Racing the Storm

There was absolutely no need for me to go, I would be of no help, but I was invited, and glad for the excuse to have a few days off work. It was Memorial Day weekend, Dad and I drove the seven hours to Kansas, with Grandma and Grandpa, to help them on the farm, removing brush out of the waterways in the corn fields. However the weather had turned for the worse, but Dad and I had already arranged for the time off work, So Grandpa didn’t want to cancel, and the work needed done regardless.

We checked into the hotel, and met up with some family still living in the area for dinner. I wished we could have stayed at the old farmhouse, I remembered staying there years ago, when I was about five or six, but it had since been rented out to the man, who took care of the property, since my Grandparents lived in Missouri.

There wasn’t much to look at in Kansas, at least not in the small town my Grandparents had called home. I was anxious to drive the four-wheeler, it was the main reason I had been so excited to go, but Grandma kept me busy with stories of how she had grown up here, and my ancestors, of German, Check, and Indian descent, while we played Canasta till bedtime.

I don’t remember if it had rained that night, but it had rained just days prior, and the dirt roads leading up to the farm land looked like thick brownie batter, We made it to the barn where the four-wheeler was kept, and Dad and I hopped on to drive it behind Grandpa’s van, which scarcely made it up the hill, the tires heavily caked in several inches of mud.

The sky was quite overcast, So Dad and Grandpa worked as quickly as they could with the mower attached to the four-wheeler, while I sat with Grandma in the van waiting for them to finish, so I could have a turn driving the ATV around.

Grandma was worried about the oncoming storm, understandably so, people took storms in Kansas seriously, Tornadoes, or Twisters as some call them, were quite common, even I had seen them in the few times I had visited the farm over the years.

I don’t think we were there for a half hour, before the sky opened up, Dad and Grandpa got back to the van, now was the only chance I had to ride the ATV, there was no escaping the rain, but we had to still put the ATV back. Grandma urged me to jump in the back seat of the safe and dry van. I can still hear her voice, “Get in the van! You don’t need to get wet, that’s crazy! You’ll be sick!” But I wanted that ride, so badly the rain was not an obstacle, just a fun adventure, I merely shook my head “I’m good Grandma, it’ll be fun and its a short drive” I didn’t even have to ask, Dad knew what I wanted, I had waited all day for this I wasn’t about to lose the rare opportunity, so He grabbed two ponchos out of the trunk, and we both donned them, and sped off down the road, racing to shelter. That short trip, felt like forever, as we got pelted by the heavy rain, my straw hat was smashed, and I nearly lost it as the wind tried to take it from my head, I couldn’t even really see, and I was thoroughly drenched, the poncho was worthless, but all the while I was laughing, thinking it nothing more than a grand adventure, Grandma thinking I was crazy, made it all the more funny, because I knew I had made the crazy choice, but I, to this day would not trade it for anything. This was the closest I ever got to being a storm chaser, a personal pipe dream of mine.

Dad and I sped into the barn, and jumped off ready to get in the van, and ride back to our rooms. As the door slid open sure enough Grandma scolded me “You are sopping wet, and covered in mud! Get in, you are going to be so sick!”

I did as I was told, smiling ear to ear, Grandma shaking her head, not only was I soaked to the bone, but I was now also covered in mud, from the splash back, my white shoes were not even visible, and lifting my feet was a little difficult. At this point no-one cared about keeping the seats clean, we were well beyond that. After Dad got the ATV stowed away and the barn shut, he got in his seat, next to me, He too was laughing, “Did you get a little wet? That rain was painful"

Finally in a dry safe place Grandpa started driving back to the hotel, The windshield wipers in full swing, but doing little to help clear the view.

Thunder rumbled loudly overhead, and I counted the seconds till lighting struck, to determine the distance, till one moment I didn’t even count to one, lighting had struck the field not twenty feet from the car. It was the most interesting thing I had ever seen, I still wish I could have captured it with my camera. The ground cracked all the way up to the road, where our van sat.

Roughly twenty minutes later, we arrived at the hotel, the automatic doors opened, and I stepped in, but was quickly stopped by the front desk clerk. She asked me to remove my shoes before going any farther, I could feel Grandma still shaking her head behind me, as I plopped down on the floor and commenced the removal of my shoes, they were the only ones I had brought, and I could not wear them anywhere, so I was a little unsure what to do next, I couldn’t just leave my shoes at the entrance, so I asked “Where should I put them?” The lady told me she would take care of it, and I somewhat reluctantly gave them up, and dragged my soaking stocking foot form to the elevator, looking forward to a hot bath and a cup of cocoa, and when I came back down for dinner I was surprised to find my shoes, completely clean and dry. 

The following morning, Memorial Day, we were to head back home to Missouri, but we took our time, Grandma and Grandpa wanted to visit the area and reminisce, so we drove around as they pointed out areas, and visited several grave sites, which got me to thinking more about my heritage, and what those before me had done and sacrificed, so I could have the things I enjoy today, and made me very grateful and proud to be who I am, and it’s a good reminder still, that the legacy of our forefathers is something to be treasured and cherished not to be squandered or taken for granted.

And though the events of that weekend ten plus years ago, were simple pleasures, and small adventures, I don’t think I can forget the profoundness of what I discovered in the middle of a Kansas storm.