Event of the Century

Matilda Baker sat in her living room reading. She loved to read. But her eye started hurting a bit. She closed her book, marking it with the $20 she used to reward the completion of a book with dinner.

Standing, she almost fell. She was a little off balance for some reason. She sat back on the comfy chair and closed her eyes momentarily. She had to be somewhere in a few hours, a charity event for the library.

Thirty minutes later, she opened her eyes. She felt like she just jumped forward in time. Did she fall asleep? No, she does remember thinking about things, or did she? She felt confused.

Looking from the cuckoo clock on the wall to the picture window, she realized a storm was brewing. Where she sat, there was full, beautiful, bright sunlight. 

“Computer, what’s the weather forecast for the next few hours?” She asked into the air. 

“The weather forecast for your area is as follows. Current conditions at 4 PM are sunny; the temperature is 96°F with 76% humidity. 5 PM will bring torrential rain lasting for 30 minutes. 7 PM, the sky will be cloudy, the temperature will be 74°F with a 25% chance of rain, tapering off to zero before midnight.”

“It looks like I’ll be in pain for another hour and make it to the gala.”

“Computer, why do I get a headache before a storm?”

“Headaches before a storm can be caused by changes in barometric pressure, which is the weight of the air. These changes can trigger chemical and electrical imbalances in the brain, irritating nerves and leading to headaches. The pressure differences can cause your sinuses to swell, especially if you already have congestion. Other weather-related triggers, such as high humidity, rapid changes in temperatures, bright sunlight, wind, sun glare, and extreme temperatures, can be attributed to the onset of pain in the head.”

“I have never looked forward to a storm like I am looking forward to this one right now. Once it passes, I’ll be myself again.”

Matilda sat in her chair, looking out the big window. Her husband made sure that window was there, in the front of the house, next to the front door. The storm she could see clearly now was generating a tremendous amount of lightning, and she could hear the thunder louder and louder. The storm was heading in her direction. 

She counted 16 seconds between flash and sound, then 12, then 7. She would be safe, she knew. But a really good storm like this one put her on edge. 

A few decades earlier, when she was a much younger woman, and her husband was still alive, they were doing what married people do on a lazy afternoon. A fast-moving storm hit their house, driving a tree through the roof and into the bedroom where they were….. talking. They were not hurt, but telling people where they were in the house when it happened was difficult. 

Matilda felt embarrassed about it at first. But after a while, she spoke of the events as if they were badges of honor. To her closer friends, she tended to overindulge in the explanation, and they all laughed. They had a name they all called it. Being caught in the storm like that. Matilda smiled as she remembered the name, “That’s a good memory,” She said. 

The weather alert radio went off. A severe thunderstorm was approaching her area. “Really. I never would have known if you did not tell me. Thank you!” she said to the robotic voice on the speaker as she watched the storm approach her home.

After speaking to no one in particular, Miss Kathy entered the room. Storms bother her also. Mis Kathy is 17 years old and set in her ways. She runs the house with a tight paw—the friendliest orange tabby on the planet. 

She hopped up in Matilda’s lap and nuzzled her nose against her chin. “Sure thing, baby, you can stay with me till it goes away.” 

The cat folded itself neatly on her lap as she had practiced for 17 years.

The rain started, light at first. She heard it clearly, thanks to the metal roof her husband installed. He told her they would never need to replace it again, and it’ll last forever!

Well, he was right. After the tree went through the original roof and they changed it to all metal, they paid for my insurance, and she has not had a problem with the roof since—almost thirty years.

The rain came down so hard that it sounded static through a speaker. Then she got nervous. The weather radio announced that she was under a tornado warning for her area. As she heard the words, hail hit the roof. “That ain’t good!” She told her friend, “Let’s sit in the cellar for a bit.”

She scooped up the cat as a car approached the front of the house. Her head felt better, and she noticed it was a sheriff’s car. She opened that driver’s door and sprinted to the porch, where it was dry.

Matilda yelled, “It’s open, come on in.”

“Miss Baker, we wanted to make sure our oldest resident was OK.”

“I’m fine, Gloria. Miss Kathy and I were heading to the cellar till it passed. I heard hail, and that ain’t a good sign.”

“You’re OK now. The storm is almost gone, and the house next door had a close brush with a small tornado. Took apart of their roof and the kid’s play area. No one got hurt. That’s the important thing.”

Matilda smiled, “I’m glad to hear the Cassify’s are OK. A house can be fixed. People can’t,” Matilda stood, “How about a cup of tea, Gloria?”

“That would be nice. While you make our tea, we can talk about your party later. I will be escorting you.”

“My birthday party, the gala, the event of the century for this town.”

Gloria smiled, “Of course it is. It’s your one hundredth birthday party.”

“I lived a long time but still got more to see. Miss Kathy will be there with me,” Gloria saw that she got a humorous but evil grin, “Do you think Miss Kathy could attend the gala?”