Angie In The Rain

Angie feels weak.  She has spent an hour waiting for Jacob to pick her up.  Her skin is cold and it shivers.  She rubs her face  - it is wet but there are warm tears running down.  She feel exhausted. Two hours of sports and then one hour of standing since no dry seat to sit on.  Deflated Angie looks at the telephone across the road, and she thinks of calling Jacob.

Mr Hammers walks past her - his name is Greg and he sees Angie as he passes.

"Are you okay?"  he asks.

Angie wishes she was okay!  But no she is not okay - two hours of sports and one hour of standing have made her low and moody, and the rain has made her ice cold.  Angie sighs before another car rolls up to the curb.  It is Jacob.  Angie runs towards the car leaving the teacher behind.

"How's it going?"  asks Jacob as he glares at Angie soaked to the bone.

"Cold and hungry;"  she answers before she locks the car door.

The teacher is staring at the car, and Angie shivers -  she wishes that stare would go away, and soon it does.

"Take your time to pick me up..."  mutters Angie with a frown.

Jacob shrugs before he turns on the heater - it immediately starts to warm Angie and she almost smiles.

"Work;"  he mutters after a moment.

Angie nods.  She knows better then to press Jacob and she quietens down.

"How about some burgers?"  asks Jacob.

"Okay;"  smiles Angie as she grows less sour.

Jacob turns the corner and rolls into the drive through of a takeaway burger joint, and soon Angie has a warm meal on her lap.


Jacob drives down the street muttering to himself.  He turns, and turns again, and then he stops the car at the end of a dead quiet street.  Angie looks at him as he eats, she nibbles on the food herself and it quickly warms her but she wishes they were at home then she could get out of her wet clothes.

"Can we go home?"  she asks.

"I'm hungry;"  tells Jacob as he stares at the road.

There is noting there - just dead road.  Angie glares too - he has an interest in the road, but it is dead, so she wonders why he could think it so interesting, and then snap!  It comes to her!  It is a distraction.

They eat in silence until the food is gone, and then with the burger bag in the back Jacob takes time to smoke.

"Can we go home?" asks Angie as she holds her breath.

"I don't want to just go home;"  tells Jacob as he smiles.  "Let me enjoy the refreshment and then I'll think about taking you home;"

Angie nods and she fingers her damp skirt - the material has dried a bit since she had been in the car, and she feels a lot more comfortable.  The rain outside however grows worse and worse as a downpour hits, and soon they can't see anything ahead just while blur caused by the rain.

"The rain's coming down heavy;" tells Jacob as he grins at her.

The cigarette in his fingers has burn down to the stub and he fidgets with it before it drops it into the ash tray moulded in the middle.

"I thought you would never come to pick me up today;"  complains Angie.

"Work is work;"  shrugs Jacob as he glares at her.  "I'll come some time, just sometimes its late;"  he adds as he rolls his eyes.  "No need to catch a lift with the teachers from the school, you just wait;"

Angie nods. Jacob stares at her and smiles.  He then brushes his fingers along some strands of her hair before dropping his hand.  Angie blushes - he used to do that when she was a kid to let her know how much he enjoyed, now she think's it's a bit too much and she winces.

"I'd rather you keep to yourself;"  she tells him.

Jacob crooks his head and then he grows sullen.  A quiet moment passes and then it moves on.

"Sorry I didn't know;"  he tells her before he leans away.  "I always did a similar thing;"

"I know; but I don't like it now;"  tells Angie as she looks away.

Jacob glares at Angie and then he rubs her shoulder.  Angie feels her mind curl and then she winces as her shoulder is squeezed a little too hard.  Jacob is upset, that is apparent;she doesn't want him to be, she is scared.

"All these years, and you finally want to let me go;"  tells Jacob as he glares at Angie.

"It's not like that, I just think you shouldn't be so hands-on;"  tells Angie with a shrug.

"Hands on!"  steams Jacob as he feels his chest heave.

Angie feels the strain between then and she feels like she wants to cry.

"What am I now then?"  he asks with glass in-between his teeth.  "Hands on!"

Angie shivers, and then she gives a sigh of relief as Jacob stops squeezing her shoulder.

The rain pours down in buckets and floods the windows until it feels like the car has dived under the water for a swim.  Angie glares at the water ignoring Jacob -  she feels stiff and coarse.  A sudden regret makes her mind wish she hadn't said anything; she should have just let him play with her hair.  Angie sighs, and then she sobs - a short sob under her eyes which only makes a prick of tear that lingers in the duct of one of her eyes.

Jacob rubs her shoulder again, and then he traces his fingers to her neck which he squeezes.  Angie coughs.  Jacob sighs and lets her go.  He can see the distance is her eyes, she is grow, and she wants him gone.

"Well if we're strangers may as well make friends;"  he mutters.  "Get out!"  he orders.

"What?"  gasps Angie.  "It's pouring!"

"Out!"  screams Jacob before he unlocks the door.

Angie can tell he means it and she moves out of the car.  She shivers as she looks at Jake in the car, she is cold and getting drenched by the second.  Then the car moves away, and before she knows it it is gone.  Angie feels her heart sink.  He has gone, and she is stuck in the rain once again.