Rainfall

She was a tiny wee dot; hard to believe she was almost five years old and eagerly looking forward to starting school. She knew the alphabet, she could count, she could read, she could write her name and she loved drawing. She was ready….

Shopping for the school uniform was not easy. Even the smallest sizes came down to her ankles. Mother decided to make the uniform herself. In the end, the only thing which came from the shops was the bright yellow raincoat and hat and these she loved. For her November birthday she asked for an umbrella to go with them. And then she waited, and waited and waited for a rainy day to arrive.

November in Brisbane is hot and humid but usually the storms which cool it down don’t arrive until January or February. This was too long for a little girl with a brand new yellow raincoat and see-through umbrella to wait. Every day she would put them on to ‘practice’ for going to school on a rainy day. Then she would prance around the front lawn carrying her little school case carefully under her new umbrella.

As the raincoat was made from thick plastic and could not be taken up by Mother, it covered her from top to toe but this in no way deterred her for she had not yet reached the stage of looking in the mirror! All that could be glimpsed of her was a great big smile.

The day when the rain finally came was a big event for the little girl with the yellow raincoat and the see-though umbrella. It was raining when she woke up and she couldn’t even keep still enough to eat her breakfast. On went the raincoat straight over her p.j’s and out to the lawn she flew. What a dance she did in her bare little feet with her great big smile. Ah-h-h - raining at last ! Lovely, big, fat raindrops. For this she had waited so long. What a beautiful day for a delighted little five year old.

And what a wonderful memory for her mother’s treasure box.

Brenda W.

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 May 2012.

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