broke the promise of being at your grandparent’s cottage at Tofino for the spring break with the kids, I also know that I have been doing it for some years now, but there is a piece of good news, I would be coming over next week, I just cannot break the tradition anymore you see. Well, I’m writing this letter for a reason, today when I looked out of the window from my office, it started to rain and I’m very thankful that it rained because weirdly I have realized few things which are; I need a break from big fat law books, files, and cases, it struck me then that I might be a great lawyer but I’m not being a good father and a husband because I don’t give my family enough time, it was always in my heart but my mind kept pushing the thought away because I have to earn. Anyways, coming to the main purpose of the letter, I have been wanting to do this for some time now, I’m very nervous, forgive me for my grammar and spellings, Lili, today’s rain was liberating because it reminded me of you so very much, I know it’s so odd to say that because you dislike rain and that is why it reminded me of you, it reminded me of those restless honey brown eyes of yours and sulking yet perfectly sculpted face that you make when it rains and suddenly you wash away all the dislike from your face when my kids say ‘momma look it’s raining, let’s make some yummy hot Indian snack like you always do!’, it reminded me of the cheer on your face and that awkward yet funny smile you try to put up to make them happy, it reminded me of your slender arms when you pick them up and dance around goofily to the music of the rain droplets and thunder, I know you are smiling now reading this, well, I couldn’t stop smiling ever since the afternoon rain because I couldn’t stop thinking about you. The rain was liberating because it reminded me of my caged feelings for you, it reminded me of the assurance you give every single day before I leave to work, it reminded me of that tag line of yours ‘Do not worry Adrian, I’m here to take care of everything’, also it reminded me of the kind of idiot I’m to not know how I feel about you even after being married for 5 years now. I would like you to know that I’m thankful for you being in my life, I’m blessed to have you as my wife and as a momma to my kids, well our kids, you could have chosen someone better than me, younger than me and smarter than me but to this date, I wonder why you chose to marry your brother’s once grieving widower friend with two toddler daughters who was lost. But, you see the kids are smart, they knew how they feel about you long before you even married me and I’m happy that they think you are their biological momma as well, you see that used to anger me before, but I always knew that you weren’t trying to replace Jen, as the kids started growing, I started making peace with my anger, one day I heard you say this to your brother ‘I don’t want kids of my own because I’m already a mother of two lovely daughters’ that day Lili I wanted to hug you tight and say you are an angel but I never did. I never treated you right Lili, I always treated you like a friend like I treat your brother, I keep forgetting that you are my wife, not just a friend and here you are to be blamed because you never let that get into my head until today because when you were not around I missed my wife, not my friend! You are a superhuman because you handle work, house, and kids all together and I want to tell you that I’m very proud of you for being the best wife/friend, mother, and nurse in the entire world, it amazes me how you manage to be both a nurse and mother at the same time, I also know now that I should help you more at chores and make myself available for you and the kids, after all, you three make me a complete man!

See you soon!

Love,

Adrain “

My heart warmed up reading this, My grandpa proposed my grandma without even mentioning the three magical words!!

“What are you doing there with my letters? You little munchkin?” called out a voice behind me. I instantly recognized the voice, turned around to hug my septuagenarian grandma who had her hands on her hips. “I love you gramma, thank you for being such an angel” for which she replied tittering “I love you too my Not a Pluviophile! ”.

“Snacks ready!” Called out my mom and both of us raced like toddlers grinning at each other