Love & Rain

I’ll never forget the way that the lightening lit up the sky over the Mohave desert. I was on my way to the skateboarding championship at Venice Beach and I was already running late because I couldn’t find my lucky hat. As I was speeding down Highway 18 the sky lit up a wicked bright shade of pink and I saw it…well the lack of it to be exact...

The road, where did it go? I slammed my brakes, coming to a stop with inches to spare. The rain that had been pouring down for hours had washed the road clean away. It was like miniature rapids instead of two lanes of traffic. Never before and never again have I seen three feet of muddy water flowing with such purpose.

After a bit of yelling at the weather, the road, and my stupid self for running late; I decided to turn around. There was a bar a few miles back, a small hick bar mind you, but it was better than sitting in my car waiting for the storm to wash me away. I pulled into the now full lot. I was obviously not the only person waiting on the storm to pass and the road to reappear.

I could hear 80s rock music booming from inside the bar. I stopped at the door and clicked my car key one more time. You know how it is… I had to keep my skateboard safe, boards aren’t cheap. So I walked in and you could tell something had us all stuck there. I mean there was no way these people would all be in the same room together normally. Old, young, biker, guy in suit, middle aged woman, a few couples and few others.

I made my way through the odd crowd to the bar. Before I could say anything or even look up I hear, “Oh, yep, one Four-Loco on its way.” Then she was gone. I was so confused. Did she think that I ordered? Was she confused? Could she not handle this many customers? Before I could process a full thought there was a colorful can in front of me.

“Hey, I didn’t order this” I said before she could hurry off. That’s when it happened. My eyes met hers and the universe stopped. In front of me was the most exquisite women I had ever seen. She was so tiny that it made her long black hair seem as if it touched the floor. Her crystal blue eyes were so clear I was able to see my future in them.

“Ya, sorry, it’s a gift. I can tell a person’s drink just by looking at them” she replied with a smirk. Her voice was soft but the sarcasm couldn’t be hidden.

“Well then you must be having an off night. Perhaps it’s the weather?” I zinged back. “How about a rum and Coke, hold the rum.” I smiled.

She rolled her eyes, “So a Coke? That’s it? Okie dokie, coming right up.” A few seconds later there was a frosty beer mug full of Coke in place of the Four-Loco. “Anything else?”

“Your name? And I’m not a big drinker so please keep the Cokes coming.”

“Name’s Becca and we’ll do.”

“Hi Becca. I’m D, nice to meet you.”

She smirked again, “D for dog no doubt.” My face must have gone straight from a smile to confused. “I mean look at you… typical guy. Baggy pants, sneakers, the hat, and what’s with the button up shirt? “

“Wow! Look at you in your jeans, with your long hair, working in a bar…” I stopped and smiled. “You know what Becca; all I’m going to say is you don’t look like a bartender but I didn’t judge your ability to make a drink.”

She laughed, “Very true. Sorry, it’s been crazy busy today with this weather sweeping the road away.”

“For the record, I’m anything but a typical guy and only the chosen get to know the name behind the D” I said flirting as best I could. The way she laughed, it was, well, magical.

I sat at that bar watching her work, mesmerized by how everything she did was beautiful. We had the realest conversation of my life. She was caring and funny. I explained to her about skateboarding and how if I won the championship I could go pro. In turn she shared her love for animals with me and her desire to open an animal sanctuary.

It felt like only a few short hours but before I knew it we were alone. Everyone else had moved on. I was so involved in our conversation that not only did I not notice the lack of people; I had also helped her clean and close the bar.

“Let me grab my stuff and we can walk out together” she said as she headed towards the bar. A minute later she was back with a purse and bottle.

“Stealing from work?” I joked pointing to the bottle.

She laughed, “No. It’s wine. I got it as a tip from a customer earlier this evening. I don’t know anything about wine but I think the bottle is pretty. See.”

I looked at the bottle as she held up and she was right, it was pretty, I mean as pretty as a bottle can be. “How ‘bout we drink this and I’ll skate for you?” I said as I opened my trunk.

She rolled her eyes again, “We don’t have any glasses or a corkscrew. We can’t even open without that.”

I just laughed and used my pocket knife as a corkscrew. After getting the wine open I cut two water bottles in half, presto, cups!

“Now that we have our drinks skate for me!”

“Watch this!” I yelled over my shoulder.

Becca sat on the hood of her car, sipping wine from the make-shift cup and watching me skate. After a few Ollies and kick-flips I joined her on the hood. I knew that I loved her I just had to find a way to tell her, but how? Was it too soon? Oh yes, but I just knew she was the one.

Ring! Ring!

Yep, you guessed it, my phone rang. It was my sponsor. The championship was in a few hours and I was running beyond late. It was then I realized the sun had come up. I looked at Becca, “I have to go. I’ll be back.”

“But D…” her voice broke and I knew she was going to cry.

“Darwin. The D is for Darwin.” That was the last thing I said to Becca.

I sped like crazy to get to the competition. I was able to compete last; didn’t do bad either, took the silver medal. After I got my medal I went back to the bar to finish telling Becca how I felt. I thought Becca would be happy to see me but she wasn’t there.

When I started to ask about her I was handed a wine bottle. My first thought was that my dream woman had left me a romantic, all be it informative, message in a bottle. Nope! No such luck.

Turned out, after I left, she left too. Her note said that she had in fact fallen in love with me but she had left to save sea urchins off the coast of Australia. She wanted me to have the wine bottle so I’d never forget drinking after the rain.

There you have it, I named “Becca’s Boards” after Becca, the women that won my heart one rainy night. I never saw Becca again but every time it storms I have a glass of Merlot and think of Becca and the Mojave Rain.