Flood...

I awoke to the sound of thunder.

Early this morning, sheets of rain fell heavily from the sky. It was pitch-black outside, except for the periodic flashes of lightning. Water gushed forcefully from the gutter-pipes and washed down the streets in small rivers. Strong winds whipped around, making signs and trees sway.

I futilely rolled my pant-legs up, put on my sandals and got my umbrella (putting my socks and work shoes in my bag) and proceeded to make my way to open the store. I ran, splashing as I went with each foot-fall, to the subway station. The umbrella did little to prevent the rain from drenching me completely. During my rush to the station, I slipped several times, only just catching my precarious balance each time. At one point as I was crossing one of the streets, one of my sandals washed off my foot and was part way down the street with the quick current of the new street-river. I dashed after it on one foot, fearful of stepping on a used hypodermic needle in the gutter.

When I finally got on the train, I was dripping wet. The quick run through the rain made my chest heave up and down. My underwear was completely (and uncomfortably) soaked through. I had to fish out my cell phone from my pant pocket to make sure that it wouldn't get wet and water-damaged. The cold air of the train made me shiver.

This is how I started my day.

One would think that the day would be miserable, but it was actually quite fun. And after a quick squeezing of my under-garments and drying off with the paper towels in the bathroom at work, the day went by quickly and on a very humorous note. When asked how I was doing, I would solemnly say with an awkward twist of my mouth, "My underwear's still wet." Which always seemed to provoke a riot of thunderous laughter.