The Transformation of Rod - Part 9 (final)

The following weeks held many changes for Rod.  He gave up trying to deodorize his apartment and instead opted to move.  His new place was a little closer to work in a much newer building.  Rod rented a ground floor apartment with sliding patio doors that opened onto a private courtyard.  The apartment building was shaped like a horseshoe with apartments bordering three sides of the inner courtyard.  The building was situated on a small rise and third side of the courtyard opened onto a view overlooking Phoenix.  Rod's apartment was opposite the open side - at night he could stand at his patio door and look out the dazzling city lights.  The courtyard itself was made up of bricks laid out in a mosaic with sections of small pebbles.  The only vegetation was a few potted plants other residents kept by their doors.  The courtyard contained a couple of picnic tables that got little or no use.  In general, people were seldom in the courtyard.  Its design, while beautiful, only served to intensify the Arizona heat.  Still, Rod felt comfortable in his new place.

The apartment seemingly housed a number of young to middle-aged single residents.  This contributed to Rod's sense of ease.  In his old apartment, many of the residents were older, retired couples.  In some respects, this had made Rod feel young by comparison.  In his new place he was far from the youngest, but he found just being in the vicinity of these new neighbors brought forth a renewed energy within him.  In particular, Rod noticed a young woman who lived in the apartment next to his.  She was at least five years younger than he and nothing like the women Rod usually noticed.  She had dark brown hair cut short, almost pixie-like and she wore little or no makeup.  Rod made these observations from quick glances as they occasionally passed in the hallway, going to or from their respective apartments.  Rod was surprised at how attracted he felt to her.  She was beautiful but Rod felt there was something else that drew him to her.  She exuded a certain vitality and freshness that Rod found irresistible.  They had not spoken beyond a quick "hi" in passing.  Rod longed to know more about her, but did not want to risk creating an awkward situation - not with his next-door neighbor.  He did notice from her mailbox that her name was Cindy.  At least he had a name.

Rod also sold his truck.  He cleaned it numerous times but just couldn't completely rid it of its odor.  When he traded it in, no one mentioned anything about a smell, so maybe he was imagining it.  It didn't matter.  Rod was ready for a change.  Rod purchased a small electric car, not so much for the environmental advantages but more because he was sensitive to the smell of exhaust.  Rod found he had a heightened sensitivity to many odors.  Sometimes this was a good thing.  Sometimes it could make life difficult.  He took his garbage to the dumpster daily and never let dirty dishes sit in his sink for long - the smell was just too off putting.

The biggest change in Rod's life was his new job at the park.  He was part of a group of three, tasked with understanding wildlife migration patterns.  His co-workers were young - just out of school.  They were friendly and Rod got along well with them although he kept a certain distance.  He was quiet at work, and they regarded him as a shy, nice guy who knew tons about wildlife.  Rod brought with him his years of log books which proved invaluable in establishing a historical reference for the majority of the park's species.  Rod was soon seen as a valuable asset to the park.  He knew the others thought of him that way although he wasn't sure if he deserved such accolades.

Rod eventually stopped losing weight.  His diet still consisted mainly of fresh fruits and vegetables.  His job afforded him many opportunities for long hikes through the park to check on various animals.  The daily hikes contributed to Rod's overall mental and physical well-being.  He was in better shape than many men ten years his junior.  Rod was aware of this but didn't think much about it.  Sometimes, when he was hiking on a high ridge, he would look down at the highway below and see his old collection truck patrolling along.  Some new kid, Rod supposed.  He hoped whoever it was would take good care of the truck.  Over time, Rod remembered parts of the old job fondly - how soft the feathers were on the underbelly of a young roadrunner, or how a scared armadillo would curl up in a ball, as if that was going to do any good against a semi.  There were some good days, Rod decided.

It was late on a Friday night.  Rod was at his kitchen table, log books and papers strewn all about.  He had gotten into the habit of bringing work home with him on the weekend.  Rod found himself with a lot of free time otherwise.  While everyone else longed for the weekend, for Rod it couldn't get over soon enough.  By bringing the work home, he could essentially continue his work week non-stop.  Rod knew this was probably not a healthy thing to do.  Still there was a part of him that enjoyed the work and he reasoned it was as good a way to spend his time as any.

As Rod sat at the table, he became aware of a tapping sound coming from his patio door.  Rod turned.  It took him a moment to realize what the sound was.  Rain.  It rained so seldom - this was the first time since Rod had been in the apartment.  This was one of those times when having an over-sensitive nose was a definite plus.  Rod was barefoot, wearing jeans and a tee shirt.  He opened the patio door and stepped out onto the courtyard.  The bricks, still holding some of the day's heat, warmed the bottoms of his feet.  Rod leaned back and let the rain pelt his face.  It felt cool and wonderful and smelled glorious.

Rod tried to remember the last time he'd done this.  Not since he was a kid for sure.  He thought of all the rainfalls he'd hurried through, never aware of their beauty.  He'd missed out on much over the years.  And not just because of his poor sense of smell.  That was only part of it.  Rod felt the water running over him and imagined the last of his old self washing away.  He was a new person with a new life.  Sure, he was lonely at times but he was lonely before as well.  He just never admitted to anyone including himself.  He was mostly happy now.  Work was good.  His new place was nice.  If the worst thing he had to put up with was a little loneliness, he could handle that.  He had plenty of experience.  Besides, a lot of people had it a lot worse than he did.  He should be thankful for what he had.  Rod tried to convince himself that the wetness in his eyes was from the rain, but deep down he knew better.

"It's wonderful, isn't it?" a female voice said.

Rod jumped slightly.  He hadn't noticed anyone else outside.  It was dark in the courtyard, but there was enough light from the apartments that he could make out someone standing nearby.  It was Cindy.  Rod looked at her and nodded.  Cindy turned and looked back up at the rain and closed her eyes.  She was wearing a short sleeved shirt and pajama pants.  She was also barefoot.  She had probably been in bed, Rod deduced.  From how wet she was, Rod guessed that she had been outside just a little longer than he had.  Rod looked back up at the rain.  For a few minutes, the two of them stood there silently.

"What's your favorite thing about it?" Cindy asked, still looking up.

Rod thought about this.  He knew the answer, but he took a moment to savor all the qualities of the experience.  He took a deep breath.  "The smell," he said at last, looking over at her.

Cindy turned and smiled at him.  "Me too," she replied as she walked over to Rod.

When she reached Rod, Cindy turned back toward the rain.  Rod did the same.  The two stood side by side in silence once again. Rod could feel her shoulder lightly brushing against his own.  He wondered if he should say more or if she just wanted to enjoy the moment.  As they stood there, Rod could no longer concentrate on the rain.  Cindy's presence dominated his senses.  He longed to say something to her, to at least introduce himself.  But he was afraid.  Maybe this was all she wanted.  It was pleasant.  Perhaps he should try to enjoy it for what it was worth.  Two people sharing a rainfall.  Rod tried to clear his thoughts and focus on the rain.

"My name's Cindy," Cindy said at last, still facing the rain, eyes closed.

"I know," Rod blurted out.  He hadn't meant to say that.  It was in his head and it just got out of his mouth before he could stop it.  He didn't want her to think he was some weird stalker or something.  He was also a little afraid to reveal that he was interested in her, unsure how she would respond.  Was it such a bad thing to let someone know that you were attracted to them?  He doubted he was the only one checking names on the mailboxes.  Rod glanced at Cindy.  She was still looking into the rain.  Maybe she hadn't heard him.  Maybe she was okay with it.  Maybe he was thinking too hard about it.

"I'm Rod," he said at last.

"I know," Cindy replied with a smile.

THE END