032504I stood in the foyer looking outside. �Shit,� I mumbled to myself as I pulled my hood on and tightened it around my face. It took a couple of seconds after I pushed through the doors to feel the rain. It hit me hard and I flinched from the force of it. Shoving my hands in my pockets, I lowered my face to the ground and began walking. People with no umbrella or raincoat dashed out of buildings and into waiting cars. One man held a paper above his head as he ran, deflecting a small amount of water from his expensive-looking glasses. A woman on a bicycle rode past me on the sidewalk, her face scrunched up as she struggled to see through the downpour. I had no car, no paper, no bicycle. There was only a $40 Abercrombie hooded windbreaker protecting me from the elements. Within 30 seconds, my coat was soaked. I could feel the water coming through the light layer, absorbing into my short-sleeved shirt, even reaching my skin. I shivered and stuck my hands further into my pockets, somehow hoping this action would make me less wet. I didn�t care about puddles anymore and walked straight down Washington Avenue, the water splashing up and hitting my drenched pants. The sewers were having a problem with the large amount of rain spilling into them, so each side of the road was becoming a small pool. Motorists with no soul barreled down the street, spraying water many feet in each direction. I walked as close to the buildings as I could, hoping to avoid a second soaking. I�d suffered enough for one day. I saw a man in a drenched fleece pullover walking towards me. As we neared, he looked up from the ground. A slight smile appeared from under his hood and he nodded in acknowledgement. I smiled and nodded back. There was no need for the exchange of words. We both knew why we were walking in the rain: no car, no paper, no bicycle. No bus.
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