Irma serious? Yes, I’m serious
Jaryd Brady
Here’s how the Brady Bunch handles hurricanes: By believing every word that comes on the news and screaming and imagining the worst; by getting random voicemails of mom’s bubbling lips and having to deal with her imagination and talking with my brother about why we both received the same message; by being commanded to go back home and pack our things and be ready for the “storm of the century”; by turning off my phone in class because of all the texts and calls from her; by driving back home after packing up our clothes and valuables and toiletries; by having our home barricaded like Fort Knox and still having to answer my mom’s teary messages; by having our dad walk through the door when you thought he was states away and being told that we’re driving to Kentucky and being told to gather all the guns up; by driving and driving in traffic and waking up only to be the next state over; by driving in more traffic and driving and listening to Garth Brooks on repeat; by finally getting to Kentucky only to face my mom’s tears in person and see our 16-year-old sister throwing a temper tantrum every 30 minutes and see how our dad casually bought an Alaskan malamute that looks like a wolf; by dealing with that wolf living in an apartment and putting our shoes on elevated surfaces and praying to God the dog doesn’t get them down because they were expensive; by answering my mom’s questions like “do you have a bae,” and “have you been washing our face” only to have her roll her eyes no matter what you say; by enjoying my evacuation and seeing old friends and getting past old fights that kept us distant for so long; by going to church with my mom and finding the blessings of me being up in Kentucky and questioning myself as to whether or not I should come home; by being sad to go back to school and wondering if there’s even a house there anymore; by leaving teary-eyed and wishing there was more time and by hoping that the next hurricane, Maria, already churning in the Caribbean, will bring us together again.”
