graydaisy
New Member
“One Short Storm”
Jamie stood on the old bench feeling the wind ravage her. Her long brown hair danced in it. The night was young, but the sky was dark for the moon had abandoned them. She raised her arms wide over her head. The wind lashed and caressed her at the same time. It came from different directions. It fought itself into a pattern of whirl. She laughed in it.
“Come on Jamie, let’s go. It’s getting bad now.” Danny said. The sound of the rushing waves seemed to be getting louder. The wind dragged a sticky mist with it. He reached up to help her down. “I can’t stop thinking about him, Danny.”
Luke was huddled by a bent looking tree trying to light a joint. The wind was too brutal to fight. The waves of the Great South Bay rose to frightening heights. They crashed and frothed. The tide seemed to be moving up the small sandy hill that led to the parking lot.
“Holy shit! The waves are coming up the hill.” Luke said. They all looked across the parking lot to the ocean. “We should probably go, I think.”
“I’ll say.” Danny agreed. They looked to Jamie who was climbing down from the bench.
“This was a really bad idea. Where are we gonna go?” Luke scolded Jamie.
“Don’t worry. There is shelter everywhere.” She pointed to the trees and picnic tables of Heckscher Park’s field five. “It’s not really that bad yet. Let’s just enjoy it.”
“Jamie, you’re crazy! We need to find shelter now. Whose house is closest? Or, maybe we should just knock at the ranger’s station. Do you think we’d get in trouble?” Danny was nervous. He buttoned his light flannel shirt. His eyes widened in fear.
“Fine. I think my house is closest.” Jamie said. The group turned away from the rising water. They walked toward the entrance to the park. It was something they had done a million times at night. They traveled along the trail through the swaying trees. When they neared the ranger’s station, they moved very quietly. It had become their ritual. It didn’t matter that the ranger would not hear them now.
“Actually, I think my house is closest.” Danny said when they reached the entrance. “It’s just about two miles in that direction. Your house is more than two miles, I’m sure of it. Plus, we’d have to cross the highway, and there are likely to be cops.”
“Danny, your parents would freak if we showed up at your door. We can just slip into my basement and nobody would even know.” When they walked out of the cover of the trees they were reminded of how bad it really was. The wind shoved Jamie more than a foot.
“Whoa!” She yelled as she landed and ran to grab one of their hands to keep her grounded. She laughed. “That was crazy!”
“There’s no way we’re safely walking two miles. Let’s go back to the ranger’s station.” Luke said as he held her tight.
“No. Let’s go to Josh’s house. It’s only two blocks from here.” Danny looked at her in disbelief for suggesting it, but knew that it was the best option. They pushed against the wind and had to lean deeply into it in order to move. Each clasped the other and pulled each other through the gusts. Two blocks away they stopped in front of a white hi-ranch with dark brown shutters over the bedroom windows and ply-wood over the two bay windows. There was a slim white birch tree fallen on its side, the weak root sticking out of the grass. Jamie had dragged them past this house countless times.
“What are we gonna say?” Danny asked.
“We’ll just say we got caught out in the hurricane, and,” Jamie looked at Danny with anger. “We’ll just tell him the freakin truth. He’s not gonna send us away.”
They slowly made their way up to the front door. Their hair and loose clothes whipped in the wind. Jamie opened the cardboard covered glass door and knocked on the thick wood door. Thinking that she wouldn’t be heard over the wind, she began to bang with her fists. The door opened. A tall man, in his mid-twenties, stood before them with a lantern in his hand.
“Mr. Matthews, we..,” but before Luke could finish, the man was rushing them inside. They stood awkwardly in the foyer waiting for someone to speak first. Jamie said, “Mr. Matthews, we didn’t know where else to go.”
“Why the hell were you out there at all? The winds are gusting at 80 miles an hour. I’m surprised you weren’t blown away.”
“We almost were.” Luke laughed.
“Well here you are, so, let’s call your parents.” He opened a door off the foyer. The room inside had a pool table prominently displayed and a red suede covered card table with six chairs around it.
“You play poker Mr. Matthews?” Luke swaggered over to the table. Mr. Matthews didn’t answer. He walked directly to the phone hanging on the wall.
“Whose parents get notified first?” They all took turns standing next to Mr. Matthews as he told their parents that they were safe and that they could stay until the eye of the storm, or the end of it if they couldn’t be picked up sooner. Jamie’s heart raced in his presence. He wore a deep blue button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He was wearing his silver watch. There was no difference in him at home than the way he was at school. He smelled so good. She was desperate for him. He spoke to her parents and she leaned closer to feign listening, but she just wanted to feel his breath on her. “That would be great Mr. Kelly. It’s 240 Wensley. Just off Country Village. White hi-ranch. See you then.
