Sunday dawned overcast and humid. Gina looked from the skies to the half-dressed little boy at her side and sighed. “Looks like another stormy day,” she told him, reaching down to button his dress shirt.
“Are we still having s’ketti for lunch?” Danny asked hopefully.
“You bet,” Gina replied, helping him tuck the shirt into his pants. “There. Now you look absolutely charming. Every little girl in Sunday school will notice how handsome you are.”
“Oh, Mom,” the boy replied, his expression very sober, “I can’t be worried about that right now. I got lots of time to get a girlfriend and get married. First I want you to get married.”
Gina smiled and knelt in front of her son. “I know you want that. And for once in a very long time, I think I want it, too. I think we should both pray about it and trust God for the answer.”
“I think Mr. Cameron would make a good husband for you. He’s strong and he knows how to fix cars and you don’t know how to fix cars,” Danny said seriously. “Mr. Cameron also told me that you have a smile that’s like sunshine.”
Gina felt herself blush. “Oh, he did, did he?” Could it be the heart of a poet beat within that Cub leader facade? “Well, we will just have to see what happens. Now come on or we’ll be late for church.”
They pulled into the church parking lot just as thunder rumbled low. It continued rumbling off and on throughout Sunday school and church, but always it seemed to hang off in the distance. Gina gave it very little thought, however, as she hurried Danny into the van and headed for home.
She felt as giddy as a schoolgirl going on her first date. A man was actually coming to the house. A handsome man who was interested in her for more than just the pinewood derby.
“Danny, get changed right away and come help me in the kitchen,” she called as Danny disappeared into his room. She hurried into her own room and tried to figure out what to wear. She was just reaching for a sleeveless cotton blouse when the weather radio sounded a warning alert. Reaching for the button that would let her hear what the latest weather update revealed, Gina kicked off her shoes and pulled at the zipper in her skirt.
“This is the National Weather Service office in Topeka,” the male voice announced. “The Severe Storms Forecast Center in Kansas City, Missouri, has issued Tornado Watch #237 to be in effect from 12:30 p.m. until 6 p.m. This watch is for an area along and sixty miles either side of a line from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Council Grove, Kansas. Some of the counties included in the watch are…”
“Great,” Gina muttered. “Just what we needed.” The man was continuing the routine speech, giving the names of counties to be on the watch for severe weather and telling what a tornado watch entailed. To Gina, who had lived in Kansas all of her life, the information was something she could quote line for line, including the pattern of counties as they were given for a specific area. But even as she mimicked the weatherman’s announcement, Gina took the matter in complete seriousness.
“Danny, we’re in a tornado watch,” she called out. “Make sure you have your bag ready.” Danny’s bag consisted of treasures he wanted to protect in case they had to make a mad dash for the basement.
“Did you put new batteries in my flashlight?” Danny questioned at the top of his lungs.
“Check it for yourself,” Gina replied, slipping on comfortable khaki slacks.
“Wow!” Danny hollered back. “It shines really bright now. Just like when it was new.”
“Well, pack it in your bag and take it downstairs,” Gina instructed.
Going to the window, Gina glanced out to check the skies. Nothing appeared overly threatening. There were heavy gray clouds off to the west, but otherwise it actually seemed to be clearing in their area. She knew this could be both good and bad. Cloud coverage usually kept the temperature down, and since higher temperatures seemed to feed the elements necessary for stronger storms, she would have just as well preferred the clouds remain.
Deciding not to worry about it, Gina clicked the radio off and grabbed her own bag of precious possessions. Her bag, more like a small suitcase, contained important household papers and photos that were irreplaceable. Usually when the storm season began, she simply took the case downstairs and left it there; but this year the weather had been fairly mild through March, and there hadn’t been any real need to worry about it.
Trudging downstairs, Gina found Danny already in the basement. The basement was small and unfinished, but Gina had tried to make it homey for situations just like this. She had put in a small double bed for those times when the storms seemed to rage all night long. It had come in handy last year when the season had been particularly nasty. There were also a table and chairs and several board games she and Danny could play if they wanted to keep their minds off the storms.
There were also more practical things. Under the stairs, Ray had enclosed the area for storage and for protection if a storm was actually bearing down on them. They had heard it was the strongest place for shelter and so it was here that they would take their last line of defense. Gina had placed a supply of batteries, candles, matches, and bottled water on a narrow section of shelving that Ray had built for just such a purpose. There was also a battery-operated television, and Gina stored her extra linens and blankets here as well. The only other thing was an old mattress that had been propped against the wall. Ray had always told her that if a tornado was actually headed for them, they would pull the mattress down on top to help shield their bodies from the possibility of flying debris. They’d never had to use it, but Gina was ready, and it made her feel safe just knowing that it was there.
She knew her friends often laughed about the cautious manner in which she dealt with storms, but she still had nightmares about a time when she had been young and a tornado had devastated the farm she’d lived on. After seeing firsthand what a tornado could do, Gina knew she would never take the matter for granted.
