Stormy Night

by Travis Rocha

Tuesdays and Thursdays are my long days during the week. I have back to back to back classes from 3 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. While the classes are all great, I’d be lying if I said they don’t run a little long, sitting in a desk for four hours. It’s odd to remember that just a few years ago, I was in high school every single day for seven hours. Anecdotes aside, the walk home after my last class felt more long and toilsome than any of my classes that day combined.

In hindsight, I should have seen it coming. The warning signs were all there. The weather forecasts warned of some serious rain coming to Newport News, but I didn’t catch exactly when. Another warning sign was when my friend came to class saying she was “definitely getting a ride home from leadership class.” Regardless of all these signs, I didn’t put the pieces together. When I left my last class of the day, and I walked out of McMurran, I was shocked to be welcomed with a gigantic rain storm. It was definitely the wrong day to wear flip flops.

I began trudging through the rain, my flip flops smacking and splashing all the way. I think the rain added 10 minutes to my normal walk time. When I finally arrived to my house on East Campus, I was dripping wet. I quickly changed and hopped into the shower. When I came out, I sat with my roommates, who had an equally tumultuous trip home, and we laughed about it. In warm clothes, we all relaxed together and talked about our plans for fall break.

I definitely could have gone without the rain that night, but it’s always so comforting coming back to my house and seeing all of my housemates. They’re always there to hang out and laugh with, even after a stormy night.