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Though we should not have, we laughed at the announcements “Don’t drown, turn around”. Didn’t people realize that crossing a road that looks like a river is not a good idea. We worried about our son and his family going for groceries in Houston after Hurricane Harvey when water was inches from their door. Once, after outrageous downpours, we were stuck at work until midnight due to water covered, impassable roads. One or two customers watched” Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” with us as we grabbed some beers from the back. Locking the door when I saw the man crossing the adjacent parking lot with an assault rifle slung over his shoulder, I knew he had the wrong tool. To help, he needed millions of Mickey’s with mops and buckets like the scene in Fantasia. I heed the warnings of rip currents at the beach with no interest in drowning. The plan is in my head: swim away from the current, swim parallel to the shore, head in when the current has ended. We returned from Charleston into the throes of the seasonal storm. Bikes keep coming in the door, two, three, four at a time.  The phone never stops. I try to answer quickly yet the voice on the other end explains how “Aunt Sally’s neighbor’s brother…..”. Ughhh! I completely forgot Mr. Smith was on a test ride. Whew…Gabe saved me on that one and is now taking care of him. Desperately I look for that parallel path to the door to help the newest person walking in, clinging tightly to the five notes in my hand, fearful if I set them down, they will be lost forever. I wish to be home painting the churning waters, not struggling for air swimming in them. As the six o’clock hour approaches, we all know the storm will subside. Together we clean up the aftermath and head home for a well deserved rest. Another storm is on the horizon, and it is set to hit tomorrow at 10 am.