It was sometime in the middle of June.
The sun was nowhere to be seen with dark clouds blotting the sky over Lexingport City. It was the first rain fall of summer.
Lightning flashed, and it was followed by the rumble of thunder. Rain poured down and students scattered across the campus. They raised their hands to shield their heads and hurried to seek cover from the sudden torrent of water.
One might even say that such a day inspired the expression "When it rains, it pours."
Michelle was one of the students who sought shelter from the rain, finding some solace beneath a red tent which turned out to be the Lost and Found Office set up by the student union in the campus.
Pamphlets and lost items were spread out across a long table when a gust blew in, threatening to make a mess of everything. The student union members immediately rose from their seats, some trying to hold the pamphlets down with their arms while others putting the lost items in boxes to protect them from the rain.
More people rushed in and squeezed in with the other students. It was suddenly very crowded and Michelle was trapped in the middle. The students standing in the outer fringes of the tent's coverage, however, got soaked when strong winds whipped the rain in their direction.
Some in the crowd started grumbling and complaining that the rain came out of nowhere, but a few others were overjoyed.
The downpour made the summer heat and the dust in the air ebb, but warmth started to seep from the ground. About ten minutes passed and the humidity disappeared as well. In its place, the fragrance of flowers and foliage permeated the air.
The fresh air soothed everyone's mood, but it seemed as if the rain was not going to stop. It did lighten, however, from pouring buckets to a moderate drizzle. The roof of the tent continued to go pitter-patter with every raindrop and the water gathered to trickle over the edge like water pillars.
Some decided to brave the rain. But even if they took an umbrella, their lower halves would still get a soaking. A man carrying an umbrella as he walked by the tent seemed to confirm that fact. His hair and shoulders were blessedly dry, but he was wet from the waist down.
Soon, only a few students were left taking shelter under the tent. When they got tired of standing, they huddled on the bench with members of the student union.
Michelle was getting exhausted herself that she ended up squatting on the ground to play games on her phone.
She sent a message to the dormitory group chat, asking if somebody—anybody—with an umbrella could come and rescue her. However, based on the sad emoticons and reactions she got in response to her query, it seemed like everyone else was also waiting for others to share their umbrellas.
Lydia was in the library, but she only had one umbrella on-hand. She could only save one person at a time so the group debated that she should rescue whoever was closer.
After everyone revealed their position across the campus, the dormitory group chat slowly became silent. They were clearly all too far from the library so they could only wait for the rain to stop.
Michelle didn't know how long it would take for the rain to stop. It might not stop until the day after, but she didn't want to wait until then.
She stuck her hand out from under the canvas flaps to feel the rain on her palm. To pass the time, she watched the rain trickle through her fingers even though it was cold. Not much later, a few girls aside from herself remained under the tent.
Someone stood up to offer their seat to Michelle if she wanted to rest for a while but she refused. The person who offered was a younger female student. Although Michelle was all about respecting and giving way to the elderly, she wasn't about to accept things from others just because they were younger than she was.
Since the start of the month, Michelle had been in low spirits and was occasionally lost in her thoughts. Now, the rain was starting to make her feel even more depressed.
Amidst the confusing thoughts that swirled in her mind, she wondered, 'What has Leon been up to recently?' What has been keeping Leon so busy these days? He seldom replied to her messages which was unusual.
She sighed and took out her phone to check her WeChat Moments. A notification popped up and she saw that it was a photo taken by Wynn. It seemed to be an image of the Lexingport City airport with a stormy backdrop, and it was accompanied by the caption "I'm back."
Feeling herself cheer up a bit, Michelle replied to his message, "Wynn, you've arrived from your trip?"
"Yes. I came back from the neighboring city. As soon as the plane touched down, it's as if the sky just opened up to release all this water. Lexingport City really knows how to welcome me."
"Do you have an umbrella? Is someone going to pick you up? I forgot to bring an umbrella so I'm crouched pitifully under the tent of the student union."
Wynn wrote, "Don't worry about me. My friend will pick me up. You don't have an umbrella, you say? Well, don't worry about that as well. Someone will pick you up soon."
"Who is it, Wynn?"
"Send me your location. I will fetch you and treat you to a big meal. Your school is too big, finding you won't be easy. It would be best if you draw me a map."
"Okay. Thank you, Wynn. But can you bring two more umbrellas with you? My roommates also need them."
"No problem. Now, draw the map first."
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