Snowed In
Chapter One
"God it's so cold. Momma how can you see. This is ridiculous, we'll never make it home at this rate." Jessy complained. "Momma Jessy's right about the not being able to see. Why don't we hold up in the next town?" Chele asked. "I agree Momma pull off at the next exit. This isn't worth it." Kristi agreed. "It doesn't matter, it looks as if the decision has been made for us." Barbara said slowing for the police car. "Good evening officer. I take it they're shutting it down?" Barbara asked. "Precisely ma'am. Here is a list of the shelters available. Have a good evening ladies. I hope it let's up so you can make it home for the Holidays." the Trooper said. "Here why don't you take this last cup. I'm headed to shelter." Barbara offered her last cup of coffee, adding, "Still hot." "Thank you ma'am I appreciate this, Happy Holidays everyone." he wished as Barbara followed the flares off the interstate. "We have a choice of an Armory, Elementary School, or Evangelical Church." Jessy informed and they opted for the church. The girls started singing Christmas carols as Jessy navigated them to the church. When they reached the parking lot there was over a couple of feet of snow. Barbara parked the Explorer near the other cars as the girls rushed to play and throw snowballs in the storm. Barbara headed in to find out where they needed to go. "Not too organized yet ma'am, we just opened the shelter." the reverend said. "Do you have shovels, my girls are out playing in it, we might as well as put them to work in it." Barbara said. They handed out shovels and sidewalk duties. "The lot would be cleared but I don't know how to operate the tractor and our driver hasn't made it yet." he explained. "Where's the key. I'm a farm girl! Learned how to drive on a tractor, not a car." Barbara offered and she headed to the garage and started the tractor and made quick work of clearing the lot, having the girls move the parked cars. She plowed the block sidewalk before returning the tractor to the garage and returning the key. They joined the others stranded by the storm, a total of eight, so with her and the girls, they were a dozen seeking shelter. Barbara talked to the reverend about feeding them all and he took them into the kitchen. "The church cook is married to the snow plower so we're left on our own." he explained as Barbara immediately browsed through looking at was available. "We'll do just fine." she said putting everyone to work. She had the girls making biscuits not expecting it to snow indoors thanks to the girls impromptu flour fight. "You'll shovel in here too." Barbara warned staring at the couple talking to the reverend. "Something familiar about them" she thought to herself as Jessy floured both hands, acted as if she had something in her eye and asked Chele to look. As Chele turned to look, Jessy placed floured hand prints on the butt of her black jeans. "You are so like dead." she screamed as Jessy raced away. "Gotta catch me to kill me and man you're so old woman" Jessy laughed and raced past the group of people laughing and wishing them happy holidays. "Hey Reverend Smith. Supper is coming along great. It's even smelling great. Hey, Merry Christmas. Now remember, you never saw me." Jessy greeted the reverend and the couple he was speaking with, giggled before heading into the church and the peace and solitude erased the giggles. As she gazed at the stained glass picture of Jesus, she began singing, "Oh Holy Night"/ "Silent Night" / "Come Let Us Adore Him" medely. Her singing gave away her hiding spot and soon Chele and Kristi entered and sang along. Shortly after that, the reverend, the group he was speaking to, and the others stranded by the storm came to listen and sat in the front pews. The cutest little girl toddled over in front of them and Jessy bent to her size and waved at her. She rushed Jessy, wanting to be picked up so Jessy did just that and then walked back singing with her sisters as they all fussed over Jessy's newest friend. As they finished, "You have to do more than sing for your supper girls. You have biscuits to finish. Time to bake the biscuits" Barbara teased and they headed back to the kitchen, stopping long enough to return their new little friend. "Barbara I'd like you to meet the snow plower and his wife the cook." Reverend Smith said. "Good you made it. Does that mean it's letting up?" she asked. "Far from it, we didn't think we were going to make it a couple of times." he answered. "Darn. I was hoping. If you'll excuse me, they were having a flour fight before they ran out here. I best be getting back before they start again." Barbara said excusing herself. "Oh, your daughters sing beautifully." he added. "Thanks. They do don't they?" she said heading back to the kitchen where she found the girls already had the biscuits in and were cleaning up their mess. After the kitchen