Soaked to the Knees, but Still Delivering

Chapter 1: Rain Love

By the time she reached the middle of her delivery route, the rain had found its way into everything.

It had slipped beneath the collar of her waterproof jacket, soaked through the knees of her trousers, and settled inside her shoes. Each step made an unpleasant squishing sound. The letters in her bag were safe beneath their plastic cover, but she felt as though she had personally absorbed every drop that had fallen from the sky.

It had been raining for days.

Not the gentle kind of autumn rain that made people light candles and sit beside windows with warm drinks. This rain came down with determination. It filled the gutters, darkened the pavements, and turned fallen leaves into slippery patches of brown and gold.

She pulled her hood farther over her forehead and checked the next address.

A curtain moved in the window before she reached the door. Moments later, an elderly man opened it and accepted his mail.

“Awful weather,” he said, standing comfortably inside his warm hallway.

She smiled, although water was running down the side of her face.

“It could be worse.”

The man looked past her at the heavy grey sky.