walking in the rain

i've always loved that saying. to me, it says a lot about life and our experiences. one of my most vivid experiences with that thought is when i was in high school and dating my 'to-be' husband/high school sweetheart. it was in the fall and the state fair was in town. i was giddy at the thought of holding my sweetheart's hand, walking through the sawdust, kissing at the top of the ferris wheel, sharing a cotton candy and perhaps, him winning me a cute stuff animal. the night came and so did the rains, almost as soon as we arrived at the fairgrounds. 

needless to say, i was crushed. absolutely crushed. my upbringing was pretty strict and i only got to have date night on friday nights by my parent's decree - their logic was that it was a safer night. (ha!) i gazed longingly out at the midway - my sweetheart gritted his teeth and insisted we walk in the rain. to me, it was one of the most romantic thing ever.

it was dashing around the puddles, huddling under tents and sharing a caramel apple. it was kissing him in the rain - it was him paying $25 to win me a silly stuffed cat, it was the tinsel of a foolish girl's dream. my mom simply smiled when i got home - she had her own rainsoaked evening with my father to recall.

conversely the next day, my sweetheart told me how his shoes were ruined and he caught a cold. i should have known then how it would all turn out. *chuckle* that's what happens when you mix a hopeful romantic with a logical, practical, to the point kinda guy.