was cleaned, they headed back out to clean the walks again, "Man is it coming down Momma. Did you ever get through to home and let them know we're stuck out here in the middle of nowhere waiting for a miracle." Jessy asked as the man headed past them and headed to the garage. "He must be the snow plower man the reverend talked about." Jessy said. "Let's go move the cars then." Chele said. "That's him, he has the tractor running. Let's do it." Kristi said as they put their jackets and boots back on and headed out to back up the cars, leaving only a van in the way. Jessy ran towards the tractor and ran back with the keys to the van and backed it up. As she climbed in she had that same feeling she had in the church, she was being watched. She backed the van out of the way and got out with the snow brush, cleaning it off, then the car next to her, while they watched him clear away the snow and they drove the vehicles back, parked and headed back in, making a beeline to the restrooms, giggling and laughing. "What is it Jessy?" Chele asked. "I keep having this eery feeling that I'm being watched. Strange huh? Feeling like that in a church. I manage a whole ski lodge of lecherous jerks and in a church, I get unnerved." Jessy explained. "Not so strange, I feel the same way. Man what a pair we are." Chele said hugging her. "Let me in on that, I feel the same way. Maybe God is watching." Kristi said. "Boy am I in trouble then." Jessy confessed. "Me too." Chele laughed as they headed out for the kitchen. In the dining room they were greeted by sad faces on most of the kids so the girls decided they'd play games with them. "Do you know any clean games. We are in church and being watched?" Chele asked. "I know." Jessy squealed and went searching for the reverend who took her to the Sunday school classrooms in search of crayons or markers. "This will do just fine, thanks." Jessy said making her way back to the group. "We can decorate the plain white table covers for dinner so we have pretty placemats." Jessy said taking a black marker and drawing the shape of a placemat on the paper at each seat, leaving crayons at each spot. They all got busy coloring and having fun. "Jessy I have that feeling again." Chele said. "I do too." Kristi said. "I'm gonna go tell Momma this is too spooky for me." Jessy said but before she got up snow plower man came in thanking the girls for their help. "I'm Jessy and I left your keys in the van. All the keys are in the ignitions." Jessy shared. "What's that look for Jessy?" he asked. "What look?" she asked. "The one on your face that says something is wrong." he asked. "Oh, it's stupid. Really stupid but we keep having this feeling we're being watched. See I told you it was stupid, in a church we get the feeling of being watched." Jessy said frowning. "You probably are sweetie. I'm sorry, I have three sons around here about your ages. They were up in the choir loft the last I saw them, so if you had that feeling while you were singing. It was probably them. You girls really sing well." he answered. "Gee thanks. That's why we're out here in the middle of nowhere, stuck. We were singing at this lodge during some Ski Festival. We sing during school breaks, in the summer we usually tour. It's so much fun. We meet so many nice people. Like you. You didn't have to ask what the look was about, but you did. Thanks for letting us know about your sons. We were a little concerned it was God." Jessy shared giggling. "You know he is watching, but you really don't want to know, right?" he asked. "Yep that's it. Just don't look too close." she said and they both laughed. "What's so funny?" Chele asked. "My sister Chele. Oh Snow Plow Man here just told me he has older sons around here somewhere and that's why we are probably having the feeling of being watched, because we are." Jessy said returning to the table. "Great job kids all of you. Really great." Jessy said finding a kind word for everyone's artwork. When it was completed she headed back to put the crayons away. The solitude and darkness of the room moved her as she opened the cabinet and put the boxes of crayons and markers back where they belonged. The urge to sing was strong as she made her way back to the dining room. She started singing as she caught her sisters eyes. "You tell me you're in love with me. That you can't take your pretty eyes away from me. It's not that I don't want to stay. But every time you come too close, I look away. I want to believe in everything that you say. Because it sounds so good. But if you really want to make foolish love. There are things about me, you just have to know. Sometimes I run. Sometimes I hide. Sometimes I'm scared of you. But all I really want is to hold you tight. Treat you right. Be with you day and night. Baby all I need is time. I don't want to be so shy, uh uh. Everytime that I'm alone I wonder why. Hope