#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.

much snow for anyone to do anything or go anywhere, so the whole city will take a break. Everyone will stay home and have a lovely,

bed. “Come on,” I say, heading for

about what they’ll 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

down his

to text him. I had sent him a

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

Alvin asks, equally bright, distracting me from my phone.

this one, and he sees

pleads, Ian

“We just want to spend our snow day with our

acquiescing. It’s their day, after all. I tap

Evelyn: Are you up?

moments later and I breathe a

but I’m fine. I’m sorry

better. Snow day today! The boys want everyone

to wait long

Aye aye, captain. All

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

getting 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

sled, they sled, with Archie chasing them down the hill with every pass. When 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,

wrapping a blanket around her shoulders, Evelyn goes

chagrin – for they are tired – the boys all trudge in, again soaked to

Ian and Alvin off with their gear and begins to prepare their plates of

pop?” Alvin asks, watching

at Alvin curiously out of the corner

the living room, where their grandfather is watching the news on television. Alvin follows eagerly after. Henry, earlier in the day, had asked to be transferred into his

eyeing their plates suspiciously. “I don’t want you to

says,

drop any,” Ian says, and indeed, the boys shovel the

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

of the tea that Uncle Rafe made

continues. “We want to be

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