Nevertheless, when it rains it pours! The rainy season brings deluges of water into the streets. The city does not have nearly enough street gutters to receive the water, so the result is that literal rivers of muddy water are created. They vary from shallow streams, to one-foot-deep rushing rapids!
My latest unfortunate experience with this occurred last Sunday. I had spent the afternoon baking cookies at a friend's house, and was ready to go home for a well earned nap. I knew it was raining hard outside, but I also remembered that most times I had been in cars in the rain, the water had been maybe 5 inches deep in the worst areas, so I figured my car could handle that.
As soon as I ducked into my car, being immediately half-soaked in the process, I regretted my decision. My friend was watching for me to leave, so I felt compelled to prove that I was up to the challenge, and started to drive away.
I traversed the first block with extreme caution, driving slowly and combing the area in front of my car with the eyes of a hawk, lest my car should trip into a pothole already gushingly filled with water. Of course the heavy rain drops also fell too fast for my wipers to overcome them. I hunched my head down over my steering wheel, as close to the windshield as I could effectively manage.
After what seemed an interminable time, I came close to the fork in the road, in which I would turn towards the last leg of the way to my apartment. At this point I had already driven through increasingly deeper water, including small waterfalls and rapids which poured over and above the speed bumps in the streets. I could see rushing currents in the water, moving faster than I've seen except at water parks and on TV commercials of white-water rafting! I had already considered turning back a few times, but felt that I'd come too far to turn back. I wanted to be home more than anything, especially because I wasn't positive of the way, and it was growing dark.
Just as I was plotting which way to turn in the fork, and considering again whether it would sabotage my car to drive any further, I saw the brake lights of both cars ahead of me. I watched as each, in turn, began backing up. Their cars were now driving against the current, and the water was about a foot deep, so I knew the only conclusion was severe: the water just around the curve head must have swollen to a rushing lake! No doubt they feared they would be swept away, floating haplessly in their cars or sinking into unseen potholes, now at least 3 times their normal depth.
Naturally, I made the safer choice and copied them. It was more nerve-racking to drive against the rushing river than to follow it's angry course ahead, but I knew if I backed up enough, I would get to the shallower stream in which I had started the adventure.
Eventually, I made my way right back to where I started, the street in front of my friend's apartment. I let myself cry out my nerves and disappointment in not being able to get home, while I waited, caged in my car, for the endless deluge to stop.
Miraculously, the storm did abate after about 20 minutes, and even though the streets were still heavy with water, the rushing currents were gone. I finally made it home, after a slow and cautious journey through the dark water, only to find that someone had parked in my parking spot!
Needless to say, it had turned into a no-good, very bad evening. After negotiating with the guard, writing a note to the offending man who took my spot, I closed my bed sheets over my shoulders and bid the wretched evening a faint farewell.
* * *
Graciously, the Lord granted me a bright and refreshing morning the next day. I was able to drive to school with the sunshine, and not even a puddle to block my path!
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