32 Raindrops

32 raindrops smacked my truck’s windshield yesterday as I drove home from Helena.  Okay, I will admit that I did not actually count the drops one by one.  But I think 32 is a pretty good estimate.

I am not sure if 32 raindrops qualifies me to say that I drove through a rainstorm.  Just the same, 32 raindrops resides in something of a sweet spot for annoyance.  That is not a number you can ignore.

32 is a trigger. 

After the 32^nd drop hit the windshield, I flicked on my windshield wipers—anticipating full-fledged rain to follow.  As my wiper blades swept across the glass, the 32 raindrops merged with the assortment of bugs mashed on my windshield and created two giant Picasso-like smears across my view.  The cleansing rain I anticipated to follow never came.

The smears remained.

Now, ask me if I had windshield wiper fluid in my truck’s reservoir to squirt the mess away.

Actually…don’t ask.

--Mitchell Hegman