Hello Hurricane

(Warning: Long Post)

I knew that I would find a story! To be honest, sometimes I go through a week, from Friday to Sunday itching for a good story, especially after a week that had one great event. The pressure of people's expectations sometimes gets me all washed out as Saturday comes and I begin to say, "Well it looks like I'll have to write a long introduction and then say, 'I had a good week. The end.' and face the angry mob of disappointed readers." Ok, that's a bit of a carried away thought, so let's sweep that out to sea.

On Friday I went to school and after my sole class I was asking my lecturer a few question about sets and images (read carefully). About ten minutes into the conversation I looked outside with a "what the..." expression on my face. "Yep. I guess that's rain," my lecturer answered. Who knew he was so smart! So I decided to find some more questions to ask because none of us could go anywhere. And about 20 minutes later, I couldn't take the Siberian conditions of the classroom and left to do some studying, sadly, in Alaska. I went back outside to a rainless, cloudy day and did some random stuff by myself until I left school at 1. After which I ran some errands, went home and slept.

I woke up to the noise of my family off loading their school stuff and searching the fridge and the cupboards. As I got downstairs to claim some of the bounty before the pack devoured it all, my mom grabbed and said, "Wash the dishes." She then started calling out plays like a commanding officer in the middle of siege fire and I, with a drowsy and puzzled look, tried to make sense of it all. What happened was that between "fair to partly cloudy" and "cloudy with a few brief scattered showers" a storm decided to pass by.

"Don't you know that we are under storm warning?" my mom asked as she filled the containers with water. "When did this happen?" I asked. The warning was issued at 1 - the time I left school.

I finished washing the dishes and made something to eat and waited until it was time to go to church. Outside was black and the street lights were on. "Better go and bathe. It's almost 7" I thought. "What time is it?" - "5:30" my sister replied. "What?!?! I thought it was 7!" Really and truly, the only difference between then and 7 on a normal night was that I couldn't see the stars. I watched some basketball that night and went to sleep at 10.

I honestly don't remember when I closed the window next to me but by then the rain had started to fall. I turned and wrapped tighter to keep out the coldness. "Ahh...No Auditing tomorrow." I thought with delight. About a few moments later (because sleep time is never accurate) I turned to check that no rain had wet anything that I didn't want to get wet. "Well there goes the electricity." I noted as the street lights had gone out. And I turned to go to sleep again.

I'm sure that I was born upside down. Rain and storm weather have an opposite effect on me than it does on other people. Rain energizes me. Every time it rains I wake up. So at 6am, dark and early, I woke up and thought of things to study/do. I heard a noise approaching my room. It was my mom. "Marcus don't you want to come downstairs? You can use one of the girls' bed." The first answer that came to my head was "nope" but I understood what she meant so I asked, "Do you want me to come downstairs?" - "Yes," she replied so I got up and went into my sisters'...I don't know what to call it...room? (It was ransacked). I made a clearing on the bed, prayed and got up to eat something. When it's raining I blame the rain for making me hungry (when in Rome blame the Romans?)

I started studying around 9. After a little while I realised that I left the rest of my books in the car. So after a meal , some writing and maths, I went outside, in the rain, for my books. My younger-younger sister always says there are no boring things, just boring people. That has been my maxim since then and I was determined to follow it yesterday. But there's not much to do when, in a family of 6, five of them have been sleeping for the past 8 hours. So I read until I could read no more. I studied until I could see no more. I played until it was night, used a cell phone light and soon I will write until I could write no more. But thank God for glow in the dark silly bands. See the other problem is that when I'm up, I can't force myself back to sleep no matter how sleepy I am.

It's been raining  for over 24 hours and now there's a river running through my gap and an ankle deep stream flowing past my house (which never floods). It's 6 pm but it's not as dark as it was yesterday (and the cell phone light isn't fooling me). Next week is going to be an interesting week because the hurricane is getting stronger. Part of me wants it to rain until Monday but the sensible side of my compassion knows that cars don't float and people don't have cars - even it they did. So until next time, stay dry.