Aww...isn't this sweet...Claude Frollo made a special trip through time...just to check on me...This man can be too much...
Tony, again punching buttons on my jukebox, said to Claude, "Sir, I hope you plan on stayin' for supper. Nisha's got some powerful good-eatin' cooked up."
Claude raised an eyebrow as he glanced over at the stove. "Nisha? Is that your famous cornbread? And that delicious ham?"
"Yep! And", I lifted the lid on the pot on the backburner, "I got collard greens here, and cheese grits in the oven."
Claude grinned as he lightly ran his tongue over his lips. "My, my. If ever one is stranded in a snowstorm, this is definitely the place to be."
We all conversed pleasantly while our supper warmed. I then suggested to Claude if he would like to see my finished basement. "After all, sugarbritches, you helped me on this little project."
Claude was completely and pleasantly surprised with my basement 'playroom'. "My darling, this is so grand! Why, one could literally move in down here." He favorably commented on my audio-visual equipment. "Very state-of-the-art. So very...21st Century!"
I softly laughed, then I showed him the spare bedroom. He looked at me with smouldering eyes, and playfully said, "Darling. Why are you showing me this? You obviously have something on your mind, and...since I'm here..."
"Claude Frollo!", I shot back, "I have other people in this house! How can you stand there, and suggest that we do...the *wild thing*..." I had to stop myself because it was all so funny. We collapsed in each other's arms, laughing hysterically.
I then said, "Ah well, no matter. When our company goes home, then we can...Claude? What's wrong, baby?" I noticed the sudden change of expression; Claude's face was the very picture of concern.
"My dear, I was so worried about you." He took me into his arms, kissed me deeply, and held me close. "The thought of you stranded in this storm, with no where to go. The visions of you, cold and shivering..." He kissed me again.
"Sugarbritches, I've been in worse storms than this. Why, the Blizzard of 1978...Now THAT was a snowstorm!"
Claude raised an eyebrow. "A blizzard? You were actually caught in a blizzard!"
I took him by the hand, and led him back to the kitchen. "Claude, it wasn't all that bad. I was inside most of the time, but those few days were pretty rough. All that snow and wind."
Fern must have overheard us, for when Claude and I returned, she said, "The infamous Blizzard of '78! That was a hell of a storm!"
We 末 all eight of us 末 gathered around my small table in my basement hideaway. Soon we were enjoying a hot, delicious supper, whilst reminscing those harrowing, yet adventurous, days in January, 1978.
"We already had about eight inches on the ground", said Nat, as he helped himself to more ham and greens. "I think we got that snow about a week before."
"It was on the 25th", said Fern, "because I was gonna take off work末dental appointment末the next day. School had just let out; it was around three. That's when it got really bad."
I told Claude that I had finished a full day's classes, "then I had planned to spend the following day working on research projects. I didn't mind a little snow, but this was different! I'd never experienced anything like it."
Claude Frollo couldn't believe his ears when we told him how the storm worsened as the evening progressed. "I don't ever recall such a winter in Paris, at least, not in my time. So, how did you manage", Claude's mouth curved into a broad grin, "to keep your sanity through all this?"
Nat laughed and told Claude that, "It was great on my part! No school for the rest of the week!"
I chimed in, "Uh, Nat? You forget that the entire city was shut down for four days!" I then turned to Claude, just to gauge his reaction. His eyes widened when he asked, "Am I hearing this correctly? The entire city came to a halt?"
"That's right, Your Grace", replied Fern. "Everything came to a standstill. Why, we couldn't get out if we wanted to; it was that bad."
I then related, to Claude, the morning I awoke, only to hear a long list of closings. "Nothing was running: the schools, the government offices, the public transit system 末 nothing. The only thing I can vividly recall, was Roger Holloway tellin' us that we had 21 inches of snow on the ground." Fern added that she remembered listening to that same station. "Yeah. The winds gusted to what...50 mph...and I remember Roger kept sayin' the wind chill was..and I'm quotin'...'An incredible -67 degrees! Stay Home!'"
Fern then told Claude that Kyle, Shelli, Tony, and Jacki were all "just little kids at the time", and Claude could tell that the younger set were thoroughly enthralled with our individual stories.
Then Claude asked me, "But how did you manage? Surely, with virtually the entire city closed-off, you were able to entertain yourselves, and ward off...'cabin-fever'."
I thought a bit, then answered him, "You know, come to think of it, those few days stranded at home weren't all that bad. I mean, we watched TV, played games, read 末 Four days cooped up together brought my family a lot closer."
