#Chapter 116 – Snow Day

“Mama.”

I blink, my son’s little voice waking me what feels way too early on a Tuesday morning. “Mama, wake up,” Alvin says again.

“Baby,” I murmur. “What time is it?”

“It’s 5 o’clock,” he says, and I groan, turning my head back into my pillow.

“Come back later, baby,” I say. “Mama’s still sleeping.”

“But mama,” a new voice says. My other son. My other demon, I think, cruel in this moment as my sleep is stripped from me. “Mama, it has snowed.”

At this, I open one eye. “Really?” I ask, curious. My two boys are there, looming over me, nodding their sleep-touseled heads excitedly. “How much?”

“Sooooo much!” Alvin shouts, spreading his arms wide, as if to encompass all the snow in the universe.

“Buckets and buckets of snow!” Ian says, laughing and jumping to his feet, bouncing on my bed.

I laugh with him, unable to help it, and sit up to peer out my window. I gasp at what I see.

The boys are right – at least two full feet of snow cover the landscape. The trees are heavy with it, their boughs sinking towards the ground under their alabaster burden.

“Oh my god,” I say, turning wide eyes towards my boys and pretending a seriousness I don’t actually feel. “Boys, you know what this means right?” I keep my face grave.

“What.” Ian says as he stops bouncing, suddenly worried.

“Can’t we go make a snowman?” Alvin says, equally concerned.

“It means,” I say, ominously. And then, quick as a snake, I snatch each of them by the waist, yelling and pulling them down to the bed. “Snow apocalypse! Snow day forever! So much snow we’ll never get out!”

The boys laugh hysterically, riotously, as I tickle them – kicking and screaming with the pure simple joy of a little boy’s snow day.

I laugh along with them, newly excited for the day. I lay back against my pillow, still laughing, but let them catch their breath.

“What does it really mean, mama,” Alvins says, catching his breath first.

will slow down today,” I say, shrugging. “There’s too much snow for anyone to do anything or go anywhere, so the whole city will take a break. Everyone

myself out of bed. “Come on,” I say, heading

do today. I am pleased by the prospect of it – they’ve only had one snow day before, on Christmas, and today is their first real snow. I want

papa come?” Ian asks, shoveling down

text him. I had sent

Victor, please text me when you wake up. The doctor told me you’ll be fine – you just need sleep

grandpapa?” Alvin asks, equally bright, distracting me from

hesitate at this one, and

Alvin pleads,

Ian says, his eyes wide. “We just want to spend our snow day with our

their day, after all. I tap out

Evelyn: Are you up?

later and I breathe a

today – but I’m fine. I’m sorry to have

today! The boys want everyone to

to wait long for a

aye, captain.

across the yard, looking like two happy little marshmallow men in their puffy snow suits. As promised, Victor and his family are

so cold and wet that they can’t feel their fingers anymore. When that happens, they come inside to be wrapped in blankets by their grandmother and fed so much cocoa with marshmallows that Evelyn doesn’t know how they can

the boys want to build a fort and have a snowball fight, he orders the Beta team to build the most impressive fort they can against them. Then, Victor and the boys together assault the Beta fort and the Betas, Evelyn sees,

at them out the window, as the sky starts to grow dark. Then, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders, Evelyn goes

a bit of chagrin – for they are tired – the boys all trudge in, again soaked to the bone with melted

helps Ian and Alvin off with their gear and begins

pop?” Alvin asks, watching her spoon macaroni onto his

you to,” Evelyn says, looking at

grandfather is watching the news on television. Alvin follows eagerly after. Henry, earlier in the day, had asked to be transferred into his favorite comfortable recliner. Ian climbs onto one of its wide arms and Alvin onto the other,

their plates suspiciously.

won’t!” Alvin says, smiling

Ian says, and indeed, the boys shovel the food

for a while, watching TV, when Ian catches Alvin’s eye.

that

Alvin continues. “We want to be like the Russian

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