lost keys

Ravi peered out from under the cover of the station as rain poured from above. He peeked his hand out and let the rain splash against it, before retreating it to open his umbrella and step off the platform with a sigh. It was dark out, from both the cover of the rain clouds, and from the dusk as night rapidly approached. After a long day of carrying passengers on Ravi's route, he was eager to go home and be able to unwind.

Free hand in his pocket, he walked down the dimly lit street, the sound of rain tapping on his umbrella and plinking against the sidewalk provided a peaceful ambience on his way home. As he trotted through the misty, rain-blurred town, he spotted a figure hunched over the gutter, hands swiping frantically through the muddy water. They were just ahead of him, and as he approached, they didn’t look up, too focused on their urgent task at hand. They seemed to be searching for something. Instead of walking past, he hovered his umbrella over them, shielding them from the rain. “Hey, have you lost something? I can help you look for it.” 

The person finally looked up, and Ravi was able to recognize her as the owner of a local apothecary shop, the one they were in front of right now. He’d seen her out in front of her shop before, greeting people or watering the bed of flowers that were out front. Every time he saw her, she wore a bright smile and seemed more cheerful than ever. Even now, she didn’t appear as distressed as Ravi might imagine someone digging through the gutter in the pouring rain to appear. “Thank you, I appreciate it! It’s alright, though. It’s just my keys. They slipped out of my hand when I was walking up to my place, and they fell into the gutter... But it’s fine! I can fish them out, no problem!” 

She determinedly got back to her task, hands swishing around in the muddy water. Ravi didn’t move, however, he kept himself firmly planted on the edge of the sidewalk, still holding his umbrella over the pair of them. Wordlessly, he rolled his sleeves up and crouched down next to her to start feeling around in the gutter for a set of keys with one of his hands. She seemed too preoccupied to even notice that she was no longer being drenched and now also had assistance. 

Ravi felt his finger brush up against something smooth and he forced his hand further down, into a deep pile of mud and other assorted muck that had gathered in the gutter, and he pulled out a jangling set of wet, muddy keys. The apothecary must’ve heard the familiar sound and she turned her attention back to Ravi, she almost seemed surprised to still see him at her side. “My keys!” she exclaimed with relief and simultaneous joy, “hey, thanks, stranger! Why don’t you come inside for a little while? You can warm up and I can make you some tea!” 

Ravi was a little cold, and his suit jacket had gotten slightly wet, sharing a small umbrella with this person and digging around in the muck. He looked up at the darkening sky. Thunder was beginning to rumble above, and the rain had begun coming down harder. Ravi wondered briefly if he should simply hurry heading home, but that thought was squashed the moment a deafening roll of thunder echoed out into the evening. “If it's not too much trouble, yes, I wouldn't mind coming in for a bit,” Ravi replied, handing the shop owner her keys. She beamed happily and they headed up the small front steps to her store, unlocking it after about a minute of searching for the correct key on her overflowing keyring. 

Ravi hastily pulled down his umbrella and stepped inside after her, taking a breath of relief once he'd closed the door behind him. The increasing pitter patter of rain outside was now reduced to a dull background noise. The shop owner seemed to be busying herself already. “Oh, you can call me Mimi, by the way,” she offered while she lit the hanging lanterns that hung from the low ceiling. This place was very warm and cozy, and the feeling was accentuated when the orange glow of the lanterns spread across the small space. The pleasant, calming aroma of herbs only lended to the atmosphere. “You can take your jacket off and hang it at the front! Then just take a seat by the window, I'll be out with some tea in a minute.”

Before Ravi could reply, he watched her disappear behind the drapes that separated the back storage room from the rest of the shop. He shrugged his jacket off and hung it on the coat rack, peering around the store curiously. Mimi's stock of herbs was piled around in woven wicker baskets, stacked all over, and overflowing in labeled basket shelves with little blurbs about their purpose and what one might use them for. There were wooden crates piled in a corner with a tiny note resting on top that simply read ‘clinic’. 

Ravi made his way across the shop to sit down on the window seat, resting his umbrella against the wall. He realized that mud was caked into his fingernails and the creases of his hands from digging in the drain. Looking down at his dirtied hands, he couldn’t stop his mind from wandering to distant memories. Reminiscing was all he seemed to do lately if he wasn’t busying himself. Ravi sighed and hastily wiped the mud off on the sides of his pants, a small frown forming on his face at the reminder of the soured memories. 

Before he could dwell much longer, Mimi emerged from the back of the shop with a cup of steaming hot tea for both of them, setting the tiny tray on a nearby side table. She also pulled up a cushioned stool for herself to sit on. “Let me know if you like it! Oh, hey, by the way, what’s your name? I think I’ve seen you around town before.” 

Ravi looked down at the elegantly painted teacups and their equally as fanciful saucers, catching a whiff of the hot, fragrant aroma that rose from them and already feeling soothed. “Ravi Budraj. I’m a train conductor, so I’m often out of town, but I’ve lived here my whole life. What about you?” 

“Me too!” Mimi exclaimed, taking a pleased sip of her tea. Ravi took the opportunity to take a sip of his own, stunned by how fantastic it tasted. He blinked incredulously, looking down once more at the orange-ish brown, piping hot liquid that filled the cup. He was just about to give his host compliments on her splendid tea, but she enthusiastically continued after a brief pause. “What’s it like being a conductor? Do you travel all around Latorre? Meet all kinds of people? See all kinds of things?”

Ravi was a little taken aback, typically not having the opportunity to talk about himself or the parts of his job that he cherished so deeply. He took another sip of tea, feeling a wave of warmth and relaxedness wash over him. “Well, usually my route is pretty standard, but sometimes I’ll be assigned to week-long trips on routes that go to some of the bigger cities and towns. I’ve grown quite fond of Applelopolis, it’s so much bigger and busier than here, and there’s so many different people…” 

The two of them chattered back and forth with one another, both exchanging stories and talking about the joys of their jobs. It wasn’t often that Ravi got the opportunity to get to befriend new people, especially not people who he discovered while they fumbled in the gutter for a lost item, but it felt good. By the time Ravi left, he didn’t even need his umbrella anymore. The roaring storm had been reduced to a light misting. Ravi waved goodbye to Mimi as she stood on her front step, telling him to come back soon and thanking him for helping her out, waving her hand with unmatched enthusiasm. Ravi made his way down the sidewalk, smiling a little to himself and releasing a calm sigh. For the first time in a while, he felt at ease, and the sorrowful memories didn’t threaten to drown out his contentment.