It seemed as if the rain would go on forever. Coralee finished up her knitting project and spread it out on the table for inspection. It was a soft gray shawl that would keep her warm next winter. Once that was done, she realized she was restless. Stuck in the house all day because of endless rain, she had lots of excess energy that begged for release. But this late summer storm had moved in and just sat and sat, raining and raining.
Coralee was a big-boned, gangly woman, with flame red hair. It was unruly and curly and seemed to dance around her head when the wind blew. She lived by herself, taking in sewing for folks around town. She was a sensible person, who took great pride in her work as a seamstress. Although she longed for excitement and adventure, her life was pretty dull. And, this rain had kept her trapped inside for days, making her drab life even duller.
Now, Coralee was bored to distraction and stir-crazy as well. But, there were no bars or restaurants open because of the weather and there was no one she wanted to talk to on the phone. She paced. She turned on the T.V., but the cable was out. She decided to dye her hair black, but decided she’d rather go blonde. But, since there was no dye in the bathroom cabinet, she decided she’d give herself a haircut. But first, she was going to have herself a little drink. She fixed up a whiskey and sugar, added a squeeze of lime, and went to find her hair-cutting scissors. They weren’t where they should be, so she fixed another whiskey.
Right then, she heard furious barking coming from the front porch. There was the little dog from next door, soaking wet and shivering and scared. “You poor little baby!” Coralee exclaimed, scooping up the wet mass of fur. She dried it off with a towel and held it in her lap until it settled down. “What were you doing outside?” she asked the pitiful creature. It gave a soft whine in reply.
“We’ll get you home. Let me get my boots,” Coralee assured the dog. She slogged through mud puddles and picked her way through fallen branches, holding the small animal close to her. Rain came down furiously and frogs went wild with song. Thankfully, a light was on in the house next door. Coralee was apprehensive, as she’d never met the woman who lived there. She had only seen her going to and from her car, and walking her tiny pet. She had recently moved in, and seemed unfriendly, so Coralee never made an effort to introduce herself.
Coralee banged on the door, not knowing what to expect. Nothing happened. She banged again. Suddenly the door flew open, revealing a short, round- faced, elderly woman, who was wearing only her underwear. Now this was strange enough, but that underwear was something else. It was bright green, frilled with lace, and had kittens embroidered everywhere, top and bottom. Coralee stared. The woman stared back.
Then, the woman noticed her little dog, who had begun to whine again. “Bitsy!” exclaimed the woman, lifting it into her arms. “Won’t you come in?” she added.
Coralee stepped into a world of pink. Curtains, chairs, rugs - everything was pink. The woman disappeared into the back, then returned with Bitsy wrapped in a thick bath towel. And she had put on a robe. Not just any robe. Indeed, this one was bright yellow and trimmed in sequins. It had tigers and butterflies embroidered around the hemline. And she was holding a bottle of champagne!
“Let’s celebrate!” she smiled. So they celebrated Bitsy’s return well into the stormy night. When Coralee realized it was almost four o’clock in the morning, she thanked the woman, whose name she had learned, was Wilma, and bid her goodnight. By that time, Wilma had taught her to do the rhumba, play five card stud, tame down those crazy red curls, and do several yoga stretches.
The next evening, it was still raining. Coralee looked out at the steady downpour and sighed, wishing she could go to the beach for some sun. She looked at her stack of sewing to be completed and sighed again, wishing she could go for a walk. Then, the phone rang. It was her sister, complaining about being stuck inside because of the rain. “I can’t stand it, Coralee! There ain’t nothing to do for fun. This here storm has got everybody shut down and holed up!” she complained.
“Well, come on over here, then.” Coralee replied.
“Why? You got some work needs to be done?” her sister asked suspiciously.
“No,” Coralee grinned, ”I got somebody I want you to meet!”
