Last Wednesday, I told The Boy that a hurricane was headed our way, and there was a possibility we might leave town for the following night. Immediately, I regretted my carefully constructed, nonchalant approach – he was scared. “A hurricane??” I explained that it was really just a bunch of wind and storms headed our way and that the power may go out, so The Man and I were thinking about heading out of town for a night to stay in a hotel which would have wifi and power, so we could be comfortable until the storm passed. He visibly calmed until I added that we might pick him up from camp instead of Grammy because we might head out of town directly from there. Change in routine equals added anxiety. Oops. “We’ll see,” I said.
We watched the Weather Channel religiously that night, and started to get anxious ourselves. It began to move quickly, it began to slightly move inland, it began to look like it was going up to a Category 2 by the time it would hit us, and it was expected to make landfall exactly where we live, which would mean loud scary sounds, and a definite power outage if nothing else. By Thursday morning, we were sincerely leaning toward heading out of town. I had to head in to work for a few hours, and then we would make the determination. Grammy would pick The Boy up as usual, giving us time to board up the shed and make preparations at our place.
After I got home from work, The Man and I looked at each other and didn’t need to say a word. We packed some things, grabbed the important papers, secured the back door, and headed to pick up The Boy. Most people in our area head west, but they jack up the hotel and gas prices as you head inland, so we head south, because even though it is into the storm, it’s usually less severe down there and you don’t have to give up your first born for some A/C and a bed.
Well Hello, Arthur
We headed into bands of driving rain and wind, and pulled into a hotel about a hour and a half down the coast. We ran up the stairs to our room and began to dry off and settle in. And then the real challenge began.
The wifi was broken, he said. When the iPad finally found the signal, it was too slow, he said, and he started to get agitated. “Let me see your iPad, to see if I can fix it,” I said. He refused. He began to pace, and head toward the door. He put the iPad onto the floor, none too carefully, and even stepped on it. “I am DONE with this iPad. We need to sell it and get a new one. This one doesn’t WORK!” He went to open the hotel room door, and I had to use my body to block him from doing so – none too easy anymore, now that he is 2 inches taller than me. “We need to leave. We need to go home,” he whined, over and over. Reasoning doesn’t work at this stage, I knew, but I tried it anyway. “There’s no power at home, let alone wifi, Bud. Let’s decide on something to eat for dinner.” He would not be dissuaded.
Somehow, we finally convinced him to go with us to get some dinner, maybe we promised ice cream. I don’t really remember. His mood lifted as he was able to check out the toilets at the Wendy’s around the corner, the only place that seemed open.
We headed back to the room, where the wifi finally seemed to work well enough for his tastes. We ate, watched TV, and got a good night’s sleep. In the morning, we returned home to find downed branches everywhere, but our house was intact, and the power eerily came back on just about the same time as we walked into the house. He was home, there was power and wifi, and he was happy. The storm was over.
Simple. I Just Do. 