Running in the Rain

The security guard smiles at me as I come off the lift and says, “Good Morning Ma’am”. As rain sprinkles on my face, I dodge umbrellas passing by the bus stop just outside my building. As I pass a black cat drinking at a puddle, I almost bump into an old Chinese man carrying a small child, with two more, older children dressed in school uniforms in tow. His face is beaming with pride as he walks, whom I assume are his grandchildren, to school. I pass a maid walking three dogs and not looking too pleased about it.

My morning runs have turned into exploring. My new running route loops around a vast open field where people fly kites and remote control airplanes. Each time I run this route, I go a bit further, or in a different direction.

Today I run alongside a small canal amongst the jasmine and bougainvillea and end up on the old Malaysian railway tracks. The jasmine always smells so much stronger when it rains. I cannot imagine a better scent.

It begins to rain a bit harder, so I run longer and further. It’s hard to stop running in the rain; the coolness of it makes me feel like I can run forever. Alas, a cramp forces me to walk a bit. So with Paolo Nutini in my ears, through the magic of my Ipod, I walk into the middle of the field, which is eerily deserted as if on purpose, to give me privacy.

I stand out in the middle of the driving rain as my breathing slows and look up at the sky…

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