that you will wait for me. But you'll see that, you're the only for me. I want to Believe in everything that you say. Because it sounds so good. But if you really want to make foolish love. There are things about me, you just have to know. Sometimes I run. Sometimes I hide. Sometimes I'm scared of you. But all I really want is to hold you tight. Treat you right. Be with you day and night. All I really want is to hold you tight. Treat you right. Be with you day and night. Baby all I need is time. Just hang around and you'll see, there's nowhere I'd rather be. If you love me just trust me. The way that I trust in you. Sometimes I run. Sometimes I hide. Sometimes I'm scared of you. But all I really want is to hold you tight. Treat you right. Be with you day and night. Sometimes I run. Sometimes I hide. Sometimes I'm scared of you. But all I really want is to hold you tight. Treat you right. Be with you day and night. Sometimes. All I really want is to hold you tight. Treat you right. Be with you day and night. Be with you day and night. Sometimes." "Jessy, Chele you girls are really great. You should make it big in no time." snow plow man said. "Oh that's so nice of you. This is my oldest sister Kristi. We're not really biological sisters, we're sisters in our hearts. I met this one like forever ago. We met one night in a Hanson Chat room. We connected just like that and here we are today still trying to convince Momma that she had Chele and just doesn't remember so Chele had to be raised by another couple." Jessy laughed. "You are so precious. Internet huh? You kids today. You said a Hanson Chat room huh? Do I take it you are fans then?" he asked. "Big time. All three of us. That's where I met Jessy too. In the same Hanson Chat Room. We clicked and started e-mailing each other and before long we found out we lived in the same state about two, three hundred miles apart." Kristi said. "You look so much alike. I assumed you were sisters." he said. "Spooky isn't it. That we would end up looking this much alike, loving Hanson, singing, and everything else." Jessy said looking at him, adding, "I got that feeling again." He scanned the room and spotted them in the kitchen. "Hey you know Miss Navigator here sort of lost track where we were on the Interstate and we have no idea where we are except the middle of nowhere. Where are we?" Chele asked. "You are in the middle of nowhere here in northwest Tulsa." he informed them and they all gasped. "Wow and we didn't feel it. Man are we in trouble. Let's swear not to confess to a soul, they would like lynch us for not knowing. Way to go Jessy." Kristi said. "Yeah Sis of all places to get us stuck in, in so much snow we can't even go searching for them. There's so much snow we didn't even read one sign that said Tulsa. This bites." Chele said. "Geez I didn't do it on purpose." Jessy said heading to the church. "Jessy we were teasing." Chele said as she started running. "She's upset she might not make it home for Christmas. Excuse me, I better go after her." Chele said heading after Jessy. "Excuse me too." Kristi said hot on her heels. "You guys can come out now." Walker said. "Man Dad they sing. Why haven't we heard of them. She sings that better than that Spears anyday." Isaac said. "I agree son. They really are in it for the fun of it I take it. School breaks and summer tours, is what she told me." Walker said heading towards the kitchen. "So your little one sings for the fun of it?" he asked. "Yes Walker Hanson my Jessy sings for the fun of it. I knew you looked familiar. Boy in a church of all places. Think of the stained glass they'll shatter." Barbara laughed. "They'll be okay." Diana said. "Right and I have a small island for sale, on special, I call it Manhattan." Barbara laughed, adding, "We have to separate them. Together they'll bring the church down but if we can separate them, introduce them one on one, we might survive this." "I'll take Jessy. We hit it off pretty good, so Zac you come with me son." Walker said. "I better take Chele, so Taylor you stay here. Diana now when they come through you ask Kristi, the oldest one, for a hand setting the table, everythings on this cart here, so Isaac you find some place to be out of view until your mother calls for you." Barbara said. "So I go out and tell them they need to help you in the kitchen, but keep Jessy. Then Diana keeps Kristi and all you get is Chele. Do we all have tissues?" Walker asked holding out a box to Zac, Taylor and Isaac. "Let's go Zac." he said and they headed to the girls, hiding Zac behind choir pews. "Hey girls, your mother needs a hand in the kitchen, you better head out. You feeling any better Jessy?" he asked taking her hands in his. "Not really." Jessy said. "Maybe I can help, sit here with me a minute." he said watching Chele and Kristi leaving.
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