The first thing Robert Dirk noticed as he exited the airport was the rain.

It came down in thick, saturating sheets. It was odd, or at least he thought so, to have so much rain in Houston, Texas. He had been under the impression that all of Texas was the barren wasteland that was always shown in all of the "Alamo" movies. But, looking at the rich rain spattered foliage, he had to admit that he was wrong.

Sighing, he stepped out into the rain. His blue tweed suit was soaked all the way through within a moment or two and it stuck to his slim and lanky frame. His newly-styled black hair hung in limp strips around his young, clean-shaven face. Blinking water out of his eyes, he looked desperately around for a cab, cursing his luck when none was found.

That's when he saw her. She was still so beautiful, just the way he remembered, shoulder length strawberry hair, rich red ruby lips . . . She turned to him, the hand that held the umbrella visibly tightened and her beautiful green eyes darkened.

'Say something, you have to say something!'

But he couldn't, he didn't know what to say. He was lost for words. All he could do was stare.

To think, meeting her like this, after all this time.

When Robert Dirk and Gracie (which was the lady's name) had divorced, it had been the worst moment of his life. It had been a messy divorce. Gracie near took everything that he had. Even so, he still loved her, only God knew why.

He felt tears forming in his eyes. He tried to will them away- a man doesn't cry, a real man wouldn't let it get to him-, but it was too late. One after another streamed down his face.

Looking back on that moment, Robert would always regret not letting her know, not telling her how much he still loved her.

But at the time, he was hoping it would show. He thought that maybe she'd come back if she saw him crying for her. Maybe she would see how much he really cared.

Gracie's face contorted into an expression of sadness and pain. Before she turned away, Robert could've sworn that he saw tears in those emerald eyes and tracts of black mascara running down her cheeks.

He tried to reach for her, tell her to stop, but it was too late. She was already gone.

Why did she turn away? Couldn't she see him cry? Didn't she know how he felt about her?

Then he realized that she hadn't seen any emotion what so ever. The tear drops and the rain drops had run together on his face. She thought he was so strong, she thought that he was over her. But she had been crying...

A wave of despair sliced through him as the meaning dawned on him. She loved him, she must have (or else she wouldn't have cried), and he had just let her go. She would never know that know one could take her place.

He sat on the curb, ignoring the cab when it finally came. All he could do was sit there and wallow in his misery.

"If it hadn't been for the pouring rain, I'm sure she would've seen . . . " He laughed when he realized that he had heard this before somewhere. He wasn't sure where, some country song probably. That was country for you. If you played a country album backwards you would get a new truck, your ma would get out of prison, your girl would come back...

He sighed.

Suddenly feeling very tired, he ignored the rain and leaned up against the lamp post.

Before he fell into a shivering and restless sleep, he thought he heard someone singing.

"Tears in the rain

Hiding the pain

Maybe she'd come back if she could see me cry

She thinks I'm so strong

Oh, but she's so wrong

She just couldn't see these tears in the rain."

Tears in the Rain is copy righted to someone, it's sung by Joe Diffie. And since I am not making money off this work, there is no reason to sue me . . . Thank you.