"Do you know I have 2 pairs of pants on?" She giggles. "Clara come on!" Hillary grabs the little girl by the wrist, knocking Clara to her knees and they laugh again, after Hillary has confirmed her little sister is fine. "Don't want to" Clara whines. Hillary has already moved on to the piano, and is banging several keys. "I'm going to wear 3 shirts today!" She says in pride. I sigh, and watch her. 'Is this REALLY all the kids have to do?'. The power has been out for about 8 hours now. At first it started out dark, and irritable. Then it got better. I've been battling cramps since I woke up, and seeming that I'm about 60 pounds and 2 years more than recommended for children's Advil, I've taken 2 doses already and it's only 3:25. I've been keeping myself occupied by writing letters to Hillary all morning, making her believe that she's a spy. I even wasted about 25 Q-Cards and an old Justin Bieber doll in the process. Actually, it wasn't even a Justin Bieber figure, it was an ugly doll with a Justin Bieber cut out from a stupid teen magazine, with that wrap your mom uses to pack your sandwiches in the morning, wrapped around it several times to secure the photo to the doll, because I couldn't find tape. I think it's one of my most cleverest ideas yet. She actually believes that she's a secret agent with super powers. For instance, she thinks she can freeze me by throwing her hands in the air and grunting. I play along, and then blink as soon as she leaves. Earlier this morning, I had asked her to get me a glass of milk, while we were discussing the letter she thinks some sort of spy agent sent her. It was right after I said, "Maybe you have freezing powers!". She got off her bed, threw her hand at me in the air, and ran out of the room saying, "Don't you DARE move, Ally!". When she came back with a glass of milk, I was like, "thanks!". She wasn't like my brother, where he would drink from it or spit into it. There weren't any mouth marks on it, so I determined it was safe to drink. When I finally took a drink of it, it was really watery. I didn't really know what to do with the water, so I settled on swallowing it. "Hillary.... Did you put something in the milk?" I ask. She looks up at me, with this innocent look, and says, "No." And of course I believe her because she's a terrible liar, and she hadn't been lying. Then I started thinking. Because Clara is only 2, Kim occasionally buys homogenized milk, and I haven't had that kind since I was probably two myself. "Is this homogenized milk?" "No." She says truthfully. "Well, where'd you get it from then?" I start laughing, and she laughs, too. "I took it from Clara's bottle that was in the fridge." She says it as if there isn't even anything wrong with that statement. I suppose, seeming that she is 7, she wouldn't see any harm in drinking a 2 year old's back wash. I started laughing at her, and she's just confused so I give her the cup and go get some orange juice myself. By that point I've retired back to my couch, and I'm playing Tetris, and listening to Clara and Kim's conversation. By the recreation room, which I'm in, I can hear Kim's singing and sweeping and Clara's probably sitting at the dining room table eating a snack or something. "Clara that's not a 'keyha', that's a duck" "No" "Yes it is" They're talking again, and I'm not really listening, deeply into my game, and then I hear Clara throwing a book or something at the floor screaming, "KEYHA!" "That is not a keyha Clara, it's a duck" "No it's NOT a duck!" More irrelevant banter. "I'm gonna play in the snow, k mom?" Referring to the snow storm we're in.. "Clara, it's not very nice out for playing in the snow." "Want to" Kim has ignored her beyond this point, until she tells, "EUGH I WANNA PLAY IN THE SNOW RIGHT NOW" Hillary is currently jumping into the big snow pile by her dads car, but I'm still here playing Tetris. I don't know what happened to Tetris. I remember when I got my first phone, and I used to stay up all hours playing it on my LG Keybo, until my eyes were hurting. Kim has finally gave into Clara, I can hear her zipping Clara's coat. She walks through my room, and I say, "You're seriously going out in the snow?" She ruffles her 2 centimetre bangs and says, "yup." The conversation doesn't really leave that, until she's walking out again and I sarcastically tell her to have fun. I like Kim in that way, because she doesn't find sarcasm ignorant like most parents do. So now I have the house to myself again, and I'm debating whether I should eat the rest of that 'Worlds Best Chocolate' Santa Claus from Christmas, or slack a bit so I don't gain another pound to add to my 168. That would be terrible. I'm starting to crave salsa. Salsa and sour cream. We have neither, because I ate all the salsa last night with those old something nacho chips that have probably been up in the cupboard since before Halloween. Nonetheless, delicious. I even cut up cheese into squares, because I didn't want to make the grader dirty, and it looked beautiful. Now I'm not allowed in the fridge, as to conserve cold air and not turn the milk sour. I can't even go in the bathroom because we can't flush our toilet and it smells terrible in there. Now my iPad's on 10%. I just can't deal with this storm, or this power outage! Maybe I'll brush my hair or something. I imagine getting up, and walking into my closet where I find a pillow and fresh popcorn drowned in butter and I just eat it all up and it's delicious and satisfactory and a big smile comes out on my heart which is now apparently animated. Like, the kind of cartoon heart you see on Dollar store - cheap - valentines. I haven't had a valentine since Grade 4, which was the year before they stopped making kids hand them out. And now I'm depressed again! This is my life cycle. Wake up, eat, get fat, do math, eat again, play Tetris, eat, nap, supper, Tetris, bored, bored, eat, get fat, sleep. Normally, it's 45% eat, 45% Internet, and 10% studying, but I have no Internet which really breaks my heart. I'm just this depressed fish who decides to turn on its back and get flushed down the toilet to clog my gills. Actually, I wonder why they can't turn on their back when they aren't deceased. Like, it's not rocket science. And how come they only do it when they're dead? Or maybe they do it all the time. I just haven't had a wish since I was like, 8 because I don't like