I used to curse the rain. I hated it. It wrecked my hair. Ruined my clothes. Destroyed my shoes. I always managed to forget my umbrella. Rain was major inconvenience. It made commuting a nightmare. Train delays. Floods in Penn Station. When I was working in the city, there were times it rained so hard that the LIRR would cancel all eastbound trains. I would be stranded, with no way home, and had to sleep in hotels. I also had to go to work the next morning in the same clothes I'd worn the day before. That was almost a fate worse than death for me. Keep reading and you will understand why.......
When people meet me for the first time, they often get the wrong impression. I am a bit of a perfectionist about myself and my appearance. Perfect hair, perfect makeup perfect clothes. Never a run in my stockings. Shoes polished and a matching handbag. Nails well manicured. Excellent posture. Shoulders back. Head held high. This makes some folks uncomfortable and I am often perceived as a snobby, high maintenance bitch until people really get to know me. It's really just a cover to hide the fact that I am really awkward and clumsy and even a little insecure at times. I've relaxed a whole lot over the years, but I still maintain some level of impeccable sophistication; especially when I go out. I just don't freak out over a chip in my nail polish or a hair out place anymore.
A few years ago, I had just started dating a new guy. He was not my usual type. I dated white collar business men: bankers and such. Guys with money who could seriously wine and dine me. That was the field I was in at the time so I usually dated men I met through the job. This new guy was in construction. Hard-working, rough hands, loud mouth. Very tough, but on the inside; very sweet. He didn't have much money either. His idea of a fancy restaurant was The Olive Garden. Perish the thought! There was still something so attractive about him, so I figured, why the hell not? I'll play with him for a little while and move on.
He had his doubts concerning me, as well. I most certainly was not his type, either. I was his first brunette ever and he usually didn't go for the successful, independent business woman. He liked a more down-to-earth girl and I didn't appear to fit that bill at all. We really had nothing in common. I was a Martini drinker. He drank beer. I was spoiled and privileged. His life story was heartbreaking. We both hated the rain. We had that. It was a major inconvenience to me and it usually meant a day without pay for him.
Anyway, the new guy and I would meet at the local bar every Friday night. I would arrive right off the train straight from work, dressed to the nines in my business suit and heels. Everyone else there was casual, including him. I always stuck out like a sore thumb and he and I looked so mismatched. As we sat there one night, enjoying our drinks, it began to pour outside. A torrential rain storm that came out of nowhere. He looked at me and said "Hey. Wanna go outside and kiss in the rain?" Without missing a beat, I jumped to it and said, "Let's go!"
My friends all tried to stop me. "Oh my God. It's pouring out there! Your hair! Your clothes! Are you crazy?"
I ignored them all. What I did not realize was that he was only joking and was certain I would decline. He didn't think I would dare stand out in the rain and mess up all my perfection. Honestly, he was banking on the fact that I would say no. He really didn't want to go out there and he admitted that to me later. I totally shocked him by dragging him outside into the rain with me. I pressed him against the side of the building beside the window and kissed him. Passionately. Best kiss I ever had. We kissed out there in the pouring rain for about twenty minutes until we noticed that everyone in the bar was crowded around the window inside watching us. Clapping and cheering.
When we got inside, he offered to drive me straight home. "Why would I want to go home now?" I asked.
"Well, you are bit of mess," he said.
"I don't care," I replied. "Do you?"
He didn't mind one bit. He said I never looked more beautiful. He meant it.............
I stayed there with him for hours, completely soaked to the skin, makeup smeared, wrinkled and messy, hair drenched and dripping. I didn't care. The whole bar was buzzing about the passion between the career girl and construction worker. We both drank free for the rest of the night.
We fell in love that night. Every doubt we had about each other washed away with the rain. Love caught us completely off guard and our affair lasted for more than two years. He was never able to wine and dine me in the ways I was accustomed, but we had more fun together coming up with things to do that didn't cost money. Eventually, we went our separate ways, but it ended amicably and with great respect. He was one of the sweetest guys I'd ever been with and I have nothing but fond memories of my time with him. And that night outside in the rain? That went down on record as the best kiss ever between two people. A moment made for the movies. Everyone at the bar still talks about it and they always remind me each time I'm there. It's bittersweet because I know I will never experience anything quite like that again.
Every time it rains, I get a text message. From him. The kiss guy. "I will never forget that kiss. I love the rain now. I love you and I always will."
I no longer curse the rain. I love it. I am thankful for it because it reminds me of how sweet love can be when we forget about ourselves and take chances. Love makes us look beyond our differences, our looks, our jobs, and our phony perfection. Love often comes in the most unusual packages. Packages we often overlook. I am so grateful for love. Even when it doesn't work out as planned. Love is the greatest gift we can give ourselves and to others. Never say no to love.............
As for dating; I no longer have a particular type. I've learned to look beyond all that superficial stuff and judge a man by his heart and not his job or his wallet. I love and thank the rain for that, as well.........
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