The story of a baby and a blizzard

The weather man had predicted snow for the weekend. We were only supposed to get up to 3 inches, which I figured I could easily handle. To tell the truth, snow, no matter how little or how much actually came down, could send shivers down my spine.

As I layed down in my bed that Friday night, I brushed off my fears and tried to convince myself that we probably not get anything at all.w The next morning I woke up to see a beautiful white coating on the ground. I sighed and thought to myself that we had dodged a bullet.

I had no milk in the house and some other items I could pick up in the local supermarket so I got dressed in my warmest outfit (a cable knit green sweater and warm corduroy pants) and headed out the door.

By the time I reached the store, the snow was falling in large flakes and hitting the ground almost immediately. Still I reaaaured myself that everything would be okay.

The parking lot by the store was surprisingly empty; there werr just a few cars. I was able to park right by the entrance door and was ready to run into the store buy the items I needed and be back at home in a flash.

I grabbed an empty cart by the entrance door, brushed the snow off my coat and went inside. The store was well lit. There were only three employees in the store, and a few last minute shoppers on the check out line. 

There was music being piped through the walls from a radio placed somewhere in the store. All of the sudden the music was interrupted by an ear deafening sound and an announcer saying:

ATTENTION. ATTENTION. THIS IS A MESSAGE FROM THE EMERGENCY SYSTEMS. A SEVERE STORM IS HITTING THE NORTHEAST REGION OF FAIRGREEN COUNTY. WE URGE ALL RESIDENTS TO STAY OFF THE ROADS IN THE AREA. I REPEAT STAY OFF ALL LOCAL ROADS.

The store manager then announced that they were closing the store and urged the shoppers to complete their purchases as as quickly as possibr so he could lock up the store. It took me about fifteen minutes to finish up all my shopping. 

The storm had gotten pretty fierce by then. I could hear the winds whistling throgh the walls and all of a sudden the lights began to flicker. The butterflies I usually get when I am scared, seemed to flutter angrily in my stomach. I knew I wouldn't even make it to the car if I didn't stop in the ladies room first. I ran to the back of the store to use the rest room and left the cart right outside the door.

"Hey, Jimmy" said to the cashier, "check the aisles and make sure everone has left the store". 

"Okay, but I think we got e erybody out".

So Jimmy checked all 7 of the aisles and verified that there was nobody in sight. The only thing he saw was a couple of items in a cart.

Jimmy was anxious to leave and figured that he would leave the cart where it was so that he could get home before it got worse.

"Ok, boss" he yelled. "All is clear".

"Good. Let's get of hear".

The two of them shut off the radio, dimmed the lights and walked out. Then the manager shut the door, and locked it behind him.

I walked out of the ladies room a few minutes later and proceeded to the check out counter. To my horror I discovered that there was nobody in the store with me. I was about to panic when I thouht I heard a sound a few feet to my left. I looked around to see where the sound was coming from. 

It was then, that I discerned that the sound was coming from the floor. It was the sound of a baby. The baby looked to be about 5 months old. She had been placed in a baby carrier, and wrapped in a pink woolen blanket.

I looked around to see if the baby's mother was anywhere around, but I already knew the answer to that question. We were the only ones in the store.

I went to the door but realized that I was locked in with this little innocent soul. I opened my bag to take out my cell phone and flipped it open. I tried to call the emergency line, but I couldn't get a signal. 

I started to panic. I could feel the cold of the storm going right through me. 

I went back to where the baby was laying, gently lifted her out of the carrier and held her in my arms. I thought she had be cold laying on the floor of her carrier.

I thought tomyself it was a good thing that we were trapped in a grocery store. I had everything I needed to take care of this baby in the store. 

Then I checked to see what items, If any, had been left in the carrier. There were two pink baby bottles, a pacifier, a teething ring and a jar of baby food. 

I went down the baby aisle and was able to find a can of baby formula, and some baby spoons. Next I needed a way to open the can of milk and I went to the section where kitchen aids were stocked and found a can sopener.

I knew that the employees had a makeshift kitchen where they took their breaks and lunches. There was a wide formica table with folding chairs so I placed the carrier on the table. I then undressed the baby, changed her diaper and cleaned her up with the wipes I always carry in my bag.

Again I tried to call emergency services, but the call failed.

When I finished taking care of the baby, I realized that I was hungry and that I had not eaten very much before I left the house.  I opened the refrigerator and noticed a few sandwiches that had been left over, and greedily ate a sandwich along with a bag of chips and a soda. 

 It wasn't until 2:30 before I was finally able to get Energency Services on the phone, i explained to them that I was locked in a supermarket along with an abandoned child. 

They told me that it would take at least an hour before they could reach me because the roads had been shut down and were not passable.

While I sat there and waited to be rescued, i asked myself how anybody could abandon such a beautiful little baby like that? I had no children myself, and hoped that I would have children in the near future. But I knew in my heart that I would never do that to my child.

The Emergency services finally arrived about two hours later with the manager. He quicky unlocked the door and we were saved, The police officers drove me home and took the baby with them to a local hospital. 

I learned later that the baby's mother was found roaming the neighborhood, looking for a shelter to stay in. Somehow she knew that someone would find her little girl and give her a better life. I don't know what hapened to the baby, but I will always remember that cold winter day in the middle of a blizzard in Fairgreen, Ohio.