Although Graciela was running late for the formal dinner hosted by her employer,
she decided to stop at a car wash. She had spent the weekend camping with her
family in the dusty mountains, and her car's exterior bore the unattractive evidence.
Graciela didn't want to arrive looking disheveled, when rumor had it she might be
presented with an employee award. Then, just as she was pulling out of the car
wash, it began to rain.
"Typical—this happens every time I wash the car," Graciela muttered to herself
as the rain quickly turned into a torrential downpour.
Why does the author have a downpour occur?
to establish a conflict of person versus nature testing Graciela's perseverance
to heighten the suspense in the story prior to Graciela winning the employee award
to provide a sense of irony around Graciela's efforts to appear composed at the event