Early summer rain

I still clearly remember an afternoon like that, when the first summer rain came to the mountain town, bringing with it a very strange feeling, both familiar and melancholy.

The weather in Pleiku during the changing seasons seems to hold a bit of nostalgia, the mornings are dry and sunny, the afternoons clouds hug the mountain tops. Then one day, amidst the familiar chill, the clouds thicken, the wind changes direction and the smell of red basalt suddenly becomes pungent. That is when the rain comes, the first rain after many dry months, awakening a whole area of memories.

The rain in Pleiku came suddenly but not in a hurry. At first, it was drop by drop, falling softly on the corrugated iron roof, like an old friend gently knocking on the door. Then suddenly, the whole sky seemed to burst open, water pouring down, mixed with the sound of wind and the rustling of pine leaves on the high hills.

The red dirt road was streaked with puddles. Children shouted with delight, running barefoot in the rain, their clothes dirty. Adults huddled on the porch, holding cups of hot coffee, looking out at the watery sky, lost in thought.

I love standing and watching the rain through the old wooden window in my parents' house. The smell of rain mixed with the aroma of coffee, the smell of new rice, the smell of cinnamon bark drying in the kitchen corner, all create unique colors in the flow of my memories.

In the drizzling rain, I listened to my grandmother tell stories of the past, heard my mother calling from the kitchen, and heard my heart quietly cultivating a longing that was hard to name.

I remember the rainy afternoons when my sister and I used to go together to cut sesame grass along the coffee plantation, and the days when we rode our old bicycles into the village to ask for banana trees to feed the pigs. We were both soaked to the skin, but were happy when we found young bay grass or when the landlord gave us a few ripe bananas…

The first summer rain in Pleiku is not only a sign of the weather, but to me, it is also a gentle slice of time. The rain brings about the transformation of nature, awakening tired souls after hot and dry days. It brings the feeling of slowing down, of relaxing, of sitting down and listening to oneself.

It is not an exaggeration to say that Pleiku really knows how to please people, even the weather knows how to follow the rhythm of human life to help each other through the hot sunny days.

If the day before is hot and stuffy, the next day will be mild. Even in early summer, you still have to wear a light sweater when going out, and at night you sometimes have to find a thin blanket to sleep.

This summer, I am looking forward to the first rain of the season. For me, the first rain of summer is still a special memory with wordless stories full of love.