Last night, we had a good 'ol Midwestern scare. I remember well spending evenings from my childhood tucked away in a dark, windowless room in the basement, playing boardgames by candlelight. When the sky started turning a greenish gray color last night, we knew it was for real. Breaking news on every channel, tornado warning.
I had dropped Bianca off at Bible school at six. I was in the house with my parents, a little irritated that I was too agitated about Bianca not being with me to spend my only free time here reading or doing a little writing. Instead we watched the news reports. I wanted to go get Bianca. She would be scared of course. She would need her mom. I could almost hear her crying for me. But decided the worst place you want to be during this kind of storm is in a car. I decided to wait, knowing that the Lutheran church where she was had a nice big safe basement.
Another ten minutes passed and the electricity was out. Of course it would go out. I saw large tree branches whipping past the windows and my parents's trees cracking in half and edged a little away from the windows. Made my way to the deepest part of the basement. We lit candles. I thought more about Bianca being alone and scared.
The storm passed through around 8:15. Fifteen minutes before I was supposed to pick her up from Bible school. When I went to get her, I found her happily eating an otter pop with not a worry in the world. The whole town of Columbia had no electricity, but the basement of the Lutheran church was lit up like heaven with a generator. Bianca greeted me happily, just like normal. We went out to the car.
I asked Bianca, "Were you scared?"
"About what?" she asked.
"The storm."
"No." The leaders hadn't even told the kids that there was a storm brewing or a tornado warning. Smart. Even though, at one point, the kids were all ushered into the bathrooms where it was safest.
"Really? Not even about the tornado?"
"Tornado?" Then she started crying. "I'm scared, mommy." Of course she's scared of tornados. We saw The Wizard of Oz last week. I held her close while we ran through the rain into the house. Then hugged her a little more.
I put Bianca right to bed, read her Peter Pan by candlelight. Then stepped upstairs to play Kings in the Corner with my parents, also by candlelight. A little after nine, the power flashed back on. Our air conditioning was back, the lights were back, the TV back on. Then I read a couple chapters and went to bed. And I wondered how often I manipulate my child into being scared so that she'll need me more, need me to wrap my arms around her so that I can feel better, so that I feel like I kept her safe.
