Naked in the Rain

By JFalkon

It was one of those mornings when things start out badly and only got worse. My cat had been missing for a week and I was sure the coyotes had made a fine dinner of him. Still I kept his water bowl full and the other one filled with kibble in the hope that Mr. Jingles would make a miraculous return. I was in the shower when my wish came true. I heard a soft meow and when I peered out the small bathroom window I saw my cat in the yard. Elated, I jumped out of the shower and ran naked into the yard to welcome my pet home. He was happy to see me but he did not stay outside for long.

I quickly realized why. The door had a spring loaded shutting mechanism and a recently broken lock. The net result was that if someone went outside, the door would close behind him and lock him out. Normally, this was not a problem for me because I kept my house key in my pants pocket but now my pants were safely indoors and I, a victim of fate, was outside in the rain. It was only a light spring rain but it was cold. As my buns developed goose bumps and my painfully shrinking skin threatened to push my balls back from where they had dropped. I wondered what to do.

Soon I began to look for open windows but found none. Crouching behind some bushes so no one could see me from the street I looked into the kitchen where my cat was happily eating. He saw me and gave me a questioning look. I then went back to the back yard and cursed myself for not fixing that lock. The only way I could see to get into my house was a small vent in the attic. The grate could be taken off and I could squeeze through but I would need to get about fifteen feet off the ground which was no small feat for a naked man with no ladder. I resigned myself to the fact that I would need help and began to look around the yard for something to cover myself with.

Then I heard footsteps and panicked. Hiding behind a tree in the yard I listened and realized that the sound was coming from my neighbor’s yard. Our properties were separated by a tall wooden fence and I tiptoed up to it and looked over. My cute redheaded neighbor was unloading his car after some Saturday morning shopping while I stood staring at him. I was completely captivated by his windswept hair and his swaying walk until I realized just how close I was standing to the splintery fence I had neglected to paint. As I stepped back he looked my way and said “Hi.”

“Hi, um, could I ask you a favor?” I stammered.

“Sure,” he answered.

“Could I borrow a ladder?” I asked.

“Yeah, just come on over and get it,” he said with a cute smile.

“Uh, I can’t,” I said sounding panicked, “I’m naked and I have to get into my attic. ”

He gave me a weird look.

“I got locked out. The only way I can get in is through the attic,” I explained.

“OK,” said my neighbor seeming to reconsider his offer of a ladder.

“You see my cat was missing and I was showering and the cat showed up outside so I ran outside and the door closed behind me,” I continued my story.

“Oh,” my neighbor answered, “OK, I guess I can bring the ladder over then.”

“Thank you,” I breathed a sigh of relief and waited to be rescued.

The boy next door came with the ladder while I hid behind an old garbage can lid. He smiled and I smiled back and thanked him. Then we positioned the ladder and I realized the fatal flaw in my plan. At that height I would be mooning the entire neighborhood. Fortunately my neighbor came to the same conclusion and offered to break into my house for me. I watched him climb the ladder and crawl through the opening and then I collided with the ice-cold garbage can lid I was still hiding behind. Coming to my senses I went to the door and waited for my neighbor to emerge a few minutes later.

I went inside and my neighbor took his ladder home. Relieved I got back in the shower and finished shampooing my hair and rinsed myself in the wonderfully warm water. Then I got dressed and took a closer look at my cat. He had lost some weight but he was otherwise unharmed and determined to go back to sleep as soon as possible. I decided that it was time for me to go grocery shopping but as I picked up my car keys I thought about my neighbor. I wanted to do something nice to return the favor so I went to his home and knock on the door. The man gave me a worried look as if he was wondering what trouble I was in this time. When I explained that I was very grateful and would like to invite him over for dinner his expression brightened and he accepted.

A few hours later I was busy cooking and baking. My skills in the kitchen were not refined but I had been living alone long enough learn a small repertoire of dishes. There was nothing for me to worry about but I was nervous as I got my kitchen table ready and ran back and forth between stove and table. The day had warmed up considerably and it was getting stuffy inside so I opened the door and propped it with my phone book. The fresh air felt good as it replaced the thick scent of spices and boiling meatballs.

My neighbor arrived at the prearranged hour with a bottle of wine. I had just finished setting the table and we sat down to eat. The rain outside had stopped and the sun was setting filling the room with golden light that only made my neighbor’s skin look more silky and his hair look more fiery red. I smiled secretly thankful for the morning’s adventure. I learned that my neighbor’s name was Tory and that he was already well acquainted with Mr. Jingles who often passed through his yard. Hearing his name Mr. Jingles walked in brushing me with his tail but went straight to Tory.

“Oh, Mr. Jingles,” said Tory reaching down to scratch the cat’s head, “He’s a gorgeous cat.”

“Trouble maker too,” I added, “You silly cat. You got me locked out.”

