Ma'am, looks like you could use a good shower

FORT MYERS, Fla. — The rain was pounding down again.

My wife and I were visiting family on the west coast of Florida and had taken the afternoon to do a little shopping at an outlet mall.

Of course, it had started to rain buckets just as we parked, and as luck would have it, we had no umbrella. I know, you're asking how we could go outside in Florida without an umbrella or two in the car. We were asking ourselves the same question. But we were in a rental car.

My defense was that we were from Utah. We had left home when it was sunny and the nice weather had continued in Florida for the first four days away. But then we saw big, black clouds roll in, and it suddenly started raining — hard.

Did I mention that the outlet mall was an outdoors mall? Sure, there were covered walkways, but they didn't go between sections. And it seemed that every time we got to an uncovered part, the rain would pick up again. No, we didn't buy an umbrella.

On our way back to the parking lot, we passed by the mall's several restaurants and sandwich shops. That would prove to be a mistake about 40 minutes later.

After about 20 minutes on the road, the rain picked up in earnest. It was the kind of tropical rain that you see on "Survivor" when the people look like they'd rather be home. It was hard to see the road, and the windshield wipers could hardly keep up. The puddles — no, little lakes — were expanding on the interstate with each passing mile and growing darkness.

"You know, a sub sandwich would be pretty good," my wife said. With regret, I thought of the Subway shop back at the mall.

We started looking for the Subway symbol on the exit signs. Nope, not on that one. Or the next. Or the next.

Aha, finally. We got off the exit, drove through the puddles and discovered that the Subway was connected to a truck stop. Yes, the 14 tractor-trailers parked all along the road in front should have been a clue.

We got drenched — again — running from the car into the store and ordered our subs and drinks. We looked at each other and agreed we were looking a little ragged after five or six times getting caught in the rain.