“O.K. guys, you’re here until its safe, so get comfortable.” He looked at them. Luke and Danny had started up a second lantern and were playing pool. “Great. So, are you hungry, thirsty?”
Jamie said, “I would love some coffee. It was pretty cold out there.”
“We can’t use the electricity right now, but, I have some soda if you’d like.”
“Sure. I’ll help you.”
“That’s alright. I’ll be right back with some sodas and chips.” He shook his head as he left and shut the door behind him.
Jamie slid into one of the chairs. “How long do I have until the eye of the storm?”
“I don’t know. I think it depends on how bad the storm is.”
“Well, this one seems pretty bad. There should be enough time to get Josh to fall in love with me, don’t you think?”
“You’re crazy.”
The wind screamed and thrashed outside. Branches from neighbor’s trees littered the yard. The ply-wood covering the window knocked against the glass.
“I’m not kidding. If he doesn’t kiss me tonight, I’ll kill myself. I can’t take this anymore. You have no idea what it feels like.” Josh Matthews was their 10th grade American history teacher. There was not a cooler teacher in the whole school. He would smoke cigarettes with them in the parking lot. He liked Nirvana. He taught them about The Beatles and about Jim Morrison. Mr. Matthews always smiled at her when she answered questions about the reading.
“Jamie, you’re certifiable. Mr. Matthews is never going to kiss you. You seriously need to move on.” Danny knocked the 6 ball into the side pocket. When he looked up, Jamie was looking at him with tears in her eyes.
“You have no idea how this feels.” She said and stood up. She went to the door and opened it. The foyer was dark. There was a dim light in the kitchen. She peered in and there he was leaning against the wall. He was kissing someone.
She opened the front door and ran out into the uncaring wind. It came at her from the side and knocked her down. It pushed her along the grass. Twigs flew past her. The wind slowed and she got up and ran for the birch tree to brace herself for the next gust. She stood with her legs between the branches of the fallen tree. This storm seemed to want to destroy her. It tried to lift her from her perch. Her hair blazed above her head like flames.
The wind slowed again, and the tall trees stopped swooning. She released herself from the white birch and brushed the dirt off her shorts. The front door swung open and they all clamored out.
“Are you crazy?!”
“What were you thinking?”
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” She answered as she rubbed a grass stain off her calf.
“You’re crazy.” Luke said as he lit a cigarette. She looked at him and smiled. “Maybe I am.” She said. “Can I get a drag of that?”
Jamie stood on the old bench feeling the wind ravage her. Her long brown hair danced in it. The night was young, but the sky was dark for the moon had abandoned them. She raised her arms wide over her head. The wind lashed and caressed her at the same time. It came from different directions. It fought itself into a pattern of whirl. She laughed in it.
“Come on Jamie, let’s go. It’s getting bad now.” Danny said. The sound of the rushing waves seemed to be getting louder. The wind dragged a sticky mist with it. He reached up to help her down. “I can’t stop thinking about him, Danny.”
Luke was huddled by a bent looking tree trying to light a joint. The wind was too brutal to fight. The waves of the Great South Bay rose to frightening heights. They crashed and frothed. The tide seemed to be moving up the small sandy hill that led to the parking lot.
“Holy shit! The waves are coming up the hill.” Luke said. They all looked across the parking lot to the ocean. “We should probably go, I think.”
“I’ll say.” Danny agreed. They looked to Jamie who was climbing down from the bench.
“This was a really bad idea. Where are we gonna go?” Luke scolded Jamie.
“Don’t worry. There is shelter everywhere.” She pointed to the trees and picnic tables of Heckscher Park’s field five. “It’s not really that bad yet. Let’s just enjoy it.”
“Jamie, you’re crazy! We need to find shelter now. Whose house is closest? Or, maybe we should just knock at the ranger’s station. Do you think we’d get in trouble?” Danny was nervous. He buttoned his light flannel shirt. His eyes widened in fear.
“Fine. I think my house is closest.” Jamie said. The group turned away from the rising water. They walked toward the entrance to the park. It was something they had done a million times at night. They traveled along the trail through the swaying trees. When they neared the ranger’s station, they moved very quietly. It had become their ritual. It didn’t matter that the ranger would not hear them now.
“Actually, I think my house is closest.” Danny said when they reached the entrance. “It’s just about two miles in that direction. Your house is more than two miles, I’m sure of it. Plus, we’d have to cross the highway, and there are likely to be cops.”
“Danny, your parents would freak if we showed up at your door. We can just slip into my basement and nobody would even know.” When they walked out of the cover of the trees they were reminded of how bad it really was. The wind shoved Jamie more than a foot.
“Whoa!” She yelled as she landed and ran to grab one of their hands to keep her grounded. She laughed. “That was crazy!”
