#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.

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

out of bed. “Come on,” I say, heading for my door. “Let’s go

by the prospect of it – they’ve only had one snow day before, on Christmas, and today is their first real snow. I want them to do it all – sledding, hot cocoa, snowball fights. Skating, if we can manage

down his

course,” I answer, grabbing my phone to text him. I had sent him a text last

me you’ll be fine – you just need sleep –

distracting me from

one, and

Alvin pleads, Ian joining

wide. “We just want to spend our snow

day, after all.

Evelyn: Are you up?

a sigh of relief

Yes, sorry. Just woke up. Very groggy today – but I’m fine. I’m sorry to have given

okay. Glad you are better. Snow day today! The boys want everyone to participate, so get your butts

have to wait

Aye aye, captain. All hands

two happy little marshmallow men in their puffy snow suits. As promised,

so cold and wet that they can’t feel their

the day, indulging the boys in their every whim. If they want to 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

looking at them out the window, as the sky starts to grow dark. Then, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders, Evelyn goes outside. “Come on, boys!”

– the boys all trudge in, again soaked

Ian and Alvin off with their gear and begins to

Alvin asks, watching

you to,” Evelyn says, looking at Alvin curiously out of the corner of

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

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

says, smiling at

says, and indeed, the boys shovel the food into

a while, watching TV,

“Can we have some of the tea that Uncle Rafe made for papa? We want to

to be like the Russian

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