If you are reading this and live any where in the Dallas, TX area, then you know that there have been some big storms in the area the last couple of days. Yesterday was one of the worse days I have seen in a while.
I spent the morning with Sis quilt shop hopping followed by a wonderful lunch at Taste of Home in Wylie. The morning included a beautiful drive to Rockwall with just a few sprinkles of rain, lots of laughter, some serious conversation, and much love between two friends. Sis and I have very little face time together these days so each second we are together is precious.
Once Sis dropped me off at home it was time to get into my car so the youngest and I could pick up the oldest and go to the Cottonwood Art Festival in Richardson. Now the sky is looking ominous, but the oldest said it was not raining there yet, and I am hopeful we can do a quick run through before the rain hits.
As the youngest and I are driving down Central Expwy. the rain starts coming down, not real heavy, but worrisome. Youngest called the oldest and he says yes it is raining there but looks like it will slack off. Okay. We continue down. The rain is getting really heavy the closer we get to Renner Rd., youngest called the oldest again and ask him to check the Festival website, have the closed it? "No word on the website. " I'm now on Renner Rd., and I can barely see to drive. youngest calls oldest again and asks him to check the weather radar. "Heavy rains with a clearing coming." Well I am almost there now, so I am committed.
We get to the oldest's apartment and the sky has opened up with everything it has and we need a place to wait it out. The oldest offers to go up and make his apartment presentable. I asked what that meant. "Tying up the trash, clearing the floor space, picking things up." Not worth it to me. I drive down through the parking lot to a place that I think is okay to wait in. Unfortunately, the rain is coming down so hard that the parking lot is filling with water and I am terrified my van will start to float.
I asked the oldest what we could do in the area. He mentions that he wants to go to Comic Asylum because he wasn't able to get the comic he wanted at "Free Comic Book Day" at "Zeus" earlier in the day. The rain has slacked off enough to drive at this point, so off we go driving on streets that are completely flooded in the right lanes, but I can get there in the left lane.
When we get to Comic Asylum the skies have opened up again, and I told the boys to go on in, because I am parked right at the door. I said I would be in when it slacked off a little. I sat in the car a few minutes and then headed into the store. As I start to open the door sirens start going off. They don't sound like emergency vehicle sirens, they sound like tornado sirens. I go into the store and ask the first man I see if the area there has tornado sirens (our city does not). He promptly tells me in a very thick British accent that he is not from here. I then open the door and listen again, still sirens. They don't sound very close, but I can still hear them. I look at the sky and it looks funky way off, but not dangerous in the area we are in. I don't see anything that makes me think I should take cover, so I am worried, but not frightened.
I go back into the store and decide to address the person running the counter, a boy probably in his early 20's. I ask him about the tornado sirens. He just looks at me. Nothing comes out of his mouth. He has that dazed, nerd comic store look in his eyes. I am truly ready to scream at him, because there are about 30 people in the store (if you count the card tournament in the back) and I need to know if the bad weather is coming our way. I go back to the door, still sirens but very faint.
I went up to my boys and I told the oldest to get on his phone and look at the weather. He tells me that the tornado warning is north of our location, and headed north east. Nothing headed our way. Okay. I can calm down now, but I'm still upset about the fact that the only guy working in the store did not even get up and look outside to see if there was anything he needed to do to protect his customers. Neither did any of the customers that heard me inquire about the sirens, including my own children.
I swear I think there is something pumped into the air at these comic shops. They are all the same. Intelligent, open minded, creative people enter into these stores and become glazed eyed zombies only able to concentrate on the items for sale before them.
Next time the weather is bad and I am out, I am not going to a comic store for cover.
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