Cicadamania

The sky was grey. Dark grey, the clouds like angry puffs of smoke. And the wind was traveling in gusts. But Kyle and I kept walking to the church parking lot so we could continue with bike riding practice. Ella was already waiting for us at the far end.

As we got to the lot, the first wave of panic shot through Kyle.

“We need to go back! We need to go back now! It’s going to rain! I’m sensitive and it’s going to rain!”

This EXACT thing played out only a few hours ago. We’d gone 1/2 a block when the wind ripped through the trees and Kyle knew rain was imminent. So living Groundhog Day after Groundhog Day and presently in a Groundhog Day moment, I knew to turn around.

“Ok, bud. Let’s tell Ella and we’ll go. Ella! ELLA!”

“We have to go, Dad,” said Kyle starting to freak out. “I’m freaking out!”

“Kyle, it’s ok. Everything’s ok. What will happen if it rains?”

“I don’t like the rain!”

“I know, bud. But if we get wet, we’ll just dry off. No big, ok? We can put on dry clothes when-”

“We have to go right now!”

CALM THE FUCK DOWN FOR FUCK SAKE!

But out loud, “We’re going to go. We just need to-“

“What,” said Ella skidding to a stop.

“Kyle and I are going home because it’s about to rain.”

“So.”

“Well, we don’t want to get wet.”

Ella shrugged.

“We have to run,” said Kyle after we crossed the first street.

“I’m not going to run, bud. I’ve got to take your bike and I’m not going to carry it. You can run. But you have to make sure you look both ways at the next corner, ok?”

“I’ll hold your hand, but we have to hurry!”

I held his hand with my right and with the left I held the bike but far enough away to keep the peddles from skinning my ankles.

“Alright, bud,” I said as we crossed the second street. “You can run now if you want.”

“Ok,” said Kyle dropping my hand and sprinting toward home.

To his credit it began to come down in slanted sheets as he reached our porch. And the wind actually began to swirl and howl, like we were suddenly in a nor’easter. Debris was blowing up off the streets and branches were falling from the sky.

So that left Ella.

I had my own wave of panic as I looked up the street. Nothing. Of course, it was hard to see as the rain and wind had become one whipping thing. I saw a flicker of light approaching on the sidewalk. Clearly Ella had taken the time to turn on her front light, but she was on her way.

“I think it’s supposed to rain,” I shouted as she rode past to the garage.

Inside Phoebe was already making Kyle some chocolate milk. He was still a little amped.

“I’m mad at the rain!”

“It’s ok, sweetie,” said Phoebe. “You’re hardly even wet. You’re fine.”

“I just don’t like the rain.”

“I know,” she said kissing him.

I opened the back door for Ella.

“That was so awesome,” she shouted pushing the wet hair from her face. “There was a huge crash of thunder and then there was rain and it was pouring and there was hail and wind and it was so AWESOME!”

Anyway, these are my children.

Note: on the way to the church Ella pointed out a tree whose leaves were riddled with cicada exoskeletons. She called it… #cicadamania.