We had such high hopes for yesterday. Both kids were scheduled to swim two strokes in the swim meet that morning and we had made last minute plans to go out on a friend's boat later in the day, ending the evening with a fireworks show on the water. The kids went to bed giddy with anticipation while John and I settled in to catch up on "Breaking Bad', our latest TV addiction.
Then the storm hit. I noticed a strange flickering through the windows as the entire sky lit up with an eerie brightness. Wind began whipping through the trees and a knot developed in my stomach. Then the power went out - no lights, no A/C, no more "Breaking Bad". Thinking of the enormous oak trees on our backyard I suggested that we get our kids and bring them downstairs. No easy feat - John had to carry our 50-plus pound daughter down the stairs as I guided him with a flashlight. I had to yell Jack's name about fifteen times before I finally convinced him to climb out of his loft bed.
We finally put them back to bed about an hour later when it was obvious the storm had passed. When we woke up bright and early the next morning we were greeted with an email message announcing that the swim meet was still on. After encountering harrowing intersections of drivers who refused to treat the darkened traffic lights as four-way stops and a puking episode in which Ella hurled on Jack's arm, we were finally about five minutes from our destination. Then our phones beeped with the second email "Meet cancelled". Aaaaaaargh!!!!
Within the span of about ten minutes our entire day was cancelled. No swim meet, no boat ride on the river, no fireworks. The kids were disappointed but I had to give them credit. Ella managed to take the news without bursting into tears and Jack retained his usual sense of optimism. No power - so what? We'd make the best of it. After all, there were people who were much worse off than we were. Trees had fallen on houses and roads and caused fatalities. Millions of people in the DC area were without power. We were not the only ones in this predicament.
We spent the first part of the day at home, blinds closed, doors and windows shut tight to keep the cool air inside the house. At the first whine of "I'm bored!" I quickly put the kids to work as I squeezed into the crawl space with a flashlight and started pulling out supplies for next weekend's trip to summer camp. John remembered that he had a $50 gift card to Chili's, so off to lunch we went. We used the kids' report cards to score an endless supply of free games at the bowling alley for the summer. We flip-flopped between endless bickering between the kids and moments of "Look how sweet Jack and Ella are together". I spent the last moments of twilight on the front steps, straining to read the last few pages of my book in the fading light as the kids played cards and then chased fireflies. John grilled hot dogs in the backyard and we ate them by the light of the citronella candles on the table as generators hummed noisily in the background.
By 9:30 we were all in bed, tucked into the inflatable mattresses and couches in the coolest part of the house downstairs. Even though we wanted the power to come back on, I think we all hoped it would wait until morning. After all, there was some serious bonding going on.
Our wish came true. As John and I read the paper this morning something beeped and suddenly the air conditioner kicked in. We breathed a sigh of relief. Ella joyfully asked if she could watch a show in our room, Jack wanted to play a game on the Wii and all of a sudden they were both off doing their own things.The magic was gone.
Tonight as we ate dinner I asked them if they were glad the power came back on. They both said yes, but that it had been more fun with it off because it was like a "big adventure". When the power returned, so did reality. For a fleeting 36 hours we allowed ourselves to escape into a world in which things did not have to get done because we simply did not have the means to do them. And it was good.
Having said that, I feel very badly for everyone whose power still has not returned. At some point I'm sure the adventure would not have continued being as much fun. To those of you who are still in the dark, hang in there.
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