by A. K. Evans
“Right,” I stated, making mental notes of everything he was telling me. “Got it.”
“Good. Now, go take care of everything I just told you and relax. No matter what happens, you’ll be fine. You’ve done things much harder than this.”
I couldn’t help but smile. I loved my dad’s confidence in my abilities, even if I sometimes believed he was embellishing them.
“Love you, Dad.”
“You too, Nora. Keep us in the loop.”
“I will.”
We disconnected, and I got to work.
I plugged in all of my electronics, including my phone and my laptop, to make sure everything that ran on battery power was fully charged. Then, I went about making dinner and preparing a few extra meals. After, I filled up a bathtub in one of the guest bathrooms.
Once I completed all of the things on my dad’s checklist, I hopped in the shower and got ready for bed. I crawled under my blankets and popped on a movie. Through it, I heard the freezing rain as it hit the windows. The wind howled for what seemed like hours.
And it was three hours after the storm began when my power went out. My generator turned on, but I turned off everything. The only thing running was my heating system.
As I listened to the storm raging outside my window, I knew.
This wasn’t going to be just any ordinary storm.
This was going to be a storm that changed lives.
Max
The roaring sound of generators running in the neighborhood was suddenly drowned out by a rumbling engine coming up my driveway.
I looked up from the large tree branch that had fallen just shy of the corner of my garage to the opposite end of the driveway. That’s when I saw my neighbor from across the street heading my way. Leave it to Walt to be out on a four-wheeler in weather conditions like this.
The freezing rain and ice had fallen all night. Other than what I saw from out my windows and by standing outside, I didn’t know the extent of the damage across town. Even still, I had a feeling it was substantial.
We were currently experiencing the brief and necessary respite from the storm, but it wasn’t expected to last long.
“Everything okay?” I asked when he cut off the engine.
“Yeah, but you know me. I don’t like sitting still, so I’ve got to get out and check out the damage. At least until the snow starts up and we’re locked inside again.”
I laughed. If that wasn’t the truth. Walt might have been in his late sixties, but that didn’t stop him. He got around and did things as though he were still in his twenties.
“Good thing you’ve got studded tires and chains on your four-wheeler, Walt,” I joked.
He shrugged it off.
“Do you need any help with that one?” Walt asked, pointing to the tree branch as he walked over in my direction.
“If you don’t mind,” I replied. As Walt moved closer to the opposite end of the branch, I added, “It didn’t seem to matter that the closest trees aren’t close enough to land here. That wind was brutal last night.”
Walt bent down to grab his end while I wrapped my hands around mine. “Tell me about it,” he agreed. “I was just hoping we weren’t going to end up with a tree through one of our windows.”
Once we moved the branch far enough from the house off to the opposite side of the driveway, I asked, “How did you and Betty fare last night?”
“We’re good. The generator kicked on last night, and we’ve been solid ever since. Betty’s been glued to the television watching the news.”
“I haven’t checked it yet,” I admitted. “I’m guessing it’s bad everywhere.”
“Worse,” he confirmed. “And because they don’t know what’s going to happen now that the snow hasn’t hit yet, they’re expecting we’re going to be waiting even longer for the power to be restored. Forget about getting out to clear the roads. They said there are so many trees down all over that the plows and salt trucks would never be able to get through.”
I shook my head. “It’s like we’re reliving that storm from twenty-two years ago.”
I might have been fifteen when that storm hit, but I remember it like it happened yesterday. It resulted in so much destruction, we were rebuilding for months afterward.
“It seems that way,” Walt said. “In fact, it’s looking like it might surpass it in terms of damage. Obviously, we won’t know until the snow comes and goes.”
“Well, you know I’m here if you and Betty need anything,” I offered.
Walt let out a laugh. “It’s not us that I’m worried about.”
My brows pulled together in confusion.
Realizing I had no clue what he meant by that statement, he threw his thumb over his shoulder and clarified, “It’s the one over there that concerns me.”
He was pointing in the direction of my neighbor’s house. Given the amount of land each of our houses sat on, that home was easily still a good thousand feet away from mine. And it didn’t sit back off the main road as far as mine did.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Walt chuckled and retorted, “How is it possible that you know just about every single person in this town, but you haven’t yet met your next-door neighbor?”
I honestly had no idea. Walt and Betty had spoken about her several times, but I hadn’t yet had the opportunity to meet her. Of course, I knew I should have gone over and introduced myself and welcomed her to the neighborhood when she arrived, but my company was in the middle of a huge project at the time. I was gone early in the mornings and didn’t return until late in the evening. By the time I finished that project, she’d already been here for more than a month. Foolishly, I had expected I’d see her out at some point, but I never did.
“I don’t know, Walt,” I answered truthfully. “But that’s beside the point. Why are you so worried about her?”
“It’s not just me,” he began. “Betty is, too. Eleanor’s a young girl, and she’s from Florida. Not only is she not used to the harsh winters like this, she also doesn’t have any family here to look out for her.”
