Page 49 of Ella's Stormy Summer Break
To the left and right, most of the neighbors have already begun cleaning out their houses, too. The Poes said the trash people won’t pick up the mess until after insurance adjusters come by and assess the damage. It could take weeks. But the Poes have something many people don’t have, and that’s a two story house. They’ll be living up there while the demo and remodeling work gets done. Mrs. Poe has already taken in an elderly neighbor whose one story house was flooded. She’ll be living in Ethan’s old bedroom while the Poes sleep in the rec room.
I smile because that’s just like the Poes, taking in people who need shelter.
In a couple of days, I’ll be taking all of my purple stuff to my new dorm room. Ethan will finish packing up his stuff to move into his new apartment. Something tells me I won’t be spending much time in my dorm now that Ethan will be a short walk away.
We’ve promised to come home on the weekends and help with the renovation. I was serious about knocking out walls. That sounds fun, and like one hell of a work out.
I reach for another slice of pizza and take a bite. It’s a little cold now, but any type of pizza is still good pizza.
Ethan leans back on his hands and stares out over the lake. “I am so ready to be in Dallas with you. There’s no hurricanes in Dallas.”
I laugh. “That doesn’t mean there’s not tornados. Or fires. Or broken water pipes. Or sink holes.”
His eyes go wide. “Are there sink holes in Dallas?”
I shrug. “I’ve never heard of one, but that doesn’t mean anything. Mother Nature works in mysterious and really shitty ways.”
He laughs and then leans over the pizza box for a kiss. My lips are greasy and probably taste like pepperoni, but I kiss him anyway. “It doesn’t matter where we live,” Ethan says. Those gorgeous eyes I’ve fallen in love with peer back into mine. “We’ve got each other. And no storm can tear that apart.”
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