When the Rain Came

Alan works in a big office and gets other people to do his
photocopying for him. Next week he has got an important meeting with
Mr. Atkinson. It could mean promotion. Alan has been working in the
same London office for fifteen years. He had a day off once. He didn't
enjoy it.
It was a Tuesday when the rain came. Droplets turned into puddles,
puddles turned into lakes. Little yellow raincoats played outside until
they were dragged inside by their mums to hot baths and fish fingers
chips and beans covered in tomato sauce. Alan phoned for a pizza but
was told no-one was delivering because it was raining to heavily. Alan
shouted at them down the phone. It did not make any difference
though.


There is no milk for Alan's breakfast when he wakes up.
Instead he eats burnt toast and has his tea black even though he
doesn't like it that way. He looks out of the window and realises why
the milk has not come. The rain still hasn't stopped, he realises he
can still hear it bouncing on the roof, but it is not noticeable any
more. Just to walk to his car would have flooded all five foot four of
him. Alan opens his door and looks at the sky and at the roads.
Sighing, he goes back in the house, and resigns himself to spending a
day at home. He phones his secretary to tell him he's not going to be
able to get to work, but nobody answers. That's never happened
before.


Alan's house exists purely for convenience. The lumpy single
bed is uncomfortable but he does not need a new one because lying in
bed does not make money. The more the rain comes down and the stormier
the weather gets, the more it dictates Alan's mood, as he becomes
desperate to find something to do. He tries to watch a video but cannot
work the machine. He picks up books he can't remember buying randomly
off his shelf, but it is so long since he read anything other than
contracts and reports he cannot get past Chapter One in any of them.
Hands in pockets, Alan walks around his house, going into rooms he has
not been in for a long time. He sleeps in his bedroom, eats breakfast
in the kitchen and spends the rest of the time at the office. His
bathroom is for going to the toilet and storing old newspapers. He
walks into a room full of dismantled computers. His wife decorated this
room for the babies when they were born. They never were born. The cot
that he made himself is the right size for storing his briefcases and
the mobile made with plastic dinosaurs on the ceiling still makes a
noise when he knocks his head on it, leaning over to pick up a leather
bound case. Alan opens the permanently drawn Mickey Mouse curtains to
see how the rain looks from the back of the house. He can see nothing
but greyness.


The cupboards in the kitchen are empty. They've not been full
for a long time. Alan decides to have cheese on toast like he used to
when he was a student. But the cheese has gone mouldy in the fridge and
he's run out of bread. It looks like he could have a couple of days of
being hungry until he can go out again. He goes into the living room to
watch daytime TV. Richard and Judy aren't on any more, which surprises
him. Just as he's deciding that cartoons aren't what they used to be,
the TV cuts off and the lights go out. It is only early afternoon but
it is so stormy and gloomy that the room is now pitch black. As a
result of Alan spending so little time in his house, he would not know
his way around in perfectly good light, never mind in complete
darkness. He stays sat on his armchair, hoping expectantly for
normality to return. But it doesn't. His thoughts turn to torches,
candles, matches and lanterns, and how he wishes he had them. Being in
the dark is scary, especially when you have nothing but your own
thoughts, and when your thoughts are miserable and unhappy, then it is
not a lot of fun. As Alan puts his head in his hands, he is glad none
of his customers or employees can see him. He takes his glasses off and
closes his eyes, waiting. He does not know what he is waiting for
exactly. He's just waiting.


He wakes up and his first thoughts are of disbelief that he
fell asleep in the first place. It is bright enough to see now; Alan
decides it might be morning. He looks out of the window and is angry to
see the road is completely flooded, and the rain hasn't stopped. He is
so hungry, he hasn't eaten since breakfast yesterday. Was that
yesterday, or is it still today? All the clocks in the house are
digital, and there is still no electricity, no matter how many times he
flicks the lights on and off in pointless hope. He gets washed and
changed into clean clothes, before reacquainting himself with the
armchair. He wishes he had something to do, but all his life is in the
hard drive of his laptop, and he left that at work. He didn't know at
the time that he was going to be stranded at home for weeks on end. It
could be that long. How long can he last without food? As the hours or
possibly minutes pass he gets so bored and hungry that he becomes
desperate. After searching the cupboards yet again, he realises he has
to do something. He puts his coat on and goes out of the front door. He
has never spoken to the people next door, and it is so cold and wet
that he's not sure he can make it across the garden. But he makes the
effort of wading through the river that now separates the two houses.



