Two women, Two cars, One Umbrella

I was working out the other day at the gym, peddling hard on the elliptical, when the giant room darkened with black clouds and a crack of thunder crashed throughout the facility.

I jumped on my machine, then giggled   Wow! That was something, I thought, quickly coming back to earth and then glancing around at the others.  A few were also smiling.  Like me they had also been stunned but soon resumed their unnatural pace.

Keep going, I said to myself, diligently peddling to nowhere in order to continue my cardio workout while hoping that they rain would subside before I finished.

It didn’t.

After cooling down and schmoozing with a few of the women, I grabbed my workout bag and purse from the locker room and climbed the stairs to the entrance, clutching the tiny umbrella that I carried in my bag.  Too small to do any good, I thought, eyeing the mini maelstrom as I but pushed ahead outside.

I stood against the building under the overhang and waited.  The lightening stopped but I was afraid of getting drenched.  One step closer to my car, I thought, but just like stomping on my elliptical, going nowhere.

Another girl stepped outside.

“I just have this little thing,” I said, holding up my folded red umbrella.  She nodded, holding only her purse. We talked a couple minutes, and then I looked away, figuring.  I turned back to her.   “Would you like to take my umbrella, go to your car, and then drive back here and give the umbrella to me?”

“Really?  Thanks!”  She grinned. “And just for trusting me,” she said. “I’ll leave my purse with you.” She dropped it on the cement. “Too heavy to carry.”

I must’ve looked surprised. “Sure.  I'm a coward in the rain, but if nothing else, I’m trustworthy.”

She thanked me again as I handed her the umbrella.   Opening it, she scurried into the lot.  From a distance it looked larger than I thought and covered her well.   Returning a few minutes later in a gray SUV, she yelled through the passenger side window, “Come on in, I’ll drive you to your car.”

Grabbing my workout bag, her purse and mine, I climbed inside.  She drove me around to my car and handed me back my umbrella.  Thanking her, I asked her name.

“Stacey.”                                                               

“Hey, that’s good luck!” I said, getting out. “My daughter’s name too.”

She laughed and waved goodbye.   I laughed too.

I made a new friend today.   And all because of the rain.