Free His Holiday Family by Margaret Daley

don’t get caught up in traffic. I can’t take the chance of you running out of gas, and I wouldn’t trust my car on the road the way it’s acting up.” All morning Kathleen had wrestled with whether to send her children away with her mother to Aunt Cora’s. Jared had flat out told her that he wanted to stay and see the hurricane while Kip told her he wouldn’t leave her.
    Her mother left the bathroom. “You need to take my car to the hospital when you have to report to work after the hurricane. I’m certainly not going to be going anywhere.”
    Kathleen headed back to the kitchen where the boys were helping Gideon fill jugs and other containers with water. “Mom, will you ask Miss Alice to come here to stay this evening? I hate her being by herself, but she wouldn’t come when Gideon and I tried to get her to.”
    â€œI’ll try. But she is a stubborn old lady.”
    Kathleen clamped her teeth down to keep from replying, “Kinda like you.” She went into the kitchen to find the water containers all over the counter.
    While her mother shrugged into her rain gear and rubber boots, Kip and Jared faced Kathleen with big grins. “We did this,” Kip said, gesturing toward the jugs. “Gideon supervised. We did the work. Three gallons of water for each person a day. Isn’t that right, Gideon?”
    â€œYou’ve got it. I think y’all are set.”
    â€œDid you get yours done when you went home a while ago?”
    â€œYep. My house is battened down and as secure asit can be. I have my supplies and enough water for a couple of weeks.”
    Kathleen scanned the kitchen. “The same here.”
    â€œAre we staying at Nana’s tonight?” Kip started carrying the jugs of water to the pantry on an inside wall.
    â€œWe don’t want Nana to be alone,” Jared added while lugging his share across the room.
    â€œYeah, we’re staying.” Kathleen helped her sons store the containers.
    â€œHow about Miss Alice?” Kip asked when he came out of the walk-in pantry.
    â€œI’m going right now to see if I can convince her to come over here.” Her mother put on her rain hat and tied it down.
    â€œCan I go, too?” Kip crossed the kitchen to his grandmother.
    â€œIt’s okay with me if your mom says okay.”
    Kip spun around and asked her, “Can I?”
    â€œFine. Wear you raincoat and stay with Nana. It’s starting to get windy out there.”
    Jared came out of the food closet. “You’re gonna go see Old Lady Beggs? She yells.”
    â€œI didn’t say anything the first time I heard that name, but I don’t want to hear you two call her that. Either use Miss Alice or Miss Beggs. Understand, Kip?” Kathleen peered at him, then turned to her younger son. “Jared?”
    They nodded.
    As Kip left with her mother, Jared took another jug to the pantry. “I’ve got to make sure Bubbles has enough water. Can I go check and fill the bowl up?”
    â€œSure.”
    When Jared left, Gideon asked, “Bubbles? I didn’t know you had a pet.”
    â€œA goldfish. The boys want a dog for Christmas along with a whole list of other things, the top of the list being bikes that are not girl ones like Mom has.”
    â€œChristmas? That’s two months away.”
    â€œYeah, I know, but they are already thinking about it. Their idea of Christmas is so commercial, and no matter how much I tell them this year that we’ll celebrate on a smaller scale, they don’t listen.”
    The door flew open, bringing in rain and wind as Kathleen’s mother and Kip entered. “Whew. It’s starting to get nasty out there,” she said as she untied her rain hat and hung everything on a peg in the mudroom off the kitchen. “We ran back. I’ve had my exercise for the month today.”
    â€œWhere’s Miss Alice?” Kathleen leaned back