My head dropped to one side as my eyes moved from Walt’s face to my elusive neighbor’s house. Eleanor. I’d just learned more about her in a five-minute conversation with Walt than I had in the last three months since she moved here.
It was then I decided that making the effort to go over and introduce myself would be the right thing to do, even if it was going to happen a lot later than it should have.
I was just about to tell Walt that I’d run over and check on Eleanor before the storm picked back up again, but before I had the opportunity to say anything, my attention was pulled to the sound of another vehicle coming up my driveway. My eyes left Eleanor’s house and went to the black pickup truck that was now just a few feet away.
Our neighbor, Cody, who lived a few doors down from me on Walt’s side of the road stepped out.
“Hey, Max. Walt,” he greeted us.
“Cody, hey. What’s going on?”
A frustrated look came over him. “Molly and I had a tree fall on the detached garage last night. I was hoping you might be able to lend a hand. Molly’s all fired up to help me with it before the snow hits, but well, we just found out she’s pregnant. I don’t want her getting hurt.”
“Congratulations, man. That’s great news. Sorry about the garage, though,” I said.
“Thanks,” he replied.
“Yeah, I can come help. Do I need to bring any equipment?” I asked.
Cody shook his head. “No, Bob is there now with Tom. We just need a bit more manpower.”
“I’ll follow you,” Walt declared.
“I’m coming right behind the both of you,” I added.
“Thanks, guys.” With that, Cody turned around and got back in his truck. Walt followed him back down the driveway.
I turned and ran back into my house, added another layer of clothing and some work gloves before I got in my truck and took off down the road.
Just over two hours later, with five of us working in the bitter cold temps, we’d managed to remove the large tree and board up the garage. It wasn’t a permanent fix, but I made sure it was at least sturdy enough to hopefully withstand the remainder of the storm.
Once I’d pulled back into the garage at my house, I got out of the truck and started to round the back of the vehicle. I hadn’t yet closed the garage door, so when I moved past the tailgate, I heard something that just didn’t sound right.
Stopping and redirecting myself, I stepped out into the driveway and listened closer.
It took me only a few seconds to figure out what the noise was. There was a generator running but just barely. And it was coming from the direction of Eleanor’s house. From what I could tell at the distance, it sounded like the generator was almost out of gas. If it had been anyone else, I’d have thought there was another problem because we all knew to have our tanks topped off. If what Walt said was true, and Eleanor was from Florida, it was likely she had no idea how severe a storm in northern Maine could be.
Knowing that it was easily going to be several days before the power was back or the roads could be traveled, I did what I had to do. I didn’t even get in my truck. I walked the distance down my driveway, through the trees and grass between our homes, and right up to her front door. It wasn’t an easy trek considering the amount of ice that we got, but I managed to get there without an injury. While I was on my way to Eleanor’s house, the generator had officially given up.
I rang the doorbell and waited.
When the door opened, I was nearly knocked on my ass. I never expected what I saw.
Staring back at me was the most beautiful woman I’d ever laid my eyes on. Her piercing green eyes widened in shock as she stared silently at me. I took a moment to note her delicate features—a slender nose, perfectly-shaped pink lips, and exquisite eyes. She had blonde hair that landed right at the top swells of her full breasts. Sadly, I couldn’t see the rest of her body because she was wrapped up in a huge, fuzzy blanket.
My eyes were diverted right back to her gorgeous lips when she spoke. “Hi. Can I help you?” she asked.
I quickly blinked away my surprise that I had this treasure of a woman living right next to me all this time that I’d never seen before. I wanted to kick my own ass for not coming over to meet her sooner.
“Yeah, hi. My name is Max, and I’m your neighbor,” I introduced myself.
She didn’t respond. In fact, it looked like she was struggling with something because I noticed her take a deep swallow.
“You’re Eleanor, right?” I asked.
Her lips parted the moment I said her name. I didn’t want her thinking I was some creepy stalker, so I added, “Walt mentioned your name to me earlier this morning.”
She stood there staring at me but still said nothing. Sensing her uneasiness, I went on, “I was just down the road with Walt and a few of the other neighbors helping with the removal of a tree that fell on one of their garages. When I came back, I heard your generator. It sounds like it just ran out of gas.”
Finally, she spoke. “Um, yeah. It just happened. I didn’t realize until it was too late yesterday that it was so low. When I checked the gauge yesterday, I only had thirty pounds of pressure left.”
That confirmed my suspicions that she hadn’t known what to expect with a storm here. “Right, well, I wanted to let you know that I’ve got plenty of room at my place if you need somewhere warm to stay for a few nights until your tank can be refilled.”
She shifted uncomfortably and insisted, “Oh, that’s really kind of you, but I don’t want to intrude.” She lifted her hand up and waved her cell phone at me. “Besides, I was just going to call the gas company again to see if they’d be able to make an emergency visit for me today.”
I shook my head, not excited about the fact that I was going to have to break the news to her. “I hate to tell you this, but nobody is getting on the roads today, darling. There are trees down everywhere from the ice and the wind gusts. And considering the blizzard-like conditions are going to be heading this way in the next hour or so, I’m willing to bet they won’t be coming out today.”
