Drowned in You

2

                                  Heaven

I don't like rain. I hate the mess it makes. All the muddy puddles and wet clothes and flu. Rain falls into my likes only when it's after a long, hot and scorching weather, and it comes to sooth our sweating asses. But once it continues for a week or longer, it becomes a menace.

I grudgingly made my way to the bus stop, hiding behind the huge umbrella that did little help in covering me from the downpour. The wind made it difficult for my tiny body to hold onto the umbrella so I was more or less drenched. It was such times that I cursed my small height for everything wrong going on with me. Standing at 5'2 didn't give me much privilege against the huge umbrella and the never ending rain.

Luckily I caught the bus that stops 3 blocks from my apartment at last minute. It was a great relief as I didn't want to sit behind at the bus stop waiting for the next one to come. And knowing the weather, the next one would've come in 30 minutes or more.

I walked down the aisle and settled myself on a middle seat. The bus was almost empty apart from the daily workers and a few school students. My car broke down last week so I had to settle for the bus. And with my bad luck, I just happened to manage myself into this situation right when the rain started and didn't seem like it would stop.

I looked out of the window at the buildings and houses that passed. I have always loved Boston ever since I moved here 2 years ago. It's nothing like my birth place New York, and I'm glad about that. I love New York, no doubt. But I definitely love Boston more. It's quieter and less hectic than NY and I absolutely love that.

I reached home in 25 minutes after riding for 15 minutes on the bus and walking another 10 to my apartment 3 blocks away under the heavy rain. And the first thing I did after locking the front door and throwing my bag and clothes haphazardly in my room, was rush under the hot shower. I sighed in utter relief as the scorching water cascaded down my back. My fingers had turned numb and pruned due to the cold and I could finally feel the sensation returning to them. I washed myself in lavender body wash and spent another 30 minutes just letting the water turn cold. I came out and dried my hair. Then dressing myself in a pair of comfortable shorts and tank top, I found myself raiding the fridge for something.

There was not much apart for some eggs and bread. Geez, I definitely needed to go grocery shopping soon. I decided to make an omelette and bread toast.

Things I should be eating as breakfast I'm eating as dinner.

It's not like I'm poor or don't have enough money. I'm a newbie working as the assistant to one of the best psychologists here. But I've just began so the pay was average. However Dr.Lynn, my boss, assured me that it would subsequently increase. She's a lovely lady in her 40s and has helped me so much since I started. In fact, she has let me single handedly handle two of her clients so that I could learn fast. I live in a good apartment just 20 minutes from her office. She again helped me get it and I can say I live nicely enough.

But most of my salary goes into my sister's hospital bills. She's 7 years old and has leukaemia. She's the only family I have after the death of my parents in a car crash 2 years ago. I was devastated. June was only 5 years old so she didn't understand much. She just learnt that her mommy and daddy weren't going to come back as God called them back to heaven. I moved us to Boston and continued my education through online courses. We had managed to survive with the money my parents had left behind and I also worked odd jobs. But a year earlier June was diagnosed with stage 3 leukaemia. That was the next turning point for us.

So me getting this job was surely a miracle for us. I could pay for her medication and the hospital bills. In fact she was just released last month after her last chemotherapy session. But all of this left a dent in my pocket.