The Wind Made Her Cry

Raindrops ran down the window pane, creating streaks of water on the glass. A lightning bolt struck lazily, and a quiet roll of thunder followed. Fragile clouds let loose a few rays of sun, illuminating small parts of the city. The woman lounging in the window seat languidly drew a few finishing strokes on a piece of paper, then set the sketch aside, allowing her eyes to roam to the outside. She rubbed them gently, blinking out the dreariness that came with stormy days. No balloons today, she thought with disappointment. They were beautiful with their bright colors and elaborate designs.

The smell of fresh herbs filled the air around her as the sun shone down on her back, a sense of tranquility fell upon her in the lush, backyard garden. A soft tune could be heard from inside the house where the radio played. Tante Lou hummed along to the music while she snipped off sprigs of parsley to use in the meal she is preparing for her nephew, Grant, and his guest. Today was a special day. It’s the first time Tante Lou is meeting her nephew’s girlfriend, Vivian, and she wants to make a wonderful dinner for them all to enjoy while getting to know each other.

Veronica walked into the kitchen, fresh, clean, and free from the dream of earlier. She wore only a casual outfit of jeans and camisole top. No need to dress up if she had the evening off. She brewed a pot of extremely strong coffee and ate a slice of dry toast as she waited. She never was a huge breakfast eater. She saw an open box of cereal with loose cereal pieces on the counter. She rolled her eyes as she cleaned up the mess and put the box away. The open box was one of her biggest pet peeves.

“Wait, what time did you say?” Sophie asked her mom with an austere look on her face.

As the sun rises over the mountain tops it dances across my blond hair and light skin. A breeze brushes my shoulder, bringing in the sweetened smell of morning. From the kitchen I hear the sound of my parents talking over a cup of coffee. Socks, notices my movement and climbs from her warm ball at my feet to my chest where she nudges at my cheek for attention. She purrs as I smooth her soft black fur down her spine and kiss at her. The smell of maple syrup fills my nose. I shuffle out of my room, my blanket dragging on the carpet as I make my way to the kitchen. Sidney and Ryan already two pancakes in, welcome me with a glance. After slathering the still steaming pancake with liquid sugar, I steal a bite from the perfectly rounded goodness.

Starting the dark dreary walk back home, I barely sensed the harsh pounding of raindrops on my forlorn face. Thunder crackled ominously overhead, a tidal wave of mucky water covered the dusty streets. The world seemed to be crashing before my numb, tear-stricken eyes.

It was silent, so very silent. She could almost hear the swish of her dress against her calves as she walked the paved paths that led off to different places and different people all around her. It had been months since their first meeting; winter had turned to spring, spring to summer, summer to fall, and now it had circled around back to the harsh cold and the onslaught of rain that came around every January once more. Her blonde hair, curled and plastered to the side of her head as was the style in these days was protected from the rain dripping from the sky with a simple black umbrella. Her skin was ghostly pale, and her face cleared of the makeup that was naturally on it, as no classy woman ever left the house until she was all done up these days.

“Yeah.” She couldn’t meet her mother’s gaze straight on. Not when she knew what she knew. “Hey mom?”

Victoria was startled awake at the sound of her alarm clock. She looked at the time and it read 6:00 AM. Four hours earlier she was gazing at the alarm clock trying to fall asleep. Today was the day that she would go to the state-wide art competition to win it, once again, and receive a scholarship to the Rhode Island School of Design. She put on her elegant black lace dress, and her peep-toed cheetah flats. Her golden blonde hair was falling over her shoulders like the snowflakes outside on this early December morning. She put on her favorite gold necklace the one she wears everyday, grabbed her portfolio and cup of coffee and headed out for Chicago for the art competition.

“Thanks for making breakfast, Ves.” Alice twirled herself around in a pink floral dress she had chosen for the day. I dug a finger in one of the holes in my jeans. I envied her natural ability to be beautiful and tough.

Glancing around the room at the bookshelves filled with scrolls and leather bound parchment, Alayna only half-listened to her brother’s bothersome voice as her eyes landed on the portrait of their father before peering out the floor-to-ceiling window to look at the garden on the other side. Another sunny day, Alayna noted in distaste, in her opinion the sky should be dark and gloomy, overcast as rain poured from the heavens as to physically represent how she felt.

As usual she was lying on her bed watching time tick by, hour by hour, minute by minute, second by second. She did not like changes in her routine; she needed things to be just as they were. The ball of wool on the table had to be exactly 5cm away from the lamp, the bed linen needed to be colour co-ordinated and symmetrical and the books on the shelf had to be arranged in alphabetical order. A sudden screeching howl from outside threw off her concentration. “Oh my, what mongrel could that be at this hour of the day?” she screams out. She begrudgingly shuffles towards the window to determine what wretched being had disturbed her. As the sun rises from the horizon she shivers and pulls her coat closer to her body as the warmth of the sun

“Because it happened,” she rushed. “Now get a move on. You don’t want to be late,” she said again, this time with more urgency than before.

“I’m taking your brothers to a play, do you want to come?” Her mother asked.

Tired of listening to her own whiney thoughts, Julia grabbed her purse and sunglasses and headed out. She found a gourmet deli and bought a selection of meats, cheeses, bread, vegetables, and fruit, along with some wine two plastic glasses and a bag to carry it all. During her shopping, her phone buzzed and she quelled a feeling of dread. When she saw it was Richard she smiled. On the screen read