Tomorrow's Promises (Bellingwood Book 7) by Diane Greenwood Muir Page A
Authors: Diane Greenwood Muir
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quietly.
Mark and Sal came into the room. He was carrying a Coleman lantern. "I can't believe you have these, Polly."
"Jeff made me. He told me that we had to have supplies down here just in case. I suspect you'll find candles and batteries and even freeze dried food if you look hard enough. There should be four or five lawn chairs and some folding chairs."
She looked around. "Where's Billy and what about that Lois Wexler, the photographer?"
"I'm right here," Billy said, coming in the door. "It's getting kind of bad out there. The tree branches are blowing like crazy and that rain is coming down in sheets!"
He released his dog, who ran over to Obiwan. Billy and Doug planned to take Obiwan over to their apartment while Polly and Henry were gone. Sylvie and the kids would take care of the cats during the day, making sure they were fed before going home each evening. Polly felt fortunate to have so many people around to take care of her life when she couldn't be there to live it.
Polly asked one more time, "Has anyone seen our guest? Rachel, was she in her room?"
"I knocked several times and she didn't come to the door. I yelled and yelled for her. She must not be here."
" Well, there's nothing more we can do. I hope she's okay."
Henry and his dad came in with more chairs and set them up around the room.
"Well, this is a helluva way to start your honeymoon," Lonnie said. She poked her brother in the arm. "You'd better hope you can get out of here tomorrow."
"You'd better hope we don't decide that we're coming to Michigan rather than going to Arizona. We could come up and make you entertain us for a week. And we'd expect you to really take care of us. Do our laundry, make our meals and give us footrubs."
She shrugged her shoulders, "Bring it, big boy. I'd give you a vacation you'd never forget."
Polly grinned, watching the two of them. She loved seeing siblings play. That was one thing she missed. Even though she had friends she loved like crazy, there was just something about sisters and brothers and their lifelong knowledge of each other.
"How are you doing, Sarah?" she asked.
"I'm okay. It's a good week for me, so I feel fine. This is a little nerve-wracking, though."
Bill Sturtz came back in, carrying a black radio. "You were right, Polly. Your manager thought of everything. We even have a weather radio and fresh batteries were sitting beside it." He began tuning it in, messing with the antenna, trying to get a signal.
"I'm going back out into the main room to see if I can't get this to tune in."
"Be careful, Bill," his wife, Marie, said. "Don't you go upstairs."
"I won't. Stop worrying, mother."
The lights flickered once and Polly looked at Henry. He was concerned, but didn't seem too worried.
"We get two more flickers before they go out," he said.
"How do you know this stuff?" she asked.
"I don't know. It's just what I've always known."
They flickered twice more immediately and then everything went black. Cell phones lit up around the rooms as people swiped them open and Mark lit the Coleman lantern.
"I saw two battery operated lanterns in the other room. I'll be right back." He started to walk away with the lantern and then turned around, chuckling, and handed it to Sal. "Whoops. Sorry."
"What do you think about this, Sal?" Polly asked.
"I'm not sure. I mean, how much danger are we in?"
"Tornadoes can be pretty dangerous," Marie Sturtz said. "Bellingwood got hit by a big one back in 1991. There were a lot of damaged homes. It ripped through the trailer park and killed a woman."
Mark came back in with another lantern. "I left the other one with Bill out there. He's fine. It sounds like there is a tornado on the ground west of here."
"Oh god," Polly said. Then she stopped. "No. Oh, dear God, please keep this community safe."
"Amen," Marie responded and there were nods around the room.
A terrible sound resonated outside, like a train rolling down the tracks.
"What's that?" Rebecca whined a
Mark and Sal came into the room. He was carrying a Coleman lantern. "I can't believe you have these, Polly."
"Jeff made me. He told me that we had to have supplies down here just in case. I suspect you'll find candles and batteries and even freeze dried food if you look hard enough. There should be four or five lawn chairs and some folding chairs."
She looked around. "Where's Billy and what about that Lois Wexler, the photographer?"
"I'm right here," Billy said, coming in the door. "It's getting kind of bad out there. The tree branches are blowing like crazy and that rain is coming down in sheets!"
He released his dog, who ran over to Obiwan. Billy and Doug planned to take Obiwan over to their apartment while Polly and Henry were gone. Sylvie and the kids would take care of the cats during the day, making sure they were fed before going home each evening. Polly felt fortunate to have so many people around to take care of her life when she couldn't be there to live it.
Polly asked one more time, "Has anyone seen our guest? Rachel, was she in her room?"
"I knocked several times and she didn't come to the door. I yelled and yelled for her. She must not be here."
" Well, there's nothing more we can do. I hope she's okay."
Henry and his dad came in with more chairs and set them up around the room.
"Well, this is a helluva way to start your honeymoon," Lonnie said. She poked her brother in the arm. "You'd better hope you can get out of here tomorrow."
"You'd better hope we don't decide that we're coming to Michigan rather than going to Arizona. We could come up and make you entertain us for a week. And we'd expect you to really take care of us. Do our laundry, make our meals and give us footrubs."
She shrugged her shoulders, "Bring it, big boy. I'd give you a vacation you'd never forget."
Polly grinned, watching the two of them. She loved seeing siblings play. That was one thing she missed. Even though she had friends she loved like crazy, there was just something about sisters and brothers and their lifelong knowledge of each other.
"How are you doing, Sarah?" she asked.
"I'm okay. It's a good week for me, so I feel fine. This is a little nerve-wracking, though."
Bill Sturtz came back in, carrying a black radio. "You were right, Polly. Your manager thought of everything. We even have a weather radio and fresh batteries were sitting beside it." He began tuning it in, messing with the antenna, trying to get a signal.
"I'm going back out into the main room to see if I can't get this to tune in."
"Be careful, Bill," his wife, Marie, said. "Don't you go upstairs."
"I won't. Stop worrying, mother."
The lights flickered once and Polly looked at Henry. He was concerned, but didn't seem too worried.
"We get two more flickers before they go out," he said.
"How do you know this stuff?" she asked.
"I don't know. It's just what I've always known."
They flickered twice more immediately and then everything went black. Cell phones lit up around the rooms as people swiped them open and Mark lit the Coleman lantern.
"I saw two battery operated lanterns in the other room. I'll be right back." He started to walk away with the lantern and then turned around, chuckling, and handed it to Sal. "Whoops. Sorry."
"What do you think about this, Sal?" Polly asked.
"I'm not sure. I mean, how much danger are we in?"
"Tornadoes can be pretty dangerous," Marie Sturtz said. "Bellingwood got hit by a big one back in 1991. There were a lot of damaged homes. It ripped through the trailer park and killed a woman."
Mark came back in with another lantern. "I left the other one with Bill out there. He's fine. It sounds like there is a tornado on the ground west of here."
"Oh god," Polly said. Then she stopped. "No. Oh, dear God, please keep this community safe."
"Amen," Marie responded and there were nods around the room.
A terrible sound resonated outside, like a train rolling down the tracks.
"What's that?" Rebecca whined a
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