Whatever I want

“Where were you yesterday?”

How do I answer that? Yesterday I didn’t exist? Yesterday I was floating in an endless void blissfully unaware of anything?

The rain pounded the ground around us, forming rivulets that wound through the dirt under our feet. We stood close, faces almost touching. A persistent drip forced its way through the leafy canopy. I leaned back slightly and watched it splat, then trickle down his left cheek.

Lightning rent the air and a growl of thunder trailed close behind. He stepped backwards, towards the trunk of the tree. I stepped backwards, closer to the rage.

Where he was intimidated by the overwhelming presence of Mother Nature, I was empowered. When she stood up for herself, Mother Nature was a formidable woman indeed.

I felt a kinship with her. Most of the time we were easy-going and avoided conflict. We let others drive our lives and our actions. But she and I were also different. Sometimes she put her foot down and demanded that we listen and do things her way. Could I do that? Would I dare?

Another flash and I heard her whisper-grumble, ‘Stop sitting on the fence and stand up for yourself.’

She was right. It was time I took a leaf out of her tree. Always doing what he wanted me to do, being who he wanted me to be. It was time I stepped up and took control of my life. The power of the surrounding storm infused me with determination to take away his power over me.

The surrounding storm stepped it up a notch. Driving rain, roaring thunder, hail now breaking through the covering branches, smashing shattered leaves into the ground. He wouldn’t hear me over the cacophony, so I looked him in the eye and stepped backwards and backwards until I joined Mother Nature in all her fury.

I was soaked through in seconds, my hair limp and plastered to my back, drops of water dripping from my eyelashes. It felt so good. Tiny hail stung my arms but I was energised and confident.

More raindrops dripped through the leafy covering and streaked down his cheeks.

I reached up and plucked a golden apple from the tree.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Whatever I want,” I replied, tasting the sweet, sweet juice of freedom. Thunder burbled approvingly as I twirled away beneath the cleansing rain.

“Whatever I want.”