 |
| That pole was six inches in the ground. it had rope wrapped around the top of it like at a doc. It had been there for over six years. |
So today started out kind of normally My oldest son, Willie who is twelve comes in at 11:00am ( Vampire hours remember. Plus, its freaking Saturday. Don't judge me.) and asked if we had anymore IB Pro-fin cause he had a bad headache. Great, I think while dragging myself out of my nice warm bed, noticing that it's raining like a mother outside. I put on my robe and look up to notice that Willie is not looking so hot. He is running a fever and sweating. Awesome way to start spring break. I am thinking as I go to the kitchen to get him some Tylenol. He takes the Tylenol and goes back to he couch to lay down. He is watching Stoked ( a cartoon series from cartoon network about surfers working at a beach resort during the summer.) Mathew. My youngest at 8 years old is sitting at the table with his head phones on watching you tube mine-craft videos. ( some stupid block building game online that uses all 2 d to build houses and shit like that. There is a reason or goal involved of some kind that he attempted to explain to me but it seems pointless to me.) I ask them if they have eaten anything for breakfast. ( My husband left for work at 7 and on the weekend, the kids usually just leave me to sleep until they specifically need something.) Mathew tells me he ate cereal and Willie says he does not want anything because he feels too bad. I heat up the half pizza left over from last nights late night delivery. Mathew wants two pieces and Willie declines again. I feed Mathew and clean up the mess and finally start a pot of coffee after being awake for over an hour. While its perking, I check Willie. He is very warm but beginning to sweat. A good sign that his fever will be breaking soon. Why did you not wake me earlier? I ask him knowing he had to have been like this for at least the last six hours. Mom, I'm not a baby. Its just a fever and now its breaking. Problem solved. He tells me and continues to watch the television. My heart lurches a little at knowing that after too long, He will no longer need me for anything. I make myself a cup of coffee and put a load of laundry in the washer. Mathew is still watching you tube videos. I am standing in the kitchen beside the table. Suddenly the constant noise from the sheets of rain falling outside dies to a whisper I am unsure of exactly what is suddenly missing from my surroundings but I know there was a distinct shift in the balance of my surroundings. The next second, there was a defining noise as water pounded against the side of my house. I looked out the kitchen window above our sink and could not see anything past the wall of water that was pouring over the window. It looked as if someone were standing outside with a fire hose spraying water directly at my window. What the hell is that? I thought a brief moment before I heard the distinct sound of ice hitting the window. Shit. Was my first coherent thought before I yelled to the living room to Willie Get into your bathroom Willie. What was that you said mommy? Willie asks. Willie. I say getting his attention. He looks at me. Bathroom. Run. Is all I say. He jumps up and does exactly as he is told. Mind you, He is still sweating profusely and near puking. I realize now that Mathew who still has his headphones on, has no idea what the hell is going on. I run behind Mathew and scoop him up by his stomach without saying anything and run to the kids bathroom. I stop in the middle of the hallway as I remember that my cell phone is on the kitchen table. If we are trapped in there, I will need to call someone. I set Mathew down. He is confused. Mommy, Whats going in? Why is it so loud? He yells at me. Mathew. I tell him. I have to get my cell. You go into the bathroom with Willie. There is a tornado coming and we need to get to safety Now, This is not Mathews first Tornado. When he was four years old a tornado passed 20 feet from his daycare. Windows were shattered, things flew off of walls and Mathew did not talk for two days. We all went through the last one in one place or another but none so close as Mathew. I failed to remember that fact at the time until I watched as all color drained from his face and he rooted himself to the floor. I grabbed him and carried him to Willie and told them not to leave and I would be right back. Mathew begins to scream for his hamster and I am forced to go and rescue the little guy. I then go to my room to get our dog and bring her. Do not leave. I tell the boys. Ill be right back. I close the door and go to get my cell. I grab it off the table and turn running back to the kids. I notice as I run through the living room that there is a huge puddle of water at the front door and more coming in. How is that possible I think and realize that they door is open just a crack. I swung it closed when I came in from getting the mail but it had not fully closed. I run over to push it closed and just as my hand reaches the door it bursts open and knocks me across the room where i smash into the desk and knock myself out. I wake up sitting with my back against my desk chair in a puddle of water. I am confused as to what happened. I think the water came from our fish tank and that it must have broken somehow. Until, I look up at the wide open door to the pandemonium going on outside my house. We have ditches in front of our house that are about a foot and a half deep and 100 yards long. As I am sitting on the floor stupefied and confused, I actually see wind push up underneath the surface of the water in the overflowing ditch and the water begins to stir into a wave. I am not kidding, I was watching as a beach like wave was building right in front of my house. Oh shit. The tornado! runs through my mind as I jump up and run to the door. It is plastered to the wall so I begin to try and pull it away so that I can get it closed. I am pulling with all of my might and this thing is barely budging. Suddenly The wind shifted and my feet began to lift off of the ground. It was really quick and my feet only got like five inches off of the ground but it was long enough for me to imagine myself face down in my front yard instead of safe in the bathroom where I would have been in I had actually closed the door all the way like the hubby is always telling me to do. My feet hit the ground hard and I ran in the house. I turned to close the door and looked up to see the wave, which is now more like a really big sheet of water coming right at me. I only have time to turn my head and close my eyes before the water slam's into me. The force of the water and the constant wind gust is now pushing me across my living room. My arms are pinwheeling as I do everything I can to stay on my feet. I know that my desk is somewhere behind me and I really don't want to knock myself out again. My but slams into my desk chair and I do a back bend over the chair back and slam the back of my head on my desk. ( That shit hurt like hell BTW) I stand up and attempt to run to the door to close it again. I literally run in place against the wind for like 5 seconds before it dies down enough to get to the door. I swing it around and am four inches from victory when another wall of water and wind hits the house. I am holding this door four inches from being closed with all my might. I swear I thought that I was not going to last even two more seconds when suddenly, the door slammed closed and I slammed into the back of it. I was heaving for breath as I obviously could not breath while fighting for my life. I looked down and saw my oldest sons arm reaching under me to lock the doors. I looked over and see the he was soaking wet and leaning on the door beside me while heaving for breath as well. Apparently, At hearing me screaming and cussing out water and a door, My son left the safety of the bathroom, came running full force and threw his entire body against the door, effectively slamming it closed. I collapsed onto my hands and knees in three inches of water in front of my living room floor. Every ounce of my energy has been spent in the last three minutes and my war with the water. My adrenaline kicks back in and I rush to save my wood floors. Three hours later the only reminder inside the house is a slight moist smell. But for three long minutes I thought I was going to die. At least, until my son came and saved my butt. That was one time, I was glad he disobeyed me. LOL And now, More storms are coming and i'm going to bed. It's hubby's turn to keep watch.
