Last week, the weather forecast mentioned ‘isolated rain’ in pockets all over the state. I fervently hoped we fell in one of those pockets. Late evening there was the welcome sound of raindrops falling on the roof. I was euphoric. I am sure the plants, bushes and trees were too. Just what we all needed in this warm, dry spell.

After a while, perhaps ten minutes, Luci and I decided to step out on the terrace to enjoy the fresh air. There was a cool light lighting up everything around. What? I looked up at the sky. An almost clear sky with the moon shining brightly. Where were the clouds, the ones that had rained drops on us just a while back?! The cement floor of the terrace looked as dry as ever. No sign of water anywhere.

Had I dreamed up the whole thing? No, that couldn’t be it because the L&M had stopped to talk about the rain before going to bed. I was capable of letting my imagination run wild, misinterpreting sounds as the much loved raindrops. But, the L&M is made of much sterner stuff. He wouldn’t let imagination take him for a ride! So it had obviously rained.

Well, may be not rained as in real rain. But one of the clouds in a hurry to get to the assigned ‘pocket’ had inadvertently let a few water drops spill over our locality. With almost every house in the neighborhood having sheets covering their roof terrace, even a few drops make a lot of noise giving the impression of a lot of drops. Sigh. That had to be it. And what with the days being so warm, the drops would have evaporated the minute they touched the cement floor of the terrace too.

Still, that nagging doubt wouldn’t go away. Look at the clear sky and the moon. Not a shred of rain clouds anywhere! Did it really rain? Should I wake up the L&M and ask him? Nah, I could ask him in the morning. Let the man sleep.

Just then my hand touched the railings briefly ….and discovered moisture on it. It had rained after all. Or rather someone, had been careless while rushing off to some place else. I am not ruling out the idea that that someone, a naughty cloud no less, did it on purpose, just to tease me, and is even now giggling its way to make some isolated rain happen in the ‘pocket’ allotted by the weatherman.

© Shail Mohan 2020