The Neighbors

Chapter 15

Once December came, things got much more crazy as they always did at this time of year. Luckily, not many people want to think about moving around Christmas time, so my work load lightened up considerably. I was able to spend more time with my girls, baking Christmas cookies, visiting Santa Claus at the mall, and putting up the Christmas tree.

Soon Christmas was almost upon us – just a little over a week away – and we began to hear forecasts of an impending blizzard. I rushed out and did my last minute Christmas shopping, just in case we got snowed in and I wasn't able to finish the following week. I stocked up on food and candles. And I picked out a gift for Harry for Christmas. I bought something for Harold and Charlie, too, but their gifts were pretty generic. Since Harry was becoming such a good friend, I wanted to find something a little more personal.

I got extremely lucky and found just the thing: a steampunk-themed guitar. I don't know why, but I was sure that Harry would love it. I knew he already had at least one guitar, but this was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. I happily brought the guitar home with all of my other provisions, and I hid it in the basement storage room. I had to make sure he wouldn't see it since he was at our house all the time.

I had just gotten home when the snow started to fly. I gave my mom a hurried kiss and urged her to get home quickly to hunker down before the storm hit.

Then I turned to the girls. "Guess what?" I said, excitedly.

"What?" They giggled.

"There's going to be a blizzard! That means lots and lots of snow. We're going to get snowed in and Mommy probably won't have to go back to work for a few days. We can play in the snow. And we can make hot chocolate and maybe bake some more Christmas cookies. And we can even roast some marshmallows in the fireplace."

They squealed with excitement. I never understood how people disliked the snow. Blizzards were kind of a pain if you had to try to get somewhere, but I absolutely loved to tuck in and enjoy the storm. The only thing I didn't like was when the power went out, mainly because it made it harder to cook. And of course, staying warm was an issue, too, but I never worried too much with our fireplace. Earlier in the week, I had brought in plenty of wood from outside and stacked it into a huge pile next to the fireplace, just in case. At least I was still able to enjoy my fallen oak tree.

Just to be safe, I called Harry to make sure he wasn't planning on going out anywhere. He told me his brother had left on a flight for England this morning with his girlfriend. They were planning to spend the holidays there. His dad was planning on staying in the city at a hotel near his office. So Harry was all alone with the storm about to hit.

"Do you need anything? I have plenty of food, but if you want anything for the next few days, you should go and get it now. It's going to start snowing much harder pretty soon."

"I think I'm all set, Lise. But thanks for the concern. Maybe we can play some board games or watch a movie tomorrow if school is canceled."

"Harry, school is already canceled for the next two days! Haven't you been watching the news? This is a really big storm!"

"All right!" He cheered. I laughed – typical school kid.

The girls and I ate a quick dinner and then we got ready for bed. I put my pajamas on, too, wanting to get cozy with the girls. We lit a fire and decided to roast a few marshmallows before I told them their bedtime story. Rachael was crawling everywhere; I was glad that I had invested in the fireplace barricade.

After story time, I put the girls to bed and nursed Rachael to sleep. I knew I would have to wean her soon. She was eating lots of solid foods and she took a bottle regularly. She only nursed for comfort now, and she was getting old enough to give it up. I felt a bit sad at the thought of it, though.