“No, no, dear, you stay as long as you want. If you leave before I return, just make sure the door shuts behind you. It’s windy outside. Wouldn’t be surprised if we have some rain. Finding what you want?”
“I am, even more than what I expected,” Angelica said with a smile.
She resumed listening, jotting notes of songs she wanted to hear more of. And wondering who could identify the songs where they didn’t announce them before they began to play. From the enthusiastic response to many, they were familiar favorites.
Kirk knocked on the door at Webb Francis’s house. He waited, scanning the trees that were already swaying in the strong breeze pushing in a storm. Angelica didn’t answer. He tried again. No one home. Where would she have gone? To the library, he bet.
Sometimes the thunderstorms knocked out power. When he realized a storm was brewing, he thought he better show her where candles were and how to use the generator for the water pump.
Now he thought he’d better find her in case it began to rain before she came home. He didn’t really want to be walking around in a thunderstorm, nor should she. He drove the truck for the short distance to town.
When he stepped up on the porch of the library, even he could hear the trees rustling in the growing wind. He felt the strong breeze across his face. The dark clouds from the west seemed to build above him as he detected a hint of a rain in the air. He bet Angelica had no idea how quickly storms could brew in the mountains.
Stepping inside, he saw the main room of the library was empty. The lights were on in the media room, so he headed back there. The sudden drumming on the roof signaled the arrival of the rain. It sounded like a gully washer.
Angelica looked up when he stepped in the room.
“What’re you doing here?” she asked.
The rumble of thunder answered her.
“Stopped by the house to let you know about candles. The storms around here can knock out power for hours or even days at a time. Now it’s pouring,” he said. “You’ll need a ride home.”
He walked to the bank of windows and looked out. Already a torrential downpour began making mud. The rain came so hard it bounced on the ground. The noise on the metal roof sounded like drums.
Angelica came to stand beside him, staring in dismay at the rain.
“If we go out in that, we’ll be soaked within seconds.”
“I brought my truck. We’ll make a run for it,” he offered.
“The librarian went out on errands. She said to close up if I left before she returned.”
A white bolt of lightning lit the sky, the crash of thunder almost immediate. Angelica jumped and bumped against Kirk. He reached out to steady her at the same time the power went out. Only the dim light from outside illuminated the room. With the dark clouds overhead the day was as dark as twilight.
“My guess is she’ll stay where she is until the storm passes,” he said.
“Shouldn’t we stay here?”
“It could last for a while. Now that the power’s out, what will you do?”
He was right. With no power, she couldn’t listen to the CDs. Might as well go back home.
When they arrived at Webb Francis’s place, Kirk parked right next to the front porch, passenger side closest. Angelica dashed to the porch, getting wet. She shook her head when she was sheltered and watched as Kirk raced up, taking the three steps in one leap.
“Come on, I’ll show you where the candles are and a flashlight.”
He led the way into the kitchen, reached into the cupboard over the refrigerator and pulled down a handful of candles and a huge flashlight. He pulled matches from a drawer and lined them all up on the counter in front of a window.
“You’ll have some daylight until evening. Then it’ll really get dark.”
“Thank you.”
She tried to remember the last time they’d lost power in New York. She didn’t think they ever had since she lived there.
“What do you do for dinner?” she asked.
“I have a gas range, cook on that.”
