My Appalachian Alpha

9

"Meeeooooowwwww!"
"No, Fish!!!! Five more minutes," I growl. Who needs an alarm clock when you can have an annoyingly adorable cat? Fish crawls on top of me and begins kneading my stomach, purring loudly. I can't help but smile as I reach up and pet him. I love this weird cat. He comes closer, nuzzling under my chin.

"Okay, okay, I'm getting up."

I sit up and look at my phone and see that it's 5:00am. A loud crash of thunder makes Fish and I both jump. I didn't remember the forecast saying a storm was coming. Another loud boom shakes my cabin. Lighting illuminates through the windows and a torrent of rain begins. The local meteorologist need to update their software apparently.

I get up and stumble into the kitchen with Fish threading himself through my legs. I feed and water him and then turn my kettle on to boil some water for tea. The wind outside is howling so loud and another crash of thunder shakes my cabin. I've been warned about storms like this and how they can come on suddenly and leave a lot of damage behind. Another boom of thunder and my electricity flickers and then goes out. Great.

I stand for a moment in the dark quiet and just listen to the hurricane like storm brewing outside. A cold chill runs down my spine. I walk to my hall closet and grab a large box and open it to reveal my mother's candle stash. I couldn't bear to throw them out. My mother loved candles and not a day went by that she didn't have them burning somewhere in the house. Luckily for me, these will work perfectly. I work on dispersing the candles throughout my cabin and light them all one by one.

The storm continues to rage but Fish and I are safe. I bring a few candle into my bathroom and attempt to get ready in the dim candlelight. I wash my face and brush my teeth and then climb into my scrubs. Knowing the weather will most likely stay dismal, I settle for a ponytail and chapstick and call it good.
Luckily, I had showered right before last night and washed all the mud and embarrassment off then. I walk back into the kitchen, fill a mug with hot water and tea and sit at the table with Fish serenading me. He jumps into my lap, purring away.

"Fish, you can't get fur on my scrubs. Come on, get down." I place him down and he instantly jumps on the counter and knocks a candle down. I rush to grab it and clean up the spilled wax and realize candles and cats do not mix.

Mentally adding battery powered candles to my shopping list, I sigh and walk around blowing all the candles out. I feel another cold chill run down my back as I look around in the dark.

"Okay Fish, Mommy is going to go to work early today. You be good." I give Fish extra food and water just in case I get stuck at work.

I grab my umbrella and slide on my rain boots. I pack my shoes in my bag and throw in a few snacks. With my keys and my bag in hand, I open the front door to brave the waves of pelting rain. The clinic has back up generators so it will be safer for me to be there. I climb into my Jeep and shut the door. I try to shake off some the rain but it's no use, I'm soaked. Never having been through a storm this bad, I decide to call my dad and make sure he's okay.

"Hey kiddo, quite the storm, huh?"

"It is. I'm headed into work since my power is out. I wanted to check on you."

"I'm good. I'm next door at Fred's and we are going to fry up all the fish I caught yesterday. He has a generator so don't you worry about me."

"Okay well you two have fun today. Love you."

"Love you too, drive safe. Stick to the main roads."

"I will."

We hang up and I put my phone away. Backing up slowly, I make my way out of my driveway and on to the road. Visibility is minimal and there's already a large amount of flooding. I take a deep breath as I turn onto the road and begin to make my way to work. There's nothing this old Jeep can't handle, I've got this.