After The Rain

Chapter Three - A Chorus of Raindrops

listen when it's raining
as the water hits the ground
and you'll hear a million secrets
that are hidden in that sound

the pitter patter raindrops
hold the whispered words inside
of the people who have shared them
with the velvet midnight sky

the drops that pound the pavement
spill out anger loud and harsh
they're words and thoughts of people
who have cried out to the stars

the rain that adds to oceans
and their vast capacious flow
is the grief of people holding on
for fear of letting go

the waters flooding cities
overwhelming homes and towns
are the silent words of suffering
entrusted to the clouds

and when the clouds are heavy,
when our feelings fill the sky,
when our thoughts are too oppressive
then the Earth begins to cry

So listen when it's raining
if you're quiet then you'll hear
all the secrets and emotions
that are muffled by Earth's tears

- Becky Hemsley (Listen)

~

The temple was almost vacant when Khushi arrived.

The last few devotees were wrapping up their prayers, throwing anxious looks at the weather around them that seemed only to deteriorate. The wind howled, the sky clamoured every now and then, and the rain that had started as a gentle drizzle was now a downpour that threatened to flood the streets. Soon, Khushi was the only one there.

She sat herself in front of the statue of Devi Maiya, watching the deity's serene face as the bells clang against each other and generated a vibration that she could feel in her bones. Already drenched from head to toe in her brief journey from the park, Khushi shivered violently and wrapped her arms around herself in a vain attempt to relieve the throbbing she felt all over her body. Her eyes travelled from the idol to the stairs every time she heard the screech of a car, the pang in her chest increasing with every passing vehicle.

It had been around five minutes since she called Arnav Singh Raizada and requested him to meet her in this temple. She knew she had been annoyingly vague—having simply asked him to visit her, that too in the last place he would ever want to set foot in, before cutting the call—but Khushi's courage had worn thin after the first call went unanswered. She had revisited the relationship she shared with that man in a matter of seconds, unsure of whether he was the right person to reveal the truth to since he hardly ever needed a reason to think the worst of her. What would he do when she reveals herself as the recent ex-fiancé of his brother-in-law?

She would admit that she had gotten cold feet at the last minute and would have gladly returned to the safety of her home had it not been for her raging conscience, urging her to do the right thing and reasoning that if there was anything wrong with Anjali-ji's life, then Arnav-ji was the person to turn to. Regardless of their history, regardless of what he might do to her or think of her, he deserved to know that the only person he ever loved was in a grave danger. He deserved to have the chance to save her when there was still time.

And so, she had called him again and by a stroke of luck, he picked up at the very second ring. Before she had time to rethink her decision, she blurted to him her wish to meet him and cut the call. She hadn't even waited for his confirmation but somehow, she knew that he would come.

The temple had been a carefully thought meeting point. Khushi was losing her hold on herself and was dangerously close to abandoning all that she thought was right in the favour of maintaining a fluctuant peace. She needed the blessing of the Goddess to aid her on the path of righteousness. Still, as Khushi watched the relentless showers plummet to the ground like bullets, the leaves flap in panic and the birches arched to their limit, she hardly felt secured. It was a thunderstorm that seemed bent on ravishing all those who made contact with it and against this backdrop, the smiling face of her favourite Goddess seemed not reassuring, but blatantly derisive. For the first time in her life, Khushi felt alone in the abode of God, abandoned to deal with repercussions that were not her fault.