Coming Home
By Jackie Mueller

After I'm through with my cigarette, I walk into the living room and turn on the TV. I don't want to watch the snow pile up while she's out driving in it. She's going to walk in the door any minute and say "Hi babe, I'm home." I just know it.

Grabbing the remote control, I start flipping through the channels. Nothing's on but Saturday Night Live. Hoping that maybe a skit about Bill and Monica will be on, I hurry to my room, turn off the computer, change from my tight jeans to my satin PJ's, and run back into the living room where I curl up on the couch.

Not even 10 minutes after I get comfortable on the couch, I hear the "beep beep beep" of a weather alert. Feeling my pulse quicken, I sit up and stare at the words streaming across the screen. "From the Newschannel 5 Weather Center…a severe snowstorm warning is in effect for the entire viewing area until 6 a.m.…four to five inches of snow is expected in the next few hours…blizzard like conditions…please stay indoors…"

With trembling hands, I lite up another cigarette and went to look out the sliding glass door again. Like always, the weather forecasters were wrong. It was worse than a blizzard out there. Snow was falling so heavily and rapidly, it appeared that giant white sheets were falling out of the sky, and blowing every direction possible. And the wind…oh the wind…I watched as two lawn chairs blew all over the deck. Our matching pair of mountain bikes pushed over by the wind, being buried under Mother Nature's deadly winter creation.

Turning away from the door, I glanced at the time on the microwave. 12:19 a.m. She was to get off work promptly at 11:30 p.m., so she should be home by now. "She's probably just being extra cautious, and that makes it take longer to get home…" I reassured myself.

Taking a deep breath, I go sit back down on the couch and begin flipping channels once again. I stop at TV Land and begin watching an episode of All in the Family, hoping that it will take my mind off of her and the weather for a bit. But I can still hear my heart pounding nervously in my ears, and still feel my stomach tying itself in knots. I say a silent prayer-"Lord, watch over her, help her make it home safe to me…Amen."

"BANG!!!" It sounded like a bull was ramming himself into a concrete wall…I hear the noise coming from the deck area. I rush over to the sliding glass door to see what the noise is, and I notice that it was only my mountain bike slamming into the side of the house from the force of the wind. I decide to bring both the bikes inside, and after I put on my slippers I step out into the winter hell. I stumble around the deck from the strong winds pushing me around, but I manage to get both of the snow-covered bikes in the house. Covered in snow and shivering from the blasted cold outside, I go into my room to change my PJ's.

I change into a warm flannel nightgown, and as I turn to go back to the living room, I stop dead in my tracks. Standing right in the doorway. Her beautiful eyes looking straight into mine. "Hi babe, I'm home," she said matter of factly.

An incredible feeling of relief comes over me, and I jump into her arms, while almost causing her to lose her balance. "I was so worried about you, with the snow and everything, I…I'm just glad you're home…" I said to her.

"I know you were worried, but I'm home now, and that's all that matters" she told me, while still in an embrace.

After a few more moments, we let each other go, and I ask her "How was work today?"

At first she didn't answer me, and then she suddenly says, with an angry look on her face, "Shitty as usual. During the rush we had today, no one was helping me out on the grill, I had ten tickets lined up with Tony just staring at me, and mom was off jacking her jaws somewhere. Plus I ended up cleaning the damn grills and mopping the floor, and my back is fuckin' killing me. Oh and did I mention I burnt my wrist on the grill?"

I say to her in a firm voice, "Go right now, take a hot shower, get out of those clothes, and I will have something for you when you get out."

While she was in the shower I heated her up some leftover pork fried rice from the previous night, along with some wantons. She ate the meal like she hadn't tasted food in two days, so I figured once again she didn't have a break all night. When she was done, she looked at me and said "thanks for heating this up babe, it hit the spot."

"You're welcome," I told her, and I took her by the hand and led her to the bedroom. "I'm gonna give you a thorough back massage babe, you seem to be very overdue for one."

A small smile played across her lips as she took off her shirt and laid face down on our waterbed. I straddled her beautiful body and began my magic of working all the tight spots out of her shoulders and back. Using circular motions with my thumbs, I started at her shoulders and slowly worked my way down her back, and then back up again.

"That snow and wind is such a bitch to drive in babe, I'm lucky I didn't slide into a ditch or another car and get killed, with those bald tires and all…" she said to me.

"That's why I was so worried, I didn't want anything to happen to you, I don't know what I would do if…you know, something really bad was to happen…" I replied.

"I think we need to move to Cancun," she giggled.

"I'll make reservations tomorrow, if the snow doesn't cause the phone lines to collapse," I told her sarcastically. I finally felt her muscles start to relax, and I smiled to myself.

"I'm going to go get a drink of water, I'll be right back," I softly said to her, and when I returned, I noticed that she had turned over on her back and looked almost sound asleep. My Sleeping Beauty. I quietly slipped into bed beside her, put my arms around her, and held her close. While the snow still piled up outside. Thank God she has tomorrow off, I said to myself, we can spend all day in bed then.