FicWad

Thunder. Missy whined a bit in her high chair below me. I reluctantly put the portable back in its cradle. Dr. Phil was still rambling on about taking control of one’s life. Five o’clock and there’s nothing on television but talk shows. And I wanted the early shift.
I scooped little Missy into my arms and walked back and forth. Delilah was supposed to be home an hour and a half ago. “I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about,” I told the infant
softly. “She’s prone to being late, and the weather outside is pretty bad. She could have stopped somewhere to wait it out. And maybe, wherever she is, the cell phone doesn’t get a signal. That’s right, right?”
Missy cooed. I kissed the top of her head, littered with shiny, albeit thin, strawberry blond hair. “You know exactly what to say, my little angel.” A questioning murmur from her lips. “Don’t worry,” I said. “Your mommy’s going to be just fine. Wait and see.” My brain echoed that thought, that side of me encouraging the other. My gut trembled in contrast.
Missy’s small, pudgy little hand gripped onto my shoulder. Her head pressed into my chest. Soft slumber, so peaceful. So stark against the shining lightning beyond the blinded windows. Another flash. White, so white.
And then red. The whole room was red. For a moment I stumbled and just held Missy to me, terrified that she would slip from my grasp onto the floor. And then I began to comprehend.
Dr. Phil was silenced by the sound of the Emergency Alert System blaring out its code into the shaky night air. The luminescent shine of his head was deflected by the red light now emitted from Delilah’s television. A deep male voice spoke, seeming to shake the very walls with his warning. But perhaps that was a result from the crackling of the clouds overhead. “The Emergency Alert System has been activated. A tornado has been sighted near Warner Robins. A tornado warning is in effect for the following counties….” His voice trailed on, never once suggesting a note of interest. As if the destruction of perhaps a dozen lives is nothing special.
The local weather popped on after the red flash stopped. “We have recently been alerted to the tornado heading southwest in the way of Warner Robins.” I whimpered in fear. My town was just outside of it, just in that direction. “If you have a basement, we suggest you take shelter immediately. If you are in a house with no basement, get into a hallway or inner room of the house away from windows and doors. Stay on the first floor.” That little lump of fear in my throat grew. Delilah’s apartment was on the eighth floor. “If you are in an apartment building or away from home, go to a shelter immediately. The following places…..”
I didn’t even wait for him to finish the sentence. I grabbed the bag of public necessities like diapers and baby food, the car seat, and the keys to my car. I thought a minute, poised next to the door. The high school would be best. Then I fled out into the stormy night, Missy calm and serene all the while.
*
Just my luck. Just my damn luck. I wander from the town we’re playing for the first time in five years and get caught in a frigging tornado. Of course. And, to top it all off, I’m on foot. And the way to closest place, some local high school two miles away, was no walk in the park. Even though I did cut through one to actually make it there faster….
But, yeah, a high school. So I pretty much knew I was walking into a pit of teeny bopper fan girls that would scream as soon as they saw my face. Great, just great.
I stepped through the door to go into the auditorium. And the first few seconds were peaceful until, right on cue, I heard it. “Oh, my God, Sharon, look! It’s Gerard Way!” I shut my eyes tight. How did that one thing go? “God grant me the serenity….”
By the time my eyes opened, two girls around the age of fourteen had appeared before me. “Hey!” the one who had shouted before said with an equally enthusiastic and sugar-dripping tone.
“Hi,” I said, putting on a smile. “I suppose you know who I am, then….”
The other one, obviously the shy type, smiled and shifted her eyes to the ground. “Of course we know who you are,” she answered softly.
The former one, the great squealer, tugged on my wrist until we were in the center of the auditorium, sitting in little chairs that were the type in movie theaters. She began chattering about the latest album, how much she loved it and whatnot. The other one just kept on smiling. Well, I guess this isn’t so bad, I told myself.
Then about seven more girls crowded around me and began interrogating me. About what, you ask? Anything and everything. Ugh, well, I should be happy that I have fans. And I am. I just wish there was some way to escape this, something else in the auditorium to tear my eyes from….