“Oh. Well, I’ll try them anyway. If I don’t have any luck, I’m sure the power will be back on soon. I appreciate the offer, though. Thank you.”
“Eleanor? Can I call you that?” I asked.
She nodded and added, “Or Ella or Nora.”
I smiled and said softly, “Ella.”
Ella didn’t answer.
I took one step closer to her, my voice dropped, and I explained, “The temps are going to drop below zero tonight. With the number of windows you’ve got in this place, if you don’t have your heat on, it’s going to get unbearably cold really quick.”
Ella stood up straighter and maintained, “I’m sure I’ll be alright as long as I can keep the heat that I do have in here.”
She wanted me out of her doorway.
Deciding I wouldn’t make a good first impression if I forced her out of her home, I acquiesced, “Okay. But just in case you change your mind, let me give you my number. It’ll make me feel better to know that you can at least get in touch with me if you need something. The offer stands if you need me. I suspect we’ll all be home for the next few days.”
She seemed to be receptive to that idea, so I gave her my number and watched as she programmed it into her phone.
At that, she thanked me once again.
“After I leave, make sure you write that number down somewhere,” I instructed.
She looked confused by that statement, but said, “Okay.”
By the time night fell and a good ten inches of snow had already fallen, I tried my best but failed. I couldn’t stop myself from worrying about her.
So when I climbed in bed that night, I had a hard time finding sleep. All I could think about was Ella being cold and alone in her house. It wasn’t until I promised myself that I’d get up and check on her first thing in the morning that I was finally able to drift.
Eleanor
I needed a miracle.
Or divine intervention.
As cold as it was outside, I was burning up. Part of the reason for this was because I was currently pacing in my great room. Mostly, though, it was because Max had just been here.
At my house.
Standing at my front door.
I didn’t know how to process this. I couldn’t even begin to manage what I was feeling about having him mere feet away from me. I could have even reached out and touched him. I should have. I know I certainly wanted to.
But he was…wow, he was incredible. Big. So big. I felt like a small child standing next to him. He was tall and built and so very handsome.
And he came to offer me a place to stay for a few days, I thought. I could barely control my excitement.
The minute I closed the door, I ran through my house and over to the window in my office. It looked out across the property toward Max’s house. That’s when I realized he had walked over here. He trudged through the slick ice and unforgiving cold just to offer me a warm bed to sleep in for a few days.
As much as I wanted to take him up on it, I simply couldn’t. I could barely get two words out when he was standing on my doorstep. There was no way I’d be able to handle essentially living with him until the storm passed and power was restored.
But boy did I wish I could have. Because Max was dreamy. So much so that if I hadn’t already decided on it months ago when I moved here, I would have decided now. I was going to marry Max.
Of course, that was purely a dream. I didn’t actually believe that would happen for a multitude of reasons. The biggest of those was not the usual reason, which was the truth of who I was. This time it was merely the fact that the sight of him had rendered me speechless. I didn’t think a successful marriage could be built without communication.
In an effort to calm myself down, I decided to stop looking out the window at him as he walked back to his pla
ce. Instead, I chose to follow through on what I told Max I was going to do. I tried contacting the gas company. There was, once again, no answer. It hit me then that I was going to be in a very dire situation if I couldn’t get this figured out.
There was simply no way, no way at all, that I could go to Max’s house.
So, I needed a distraction.
Since I had no electricity, I had to find a way to occupy myself.
Food.
Food would do the trick. I dashed out to the kitchen and made a sandwich. I took my time eating it, but sadly, the food didn’t help.
Work.
I went back to my office, pulled out my laptop, which was still fully charged, and worked for a bit. Once I’d finished that task, which had distracted me for quite a while, I moved on to something else.
Entertainment.
Since anything involving electronics was out of the question, I snatched a book off my bookshelf and curled up in the corner of my sitting room. Every so often, I’d pull up my phone and check my emails or social media news feeds. It kept me so distracted I hadn’t paid attention to the battery life. By the time I noticed, I’d drained a substantial amount of it.
The hours had passed, more snow than I’d ever seen in my life had fallen, and the power never came back on. After I ate dinner that evening, which consisted of a turkey and cheese sandwich with a side of chips, all of the warm and fuzzy feelings I felt about Max earlier in the day were gone, sadly.
Because just as he said would happen, the temperature dropped drastically. And it was freezing. I pulled on more layers, grabbed a bunch of extra blankets, and lit a dozen or so candles. Hours later, approaching bedtime, I found myself wishing I hadn’t been such a fool. I knew then that I should’ve taken Max up on his offer.
Without any other options, I put on a pair of boots, grabbed my keys, and walked out the door.
I made it a few steps before I admitted to myself that I’d never make it to Max’s house. The snow had to have been at least a foot deep and was lying on top of a sheet of ice. With each step I took, I slipped. Once, I even went down in the snow. Visibility was reduced to almost nothing, and the snow was whipping fast around me. That was my cue to turn around and go back into my house.