“Mom, are we gonna have a tornado this time?” Danny questioned, securing his bag under the game table.
“I sure hope not. Why don’t we say a little prayer just in case.” Danny nodded and Gina bowed her head. “Dear God, please keep us safely in Your care, no matter the weather, no matter our fears. Let us remember that You hold us safely in Your hands.”
“Amen,” Danny said loudly. “Can we eat now?” He looked up at her with a mischievous grin.
“I still have to boil the pasta,” she told him. “Let’s get upstairs and you can set the table while I see how the sauce is doing.”
“Don’t forget the bread.”
“I won’t,” she told him, giving his backside a playful swat.
They worked silently, Danny setting the table with the good dishes and Gina trying to imagine what it would be like to have a regular Sunday meal with a man at her table. She tried not to make too much of it. She wasn’t one of those women who couldn’t cope in life without a man at her side, but she did realize how much nicer it was to have the companionship of another adult. Especially a male adult.
She had just pulled the bread from the oven when the front doorbell sounded. “That’s him!” Danny yelled from the living room.
“Well, let him in,” Gina replied and hurried to drain the pasta. She arranged spaghetti on each of their plates and had started to ladle the sauce on top when Gary came into the kitchen, a two-liter bottle of cola in his arms along with a bouquet of flowers.
“I brought flowers for the lady of the house and drink for all,” he announced, giving her the flowers with a sweeping bow.
Gina laughed. “They’re beautiful, but you really shouldn’t have.”
Gary sobered, his blue eyes seeming to darken as he beheld her. “And why not?”
Gina couldn’t think of any reason and simply shrugged. “You’re just in time. I only need to slice the bread.”
“Let me,” Gary said, putting the soda on the counter. He immediately glanced around for a knife.
Gina handed him a slender knife and pointed him in the direction of where she’d placed the bread to cool. Just then, the unmistakable sound of the weather radio shattered their companionable silence.
“Danny, please run up to my room, unplug the radio, and bring it down here,” Gina ordered. Danny, knowing the seriousness of the matter, took off in a flash and quickly brought her the radio.
Gina punched the button in time to hear that a tornado warning had been issued for Morris County. “A tornado was spotted on the ground five miles west of the town of Wilsey. People living in and around the areas of Wilsey and Council Grove should take immediate cover.”
“And so it begins,” Gary said, trying to sound lighthearted about the matter.
Gina nodded and continued listening to the information. “It sounds like the storms are moving our way but not very fast. Maybe we’ll have time for lunch before we have to concern ourselves with anything too serious.”
“I’m sure we’ll be just fine,” Gary replied. He held up the bread like a prize. “This is ready.”
“Well, let’s eat then,” Gina declared, bringing the plates of spaghetti to the table.
Gary offered to give the blessing, and when he did, Gina felt tears come to her eyes. Ray used to pray over the meals in a similar manner, and hearing Gary’s voice only served to bring back the memory in a bittersweet wave.
Caught up in the memory, Gina didn’t even realize Gary had concluded the prayer until Danny asked if he could have some bread. She pulled herself together and looked up with a smile.
“Of course you may,” she told her son and watched while Gary handed him a slice.
Gary had just begun to tell them tales of his own days as a Cub Scout when the radio went off once again. This time, it seemed, another storm had popped up in Wabaunsee County just to the west of them. It was only a thunderstorm warning, but both Gary and Gina knew how dangerous these things could be.
Danny ate with great enthusiasm, apparently oblivious to the look that flashed between Gina and Gary. The weather was making it impossible for Gina to eat, but she tried to give the pretense in order to keep Danny calm. Gary smiled reassuringly until another tornado warning, this one issued for towns much closer to their own, sounded on the radio.
“You do have a basement, right?”
She nodded, feeling better knowing that if she had to endure a bad storm, she would at least have Gary’s company through the worst of it.
“Danny and I are all prepared.”
“Why don’t we just move our dinner downstairs?” Gary suggested. “Then we can more or less ignore the radio and just have a good time. We can even work on the car down there, although I wouldn’t want to paint it there. The fumes would probably make us all goofy by the end of the day. In fact, with the humidity the way it is, I wouldn’t suggest painting it today anyway. We can work on the axles and wheels and add the weights. I even brought a scale to make sure it’s regulation weight.”
Gina nodded as the radio once again sounded the alarm. “I guess we could move everything downstairs. The basement isn’t finished or very nice to look at, but I do have a table and chairs down there. And you do have an after-dinner activity….”
“Then lead the way,” Gary said, jumping to his feet. “Danny, you grab up the bread and take your silverware. Gina, you bring your plate and Danny’s—oh, and don’t forget your silver. I’ll bring the rest.”
