Kathryn Nicolai

And I remembered standing in the same spot years and years ago, holding my mom's hand.

while she dropped off the keys to our car for an oil change.

I hadn't minded tagging along for the errand, even as a little kid, knowing that the half hour while we waited would almost certainly involve a trip to the ice cream shop.

in the next block.

As I stood reminiscing, looking at the bird baths and garden statues, I heard the wind chimes outside begin to ring.

There must have been a dozen of them playing in the wind.

and I gripped tighter the handle of my umbrella, knowing what it must mean.

The April showers were coming any minute now.

I stepped back out onto the street and turned toward the cafe

thinking that if it were going to rain, I'd love the armchair by their big front window and a cup of something hot to enjoy while it did.

I'd made it back up to the main street when the first drops began to fall.

After months of snowflakes, the sound of the rain actually made me laugh.

I'd forgotten it.

I let it fall on my face, an outstretched hand for a moment, then opened my beautiful umbrella.

and swung it up over my head.

The outside of this umbrella was classic, black fabric.

Nothing that would make you guess what was hidden inside.

I looked up into it, standing there on the corner, and smiled.

A starry night looked back at me from inside the little bubble of space.

A moon rising, a galaxy of stars lighting up the purple and deep blue fabric sky.