Once I’m in the storage area of the basement, I click on the light switch and glance around. It’s like a time capsule in here with old holiday decorations and old furniture. There’s a thin layer of dust that I’ll need to mention to my parents so their cleaning company can make sure they take care of this the next time they're out. The last time I was down here was over a decade ago.
After I find the gigantic tree, I search around for the old ornaments. When we were kids and dad wanted to get away from the business, we’d escape to the cabin. Cami and I always loved it here because it was different from what we were used to. After mom decided she wanted a newer, more updated place, we started visiting there more often, but Cami still comes as much as she can.
There're at least four giant plastic tubs full of ornaments and considering I have no idea what Kendall has in mind, I only bring the tree because that’s all she asked for. As soon as I set it down by the couch, Kendall walks in with her hair pulled up into a ponytail.
“Oh wow,” she says after she unzips the tree bag. The lights flicker, and Kendall turns and meets my eyes. “Uhh.”
Immediately, our phones buzz and we both look at another weather alert.WIND CHILL WARNING: VERY COLD AIR AND WIND WILL CREATE DANGEROUSLY LOW WIND CHILL VALUES EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT THREE DAYS ACROSS WARNED AREA. PLEASE BE ADVISED OF ROAD CLOSURES DUE TO EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF SNOWFALL DUE TO THE ARCTIC BLAST. TEMPERATURES COULD PLUNGE FROM 10 TO -30 BY TOMORROW AND RECORD-BREAKING AMOUNTS OF SNOWFALL PREDICTED. TAKE PROPER PRECAUTIONS.“Fuck,” I mutter then walk to the large windows in the living room and notice how bad it’s gotten outside. The lights blip off then come back on.
“Will we lose power?” Kendall asks.
“As long as the winds don’t get any stronger, I think we’ll be okay.”
“We better be. I’m not prepared for a camping trip.” Kendall continues scrolling through her phone.
“I can’t imagine you camping, ever,” I say.
She groans. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re just not the type of person to do outdoor things. I’m sure your version of camping is staying at the Four Seasons.”
Her jaw clenches. “Sometimes you’re such a dickhead.”
“But am I wrong?” I push.
Kendall shakes her head and storms into the kitchen. I get my duffel and go upstairs to the room I typically stay in. Since Kendall is such a queen, she can have the master bedroom with the amazing bathroom. I’m fine in my peasant quarters.
When I enter my room, I try to remember the last time I was here. It’s been a while, though Eli stayed in this room when he quarantined with Cami. When I think back to that time, it makes me sick. Watching so many people suffer fucked me up and while a vaccine has finally been approved for mass distribution, what I saw during that time never left me. I’ve always loved my job, but I wasn’t trained to deal with something of that nature. I lost a lot of patients, some colleagues, and I felt like I didn’t sleep for weeks. Hell, months even.
I was numb for most of it just to get through the day.
After I’ve unpacked the small amount of clothes I brought with me, I go back downstairs.
Kendall’s sitting at the bar on her phone as she eats a salad. I open the packed fridge and look around.
“What can I eat in here?” I ask.
“You’re smart, figure it out,” she snaps, but I know a lot of these things aren’t for us. Instead of asking again, I pull out some mayo and lunch meat. There’s a loaf of bread on the counter, so I open it. I set a plate down on the bar, making the messiest looking sandwich ever, but it'll do the job. Kendall stares, silently judges my masterpiece of a meal, then goes back to her phone.
After I’m done eating, I rinse my plate and place it in the dishwasher, then go to the living room and check the amount of firewood we have. There’s enough to last us a while, but considering we’ll only be here a few days, there’s no need to see if there’s more in the shed.
I plop on the couch and turn on the weather channel so I can get an update. I’m balanced on the edge of the couch watching how dangerous the conditions have become, and I’m worried it might linger. This storm needs to pass quickly so I can get back to the city. Kendall enters moments later, and from my peripheral, I can see her watching too. She lets out a long sigh.
Eventually, she sits, but she’s on the opposite end of the large sectional couch. I know I’ve pissed her off, but she’ll get over it. I won’t suck up to her or stroke her ego like everyone else does. There’s no way I’ll be kissing the ground she walks on, and if she thought that’d happen, she’s sadly mistaken.