Crazy About Jane

   And then all of a sudden it began to rain. It quickly turned into a downpour and the usual hustle and bustle of the crowd was disrupted. People on the street began to run for cover, covering they're heads with their coats or newspapers. One older gentleman tried to flag down a taxi but to no avail, all he got for his troubles was the splash from the rear tire. As men and women cowered under walkways, shivering wet and cold, seeking refuge from a comfortable world that had turned upside down on them, I couldn't help but think "Yes, what a fitting end to a miserable day".

   I too cowered with the masses, cursing my fortune that day, looking down at my feet with my arms crossed for warmth and shivering. I could hear the cars splashing and driving along as usual but I didn't look up. I could hear the shrieks of pedestrians running to and fro for cover, or over to their cars and I did not look up. People chatted near me, exclaiming to no one in particular how the weather had changed so quickly or how we needed it, or any other useless observation on the weather we'd all heard a million times before and yet I did not look up. I could not be bothered to look, it was unremarkable how people behaved. You could predict what any person would do, in any given situation, with a small margin for error on any given day. But then something happened that I did not expect.

   Coming from down the street, I could hear an unusual splashing noise which was accompanied by an ominous sound... ominous yet strangely beautiful. The splashing became louder and louder and I could now make out the other sound as well, someone was singing. It rang in my ears causing me to forget the cold I felt, to cast away the bitterness I'd held only moments before and now for the first time I looked up.

   She danced and twirled through the rain, singing loudly for all to hear. If I had not been so mesmerized by the sight, I'd would have thought her mad and yet I just stood in silence, marveling at the spectacle before my eyes. Did she know where she was? I had thought she belonged on a stage, in a hall full of people to watch her, and yet, here she was, twirling and singing in the rain for me.

   As she spun, I could not help but notice how beautiful she was, even though she was drenched like a cat. Perhaps she was not classically beautiful, but all the same, I was moved. She was short and wore a bulky coat and a dress. She wore glasses that seemed just a little too big for her face and they were fogged up. Her hair was chestnut and curly, popping it's way from under her toque, that was sitting just a little crooked. and then there was her smile, warm, inviting and as large as life.

   She passed by me continuing in this fashion and while everyone else stared, I stepped out into the rain and began to follow her. I didn't do this consciously however, but it was almost as if I was drawn to her. There was an invisible string that anchored my heart to hers. After sometime she plopped down with a thud onto an uncovered bus bench and stretched in the rain. I walked past and sat next to her, unsure of what to do. We both sat in silence and words escaped me. I tried to comprehend what had just happened, “what was she up too?” I wondered. "Why of all things was I sitting next to this stranger?"

   “Hi, I'm Jane” She exclaimed with a smile and thrusting out her hand for a shake.

   “Alex” I replied solemnly, still without words and took her wet clammy hand and shook.

   “Now that, that's out of the way, Ketchup or mustard?” She asked as If we were already in the middle of a conversation.

   “I'm sorry, I don't understand? "I replied.

   “For your hotdog” she pronounced “It would be silly if we ordered the same thing”
I looked around bewildered. There was no vendors nearby that I could see. Sensing my silence she went on.

   "You don't want one?” She asked, almost looking offended. "How are you going to enjoy a baseball game without a hotdog. It's criminal it is”.

   “Your going to a baseball game today?" I enquired "With this weather?”.

   “Don't be stupid, It's too perfect a day to be watching a baseball game. We'll get around to one eventually, I just thought I should be prepared”.

   “You really do enjoy the rain?” I asked now a little calmer.

   “Beats boring old sunshine. With rain like this you have to dance and sing" She said as she smiled and thrust her arms into the air. She then opened her mouth to catch the now fleeting raindrops.

   "Is that a rule?" I asked.

   "absolutely, It's right up there with 'looking up' to watch fireworks and sticking your head out the window when your riding in a car. It simply must be done".

   I sensed she had a cheerful optimism about everything. Feeling more and more confident I asked "But why dance in the rain?"

   "What else are you going to do in the rain?" She stated so matter-of-factly that I was forced to chuckle.

   From that moment I was hooked. She was odd, bizarre, exciting, carefree and just plain crazy and I too was crazy, crazy about Jane.

   I would never forget my first meeting with Jane. She was so obtuse, it soothed me. She was a glimmer of light in a darkened world. She was the girl who danced in the rain. No matter how old I've gotten, no matter how hard life has treated me, if it ever started to rain, I danced just as Jane would have because what else are you going to do in the rain.