Romance In The Rain

Mumbai rains are notorious and so are the potholed roads. It was raining cats and dogs that day. Clad in a raincoat, with an umbrella in hand, Judy set out to cover the news of the stormy weather in Mumbai. As she approached the sea front at Worli, the strong winds blew the umbrella from her hand. Judy ran and picked it up before it could fly out of reach. She searched for a bus stand to shade her from the wind and the rain. Not that it was much better, but at least there was the protection of shade. Soon she started speaking on the mic while Francis handled the camera. She spoke to some commuters standing at the bus stop and got their reactions to the rough monsoon winds tossing the waves to a dangerous height. The youngsters were making merry in the rain without a care in the world. This was the second time in a span of two months that Francis and she had been called out to report on the heavy rains. The weather bureau had forecast high tide between 2.30 to 4.00 pm and they waited.

Francis was a dear colleague. He was attracted to Judy and was very protective and Judy knew it. But she considered him as a colleague and nothing else. Knowing that she did not reciprocate his feelings, Francis had always been a gentleman and kept his distance. Even in the office, when he casually chatted around, his glance would wander towards her covertly. It was by sheer chance that she had come to know about his attraction towards her. Leila, her close friend, had invited all the office staff to her wedding. During the dinner after the wedding, Judy had been jostled by a waiter by mistake and had fallen down. Though all her colleagues exclaimed in concern, it was Francis who rushed towards her to pick her up. Their eyes met, and she had been amazed to see the intensity of concern and emotion in his eyes. After that, she had tried to avoid him for some time. But their profession made it mandatory for them to interact. Knowing that she was feeling awkward in his presence, Francis had eased the situation by voicing his love for her and making it clear that he knew that she did not have that kind of feeling for him.

A sudden gush of wind brought her sharply back to the present. The rainwater had collected in a pool near the footpath and every vehicle was splashing the water on to the stand. Trying to evade the splash of muddy water, Judy stepped back in a hurry. But she tripped and her ankle twisted. She cried out in pain. Francis helped her to get up.

 Her ankle had swollen up in a few seconds.

“The swelling indicates a sprain or a fracture,” he mumbled as he lifted her in his arms and made her sit in the car. He drove her to the doctor. Judy was grimacing in pain as she got out of the car. The doctor asked her to take an X-ray as a precautionary measure. Francis then accompanied her to the Radiologist in the vicinity and got an X-ray done, which indicated a hairline fracture in her ankle. He took her back to the doctor who wrapped her leg in a cast. All this time, not a word was spoken between them. He then drove her to her home.

Her mother answered the bell and seeing Judy with a bandaged cast on her leg, she panicked. Francis explained to her mother about the incident.

He then lifted her on to the bed and left without even waiting for her to utter a word of thanks.   

Judy was drawn to his silent love and emotion. A strange feeling crept over her.

‘Was this love?’ she wondered.

She pondered over the happenings of the day. His quick action, his persistent care till her leg was bandaged, his silent drive back home and not waiting for the inconsequential words of gratitude, all were so symbolic of his love for her and his caring nature.

 All of a sudden, Judy realized that she had actually fallen in love with him. She picked up her phone and dialed his number, but quickly canceled the call.

Instead, she sent a message with the words, “Thank you, my love" and heaved a sigh of happiness.