From the depths of some amphitheatre I heard a deep rumbling and the occasional crash, but these were faint and I thought perhaps that some construction was going on (at 10pm on a cloudy night: wishful thinking).
No, not so, and as I exited the building after the conclusion of the film and unlocked my bike, it rained. Like the motto on that g-spot zine says, "When it rains, it pours," and so it did. Summer storms..!
I know, I've biked in the rain before, but every time is special and this time was, well scary. Never before had it thundered so as I pedaled. I'm not one to imagine myself being struck by lightning (imagine!) but there is a certain alarming feeling in the air during a storm, one which pushes people to do hasty and crazy things.
Luckily, haste and craziness are the pedaler's friend, and it merely propelled me ever faster and ever wetter towards home. I winced and grinned and perhaps cowered as arcs of lightning crashed violently in the sky above. At this point, my clothes were quite drenched, and my helmet dripping in the way that it tends to, and I was inappropriately amused.
There are different ways of biking in the rain. Sometimes you'll be biking in rain that has just started and isn't very heavy and you won't even get very wet. Other times, it won't even be raining anymore, but the air will be grim and the roads will be full of giant puddles, worse than any water dropping from above, because they splash your pant legs and shoes and there's no way to shelter yourself from them.
Other times the water will drop from above and it will in great amounts, and you will be sad because your underwear will be damp and slightly chilled, and the roads will also be giant puddles, and you will have seen the clear sky at 2:15 that afternoon and removed your rain fender, for it is rather a nuisance to have around now isn't it?
Was I struck by lightning?
Of course not. Did I have a good time? Probably not, although it is funny to
remember. Would I do it again? Well, of course, I can't sleep at some amphitheatre!