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I sit in the passenger seat with Javi driving. Looking out the window of the land I called home. We pass an overpass and I look at it realizing it was the same one from years ago so I quickly look away again.
"Not gonna lie that thing could crumble. That's something from the old van right." He tells me "Yeah how are you paying for all this?" I ask him "I got investors. Storms get more erratic, lot a new positive developments going up, so the developers want a full time weather data. So any time a new building goes up I wanna get storm par right there so people know exactly what the storms gonna do. I'm telling you I really feel like we're gonna change the game Oak." He tells me and I just smile "What?" He asks "No it's just um business entrepreneur was not how I saw your future. We used to get lucky to get you to wear pants." I laugh "Well yeah I completely changed" he laughs
We pull into a gas station where a lot of other cars were. And we pull right up next to the other two storm par cars. We get out of the car and I walk with Javi. "Bring it in team. Alright you guys have all heard me talk about Oak. How no one has better instincts, smartest person I know, and she's the best. And you'll never work with a more talented team than this one. We got PHD's from NASA, FEMA, NOAH, and WS." Javi tells me "Hm got the whole alphabet." I nod "We're the best" Javi shrugs "Except for Scott my partner here, he went to MIT instead of scovy state. But he makes up for it with his beautiful amazing personality." Javi tells me putting his hand on the guys shoulder. Who just smiles once then goes back to a resting face.
"Well Oaks only giving us a week so while we have her oooo, it's gonna be the wildest tornado week you've ever seen fellas." Javi tells them "And everyone with a 10 dollar weather app knows it. We gotta stay ahead of the circus." Scott says
Then we hear a lot of honking and loud music. I stare at a big old red truck pull up, with a tornado with horns in the front. "Hey storm par we're live on YouTube! Hey smile man, it's fun right" a man in the car says pointing his phone at us "Who are they?" I ask "Chasers out of Arkansas." Javi says "Hillbillies with a YouTube channel" Scott adds I watch as a bunch of people crowd around his car. Then a man opens his door and steps out. He was blonde with a cowboy hat, definitely looks like a hillbilly.
"I said if you feel it!" He yells "Chase it!" The crowd yells and one of the storm par workers does, while the rest of them just look at him.
The man looks over at us but I just keep staring in complete confusion. "It's Tyler Owens. Calls himself a tornado wrangler." Javi tells me "What does that even mean?" I ask "Means are works going to shit" he answers as we watch them start to sell shirts and mugs. The guy named Tyler then tips his hat at me before Javi speaks up. "Alright let's get out of this bunch. Let me see this. Alright Oak, which storm are we chasing?" Javi asks me handing me a tablet
I start to look at each one when Scott speaks up. "There's a nice cell in the east." He says and I just look at him then back at the tablet
I start to walk off when I look back to see everyone was following me. "It's uh it's been while, I'll just watch on this first one" I tell Javi "No no no oak it's alright. You got this. That's why you're here." He tells me and I give him a slight nod looking back at the other people "Alright guys everybody get there last bathroom break in" Javi tells them as I walk off
"Come in oak." I mumble to myself as I look at each cloud. Then I kneel down to pick up a dandelion. I scrunch it in my hand before letting it float off.
"You know I used to do that too. Great redirection of cloud movement. Check your fuel for the shear. Yep. Sometimes the old are better than the new. Where are you coming in from?" He asks me "New York" I answer "You're a long way from home city girl. So you like working for storm par?" He ask as I look at him but before I could answer someone walks up "Tyler do we know which storm are we going after yet?" A man asks him "Well why don't we ask" Tyler says pointing at me
"Oakland" I tell the man "Hi Oakland, I'm Tyler" he smiles "And I'm Ben" the man tells me shaking my hand "I'm a reporter. Doing a piece on American storm chasing. Tyler's letting me ride along." Ben tells me "He just had to promise to write nothing but good stuff about me" Tyler says tapping his chest "Good luck with that" I tell him then walk off
"Hang on. You didn't say which way we're going yet. Now from what I gather, west we double are chances. East well, it's high risk high reward." Tyler says "Oh go for the reward. You don't want Ben to think you're boring." I tell him "Well borings not usually a problem for me Oak." He says and I caught on how he already is using a nick name "Two cells from the west are fighting over the same inflow. They'll choke each other out. This one to the east is has the sky all to itself. Moisture, wind shear, wind stability. All the things you need to give Ben a good show." I tell him then turn around and walk off again "City girl knows her stuff Ben. I said city girl knows her stuff Ben!" He says the second one louder so I could hear "Thanks. Maybe if I work a little hard I could be a tornado wrangler too" I shrug then turn back around to keep walking.