"At least", added Fern, "it was a whole lot better than what some folks got 末 stranded on the interstate, at the airport, at the bus station 末 There were a lot of folks in far worse situations." She then glanced at her watch and exclaimed, "Hey! That reminds me! I gotta call Triple-A again. Then I need to call Dwayne." Fern told Claude that Dwayne was stranded in Chicago because of the weather.
"Oh, my dear Fern", Claude expressed with marked concern, "I do hope your husband is all right."
"Oh, don't worry 'bout Dwayne. He's stayin' at the hotel, won't be able to get a flight out until tomorrow. He's safe 末 and that's a comfort."
After Fern excused herself from the table, I turned to Claude and said, "Honey, these blizard stories are freakin' you out, I can tell." I couldn't stop laughing, because Claude had never experienced anything like the Blizzard of 1978. Nat and I continued to tell Claude other blizzard stories: About the Mayor appearing on television, addressing the citizens in his calm, friendly style. "He was wonderful, even though he looked kind of nerdy in that hockey cap." Claude laughed as I told him of the now-famous videotape showing a lone snowmobiler cruising down Meridian Street.
"This was Downtown, now, during", I paused, only to break up again, "*rush* hour!"
"Man", said Nat, "that's something that only happens once in a lifetime. But you want to know the worst part of it?"
Claude raised an eyebrow, asking, "What could be more worse than surviving a blizzard?"
Nat and I replied in tandem, "Surviving the Monday AFTER the Blizzard!"
"All that traffic!"
"All those huge mounds of snow! And the cold!"
"All those streets not yet cleared off末took me over an hour to get to work, and I lived just fifteen minutes away, for goodness' sake!"
Fern made that last comment as she returned to the kitchen. She appeared relieved and happy. "Well, Triple-A's found my car! It's being towed home as we speak!"
Kyle, visibly pleased by this news, then asked his mom, "Did you talk to Pa? When's he comin' home?"
Fern sighed with relief. "He's OK...He had his dinner and he told me he should be able to get a flight out tomorrow."
Then she added, "At least he'll be home, safe and sound."
After supper, when everything was cleared away, we gathered around my wide-screen TV, and watched the latest weather report.
It had finally stopped snowing, and it was official: Nine inches of the white stuff had fallen to the ground. I was somewhat relieved that school would be closed for the day.
"Good! That will give me time to catch up on things. I'm so far behind."
Kyle offered to drive his mom home, since most of the major thoroughfares were now clear. "I've cleared your driveway, Nisha", Kyle told me. I thanked him, but he wouldn't accept any payment. He took me aside and said, "I'm taking Ma, Shelli, and Nat home; Jacki's goin' home with Tony. So...Let's just say that the rest of the evening is yours..." He then glanced over at Claude, who was deep in conversation with my cousin.
"...And Claude's." Kyle grinned and winked at me, then led his mom upstairs.
After all the goodbyes, I went back downstairs. "Claude? What are you doing?"
I walked into my 'dance area', and watched Claude Frollo as he scanned the titles on my jukebox.
"Fascinating machine! Hmm...Now, let's see..."
He then broke down in laughter as he read aloud the title of one selection in particular末(Night Time is) The Right Time.
I knew he'd find that sooner or later...That's the song...our first time together...Wonder if I can reprise that little routine...
"Nisha", Claude cooed as he beckoned me to him. He embraced me tightly, and kissed me intensely. Now that we were all alone, possibly for the rest of the evening, I wondered if we...
"Darling, I know I have the power to return to my own time, but I simply can't leave you in the aftermath of a snowstorm."
"Claude, I'll be fine末Really! But if you want me to return to Paris with you..."
"Who said anything about returning to Paris? Nisha, darling." Claude took me into his arms again, kissed me again, then sweetly said, "My love, it is now your turn to receive some loving care. I shall stay with you the entire weekend. Besides", he paused to glance around my basement 'playroom', "we have all these wonderful toys, an ample supply of food and drink..." He paused again to kiss me. I swear...this man sure can kiss...a lot!
Claude then flashed a wide, sexy smile, then added, "...And we have a nice, warm bed, in which to snuggle on these oh-so-cold nights."
I kissed him back, walked over to the jukebox, and began selecting slow, sensual love songs.
"Claude?"
"Yes, sweet Nisha?"
"Cabin fever has just gotten so much easier!"
Claude laughed, then asked a favor of me, in a voice so sensual, so erotically-charged, that I just couldn't say 'no'.
"Do you remember a particular performance...that summer?"
"Oh, you mean...the *dirty* dancing?"
"Yes, Nisha."
"You wanna relive that moment?"
"Yes, Nisha."*
Uh oh...Here we go again...Oooh, Claude! This is hotter than Hellfire! ...Let it snow!
*See Back to the Frollo - Chapter 14
Copyrightｩ1998 by FrolloFreakｮ