Redeem Me by Eliza Freed

Author:Eliza Freed [Freed, Eliza]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2015-02-03T06:00:00+00:00

The house feels strange without him. Without anyone. If I wasn’t here, he’d be all alone, or with some other girl. I realize Noble’s young to be running this farm on his own. How many acres did he say? I think two thousand. His parents retired from farming and now winter in Florida and travel in an RV throughout the summer. That’d be a fun way to live with Noble.

Since I’m not sure how long we’re going to be here, and more importantly how long we’re going to have power, I throw in a load of laundry. The layers of snow clothes alone fill the washer. I bring in some firewood and light another fire. I jump at the sound of the ringing phone and run to the kitchen to find my cell. I’m disappointed to see it’s Sean calling and not Noble. He should be back by now.

“Hey. It’s your brother.”

“Hi. Isn’t this crazy?” I ask.

“Completely. We measured eighteen inches already,” Sean says.

“Noble went up to Eldridges Hill to help with some ambulances.”

“He went? I heard it’s bad. They were transporting a husband and wife that were in an accident just south of there. They brought a fire truck to pull them out and it got stuck. This snow is slick; it’s hard to get any traction. It’s heavy, too. Be careful shoveling it.” Sean continues to tell me all the county news: power losses, accidents, roof collapses, and any other snow-related incidents he’s heard.

I wish Noble would come home.

The sun goes down and the snow unleashes again. The lights flicker and I decide it’s time to shower before it’s not an option. I didn’t bring any body wash or cleanser, so I make do with the Irish Spring soap and Pantene that Noble has in the shower. Since most of my clothes are in the dryer, I find Noble’s shirt drawer and select a dark green T-shirt that says GARDENERS DO IT WITH HOES on it. I smell it before I put it over my head and the fragrance reminds me of Noble, and last night. It hangs low enough that I don’t need anything else, although my tolerance for nudity is apparently high.

With nothing left to do, I turn on the TV. The local news has been covering nothing but the storm for the past twenty-four hours. They report in from the Jersey shore; Delaware; Center City, Philadelphia; and Allentown. There are massive accumulations, but it appears we’re getting the worst of it. I wish my mom were here. She would tell me what to do about Noble—and Jason. Of course, if she were here, I’d probably never have been with Jason.

The lights flicker and the TV turns off and I’m completely in the dark. Literally and figuratively. I lie down, afraid to move because I might break my toe or something else. The last thing I hear is the howling of the wind being echoed by a whistling in the chimney.

* * *

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