Jennifer knocked on the door and heard a noise from inside the house just before Mr. Anderson swung it open. He smiled warmly at Jennifer and she returned the smile, noticing his t-shirt that proudly proclaimed him to be “The World’s Best Grandpa,” a title that seemed to fit with his pleasant smile, round face, and gray hair combed carefully over the top of an otherwise bald head.
“Hello, Neighbor,” he said, his voice cheerful and friendly. “What can I do for you today? Lookin’ to borrow a cup of sugar?” His eyes twinkled as he spoke.
Jennifer was surprised by how friendly he was. “No. Thanks. I’ve got lots of sugar,” she answered. “I’m sorry to bother you. I’m your neighbor, Jennifer Tait.”
“Oh, I know who you are. I see you all the time, and it’s no bother. It’s always nice to have people drop by. You’re our new neighbor, with the three adorable children, correct?”
Jennifer nodded. “I live next door with the children — not sure how adorable they are, but you’re right.”
“My wife’s told me all about your family. It’s so nice to have children around. Kids just make the world a better place. We’ve got ten grandchildren of our own, so we like to have little ones nearby. I’ll have to show you their pictures sometime. But enough about them, what is it you needed, Jennifer?
“I wanted to see if I could use your phone, if it’s working. I only have cordless phones and the power’s out. I’d like to call my husband. He’s supposed to be home tonight and I haven’t heard from him yet.”
“I’d love to let you use our phone, but ours are dead too.” Mr. Anderson said this just as happily as if he were announcing the birth of a new grandchild. “Grace was talking to our daughter in Spokane when the line went out. She thought she’d been hung up on but figured it out when she couldn’t call her back. I bet a car hit a transformer or a power pole because our power seems to be out too. Someone at the power company is going to be having a rotten Friday, don’t you think?”
Jennifer agreed.
“We sure get spoiled, don’t we? We always have power and never even think about it. Then it goes off for a couple of hours, and we can’t hardly seem to function.”
“Kyle, my husband, works for the power company, but he’s not back or I’d send him down to check things out.”
“Oh, that’s right. Your husband mentioned that when you moved in. I thought I hadn’t seen your husband for a little while. Is everything okay?”
Jennifer nodded. “Everything’s fine. His company sent him down to Texas to help with recovery after this last hurricane. He’s been gone for a couple of weeks but should be back later tonight.”
“Two weeks is a long time. I hope you know you could have come over if you’d needed anything.”
“That’s very generous, Mr. Anderson. If anything comes up, I’ll be sure to call.”
“Oh, please, not so formal. I’m Charles, and my wife is Grace, but I think you know her already. She’s taking a nap, or she’d come and say hello. And please, just call me Chuck. Everyone calls me Chuck, except for Grace. If she’s mad at me then it’s Charles Irwin, but I don’t need to air our dirty laundry to you, do I?”
Jennifer chuckled. “Don’t worry, Chuck,” she said. “Your secret’s safe with me. Thanks so much for your help. I’d better get back home and figure out something for dinner. It looks like it’s going to be sandwiches tonight, or maybe we’ll find something to barbeque. It was a pleasure talking to you again, Chuck. Please tell Grace hi for me.”
CHAPTER 6
George Bush International Airport, Houston, TX 20:30 EST
“This is it,” Ed said with great relief as he approached a sparkling, cherry red Jeep.
“This your toy?” Kyle asked as he inspected the vehicle, noticing that the jeep’s canvas top was worn, but the rest of it was in excellent shape.
Ed smiled and nodded. “It’s a ‘78 Jeep CJ7. You like it?”
“I do. It’s nice,” Kyle said running his hand along the polished chrome bumper.
Ed pulled the keys from his pocket and unlocked the door. He swung it open and pulled himself inside, then leaned over and popped the other lock. Kyle climbed into the Jeep and they both sat in silence, relishing the fact that they had reached the vehicle, but uncertain as to whether or not they’d be able to go anywhere in it.
“Do you think she’s going to run?” Ed asked as he fidgeted nervously with the keys. “Because if she doesn’t, it’s a long way to walk to my house.” He eyed the ignition, trying to muster the courage to try.
“There were some cars running as we walked through the parking lot. Hopefully yours will work, too.”
“Yeah,” Ed said, “but there were fifty dead vehicles for every one that worked. They were stalled everywhere, and people were still just sitting in them, not knowing what to do. Probably waiting for a tow truck to magically appear. You’d think they’d figure out that the tow truck is either dead too, or that there might be five hundred other vehicles to get to first.” Ed paused. “Even if I do get her started, I don’t know how we’re going to get across town. The whole city could be a parking lot.”
Kyle’s feet hurt, his head ached, and he was tired, and anxiety had been building in him for the last few hours to the point that he was nearing the tipping point. “Just try the stupid thing, Ed! Then at least we’ll know,” he blurted, the words sounding more harsh than intended, but Ed didn’t react. Ed just sat there staring out the front window. Kyle took a deep breath to calm himself. “Ed? Sorry. You still there?”
Ed’s head jerked, and he looked at Kyle. “Yeah? I’m here,” he replied. “What’d you say?”
“I said try it, and let’s see what happens. It’s going to be dark soon. I don’t know how far away you live, but the sooner we head that way, the better off we’re going to be.”
Ed put the key in the ignition, and they held their breath as the engine turned, resisted, coughed hesitantly, and then caught, roaring to life with a deep guttural growl, that echoed off the concrete roof above them and shattered the eerie silence that had marked their journey across the streets and parking lots. Ed tapped the accelerator and the engine raced in response. Smiling, he leaned forward and rested his forehead on the steering wheel. “That’s my baby,” he said, the relief evident in his voice.
“I think you need to get your muffler fixed!” Kyle shouted over noise of the engine, hardly able to speak he was smiling so much.
Ed shook his head. “That’s the way I like it.”
Both men leaned back and buckled their seatbelts. “I have to admit, that’s about the most beautiful noise I’ve heard in my life,” Kyle said, still grinning. “Your head alright to drive?”
Ed nodded. “Yeah. Let’s get going. I’ve probably got an anxious wife at home. If I start to feel bad, I’ll let you know.”
Deer Creek, Montana 22:55 EST
Jennifer leaned down and kissed her daughter. “Goodnight, Emma. The power should be back on in the morning.”
“Will Daddy be home then, too?” Emma asked, looking up at her mother with innocent, blue eyes, her long blonde hair spilling across the pillow. “He could fix this if he was here.”
Jennifer smiled, pleased that for her nine year old the world was still simple and safe, and that mom and dad could make everything right. “Daddy will be home in a couple of hours, and yes, I’m sure he could fix this if he was home. I’ll tell him to come in and give you a hug and a kiss if it’s not too late. Alright?”