fish that much. If I had a fish I'd take him for walks all day. I'd bungee cord the fish bowl to the back of my scooter and coast down the high way. That fantasy almost makes me wish I had a scooter, just as much as a fish. I hate it when the house is quiet like this. Chocolate Santa, it is.. ** So this guy came to snow blow our drive way. After he finished, Kim's so stressed out after 8 hours no-coffee, that she takes Hillary in the car and drives all around town looking for a Tim Horton's that's open. About an hour later, she comes back cranky and with no coffee. It's 5:30 when she picks me and Clara up from the house, and we go straight to Dairy Queen. Half way through the humongous line, we over hear some people talking. "I don't think they're taking debit." "Yeah, only cash" "I wonder if I have enough." "I don't know, either." And Kim is practically clutching her stomach, lurched over. "Watch the girls." She commands. "I'm going over to the gas station to take out some cash." I just nod and try to maintain Clara's amusement. It doesn't really work out, because of Hillary's influence. They're practically running around the restaurant, which really embarrasses me. And I mean, everybody in this line up is probably irritable. Dairy Queen is slow to begin with, but when it's the only restaurant open for miles? Incidentally, they only have about 8 people hired. When Kim gets back, she's a little more frustrated now and I'm trying to get Clara to calm down and stay in the line, but she just stomps her foot and runs back over to Hillary. "Their ATM machines aren't working." I nod, because I don't really understand ATM machines and the power outage and what's on and what's off. "That was a really stupid decision because obviously if the machines aren't working here, they won't work there, either." I just nod again. Hillary starts sloshing over in her obnoxiously large snow pants and whines, "Mommy, can I have some change for that thingy over there?" That thingy, is big, round, yellow tube like thing for donating money to children's foundations. When you insert a coin, it goes down this funky tube. Very entertaining for kids. Kim sighs and opens her change purse. Hillary accepts the pennies and skips back and gives an equal share to her sister. Kim looks really worried, and is trying to find as much cash as she can for dinner. Between her only options, a wallet, her purse and a change bag, we come up with about $14. At Dairy Queen, that isn't enough for more than a meal in the kids section. Not enough to feed 4 people. I start to debate in my head. "Well... We could get 4 separate burgers from the kids section and 2 fries." I say. "Maybe." She says, studying the menu. Suddenly, the lady in front of us, who doesn't appear too affluent, presents a $20 bill and shoves it into Kim's hands. "No, no, I couldn't" she says, eyes wide. The lady smiles and shakes her head. "You take it" "Thank you." Kim beams. "Can I at least take your name and number?" "You could." She says. "Or you could just pass it on to somebody else when the time is right, or something. I don't know." The woman is discreetly avoiding any other conversation. "Thank you.. Again." I'm looking at Kim like, 'did that really just happen?' And she looks at me like, 'I guess so'. So after that, we're still in line for probably 15 minutes. When Kim orders, she tells me to take the girls and sit down. They're still craving change to put in the skinny yellow tube thing, but Kim dismisses that and tell them to sit down. So Clara and Hillary are in the booth part of our seat, which leaves me and Kim to the hard seats. Clara starts whining to take off her jacket, and I unbutton it for her. She still isn't satisfied. I take off her sweater, and start feeling concerned and I tell her, "You better not take your shirt off." She's wearing her pajama shirt, because I had to dress her in the dark, before Kim picked us up. That makes me feel a little bit of sympathy for myself, and Clara. Kim comes with a tray of greasy food, which looks absolutely delicious at this point. I dig right in to my meal and have my double cheeseburger done within 3 minutes. The girls, on the other hand, take up another 20 minutes just to eat the 6 chicken fingers and fries. I haven't showered since Wednesday, and it's already Friday night. As we're finally getting ready to leave, I'm finishing the Clara's chicken fingers while Kim is fussing with her to get ready. It's funny, because whenever Clara has a drink put in front of her, she has to finish it before she does anything else. So she's simultaneously sipping, and Kim says, "C'mon Clara, it's time to leave". Clara rips the drink out of her mouth and says in this raspy voice, "Leave. Me. Alone!". I'm just sitting there laughing, like, 'dear god, don't let this be a repeat of last night'. Because last night, Clara was crying a lot and then she pulled this face and I laughed long enough for Kim to have seconds and thirds. And now I'm practically bent over, crying, because I'm laughing so hard. Kim and Hillary have moved on from the subject. "Didn't you guys think it was funny?" I say, confused. "Not really.." Hillary mumbles, looking for the mug in her flyer. There's some contest in 'the flying cow' that if you find a mug or something in their flyer and send it in, you win something of value. "It was." Kim confirms. At least somebody found it funny! She just chuckles and tells Hillary to put her jacket on. She then hands me a tray full of garbage and I throw it out. As we're leaving, Hillary begins to pest Kim for a hot chocolate from Tim Horton's and Kim gets a text from my aunt; "Why don't you bring the girlies over? We've had power since last night ) and u can get a coffee." And tells me to respond, "We'll see. Thanks for the offer." I like how Kim is more orderly than Aunt Corinna, for some reason. After Hillary tormenting Kim for the next half hour in the dead Tim Horton's line up, and then hearing about what my Aunt said, Kim finally gives in to her demands and complaints and we're on our way back to the dark and powerless house to pack an over night bag. I'm numbed by dark rooms or houses. I get really afraid being alone in the dark, or having my only source of light be from a flash light or candle. It's very creepy in my perspective. Especially when the only person to rely on is a 7 year old who won't let you hold the flash light.