Waterproof by Reshma Ramakrishnan

The sky was a dark blue, with bright stars like splashes of white, shimmering here and there. They would soon fade, engulfed by the grey clouds coming from the west, a downpour was to be expected. The wind makes the trees around me sigh, and I sigh with them. I mull over today’s events, overthinking and overthinking. The humiliation I faced at school, the hours I spent staring at the shoes inside La boutique followed by the harsh but quick realization of my empty pocket, the forlorn glance at Nathan while he crossed the road, completely lost in the world of music inside his earphones and last but not the least, the fight. The most troublesome thought of them all. 

“I should have said sorry.” I mumbled into the night. An apology meant for someone who should have been there to hear it but isn’t. 

“You should have.” Dot. She’s here. 

“Go away, please,” I say half-heartedly. I turned to look at her, it wasn’t that difficult to spot her bright figure against the darkness of the sky. The pink dress which I made her wear was so translucent that her Command screen was showing through. It said, “Friend located”.

“Can I sit?”

“No.” She made a whirring noise that sounded too human to be made by a robot and sat beside me, looking like a brightly lit Ferris wheel. 

“Can you tone it down a little, I’m trying to repent here,” I said, holding my fingers to my temple.

“The health monitor stays normal though,” she said, checking her wrist. I look away, embarrassed. 

“How are you a machine, when you catch my lies faster than my own mother?”

She looks up at the sky. The screen on her chest blinked, and a picture of the sky appeared on the screen. 

“Sometimes I forget that I am one. Sometimes, just sometimes, you have to be what you want to be instead of what others want you to be,”

“Hmm, wise words coming from a machine,” I said, instantly regretting it. 

“Look I am sorry I -” I started. 

“Oh look. The clouds are here. I detect a decrease in the temperature. There is going to be rain. It would be wise to go back home, friend.” 

I looked up, and true enough, the clouds had covered the stars  completely and the trees were shaking and making noise. I stand, smoothening the creases on my skirt. Dot looks around at the trees and the screen blinks again. 

“So intelligent yet so dumb,” I observe, shaking my head, a smile reaching my lips. I hold out my hand.

“Let’s go home before you decide to malfunction, in the middle of the road in the rain,”

Dot takes my hand, and propels herself up until she is level with my shoulders. 

“You forget, I am waterproof, friend.”

“Right. Whatever you say,” I pause. “..pal.”

We didn't get drenched that day. But Dot’s screen did blink another time.