Then I saw her. A girl in her early twenties, on the other side of the auditorium. She had medium brown hair she had tied back in a ponytail and white porcelain skin. The natural kind you couldn’t fake with even the best stage make-up. And small green eyes that would not bother to glance in my direction. And, hell, a small baby clinging onto her shoulder. Well, I don’t know how I feel about that…
But there was something about her. About how stiff she looked just sitting there. About how the navy blue tank top she was wearing seemed to make her feel uncomfortable. About how every two minutes she adjusted the straps to cover more of her shoulder. She must have been at home in her private clothing. At home watching her kid, apparently. But, I wondered, where was the father?
She glanced at me once, then quickly shifted her eyes back. I found myself staring at those lips. Damn, what was wrong with me? Why was I suddenly fantasizing over a girl I hadn’t even met yet?
I’ll have to change that. I got up, brushing off the fan girls with a polite yet stern comment. “Sorry, ladies, there is something I have to do. Please excuse me.”
The short walk across the auditorium…..never felt longer. She kept her head ducked. My heart was just pounding in my ears. It was all I heard, all I knew, despite the protests of the girls behind me. I couldn’t get there fast enough. Yet, when I did, I felt like I had no time to prepare myself. I had nothing to say. Crap!
*
“Hey,” the boy with the lovely round face and short black hair said. Just a word. My heart was pounding in my ears. Well, it had been ever since I saw him walk into the auditorium. He could not be here. How could he possibly be here?
“Do you mind if I sit down?” he asked, gesturing to the seat next to me. I shook my head in response. “What’s your name?”
“I’m Amy,” I said, finally finding my voice.
“I’m Gerard,” he responded.
I couldn’t help but laugh a little. “Well, we all already knew that.”
He seemed a tad bit taken aback. “Wait, you know who I am?”
I nodded, smiling at him. “Are you disappointed?”
“No, just surprised, that’s all. So, I suppose you know about me….”
“Yup. Gerard Way. Front man and loner-kid idol extraordinaire.”
He made a little face. “See, now you have an advantage. Last name, job, etcetera. I need details, stat.”
“Well…..” I pretended to think a minute. “My name’s Amy Strauss. I write for a local newspaper, and I work at a bookstore. And I’m a struggling novelist,” I said with a laugh.
“So?” He looked at me with those intense yet warm hazel eyes. “What about this little tater tot? Does she have a daddy?”
“Um, yes. She’s also got a mommy that’s at work right now. Her name’s Missy.”
He smiled a little. Relieved, are we? “So you’re babysitting?”
“Yeah. I’ve been trying to get a hold of her mother for an hour now,” I said, gesturing to the cell phone clenched in my fist.
I felt a touch of unease when I finished the sentence. Gerard just smiled at me, not noticing. But I was worried. I hadn’t heard from Delilah at all. But I smiled back at him, incredulous that this could possibly happen. What the hell?
“So, what are you doing in the middle of nowhere?” I asked, brushing a little bit of hair from Missy’s eyes, shut tight in the recess of slumber.
“Well, I got bored and just started wandering hours before a set. I figured I’d make it back in time. But, uh, that’s probably not going to happen now.”
“Uh, man, that sucks. Do you think the guys will be really upset with you?”
He shrugged. “They’ll probably be a little pissed, since we’ll have to reschedule and all. But Mikey’s probably worried out of his mind. Because of the tornado.”
I felt another little glimmer of discomfort when he said that part. “Yeah,” I said. “It’s scary, isn’t it?”
“I guess so. I’m not really thinking about that that much right now. Why, are you scared?”
I nodded. “A little. Not too much, but enough.” I paused, staring into his eyes for a few long seconds. I opened my mouth again.
His cell phone rang. The ring tone was “American Idiot.” “It’s Mikey. One second.” He flipped open his phone. “Hello?”
There was a loud noise on the other end. Like his brother was screaming or something. “Whoa, calm down. I’m fine.” There was a pause. “Same as you. I’m in a tornado shelter.” He rolled his eyes. “Well, duh! There was about six or seven but I managed to shake them off pretty well. Why, how many are around you guys?” He winced. “Sorry. Tell them all I’m in the bathroom or something.” Another short pause. “Love you, too, man. Don’t worry. I’ll be okay. Okay, bye.” He hung up and looked at me again with those majestic eyes.
