rain, rain, go away

The flat was damp and cold, and a peek outside the window revealed piercing cold, heavy rain.  I snuggled beneath a blanket with a cup of warm tea, imagining that I was experiencing the frigid Christmas weather from Omaha.  The rain pounded rhythmically on the deck and roof of the flat as I prepared for the afternoon.  Bundling in my closest-to-winter attire, dressing in layers of long sleeve shirts and cardigans, I smoothed my hair, as I gingerly stepped out the door and under the umbrella to wait for the bus.

We arrived at the shopping mall several cold minutes later, in search of a mailbox to drop off the previous residents' mail.  We weaved outside among throngs of people, jumping puddles, whizzing by umbrellas, and darting under shopping mall awnings.  We made it to the mailbox, to find the post office just closing, and the mailbox stuffed so much with last minute Christmas cards and gifts that I had to shove the mail in any empty crevices I could find.  We ducked into the mall, closed the umbrella, and breathed a sigh of relief.  We made it.

The mall was swarming with people, children, Christmas decorations, and gifts.  We weaved in and out of crowds, heading towards the solace of the movie theater.  We purchased our tickets, and skipped into the theater, our popcorn and M&Ms in tow.   Sinking into the oversized plush, assigned, movie seats, we started munching on the popcorn, getting drawn into the pre-movie entertainment, allowing our minds to melt away our worries as we became enthralled in Four Holidays (called Four Christmases in the U.S.), starring Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn.

The time went by quickly, filling the theater with laughs, and my mind with warm memories of the holidays.  As we stepped back into the bustling shopping center, we stopped in a couple of stores, gave a quick wave to Santa, and ventured back out into the biting rain, blowing through our layers and tingling our bare skin.  Waiting for the bus for several minutes, once on board we headed to the first row in the upper section, where I have located the bus' heater and rode the short distance home. 

In the comfort of the flat I changed from the wet clothes to the warmest of pajamas and sweaters I could find, tucking my feet into my cosy Uggs.  I set soup on the stove as I sipped my warm cocoa, and settling in for a warm night watching movies and playing cards.