Charlotte and the Summer Storm
I had just arrived home from a horrible day at work. Pulling into my drive, I saw my favorite neighbor, the 70 something day-drinking divorcee Charlotte, suddenly leap up in the chair on her front porch and run into the house. I thought maybe she ran in to batten down the hatches as they say, as a major line of summer thunderstorms were quickly moving into the area.
The air was thick as only a summer storm can make it feel. The late afternoon sun became hidden behind a swirling mass of black clouds and approaching thunder. I quickly got my briefcase out of the trunk and ran to the mail box hoping to grab the mail before the skies opened up and poured down on me.
Running with the mail in one hand, keys and briefcase in the other, I skipped up the steps of the deck to the front door. There was the petite Charlotte, standing at my front door, juggling a small cantaloupe, 2 cheese danish, and a container of her famous chili. “Charlotte! What are you doing, it’s about to pour!” I exclaimed laughing fumbling for the house keys. “Well you boys have to eat!” she said laughing back.
“OK, OK, thank you! You are TOO good to John and I. Put the food down on the bench and I will open up the house first and then grab the food. Now get across the lawn before we get caught in the downpour!” Quarter-sized droplets were already making welt sized wetmarks here and there on my dress shirt. She didn’t stick around and had already bolted across our side yards as quickly as her little legs could carry her.
I got inside the house and dropped my stuff. I then turned back outside and grabbed the chili, cantaloupe, and cheese danish and attempted to close the front door with my ankle. The small cantaloupe slipped out of my hand and went rolling down the steps to the basement with Max and Moxie Cat chasing after it. “A NEW TOY!” they undoubtedly thought. I will get it later, I thought with a chuckle.
Raindrops were now falling heavily but it was not yet pouring. I went into the living room to turn on the evening news. From my large living room window, I spied Charlotte yelling for Abby, her gray tiger stripped kitty, on her back deck. “Abby! Abby!” I looked at the front porch and saw Abby lounging, then get up and start through the bushes for the back deck. Charlotte went into the house from the back and crossed through the house to the front porch.
Charlotte appeared on the front porch and yelled, “Abby! Abby! Come in, the storm is coming!” Abby now was on the back deck wondering where Charlotte was. Abby’s head perked up in the direction of the front porch and proceeded to go through the bushes back in that direction. Charlotte, in the meantime, went back inside and I saw her go through the house again to the back deck! I watched this comedy of errors happen two more times before I said to myself I need to put an end to this!
I went outside, now with rain coming down, trees and branches blowing all about, and yelled to Charlotte across the yard through the howling winds, “Abby is now on the front porch again! Stop changing positions! Just go and get her without yelling her name!” Charlotte nodded and ran through the house again to the front porch and collected her dear little Abby just as the storm hit with rains pouring down. Ahhh, I thought to myself, my work as a good neighbor is done here!
The air was thick as only a summer storm can make it feel. The late afternoon sun became hidden behind a swirling mass of black clouds and approaching thunder. I quickly got my briefcase out of the trunk and ran to the mail box hoping to grab the mail before the skies opened up and poured down on me.
Running with the mail in one hand, keys and briefcase in the other, I skipped up the steps of the deck to the front door. There was the petite Charlotte, standing at my front door, juggling a small cantaloupe, 2 cheese danish, and a container of her famous chili. “Charlotte! What are you doing, it’s about to pour!” I exclaimed laughing fumbling for the house keys. “Well you boys have to eat!” she said laughing back.
“OK, OK, thank you! You are TOO good to John and I. Put the food down on the bench and I will open up the house first and then grab the food. Now get across the lawn before we get caught in the downpour!” Quarter-sized droplets were already making welt sized wetmarks here and there on my dress shirt. She didn’t stick around and had already bolted across our side yards as quickly as her little legs could carry her.
I got inside the house and dropped my stuff. I then turned back outside and grabbed the chili, cantaloupe, and cheese danish and attempted to close the front door with my ankle. The small cantaloupe slipped out of my hand and went rolling down the steps to the basement with Max and Moxie Cat chasing after it. “A NEW TOY!” they undoubtedly thought. I will get it later, I thought with a chuckle.
Raindrops were now falling heavily but it was not yet pouring. I went into the living room to turn on the evening news. From my large living room window, I spied Charlotte yelling for Abby, her gray tiger stripped kitty, on her back deck. “Abby! Abby!” I looked at the front porch and saw Abby lounging, then get up and start through the bushes for the back deck. Charlotte went into the house from the back and crossed through the house to the front porch.
Charlotte appeared on the front porch and yelled, “Abby! Abby! Come in, the storm is coming!” Abby now was on the back deck wondering where Charlotte was. Abby’s head perked up in the direction of the front porch and proceeded to go through the bushes back in that direction. Charlotte, in the meantime, went back inside and I saw her go through the house again to the back deck! I watched this comedy of errors happen two more times before I said to myself I need to put an end to this!
I went outside, now with rain coming down, trees and branches blowing all about, and yelled to Charlotte across the yard through the howling winds, “Abby is now on the front porch again! Stop changing positions! Just go and get her without yelling her name!” Charlotte nodded and ran through the house again to the front porch and collected her dear little Abby just as the storm hit with rains pouring down. Ahhh, I thought to myself, my work as a good neighbor is done here!
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