Gina liked the way he took charge and only paused long enough to grab the weather radio as she headed downstairs. They might as well have it with them to know what was going on, even if they didn’t have to worry about taking cover. Of course, it was always possible a tornado could plop down nearby and then she would want to get under the staircase, but that wasn’t something she wanted to think about just now. She wanted things to be calm and for the storms to go away, and she nearly laughed out loud as she made her way down the basement stairs. How dare stormy weather interfere with her date with Gary!
“This is a real adventure,” Danny declared as Gina put his plate on the table. “We’re having fun, aren’t we, Mom?”
Gina forced a smile. “I think you have the right attitude about it. When life gives you a storm, look for the silver lining.”
“Or the basement,” Gary called out as he made his way down the stairs. His arms were filled, and Gina hurried to help him. “I’ll be right back,” he told her as he put his plate on the table. “I’m going to get our drinks and napkins—and my little red toolkit.”
Within a few moments he had returned, and as he took his seat at the ancient plastic-top table, the radio announced additional tornado sightings. Gina felt herself tense. She didn’t realize how evident it was, however, until Gary reached over and gave her arm a gentle pat.
“You have a nice cozy place here,” he said, glancing around the room.
“We had to spend all night down here last year,” Danny told him between bites of food. “We even homeschooled down here.”
“Oh, so you’re homeschooled,” Gary replied. And with that he set the conversation in full swing, and soon even Gina was caught up in explanations of how homeschooling worked and what she tried to accomplish. Danny related wonderful field trips they’d taken and how he even joined the soccer team at the local YMCA.
She was so engrossed in the conversation that when the tornado sirens actually went off and the radio weatherman announced that a tornado had been sighted not ten miles from where she lived, Gina was completely surprised.
It was only then that she noticed the rain beating down on the basement window. The window well was already filled with about two inches of water. Lightning flashed and thunder roared right behind it, betraying the fact that the storm was right upon them.
Gina tried to take a deep breath in order to calm herself. She silently prayed for courage and calm in order to keep Danny from being afraid, but already she could read the fear in his eyes. When he left his place at the table and came to her, Gina wordlessly pushed back from the table and took the boy onto her lap. Eight was a difficult age for a child, especially a boy. They needed independence and rough soccer games and all-night campouts with their friends. But sometimes they still needed their mothers’ laps and hugs that reassured them that all would be well.
Gina wrapped her arms around Danny’s trembling body and kissed his forehead. “We’re in God’s hands, Danny,” she whispered.
Gary reached over and stroked Danny’s back. “Don’t worry, Sport, it’ll be over before you know it.” He spoke to Danny, but it was Gina’s eyes he looked into.
Gina drew strength from his calm demeanor.
“Why don’t we play a game?” Gary suggested.
Danny peaked his head up. “Which one?”
“Hmmm, I don’t know, how about—”
Just then a roaring boom of thunder shook the whole house and the lights went out. The room was dark except for the flashes of lightning that seemed to come one right on top of the other and penetrated through the small basement windows.
“How about Blindman’s Bluff?” Gary said with a laugh. “We won’t even need blindfolds.”
Gina laughed, amazed that Gary’s presence could give her so much peace. God had known she would need help, and even though the storm raged overhead and the electricity had been knocked out, she realized she wasn’t half as afraid as she might have been had she and Danny been alone. Sometimes it was just easier to bear the storms of life when you had someone to stand beside you.
By evening, the storms had calmed and the weather had turned peaceful. The electricity had even been restored, and Gina noted that everything still appeared to be in one piece as they moved back up from the basement. The radio droned softly from the kitchen, announcing the forecast for the evening to be clear.
Gina walked Gary to the front door and laughed. “Well, it wasn’t exactly how I figured our first date would go.”
Gary stopped in midstep and looked at her seriously. “This wasn’t a date.”
Gina swallowed hard. Had she misread him? “It wasn’t?”
“No,” Gary said, shaking his head. “You don’t take eight-year-olds on romantic dates. I have something special planned for our first date. You doing anything on Friday night?”
Gina grinned, feeling a sense of elation wash over her. “That depends on what you have in mind. I was going to clean out the refrigerator and wash my hair. Can you top that?”
Gary gave her a look that made her want to melt into a puddle at his feet. “I think I can manage to beat that out. How about I pick you up around seven and we go out for a nice grown-up dinner and then take a walk at the lake?”
Gina tilted her chin up while she considered her options. “Hmmm, that’s a tough choice. Dinner with a handsome man and a romantic, moonlit walk or burying myself in condiments and soapsuds.” She watched a grin spread across his face. “I guess the fridge can wait.”
“Good. Seven o’clock sharp,” he said. “Oh, and if you’re free on Saturday, we can paint the car. That should give us plenty of time to detail it out for the race.”
“Sounds like a winner to me,” Gina replied.
She watched him climb into his car and didn’t stop watching until he’d backed out of her drive and headed off down Humboldt Street. This was definitely the start of something exciting, she thought. Please God, let it be real.