The rain started today. Again. And it wasn’t just a little sprinkle, either. It was a positive deluge, as is normal on this planet. We have 240 days in our yearly cycle, and it rains here for 239 of those days. We get one day of dry and sunny every year, and I missed the window this year.

“Where were you?” Kelly asked me, after the rain had started again. “We were all out enjoying the sun, but I never saw you.”

“I was in Sublevel 6,” I replied.

“Ah, repairing the bilge pumps?” she asked.

“Yeah,” I said. “Someone had to do it before the rain started again.” The bilge pumps keep the facility from flooding, and it fell to me to keep them in good repair, even if it meant missing out on the sun.

“Pump 8 was siphoning mostly dirt and mud, so I had to dump it and restart it,” I said. “I’ll catch the sun next year.” It was hard to shrug it off like it was nothing, because it really wasn’t. Everyone here looked forward to the one day of good weather every year, and I was no exception. But there was nothing to be done about it. Facility maintenance comes before personal convenience.

“I’m sorry you missed it,” Kelly said. “Here,” and she handed me a flower. “There aren’t many of these of out there. The rain floods them all away, but maybe this will help make up for not seeing the sun.”

“Thank you,” I replied, and I meant it. The flower was small comfort, but at least it was something. I tucked the flower into my hair, gave Kelly a quick hug, and went back to my quarters.

There was always next year.

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