When he gets there, a young, surprised woman answers the
door. She welcomes Alan in and rushes to get him dry. He towels himself
dry while she is telling him that her name is Katherine and that she
lives here by herself. She shows him into the living room, which is
full of other people having a surprising amount of fun.
'Do all these people live in this street?'
'Yeah.'
'But I've never seen any of them. How come they're all here?'
'I invited them. As soon as I first heard the news.'
'What news?'
'You know, the telly, radio, papers. They've been full of this storm
that's coming.'
'I didn't know anything about it.'
And he didn't. He's been too busy recently preparing for the meeting
with Mr. Atkinson. He doesn't have time for reading papers and you
can't make money out of watching TV or listening to the radio. Nobody
would have told him about it - he doesn't talk to anyone. Alan likes
the look of Katherine though, and decides to get to know her better. He
likes her curly blonde hair and pretty smile. He likes the way she is
welcoming and uses her eyes a lot while she's talking. And he likes the
way that she lives next door. There's something special about falling
for the girl next door. Not that Alan does that sort of thing.
'If we've been living next door to each other, how come I've never seen
you before?' Katherine asks.
'Well?I work a lot.'
'Oh. You're one of those career driven big shot guys. No offence but I
hate those guys. Who walk around in thousand pound suits, talking on
their mobiles walking past charity boxes and tramps. You're not like
that are you?'
The idea of going out with the girl next door suddenly disappears. Alan
wishes he had not worn a suit.
'No, I'm not like that at all' Alan lies. 'What about you? How come
I've never met you?'
'I've no idea. As you can tell, everybody else has. We're quite a close
knit little community. You should join us next time we have a party.
One good way of not waking the neighbours is to invite them!'
'You have parties?'
'Yeah. That's what we're doing now, this one lasts three days! We've
been excited about this for weeks!'
'Weeks? What do you do at these parties?'
'Sit around, drinking, talking. If there was electricity we'd have
music. It's always fun, you'll find out. They're fun, aren't they
Simon!'
Someone else has joined the conversation- a man with nicer teeth and
better hair than Alan, but not as well dressed. He reaches out his hand
and Alan shakes it.
'This is Alan, Simon. He lives at number 19.'
'Oh really? I live at 11 Alan. I've never seen you, have you just moved
in?'
'No, I've lived there for fourteen years.'
'Really? You must know Emily and Michael. They've lived on this street
for ten years.'
'Who?'
'They're next door to me, at number 9. Or the students who live on the
other side at number 13. They get up to all sorts don't they! The times
I had when I was a student! What about yourself Alan? Were you have any
wild student times?'
Alan could have talked to Simon about how he sat in his room at
university working ad worrying about exam results. He can't talk about
the people at number 9 or 13 or any other house on the street, he
doesn't have a clue. Instead, he decides to do one thing he can do.
Talk about work.
'What line of work are you in Simon?'
'Oh, I'm a primary school teacher. I'm at the same school as Katherine
actually. It's the best job in the world isn't it Kat.'
'I'm not sure I could be a primary school teacher. I think I'd get
bored' Alan confides.
'It's only short term. We're saving enough money until we can afford to
go travelling in a couple of years. Have you travelled Alan?'
Alan has not travelled, apart from to and from work everyday. And he
doesn't have any plans to, or anyone to go with if he did do. He wishes
he could describe his job as 'the best job in the world.' He wishes he
had plans for the future. He looks at the way that Simon and Katherine
interact with each other. It's never been as easy as that for him with
girls. Katherine is sexy and flirty, Simon is cool and uses his hands
expressively. Alan's hands have stayed in his pockets for the whole
conversation.
'Right' Katherine announces suddenly. 'It's time for another game.' And
quietly to Alan she tells him 'you'll like our games. They'll help you
get to know us better. There's lots of people you haven't met.'
'But it's going to be pitch black soon.'
'Yeah, it's great isn't it! Yesterday we played games all night
long.'
Alan hates playing games, he always has done. He doesn't mind an
occasionally Trivial Pursuit but only if he's playing against people
who are clever. Otherwise it's just annoying. He begins to despair, but
then thinks back to last night. It was the worst night he has ever
spent, even when he was married. He looks again at Katherine. She looks
so nice, and Simon could be alright, as could a few other people. He
tells himself that maybe tonight won't be so bad after all.
'Who wants to play scrabble?'
Maybe it will be.


