by Tim Mettey
I got out of bed around noon the next day. I didn’t sleep much, making me feel like I couldn’t do anything. All of my energy was gone. A large hole now replaced my heart. I was an empty shell. Cora hadn’t come in yet to check on me, which was strange. No matter what was going on with me, she was always there to see if I needed anything, and most of the time, cooking followed.
I decided to take a shower, hoping it would make me feel better. I made the water as hot as I could possibly stand it and sat down in the tub. The steaming hot water was burning my back, but it felt good, like somehow it was getting rid of everything inside me that was responsible for what happened last night.
After a while, I got out of the shower and got dressed. I went downstairs reluctantly. All three of them were in the family room watching TV. None of them looked up at me. They were glued to whatever was on. Then it dawned on me that at least two of them should be guarding Elle and Bryce.
“Why aren’t two of you watching Elle and Bryce?” It was harder to say Elle’s name than I thought it would be. It sent chills through my body. Like a reflex, my body remembered everything from last night and shuddered. I had to do everything in my power to fight back the flood of emotion that was sure to follow.
“Bryce’s dad picked him up. I followed them to the Army base nearby. From the look of it, Bryce is staying there with him for the rest of the weekend. He will be safe there,” Riley said without looking away from the TV.
“Elle hasn’t come out of her house,” Genevieve said, “and I don’t expect her to for some time, at least not until Monday for school. I will go over there to make sure she’s okay later,” she added, never making eye contact with me either.
“We have other things to worry about right now. They will be safe for the time being,” Cora said, pointing to the screen. The TV showed a graphic of a massive storm that would impact our area.
“This could be the snowstorm of the century,” said the weatherman. “We are expecting at least two feet of snow. The Valentine’s Day storm will arrive early tonight. It won’t seem impressive at first, just steady rain, but it will intensify rapidly and turn to heavy snow. To complicate things further, we are expecting winds to be steady at 50 miles per hour with gusts up over 75 miles per hour, making it a dangerous, paralyzing storm. The temperature will plummet into the single digits, resulting in a fast freeze. A thick layer of ice will coat everything before the snow starts. Please do not be fooled by the warm, sunny weather that is out there now. This arctic low will draw moist air from the Gulf of Mexico, changing the rain to snow quickly. It’s important to prepare and take precautions now.”
He continued to talk about the widespread power outages that would occur and warned people to make sure to stock up on food, water and any necessary medications. Cora and I had been through a couple of blizzards when we lived in Oklahoma, but I had never heard them say, “stock up on food and water,” because that would normally cause a panic. It must be pretty serious for him to say that.
“We need to get ready at both houses,” Riley said.
My mind cleared, pushing thoughts of Elle away so I could function.
“We need to get our house hooked up to your generator,” I said. “Riley and I will take care of the power needs. Cora and Genevieve, you take care of the food and supplies.” They nodded at me. “Once we are done, we need to do a final check on Elle and Bryce to make sure they are going to be okay through the storm.”
They all just sat there, staring up at me.
“Okay, let’s go,” I said. I was back in control, but who knew how long it would last? Regardless, it felt good.
I followed Riley to his house where I helped him run the lines from the generator to our electrical box for backup power. It was amazing how much stuff Genevieve and Riley had in their house for emergencies. They were ready for anything that could be thrown their way. After several hours, we had finished most of our preparations. The warm, bright sun gave no indication of any storm coming. There was not a cloud in the bright blue sky. Genevieve and Cora had been to the store and were already back. They had filled both pantries full of food. Riley and I got enough fuel for the generator to last us a week, if needed. We also brought in enough firewood for our house to keep us warm if something happened to the generators during the storm.
I was left alone at our house for a while, sorting out some supplies. Riley left to check on Bryce without telling me, and Cora and Genevieve went to check on Elle. I began to feel empty again with nothing to occupy my mind. I began to replay everything from last night over in my head a thousand times. Why did I dance with Genevieve? The thoughts began to poison my mind and soul.
Luckily, all three of them returned quickly. Cora came in and laid our hand-crank weather radio, which we used often when we lived in Oklahoma, on the table in the family room. She then left to make us dinner.
“Riley, why didn’t you take me to check on Bryce? Aren’t we supposed to be together as much as possible?” I asked as he and Genevieve walked into the room.
“I just thought you needed some time alone,” he replied. I definitely didn’t need to be alone. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine, I guess.”
“Nonsense, after a breakup like that, you should be crushed.”
What did he want me to say? Genevieve hit him.
“What I mean is it’s only natural to feel like there is nothing to live for,” Riley said.
Again, Genevieve landed a blow on his shoulder, much harder than before.
“You will feel better after some time passes,” he concluded.
I looked away from him, not wanting to talk about it. A loud beep and a red banner appeared on the TV screen that read “Emergency Weather Update: Valentine’s Day Storm Upgraded.”
“We bring you this special bulletin,” the TV broadcaster said. “Our Winter Weather Warning has been upgraded to a Severe Blizzard Warning. The dangerous part of this storm will be the high winds and rapidly dropping temperature. Rain will quickly turn to ice, with the temperature falling 50 degrees in just under an hour. With the strong winds, it will make the wind chill below zero. Half an inch of ice is expected to accumulate before changing over to all snow. Please make sure you are indoors when this happens. We are expecting extensive power outages and crippling amounts of snow, with visibility close to zero.”
We sat there. Not one of us moved or said anything. This update would normally send most people into a panic, but it seemed to be welcome news for us. We would finally have a break from our guarding duties. Even though nobody said it, I knew it was true.