Canvas Quest

I decided -for little apparent reason, I haven't done any painting for over a year now- that I needed to buy some canvases from Brighton Marina. The urge to buy these canvases for painting was so overwhelming that I could not wait until tomorrow, so, at 4:45pm, I found myself waiting at the bus-stop sheltering from the freezing rain.
The rain surprised me. I knew it was cold, but I had not heard any rain as I sat in my grey room, writing about last night's adventures in adolescence, despite having the curtains of my room open for once. It really feels like winter now -deep black between the lamps, and the air damp-heavy and a cold that sinks deep into you, like an infection.
I sat upstairs on the bus, but couldn't see anything because of the rain against the windows. the bus moved painfully slowly - and wouldn't take me all the way to the marina anyway. I cursed the people at the bus-stops who queued to get on, every red light, every time the bus slowed to make way for a taxi or another bus - or even people crossing at zebra crossings. I was sure that the shop that sold cheap canvases ('The Works') would close at 5:30pm. As the bus crawled ever so slowly up Edward Street, past Flo's old flat, I felt even more sure that I would not reach there in time.
I got off too early as well, and hurriedly made my way down to the seafront, where there was a moment of confusion as I could not work out where the pedestrian entrance to the marina actually was. Having eventually found it, I began running down the sloped, rain-slick walkways -I could make it maybe, I only had a minute or two to go- and took the car park outside of Asda at full speed.
I made it there at 5:30pm, only to discover that it closed at 6:00pm anyway.
Oh well, I made it to the arts section... and there were none of the canvases there I wanted. Heart sinking at this final defeat, I asked the assistant if they 'might be anywhere else'.
he went out the back and got me the pack I wanted.
Now I have four canvases. After all the trouble I went to getting them, I had better think of something to paint now.