Walking to Work in the Rain

The goal is to keep my pants clean. So the first thing I do is roll them up… waaaaaay up. Even if I look silly.
Actually I don’t care if I look silly – I already stand out with my blonde hair and blue eyes!
I reach my hand in my bag, looking for my chata (umbrella) – a tiny pink and black umbrella that used to belong to my grandmother, and has the added bonus of being much better quality than those you can find in Kathmandu.
I walk out of my apartment building, pants rolled up and my core burried under my chata. Immediately, I’m forced to step in a puddle to make way for the crazy motorcycle driver coming down the narrow lane. “Crap!! More laundry to do.”
I continue on to work, trying not to make the condition of my pants any worse. I concentrate hard, trying to avoid mud, garbage, potholes, puddles.
Eventually, I step into the groove. BBC is being streamed through the radio on my cell phone. People are selling produce on the street. Children walking to s chool, dogs doing their doggy thing. As I drift into the world around me, I begin to forget about my pants.
Until a wet feeling drips through my shoes and up my leg.
I did it again.
Twenty minutes after I rolled my pants up, I arrive to work muddy and damp. I failed in my goal.
“Oh well,” I think. “There’s always tomorrow.”