“There’s no way we’re safely walking two miles. Let’s go back to the ranger’s station.” Luke said as he held her tight.
“No. Let’s go to Josh’s house. It’s only two blocks from here.” Danny looked at her in disbelief for suggesting it, but knew that it was the best option. They pushed against the wind and had to lean deeply into it in order to move. Each clasped the other and pulled each other through the gusts. Two blocks away they stopped in front of a white hi-ranch with dark brown shutters over the bedroom windows and ply-wood over the two bay windows. There was a slim white birch tree fallen on its side, the weak root sticking out of the grass. Jamie had dragged them past this house countless times.
“What are we gonna say?” Danny asked.
“We’ll just say we got caught out in the hurricane, and,” Jamie looked at Danny with anger. “We’ll just tell him the freakin truth. He’s not gonna send us away.”
They slowly made their way up to the front door. Their hair and loose clothes whipped in the wind. Jamie opened the cardboard covered glass door and knocked on the thick wood door. Thinking that she wouldn’t be heard over the wind, she began to bang with her fists. The door opened. A tall man, in his mid-twenties, stood before them with a lantern in his hand.
“Mr. Matthews, we..,” but before Luke could finish, the man was rushing them inside. They stood awkwardly in the foyer waiting for someone to speak first. Jamie said, “Mr. Matthews, we didn’t know where else to go.”
“Why the hell were you out there at all? The winds are gusting at 80 miles an hour. I’m surprised you weren’t blown away.”
“We almost were.” Luke laughed.
“Well here you are, so, let’s call your parents.” He opened a door off the foyer. The room inside had a pool table prominently displayed and a red suede covered card table with six chairs around it.
“You play poker Mr. Matthews?” Luke swaggered over to the table. Mr. Matthews didn’t answer. He walked directly to the phone hanging on the wall.
“Whose parents get notified first?” They all took turns standing next to Mr. Matthews as he told their parents that they were safe and that they could stay until the eye of the storm, or the end of it if they couldn’t be picked up sooner. Jamie’s heart raced in his presence. He wore a deep blue button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He was wearing his silver watch. There was no difference in him at home than the way he was at school. He smelled so good. She was desperate for him. He spoke to her parents and she leaned closer to feign listening, but she just wanted to feel his breath on her. “That would be great Mr. Kelly. It’s 240 Wensley. Just off Country Village. White hi-ranch. See you then.
“O.K. guys, you’re here until its safe, so get comfortable.” He looked at them. Luke and Danny had started up a second lantern and were playing pool. “Great. So, are you hungry, thirsty?”
Jamie said, “I would love some coffee. It was pretty cold out there.”
“We can’t use the electricity right now, but, I have some soda if you’d like.”
“Sure. I’ll help you.”
“That’s alright. I’ll be right back with some sodas and chips.” He shook his head as he left and shut the door behind him.
Jamie slid into one of the chairs. “How long do I have until the eye of the storm?”
“I don’t know. I think it depends on how bad the storm is.”
“Well, this one seems pretty bad. There should be enough time to get Josh to fall in love with me, don’t you think?”
“You’re crazy.”
The wind screamed and thrashed outside. Branches from neighbor’s trees littered the yard. The ply-wood covering the window knocked against the glass.
“I’m not kidding. If he doesn’t kiss me tonight, I’ll kill myself. I can’t take this anymore. You have no idea what it feels like.” Josh Matthews was their 10th grade American history teacher. There was not a cooler teacher in the whole school. He would smoke cigarettes with them in the parking lot. He liked Nirvana. He taught them about The Beatles and about Jim Morrison. Mr. Matthews always smiled at her when she answered questions about the reading.
“Jamie, you’re certifiable. Mr. Matthews is never going to kiss you. You seriously need to move on.” Danny knocked the 6 ball into the side pocket. When he looked up, Jamie was looking at him with tears in her eyes.
“You have no idea how this feels.” She said and stood up. She went to the door and opened it. The foyer was dark. There was a dim light in the kitchen. She peered in and there he was leaning against the wall. He was kissing someone.
She opened the front door and ran out into the uncaring wind. It came at her from the side and knocked her down. It pushed her along the grass. Twigs flew past her. The wind slowed and she got up and ran for the birch tree to brace herself for the next gust. She stood with her legs between the branches of the fallen tree. This storm seemed to want to destroy her. It tried to lift her from her perch. Her hair blazed above her head like flames.
The wind slowed again, and the tall trees stopped swooning. She released herself from the white birch and brushed the dirt off her shorts. The front door swung open and they all clamored out.
“Are you crazy?!”
“What were you thinking?”
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” She answered as she rubbed a grass stain off her calf.
“You’re crazy.” Luke said as he lit a cigarette. She looked at him and smiled. “Maybe I am.” She said. “Can I get a drag of that?”