By the time Hattie learns of the approaching storm, it is already dangerously close. She races outside where Troy is mowing the yard, just as he has every week since Hattie’s husband died. The young man sees her coming and quickly cuts off the mower.

Hattie spots the funnel cloud over a field, then grabs Troy and pulls him toward the house. The roar of wind mutes their alarmed cries. In the basement, they huddle together.

After the tornado passes, leaving Hattie’s house undamaged, Troy helps her clear debris from the yard. Working side by side, they don’t speak of how he clung to Hattie during the storm, the way he pressed his face against her neck as she held him.