I was in Prep when it rained in school for the first time. Everything changed round me--the dark sky, the classroom ceiling fluorescents that were turned on, the wet driveways and corridors we passed to and from the cafeteria and the prints my shoes made on the cement, even the looks on people's faces. I remember that I so much wanted to be at home and away from all those strangers.

That same feeling came to me whenever I was at work, though I thought it was always because the trains would be extra crowded.

Now, when it rains, I am able to pause and take my time conversing with the rain, and it tells me stories about why everything changes.