We both laughed remembering how we had met. As we talked Mr. Jingles slipped out the door and still was not back when Tory left a few hours later.

A few days later it was starting to rain again and I was in my yard again but I was dressed this time. I saw Tory and waved to him.

“Hi,” he called smiling back.

“Hi,” I answered, “Have you by any chance seen my cat?”

“No. Is he missing again?”

“He’s been gone a little longer than normal. I’m sure he’s fine.”

“I hope so,” agreed my neighbor.

Then he went inside and I finished replacing the lock on my door. When I was done I threw out the old key and put the new one in my pocket. I was happy with my small accomplishment but there were darker thoughts clouding my mind. The rain came down harder and I tried to watch TV but I was not paying attention. Instead I was contemplating Mr. Jingles’ fate.

The next day Mr. Jingles was still absent and the weather was only getting worse. In order to distract myself I invited my neighbor over for a beer. We sat in the living room and watched the rain as we tried not to worry about the cat.

“I like rain,” said Tory as he watched it saturate the grass.

“Why?” I asked.

“It cleans things, gets rid of old dust, makes room for new experiences,” he explained.

“I never thought about it that way,” I said.

I did not give the statement much more thought as our conversation wandered from topic to topic but I would have a reason to agree that night. While I was getting ready for bed I noticed a familiar meow. Mr. Jingles was home and I ran to the door to let him in. I also discovered the reason for his most recent absence was a tough looking tabby cat. She was little hesitant to follow Mr. Jingles in but I called her and she came. There seemed to be no harm in letting someone else’s cat spend the night especially when it was so wet outside. I noticed that the cat had no collar but assumed she had lost it.

A week later when the cat had shown no interest in returning to her own home I began to wonder who’s she was. I took her to the local vet and had her checked for a microchip but there was none to be found and the vet concluded that she was probably abandoned. He also discovered that Mr. Jingles had blessed us with kittens. I adopted the new cat and named her Mrs. Jingles.

Luckily for me the litter was a small one but before I knew how many cats there would be I was worried. Tory however was ecstatic when he heard the news.

“Does that mean I can have one?” he asked.

“Yeah, you bet!” I said, “I don’t know what I’ll do with the rest. I better put out a free kittens sign today and start advertising on the web and—“

“Wait. They’re not even born yet,” laughed Tory, “You don’t know how many you’re going to have. Besides, you can’t just give them away the minute they’re born.”

“You’re right,” I said giving Mr. Jingles a guilty look as he rubbed up against my leg.

When the cats were finally born there were only three of them. They were born early one Saturday morning. The unusual sound woke me up and I went to see what was going on. In a corner of the living room Mrs. Jingles was licking her offspring and Mr. Jingles was watching somewhat awestruck. I watched them until I was convinced they were alright and then went back to my bedroom to sleep but I found myself too excited. Later that morning Tory came by to see the cats and was delighted.

Over the next few months we tried to divide up the cats but eventually they just alternated between our homes depending on their moods. Three months after the kittens were born I had the whole cat family fixed but I could not stand to have my poor Mr. Jingles deformed so I asked the vet if he could just do a vasectomy. The vet agreed but could not resist rolling his eyes and Tory teased me about it.

I had just come home with our cats when Tory came by to visit. “So, how did operation save the cat balls go?”

“It went fine, thank you,” I answered.

“I can’t believe you asked the vet to tie a cat’s tubes instead of removing his nuts!”

“If you don’t quit teasing me I’ll do something to your nuts.”

“That’s so gay,” laughed Tory.

“Like you aren’t,” I teased.

“Actually I am,” he said and looked at me waiting for a reaction.

I just turned my attention to my tired cats but inside I was jumping for joy because I had been hoping that Tory was gay. When I looked back at Tory I could not quite read his expression but he did not seem happy.

“That’s cool. I’m gay too,” I answered.

He smiled a little and we left the awkward subject alone for a while instead focusing on our pets. It was summer now and it was hot so we had the air conditioner on and our shirts off. I could not keep my eyes off of Tory. I do not know why I did not just tell him I liked him but there was no denying that I did. Once the cats were comfortably resting we went to the kitchen to get something cold to drink.

“Man it’s hot,” complained Tory.

“I know and it’s kind of humid too,” I said.

“The weather report says we may get a storm tonight. I saw some clouds on the horizon.”

“Anything’s better than this heat.”

“Well at least you have that,” he said pointing out the window to an above ground swimming pool I had recently gotten.

“You want to go for a swim?” I asked.

“No, I think I’ll just stay inside for now.”

That afternoon the world seemed to have stopped around us. We sat in the living room as our cats slept waking occasionally to half-heartedly inspect their bandages. The clouds moved in at a snails pace while birds and insects napped on drooping tree limbs. The neighborhood was silent in the still heat as if saving its energy for the night. It seemed that only Tory and I were fully awake but eventually we also fell under the spell that had bewitched our world. I put my head back against the couch and Tory leaned on my shoulder. As I began to dream it occurred to me that though we never had a formal date Tory and I had gotten quite close. I hoped that we could eventually become closer.

