There’s a long, slow, rolling thunder rumbling in the distance.

The sun hangs high in the sky, well past lunchtime but before BrightSide’s come home for the evening. It’s the second half of a hot summer day and we’re about to welcome an afternoon thunderstorm.

The air is steamy. Heavy. It’s the kind of air you push through as you head to the mailbox to check for bills. It’s the kind of air that pushes back.

The summer afternoon thunderstorm breaks fast and hard, driving kids back into their houses and birds away from the feeders. Rain drowns the backyard, forming small runs that cut east to west across the dry grass, a pounding wetness that can’t even really soak into the ground. Nearby rivers rise as the radio warns drivers to Turn Around, Don’t Drown.

We sit on the sofa watching the rain, listening to the patter on the windows and dreaming of cooler days.