Oh hello! Would you like to hear a story? You would? Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin.
Once upon a time there was a lovely young girl who needed to go to the chemist in Estepona. She could have gone in the car because it was a bit rainy outside, but no, that would be too easy. She decided to go on her bike. Her concerned family warned her that the skies were looking dark and that the rain might get heavier, they implored her to go in the car, but no, the lovely young girl was determined to go on her bike. And so she did.
As she set off she quickly realised that this wasn't going to be as easy as she had thought. The rain was getting heavier and it was quite windy too, but our plucky friend wasn't going to be beaten by the weather and so she carried on. 2 minutes later she was soaked through and she quickly realised that wearing just a t shirt under her lightweight jacket hadn't been the best idea. Her sodden jacket sleeves clung to her goosebumpy, stick arms and she felt quite cold. Determined to carry on in her quest she came to the main road and pedalled along through the pouring rain and the deep puddles that had settled along the side of the road.
As she went along through the puddles the water sprayed out quite prettily from her front tyre, rather like an aqueous Catherine Wheel. Unfortunately the water emanating from the back tyre was being sprayed in abundance all over her back and bottom which made for quite an unpleasant feeling. But she had little time to dwell on that for at that moment she cycled through an especially deep puddle and her feet were instantly drenched in icy cold water. As the wind caused her soggy sleeves to flap unpleasantly against her arms, her feet squelched in her trainers and she felt the unrelenting spray on her back she ignored her discomfort and carried on.
Eventually she reached Estepona and stumbled across a chemist that she hadn't expected to be open (you see, it was Sunday, and only one chemist was due to be open). For some reason, unknown even to her, she decided to cycle on past that one and go on to the one that she had originally found out was going to be open.10 minutes later she approached the chemist and stopped to lock her bike to a nearby tree. As she fumbled in her bag for her bike lock key, trying to shelter her bag from being soaked by the rain she noticed that this chemist wasn't in fact open. It was shut. Getting back on her bike, allowing herself an indulgent tut at the unreliability of the Internet, she cycled on through Estepona, rebelliously going the wrong way along a long one way street all the way back to the chemist.
Locking her bike to a tree she went into the chemist where the assistant was mopping the floor after the departure of the last customer who had dripped rain water in the shop. She took one look at our gallant young friend who was currently creating a sizeable puddle as she stood in the doorway. Sighing, she put her mop down resignedly and assisted the young girl who bought some iodine that she needed for her ailing child back at home. Returning to her bike and not particularly caring that a small lake had formed on the seat she sat down and pedalled off.
Having felt, albeit temporarily, the welcome warmth of the shop while she had been in the chemist the return of the cold slap of her sleeves against her defenceless arms dampened her spirits just a little. She cycled through the back streets of Estepona, past endless restaurants and bars where people sat in sheltered comfort, warmed by outdoor heaters and seated on comfy chairs in the golden glow of the lights and delicious smells wafted out to the young girl's nose. The people looked at the young girl with sympathy in their eyes but she carried on.
As she returned to the main road the heavens opened and there was a torrential downpour. The wind got up, the skies grew dark and the young girl thought 'oh ****!' She noticed that her sleeves resembled gutter pipes as the relentless rain water ran down her neck and literally poured out from her sleeves. The water spraying from her front tyres that had seemed so pretty before was now being blown into her eyes, blinding her temporarily and jostling for space with the water that was also pouring down in a torrent from the front of her helmet. The pounding rain drummed noisily on top of her head and the deepening puddles at the side of the road drenched her as she cycled on through them. She found herself laughing hysterically at the whole situation and at how pathetic and drenched she must look. At one point she cycled past a lady stood under a very large umbrella at a bus stop, and the lady waved and smiled at the girl as she went past, splashing through the puddles and giggling uncontrollably.
The girl's legs ached as she fought her way uphill in the highest possible gear, because her poor wet, frozen, numb hands couldn't find the grip needed to change down to a lower gear. Eventually she reached the home stretch and fought her way to the top of the last hill, pedalling upstream against a downhill flowing river of rainwater. Her house came into sight as she turned the last corner, the lights from her front room glowing invitingly as she got ever nearer. Finally she reached home and as she went inside her family looked at her as she dripped onto the floor. "I got a bit wet" she said as she stood in a rapidly growing puddle. And so, having returned to the safe dryness of home she was able to peel off her wet and mud streaked clothes, she had a shower and a nice cup of tea and made a wish that she wouldn't catch a cold from her adventures.
And so ends our story. I hope you enjoyed it. What's that you say? Did this story really happen and who was the lovely young girl? Well, I will leave that for you to work out. Until next time.......