“I---” he started, but he was cut off by the sound of my cell phone ringing to the tune of “Helena.” He grinned shamelessly.
“Hello?” I inquired into the open phone.
A brisk, familiar, female voice answered on the other end. “Hey, Amy, are you in the high school shelter?”
“Yeah. Hey, where is Delilah? You guys got off work at the same time today, didn’t you?”
“We both went out for coffee after work, but when we heard the Emergency Alert System, we both decided to leave. I went home, but she said she was going to go to Radio Shack to see Manny. I don’t know where she is now.”
“Christ,” I murmured back. Radio Shack was not even a mile past Warner Robins. Meaning it was in the path of the tornado. Meaning Delilah was in deep. I glanced down at Missy. And I prayed that come dawn, she wouldn’t be an orphan.
*
Amy and I talked for the longest time. I can’t even remember what we talked about. Just stuff. Where we each grew up. What we liked to do. What we were going to do the moment we got out of the shelter. And, all the time, I couldn’t tear my eyes from her. Those lovely, structured shoulders with smooth skin. After talking to her, I was sure that my previous analysis was correct. She wasn’t the type of girl to know or really care how beautiful she was. And that made me like her even more.
And her eyes. Those deep greens. Green that made me think of forests and freshly mown lawns and everything peaceful and calm. Every time she looked up at me, I could feel that calm washing over me. She made me feel like calm skies and sweet breezes.
As soon as that thought, that simile formed in my mind, the strongest gust of wind I ever heard battered against the walls of the auditorium. There was the distinct screaming of several women scattered throughout the room. Little Missy barely stirred. I could tell that Amy was getting nervous, though. She fidgeted with her fingers and shifted in her seat a lot. I wanted to ask her if she was okay but knew it would probably make things worse if I bothered with it.
Crack! “Shi--what was that?” I asked.
“I think that was a tree falling or something,” Amy replied. She was looking greener by the second.
Three more of those cracks occurred back to back. I jumped a little each time they did. And then the rain pounded down on the ceiling. And then the lights went out.
Darkness. Complete and utter darkness. I could barely see Amy’s outline a foot away. But I could hear her shallow breathing. I could sense the tenseness in her muscles. I knew the green was still there. I could still feel the calm when her face was turned my way.
“Gerard?” she said.
“Yeah, Amy?”
“I lied earlier when I said I was barely scared. I’m terrified.”
Impulsively, I reached over and took her hand in mine. “Are you worried about Missy’s mom?”
“Yeah,” she whispered. I wondered if she was about to cry.
“Everything will be okay. Don’t worry. Do you believe me?”
I heard her gulp in the darkness. “Yes, I do.” There was a moment of peace, when the wind stopped. When the only thing I felt or thought of was the smooth skin of her hand against mine.
Then the wind came back, as hard as before, beating relentlessly against the structure of the building. And people around us began sobbing, screaming in hysterics. “I don’t want to die!” I heard that one again and again.
But I thought, if I did, I couldn’t find a better way to go than with my hand enclosed within hers.
*
The wind and rain were hard for about thirty minutes. Half of an hour in stark darkness. But it wasn’t really scary. The only feeling I really could discern was the thick anticipation in the air. I didn’t exactly know what to expect. Were we going to die? Was that what I was waiting for?
No, I didn’t think that was it. But I was definitely waiting for something.
When the lights came back on, I could tell that half of the people in the room were crying seconds before. Their tear-streaked faces, agape with horror and relief, held no shame in that moment.
But I did.
*
Amy was frozen before me, trapped with fear.
I wrapped my arms around her. She felt stiff at first, firm against my advances. But then she relented, burrowing her face into my neck. I just held her. That’s all it was. Even though it sort of felt like I was accepting a piece of her soul when she quivered against me.
Like when she came unglued from my arms and pulled herself together, I still felt a fragment of her with me. We exchanged information and began to set off in opposite directions. But even when her form disappeared behind me, I could still feel her. Still feel the sensation of our arms around each other, the sensation of our hearts beating together.