by Nancy Quinn

Created on: January 09, 2010

"Mom! Was that the phone?" Lexie called out as she skidded across the wood floor into the living room on stocking feet. "Are you okay?"

Mindy quickly wiped her tears and turned from the window with a faint smile. "No. And oh, I'm fine. I'm just watching the weather outside. The wind is really picking up and it's snowing harder. Your dad should be coming home today if he can get through."

"I don’t know why we had to move here. Why couldn’t dad get transferred to Hawaii?" groaned Lexie as she dramatically melted onto the couch, her knees protruding from the torn jeans.

Raising her eyebrows and thinking wryly that her daughter would have been great on the drama team, Mindy replied, "Let's not start this argument again. You know the job was more money and it also puts us closer to family."

"Humph, I don't like Cousin Susan anyway. She's weird." Lexie retorted as she grabbed a soda from the refrigerator and walked back to her bedroom, her pink-tinted hair flouncing behind her. Mindy cringed as the door slammed and the bass of the music soon began vibrating the floor again.

"Ah, teenagers." Mindy sadly regretted her husband's choice of career that took him away from the home for such long periods of time, and especially now that Lexie was a teenager. The teen years were beginning to look as stormy as the weather outside that night.

With one last look through the window, Mindy strained through the blinding whiteness to catch a hopeful glimpse of car lights, then shivered and turned to stoke the wood stove. She slammed the door shut in time to see the kitchen lights begin to flicker. Reaching for the flashlight on the end table just in time, she was suddenly enclosed in darkness. Hearing a scream from her daughter, she smiled wryly, "Yes, this is going to be a long night. We just lost the Internet

"Mom, the power is out!" screamed out Mindy as she followed the slight glow of the fireplace from down the hallway. "I can't believe it. I was right in the middle of an important conversation!"

Mindy know the important conversation was most likely the many friends she constantly IM’d. She smiled as she thought of her various attachments; from the pacifier as a baby, to a favorite blanket as a toddler, and now to the all important IPhone and instant messaging as a teen.

"Come on, it's past dinner time. We can cook something on the wood stove." Lexie rolled her eyes at her mom, but decided to open the cupboard and scope out something since hunger was beginning

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>