I encountered the worst storm in my life at the beginning of 2008, and missed getting a ride back home, and was unable to go home for the Spring Festival, and could not reunite with my family.
After all of last semester’s examinations were over, at the invitation of my boyfriend, I got on the train to Ningbo City and began my holiday. His family lives in that beautiful city.
I spent 10 pleasant days in that tourist resort. We shopped together and tasted delicious food. Besides that, the most important thing was that I bought a long - standing preference digital camera.
Ningbo also ushered in its first gift of the New Year 2008----the first snow. When I woke up early in the morning, I looked out the window. The whole city emerged as a scene of silver-white, and my eyes were suddenly bright. Opening the windows, I saw a thin layer of snow covering the roofs of the households: white and crystal clear. In the sky, the sun was under the silver flash of light. Meanwhile the light continuously floated on top of the snow, like small blossoming dandelions. Those made me feel as if I were in an Eskimo’s icehouse.
However, 6 days before the Festival, I was ready to go home when I suddenly got sick, having a high fever of 40 degrees with no sign of change. What was worse, there was news waiting for me that was terrible.
The snows become heavier, not like the gentle snow in the beginning. Small snowballs started to hit the ground. The roads were covered with a layer of thick snow. The cars went by and left tracks. The ice began to melt becoming water, then ice again. As time passed, our shoes became dampened. The weather became even colder. We were afraid to go out. We covered up with heavy clothes and made fires to warm us in the house.
"Xixi, I’m afraid that you may not be able to return home," His father told me at dinner with a regretful look. "What is going on?" I asked in shock. Everyone knows that the Spring Festival is the most important festival of the whole year. My mother also repeatedly reminded me that after our trip, I must rush home for the New Year. "You know, the South is covered with snow and the highways have a thick ice. It’s slippery and dangerous. Recently it’s reported that a succession of accidents are frequently occurring. So I do not expect that you will come back home by yourself. And now the new station was moved to a place far away from us. May be we can’t catch up with the car that leaves as early as 8 o’clock. Actually, what makes us anxious is because you are sick!” He explained to me.
I was silent. And then, I noticed that my boyfriend was looking at me with an anxious face, frustrated.
"What can we do? You might have to spend the New Year in my home. Tell your mother, there won’t be any cars because of the storm, and you can’t return home.” I still didn’t speak, but I knew I had to go home. I didn’t want my mother to worry about me. I did not want her to be disappointed. Perhaps she would blame my loss of filial duty, especially for such an important festival. "I have to go home," I answered in a firm tone, "Depending on the situation. I’ll try to arrange that for you, but you still have a fever, I’m really worried about you.” He was still trying to ask me to stay. “I have to go home”, no matter how he tried to comfort me, I just kept repeating it again and again. Tears began to constantly stream down my face. I missed my mother and my family. At that moment, my boyfriend walked towards me, putting his arms around me, patting my shoulder, and said softly, “Don’t worry about anything, my sweetheart. You can go home. Don’t worry; I’m here, to help you!”
After dinner, I didn’t say a word, and my heart was very frustrated. I kept cursing the storm that was disturbing my plans. I walked into the bedroom, and laid down on the bed, thinking of my mother’s orders, then I began to weep. My boyfriend quietly followed me in and sat beside the bed. My eyes were red and I was sobbing.
"I have promised that you would be home for the festival before you came here, but I didn’t expect there would be such bad weather; a sudden storm. It was beyond any expectations. Try not to be so sad, you can probably go back.” “Not probably but certainly!” I said coldly, with an expressionless face, but the tears just wouldn’t stop streaming down my face. "I know now you must hate me very much. It’s all my fault." He also could not help shedding tears.
Without knowing how much time had passed, I drowsily slept while he sat beside my bed the whole night, sleepless. He helped me pack my luggage. At 4:00 am the next morning, he woke me up. The good news came. He told me that his father had contacted the driver and I could go home. Then I saw the neatly packed luggage, I realized that he hadn’t slept all night. Seeing the smile, he could hide the look of fatigue. Suddenly I felt a crushing weight of guilt and pain.
I should not have put all the pressure and problems on him. It wasn’t he who brought the storm. I felt ashamed for my impatience and willfulness.
After 12 hours of travel, I finally reached my home. The day after I was back, my boyfriend told me that it also began to snow in Ningbo. All the highways were shut down. The car I took was its final trip before the Festival.
After that, the snow became a disaster. The trees in the mountains were all overwhelmed. The state suffered heavy economic losses. Our daily lives were also affected. Continuous power outages lasted for weeks and prices rose crazily. Almost all the traffic had been interrupted by the sudden disaster.
This was the most serious storm I had ever encountered. But for my part, it was a memorable experience. The worst storm made me understood the best love ---- from my boyfriend.
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