It came down hard that day. A torrent of rain that seemed to have had been a long time coming, rolling over the city in thick, dark clouds that seemed to swallow the sun and blot out the sky. The sweltering heat was quickly replaced by a humidity that swelled through the afternoon, cumulating in a refreshingly cold shower that flooded the various districts downtown, blessing the concrete and tar jungle with nature's cool touch.
You didn't go home that day.
When you looked up from where you had sat for the last couple of hours hunched behind your monitor, you realized that the office was now dark. The last few employees had turned out the lights on their way out; a habit formed through countless reprimands by a manager concerned about keeping profits high and overheads low. Glancing out from the window, you removed the IEDs that helped you to forget the rest of the world, allowing the sound of rain pattering on the loud zinc roofs to reach you. The little clock in the corner of your screen ticked up to 21:00. Mounds of paperwork remained unfinished, with the promise of more to come in the following days.
Stretching from where you sat, you felt the ache in your back. A dreariness in your eyes that gave you pause as you considered the hours of traffic you'd have to sit through just to get home today. A throbbing sensation in the back of your head from hours of staring at the screen. You allowed yourself a moment to recollect yourself, the first moment of respite since you had been thrown into this never-ending loop of work today, and the memories began to seep in. Shadows of arguments and quarrels from familiar faces of family and close friends. Warm, comforting places you once knew as home, the paths now shattered with fraying friendships and words that everyone wished they could take back. In the dark, lonely recess of a cubicle, you felt the tears well up within your eyes as you sobbed quietly into your open palms, hunched in your chair as small as you could be in the quiet office.
===
You felt better standing there in the pavement outside. The streets within the industrial complex housing offices were quiet this time of night, the bustle confined to the roads beyond, cars and other vehicles blending into choked arteries that led out of the city and into the suburbs where comfy homes sat waiting for their owners.
There was no one else around. No one to judge you as you allowed the rain to seep into your clothes, washing away the anxieties that had plagued your mind right up till you had locked the iron grills with trembling hands, stifling the sobs that threatened to well up in you until you had burst out from the stairwells from the upper floors and walked into the curtains of water.
No matter how heavy your clothes seemed to get, it didn't seem to burden you as you stood, face tilted skywards as raindrops ran down your face, tears indistinguishable from the waterfall that seemed to liberate the depths of your soul. An act of rebellion against a system that would continue to grind down its pawns until they broke or rose beyond the limitations of their powers. Until you, one day, marched down to your manager's office demanding better terms and fewer hours, holding your ground amidst the patriarchy's seething desire to keep you in your place. Until then, here you were. And your problems seemed small compared to the vastness of the world beyond. You knew then that you couldn't go home. Wouldn't go home at least until you felt better about yourself and the crossroads you had been forced down, swept along without a choice by the whims of selfish people and their selfish needs.
A little light drew your attention. A café that stood in the corner of an alleyway where you had parked your car, veranda tucked in to keep rainwater from pooling. It remained open late into the night, a small bastion of hope for executives burning the oil to get a cup of warmth, hopefully with a slice of something sweet to jog the mind. All at once the cold came rushing in, impulsive bravado giving way to reality as you made your way to your car where you kept a change of clothes and a towel for emergencies. Retrieving your overnight bag, you walked up the stairs and pushed the café doors open.
===
It was warm here. A sharp contrast to the chilly exterior where streetlamps barely illuminated the wet night devoid of people. The aroma of fresh coffee wafted in from the kitchen, mixed in with lavender from the various potted plants present at every table. Soft music filtered out from wall-mounted speakers that played soft lo-fi music that immediately called to you, urging you to sit down and relax. The tables were empty, while the barista behind the coffee machine kept his eyes downcast, glued to the phone in his hand. No one stopped you as you made your way to the spacious bathroom in the back to dry off and change. A pair of shorts and a low-cut top, last week's party leftovers.
You weren't sure when the drink you ordered arrived at the table, a simple white cup seated atop a dainty saucer, smoke billowing gently out from the rim. Warm and cosy though the atmosphere may have been, it did nothing to stop the thoughts from returning in the shadowy recesses of your mind, clawing away at you until it took all you had to drown it out, focusing instead on the sound of rain pattering against the glass. You lifted it to your lips, warm liquid flowing through you as it spread out across your body like a blanket, covering you in its embrace.
Staring deep into that brown swirl of aromatic java, you felt the tears come again as you wondered if you would ever enjoy respite like this evening ever again. You'd have to face tomorrow eventually. You dreaded the thought of opening your eyes after a fitful night's rest, knowing that your life would be a little bit emptier from now on. That your work would march on without you, deadlines forever looming, your problems inconsequential to your manager's demands that you clear the piles of paperwork on your desk or face disciplinary action. A bleak future filled with despair, with no one but your own strength to face it with.
Feeling the tears returning, you reached for the tissue that came with your drink, dabbing your face until the stinging sensation of salt began to subside. That was when you noticed you were not alone.
===
How long had he been seated there opposite you? You couldn't tell. You barely remember how much time had passed since you walked in here to shelter from the rain, numb to the passage of time as your feelings overwhelmed you. Your first thought was to hide it. To clamp down on the emotions that were bubbling out from you in front of this stranger. You felt angry that you had been seen, in such a private moment. That he had intruded into your space when all you wanted to do was be left alone to your pain and sorrow.
But you couldn't bring yourself to speak either. To let your voice betray you any further. You felt like it would crack at a single word, your trembling lips unable to form the dignity you needed to send this interloper on his way. Instead you felt yourself curl up further in your shell, your eyes avoiding his gaze.
