And then..

(I wrote this bit for a 'complete the story' contest conducted by Yours Truly . The part in blue is the starting given for completion. It doesn't have a title but I call it 'and then' for want of a better title )

It was raining heavily, pouring down a welcome respite from the heat of the past week. Huddled under the small over crowded bus stand, I was waiting for the rain to let up so I could walk back to work when suddenly out of nowhere she came to me and then looked at me shyly. It isn’t often that somebody looks at me that way. Her damp soft brown hair glittered in the streetlight and her brownish grey eyes were soft and mellow. I wondered what such a pretty thing was doing at 9.00 pm in the night. She looked from a decent family. “Maybe it’s the rain”, I thought bitterly,” Brings out the best and worst in everyone. That’s why I am working this late in the evening, when I ought to be at home eating hot soup, all thanks to my manager”

My eyebrows contracted into a frown as I thought of my work place. Demanding, unappreciative and crazy to say the least. And then there was this particularly difficult project. “That’s the way the cookie crumbles, I guess” I sighed resignedly.

Pulling myself out of my sour reverie, I turned to look at her and my troubled face softened and I broke into a half smile, not sure of her reaction. She looked again; hesitantly and then slowly inched timidly towards me a little unsure, a little scared. The guy next to me suddenly spied her and turned to me and whispered “she’s beautiful, isn’t she?’. I felt a pang of jealousy, why should he look at her? I was the first one to notice her, wasn’t I and besides we already had a connection albeit a faint one.

I grunted and shifted my attention back to her, desperately hoping she would not lose interest in me. This time, I gave her a broad grin and in my sweetest voice crooned.” Hellooooooo”. She looked again this time more confidently and skipped close to me and whimpered a weak “meaooow” and then curling around my feet a stronger ‘meaoow’. I bend down and picked that ball of pretty golden brown fur and stroked it softly forgetting all the grouse and grumpiness of the day in that moment of sweetness.

‘My name is Kira and I live in the big red bungalow, next to the bus stop’, said the name tag around her neck.

“Yes Kira, the rain brings out the best and worst in people”, I thought and smiled to myself as I made my way to the bungalow to reunite its beautiful occupant.

Copyright (c) 2010 Neha