The young man was hurrying through the restless atmosphere, just like everyone else in the neighborhood, as the weather suggested that rain could pour at any moment. However, looking at him, you could tell he wasn’t in high spirits. His walk revealed this clearly. He moved quickly, like a determined man, with strength and purpose, slightly swaying to avoid the impending storm that threatened to catch him on the way.

He walked faster to avoid getting wet, not just for the sake of it but for two or three reasons. First, to keep the clothes he was wearing dry, as he planned to wear them again tomorrow, and to protect the small bag slung over his shoulder, which held his study materials. Second, he was thinking of his grandmother, Dije, who was alone at home. He knew she wasn’t steady on her feet anymore due to her age, as her legs occasionally troubled her. Lately, they had been causing her significant pain, especially in the past few days, even when he left her in the morning to run errands.

He entered the house with a greeting, his eyes immediately spotting Dije standing in the middle of their small courtyard, struggling to walk as she tried to catch the animals crying out due to the threatening weather. He quickly approached her, took the animals from her hands, and headed to the small shed where they were tied up, securing them. She, meanwhile, slowly turned back toward the room, thanking him softly.

While he was tying the animals, the rain began to pour heavily. By the time he came out, it was falling so hard that his clothes inevitably got soaked due to the intensity. He hurried to Dije’s room, where he began arranging plastic sheets they used during rain to catch the water dripping into the room. This was their usual practice to ensure the rain didn’t damage the items inside, directing the water to flow only onto the sheets.

After setting up the sheets, he felt a bit calmer. He touched his soaked shirt, which the rain had already reached, and carefully began unbuttoning it, watching the rain pour outside. He looked at his shirt, now wet despite his efforts to keep it dry, as he had intended to wear it again tomorrow if God permitted. From where he stood in the room, he observed the rain and wind pouring with force, typical of the destructive mid-rainy season that harmed people and their properties.

He let out a sigh, knowing that today would bring damage unless God intervened. He braved the rain, rushing out to his small room in his elderly grandmother Dije’s house, where he slept. Dije was his sole caretaker, looking after all his needs. He changed his clothes, swapping the wet ones for an old pair of shorts and a worn-out shirt that was fraying from age but which he still used at home.

He returned, crouched in a corner, and began inspecting the room briefly, letting out soft sighs while glancing at the door, watching the rain pour with God’s might. Another sigh escaped him as he closed his eyes, continuing to reflect on the hardships of the life he and his grandmother Dije shared in that house. He had no one in the world like Dije. She was the one who raised him, opened his eyes to life. Everything he had become was because of her. She was his mother, father, and grandmother. Since his childhood, he had known no other close relative except Dije, who cared for him like a parent, raising him and helping him see the world.

A sudden thunderclap, followed by lightning, startled him, causing him to open his eyes quickly and recite a prayer under his breath: “Subbuhul Quddus, wal mala’ikatu war-ruh…” A scream, seemingly from a neighbor, made him open his eyes wider, startling him further, as he sensed the cry wasn’t one of good health. This was a recurring issue every year—they faced this problem with the rain. The houses in their neighborhood were old, built long ago, which meant that every rainy season, they were on edge, fearing the rain’s impact. Most homes had no proper drainage unless the water was manually cleared. And with the poverty they faced…