As I stood in the living room, watching the flames build, my mind drifted to Holly.
And with that came an immediate, visceral worry.
Her 1950s cape-style house with original everything didn’t have a fireplace. It sure as hell didn’t have modern insulation. What about her windows? If the power was out all over town, she was sitting in a house that was probably barely better than being outside.
Worry coiled in my abdomen.
Holly was probably still asleep, bundled under blankets, and I’d look like a lunatic if I woke her up just to ask if she was okay.
Except I needed to know.
I pulled out my phone and typed before I could overthink it.
Me
Hey. I assume the power is out at your place, too?
I stared at the screen, watching the message sit there with no response. The “delivered” notification appeared, but no typing indicator followed.
She must still be asleep.
I sat down on the couch, phone in hand, and tried to focus on anything else. How often I’d need to add logs to maintain optimal temperature. Whether I had enough firewood stockpiled for an extended outage. The sound the ice was making outside, a constant low creaking interrupted by sharp cracks as weighted branches snapped somewhere in the neighborhood. The fact that tomorrow’s Candlelight Walk was almost certainly going to be canceled.
Twenty minutes crawled by.
I got up. Paced to the window, then stalked back to the fireplace and added another log even though it didn’t need one yet. Then I stared at my phone screen, willing it to light up.
My worry had transformed into something sharper. Logically, I knew this was ridiculous. Holly was fine. Shehadto be fine. People survived power outages all the time. It wasn’t?—
My phone buzzed, and I nearly dropped it in my haste to unlock the screen.
Holly
Power is definitely out, and it’s FREEZING.
There’s ice on the INSIDE of my window. Like, I’m looking at frost patterns on the glass from the interior side of my house.
I ran around the house gathering every blanket I own, put on more layers and my fluffiest robe, and crawled back into bed.
Even with all that, I still can’t stop shivering.
Pretty sure I’m going to crack a tooth from the chattering.
Do you think dental insurance covers veneers? #notaskingforafriend
I knew she was trying to make light of the situation, but all I could picture was Holly—my beautiful, vibrant Holly—curled up in bed, her whole body shaking from the cold.
No.
Absolutely not.
I was already moving, my thumbs flying over my screen.
Me
I’m coming to get you.
Her response was immediate.
