The Storm Is Strongest Inside The Mall

I just read this story and have my own to share…

It’s one of my first jobs out of high school, at a fairly ritzy home kitchen decor kinda store in an outdoor mall. It’s during the holidays, which means weird weather.

One week there’s a weather warning for the entire county, with one of two options: there will be an ICE STORM like there’s NO TOMORROW, and all the snow on the ground will freeze, and it will be very dangerous even to be outside… or it will be 50 degrees (10 Celsius) and pleasant and balmy.

Guess which one the county prepared for, and guess which one actually happened?

Schools were shut. Offices were empty. Everything BUT the mall was closed, which meant everyone and their families and friends and THEIR families and friends with their enormous bags full of whatever.

I was thankful to clock out on time, but then I had to get out of the store.

Through the crowds.

To the parking lot.

Through the cars, and the vultures therein.

And then get OUT of the lot.

Onto the packed street.

To get home.

It should have taken fifteen minutes total.

It took an hour.

My mother was panicking that I wasn’t home on time, but honestly? I was just happy to get home… and I am happy that the store no longer exists.