When we woke up it was dark and the cats were beginning to stretch their limbs and wander around. It was sunset and the clouds on the horizon shut out all light except a bright orange streak where the earth met the sky. While we were sleeping the weather had changed. It was still hot but now a gusty wind periodically rattled our windows. Tory and I joined the cats in their stretching and pacing and then went outside to see if it was any cooler. The change was only slight and it seemed more humid. Going back inside I realized that the air conditioner was not on and when I tried to switch on the lights nothing happened. Looking back outside I noticed that the streetlights we out.

“Looks like the power is out,” I stated the obvious.

Tory nodded sleepily.

I lit some candles and we checked how each cat was coping. Then we put more water in the cat bowl and settled in the kitchen for a candle light dinner of cold leftovers. I had a gas stove but the thought of heating the house was enough to spoil our appetites. Slowly the wind subsided and the air grew still again.

“I think it’s raining,” Tory said after a while.

I got up to look outside and saw that he was right. Meanwhile Mrs. Jingles took advantage of my pulled out chair and got on the table. She ran off with a piece of meat before we could stop her.

“Oh great,” I complained, “The vet said not to feed her until morning.”

“I don’t think she’s going to pass out and choke on it,” said Tory.

“You’re probably right,” I admitted

We finished our dinner carefully guarding it from the hungry felines. Then we were left with nothing to do. I proposed going for a swim and Tory liked the idea but he did not feel like going to his home for a bathing suit. “Can I borrow a pair of swimming trunks?” he asked.

“No,” I said playfully, “You either get your own or you can go naked.”

“But I’m not the neighborhood nudist,” he complained.

I finally let him borrow a suit and we got in the pool.

“You know what?” I said.

“What?”

“I changed my mind. I want my trunks back.”

Then I pantsed him and held the swimsuit high above my head and out of his reach laughing. “Who’s the nudist now?” I teased.

Tory seemed to give up. He stood in front of me for a few seconds and then dove under water. He pulled off my bathing suit and grabbed the one out of my hand. I watched helplessly as he took off for the house waving the suits in victory. I tried to catch up with him but he went inside and locked the door leaving me naked in the rain. While I begged to be let in he laughed and looked out my window at me. I gave up and got back in the pool. Eventually Tory joined me not bothering with a bathing suit.

“What do you think the rain will bring this time?” I asked watching lightning flicker in the distance.

“What do you mean?” asked Tory.

“You know how you said that rain washes things and brings change. The last time it brought me Mrs. Jingles. The time before it brought you here. So what do you think’s going to happen this time?”

Tory though for a minute watching the distant flashes, “All I meant was that things are a little freer after the rain. All the old dust and dead leaves go away. In nature it is just the catalyst for things but if you want to use it for inspiration I guess you can change anything you want,” then with a smile he added, “Dr. Frankenstein took full advantage of lightning so why not you?”

“Yeah, why not? All I need is a dead body or two.”

We laughed for a moment, as the storm grew closer. We could now hear the thunder though it was still far away. “Change can be scary,” I mused.

“Yeah, it can be but it worked out well enough for Mr. Jingles,” said Tory.

The loud rumbling of thunder precluded me from answering. “It’s getting close. We better go inside,” I said.

As we walked to the house lightning once again illuminated our nude bodies. It flashed again moments after bathing the house in electric blue light. The cats had retreated to a quieter corner and we went upstairs where our cloths were. Lightning cast strange shadows around us and thunder rolled overhead like dark music. I reached for the shorts that I had left on my bed but Tory caught my hand. “Do you want to make a change?” he asked.

In the strobe like light show and the monstrous noise, the idea that I had a choice in anything seemed out of place. “Yes,” I answered pulling him closer.

Our lips met and skin rubbed over skin as I led him to my bed. As we lay down together I felt something changing. It was barely perceptible amidst the light and sound but I could feel that the choice I had made would shape my life for years to come. Then I let my mind get lost in the sensations that flooded my brain. The heat and the sound of him breathing so close to me seemed more real than anything the weather had to offer. I did not notice when the storm passes or when the rain became a mere drizzle as ecstasy was replaced by sleep.

The following morning I woke up and looked over to see that Tory was there and that the previous night had not been a dream but a dream come true. The morning was quiet even though the power was back on. No one seemed to want to get up. Even the cats were sleepy. Eventually I made some toast and coffee. As Tory and I went outside with our mugs a light haze produced a beautiful rainbow and birds began to sing.

I secretly think of that morning as our wedding day though the actual marriage happened years later for legal reasons. Of course, the paperwork never mattered much to a silly guy like me who enjoys being naked in the rain.

© 2009 JFalkon

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