Alan knows bigger words than anybody else but that does not
surprise him. People were impressed with him, he was just impressed
that he did not throw the board on the floor. It was thrown on the
floor, just not by him. All Alan's new friends make fun of him when he
admits he has never played Monopoly before. It was always something
he'd been proud of. Monopoly by candle light was more fun than he
expected, most of the arguments did not last too long and Emily's tears
dried up as soon as people started landing on her hotels on Mayfair.
And as the cards were dealt and matchsticks distributed for poker,
everybody had forgotten about the storm outside, which still carried on
fiercely. Alan hadn't played poker since he was at university. The more
he plays, the more he remembers little tactics he used to use to bleed
the other players dry, if only of matchsticks. While gaining more
matchsticks he remembers the stories he used to tell in those card
games twenty years ago. He starts making people laugh, at one point
Katherine had to spit her drink out over the sink because he'd made her
laugh so much. He had forgotten about this side to his personality. He
starts discussions about life, about music, about sitcoms. He tells
jokes and asks people what they think about various things. Simon joins
in with the conversation, clearing enjoying it. For the first time of
the night the two feel equal to each other. Previously both had felt
the superior. After a few games of poker, the five players are laughing
and joking like they have known each other for years. The Alan now is
unrecognisable from the soaking wet Alan that had walked in a few hours
earlier. He realises this and it gives him a confidence he had
forgotten he had. He carries this on through the remaining games of
poker and rummy before he teachers his new friends games that he used
to play. He shows them card tricks he assumed he'd forgotten, and with
them come more and more stored away memories and stories. People sat in
other parts of Katherine's living room look on jealously at the Fun
Table, who are making the most noise in the room. People who hadn't met
Alan were mistaking him for being an interesting person. Eventually the
games die down and are replaced by laid back talking, a bit of drinking
and smoking and eating boxes of After Eights. This time it is Simon's
turn to be jealous watching Katherine. Alan talks to her as naturally
as he talks to the head of the accountancy department.


'The rain's stopped!'
Alan opens his eyes wearily and watches the commotion around him sort
itself out. He rubs his eyes and works out he had fallen asleep where
he had been lying down talking to Katherine long after the candles had
been blown out. She wakes up realising the same thing. Both are aware
that her arm is around his body. The person shouting continues. 'The
rain's stopped. The suns out, there's milk on the doorstep and the post
has been delivered!' Everybody cheers. Alan stays where he is.
Katherine stands up.
'Thanks for coming everybody. You can go back to your houses now. We've
had a fun time, I'll see everybody soon.' Alan finds his shoes and
awkwardly walks past Katherine. 'It was nice to see you' she
says.
'I've had fun' Alan says. 'It's best I get to the office now
though.'
'I'll see you soon.'
Alan walks through the puddles, which recently were rivers, and unlocks
his front door. While he is driving to work he thinks about the poker
game and about Katherine. He can't get her face out of his head. He
loved being the person entertaining and telling stories. Last night was
one of the best nights of his life. But as soon as he opens his office
door and puts his briefcase on his table, he realises it was a one off
event. His life's in the office by himself, not at a dinner party with
strangers. The rain will never be like that again, and neither will he.
And he's got a meeting with Mr. Atkinson in a few days. It could mean
promotion.