Hurricanes make me
homesick. I know that's such a silly
thing to say, but they truly do. It’s something about the winds blowing against
the window and the pattering of rain on the roof and walls. Even though I know there are a hundred different
things I could think, hurricanes and Virginia Beach have become synonymous in
my mind.
The first time, I remember
waking up at nine in the morning, although it was still as dark as if it were five,
and panicking because I had a field trip that day and couldn't afford to be
late. My mom explained that school had
been cancelled due to the storm, which was boggling to me, because school had
never been cancelled. The field trip was
never rescheduled which was more upsetting to me than any other property damage
we might have suffered.
Four years later, I remember
lying in bed in the middle of the day, as dark as if it were night, and just
listening to the storm. My brother got
me out of bed to go and stand on the front porch to watch the wind blow sticks
around until the wind suddenly died, and we walked out into the yard to see the
blue sky of the eye above us.
The next year the power was
out for six days, and school was out for ten. I helped clean sticks out of the
street, and went over to my friend’s house so that I could shower not by candlelight,
and with actual heated water.
Now, I'm lying in bed even
though it’s not yet eight. I'm watching TV as long as I can before we
inevitably lose power. Every now and
then I'm staring out the window in awe of just how strong the wind seems to be.
I'm trying not to stress out over things I can't control, like whether or not I
have work tomorrow and how I’ll get there if I do--mostly just hoping that I
don't have to go into work at all.
And throughout it all
wishing that I was in Virginia Beach.
<3