Page 65 of Ripped & Shipped
By the time I reach the yard, Meg is running frantically back and forth in front of the house. Davis and the other firefighters, EJ and Mack, have started spraying a stream of water across the porch. Whatever fire there was is out, and the residual smoke makes the fire look more dramatic than it probably was. A charred black spot remains where they are spraying one spot of the porch.
“Where’s Ella Mae?” I ask.
Meg points to a spot on the curb where Ella Mae is sitting with Champ, another one of the firefighters. Her head is down, and it looks like he’s checking her vitals.
I don’t even stop to think. I run toward Ella Mae and Champ and plop down next to her on the curb. A confused look passes over her face. I look up at Champ.
“Her vitals are fine. She was outdoors. She got off the porch pretty quickly and the fire was small.”
“What happened?” I ask Ella Mae.
Champ says, “Neighbor called to report fire coming off the front porch.”
I look at Ella Mae.
She smiles a sheepish grin. “I was filming myself doing salamba shirshasana.”
“You were filmingwhat?”
“Salamba shirshasana. It’s a headstand in yoga.”
“Why didn’t you just say a headstand?”
Ella Mae might be experiencing shock, but she’s still able to dish out the sass. She spears me with a look.
“It’s not just any ol’ headstand, Soldier. It’s more beautiful. And it requires more strength. It’s a part of my yoga practice. Anyway, I had candles out on the porch to set the ambiance for my live.”
“You were filming yourself doing a headstand? And let me guess, thousands were watching?”
“Yes.” She rolls her eyes. “Only around nine thousand, but yes, people were watching. All of a sudden, I saw a large rat or a squirrel or a small rodent of some sort come skittering across the porch.
“He knocked into a few of the candles, and I think my scream scared him, which sent him bolting in the other direction. A few candles fell onto my mat. I didn’t know what to do. I tried picking the mat up to shake it out, but it was already on fire and the flames were climbing up it. And this other candle caught a corner of the welcome mat on fire. It was all happening so fast, so I dropped the mat and ran off the porch, still screaming. Meg was in the garden in the back yard. She heard my screams and ran around front. By then, the flames were higher. The neighbor ran out of his house saying he called Davis. And then all the firemen showed up and started spraying everything.”
Champ clears his throat. “Are you feeling alright now, Ella Mae?”
“Yes. I think so,” she says. “But could you stand on the other side of me, behind Chris, so the house is behind you?”
Champ looks confused, but he does what Ella Mae asks and walks around so he’s behind me.
Before Champ or I have a chance to figure out what’s going on, Ella Mae brandishes her phone and snaps a selfie, making the duck face and everything, with the smoke drifting off the porch in the background.
“Thanks, Champ! I needed that shot to show my peeps.”
“Seriously, Ella Mae? You nearly burn your house down and you’re taking selfies?” I can’t help myself. I have to question her.
“Relax, Soldier. I didn’t burn the house down.”
Her voice has a topnote of bravado, but I hear the quaver beneath her words. Ella Mae’s shaken up. She just doesn’t want me to know it.
“Hey,” I say quietly to her while Champ walks over to talk to the other firefighters.
“What?”
“I’m glad you’re okay.”
Ella Mae looks into my eyes. She drops her guard for a moment. Her whole expression softens and her fear shows through. I don’t know what comes over me, but I wrap my arm around her shoulder and tug her to me.
Then I ask a question I never thought would exit my mouth. “Did you catch the headstand on film?”
