Saving Rain

by Kelsey Kingsley

Harry’s house was small but welcoming in the way every house should be. I felt all the love contained within those walls the moment I stepped through the door that night, and it never stopped, even after Harry announced to his wife, Sarah, that I’d be staying for the foreseeable future. Initially, I could tell she wasn’t sold on the idea of letting an ex-con sleep under her roof. Her stony gaze and tight grip on her husband’s arm had given her understandable nerves and fear away. But Harry explained my predicament to her, and when he finally introduced me by name, the fear and anxiety vanished as her face lit up with instant recognition, and she asked, “This is Soldier?” Harry had been talking about me for years, apparently, and I guessed he’d put in a good word because it was then that she rushed off to make up the guest room and told me I could stay as long as I needed to. So, that was what I did. I stayed there for a week, feeling like I’d tripped and fallen into the lap of hospitable luxury, and then, just like that, it was Christmas.