The Night of the Storm

After I got water and supplies, I called everyone on my contact list to make sure they were somewhere safe. Denise was alright in her apartment by herself. Roshelle and her husband William were stocked and ready to brave the storm in their house. Patricia and her lover Deborah were evacuated from the mobile home park and decided to stay at a hotel. Maxine took her dog and a small bag to her boyfriend Freddie's apartment which was in Plant City, much further away from the water like her little condo on the beach. Lillian and her boyfriend Jonah were stocked and ready just like Roshelle, staying at their house. It was only Helen who wasn't sure where to go. Her tiny mobile home was in danger and she had also been told to evacuate. I told her she could stay with me and since she didn't want to stay at a hotel all alone, she agreed.

I kept the news channel on, listening to all the radar information and predictions of severity and locations. It was going to be a harsh one, but since only the mobile home parks had been ordered to evacuate, I still had hope that this storm would not hurt us too badly. There had been little Tropical Storms in the past that had me in a panic, so I've learned to listen carefully to the reporters for the details that matter. I made a bed on the couch for Helen just in case she didn't want to sleep on my bed with me.

Helen showed up at my apartment right before the storm winds began to blow hard. The storm was out in the Gulf very nearby at around 4:30 p.m. and the eye was going to be passing our coastline for the next three hours. Helen sat in my living room quietly watching the news channel. She and I were handling our nerves a bit differently. Her way was to stay quiet, still, and listen to the news. My way was to talk about random nonsense just so that worry wouldn't overwhelm my mind. Fortunately for the two of us, our friendship is able to tolerate both of our ways.

I turned off my cellphone which was fully charged knowing that I would only be using it for an emergency call and it was best to keep it off in case the power went out. I knew we had plenty of food and water, so there was nothing else that I could do except get through the night as calmly as possible. I was stressed, but I forced myself not to bite my nails.

Fig was educating Mario and Anya about Hurricane safety without trying to scare them. She made popcorn and gave them cookies and left them to play in their room. Her uncle Georgio was in and out of the house and she was wondering what was wrong with him. A few times he left in his Cadillac after the rain and winds had begun to show their strength, and Fig was sitting alone in the living room worried about him. Where is he going? Why at this time? She didn't want to stress him out with her fear, but she could not comprehend his actions at the time. He finally came back and settled into his room to go to sleep at around 7:30 p.m when the eye of the storm was just about past our coastal area. Fig sighed relieved, turned off the television and checked on her kids before retreating to her room to go to bed also.

Many of us had trouble getting to sleep that night. As the wind howled, and the tree branches rustled, and the rain kept falling and falling, we were all wondering what damages would occur and who would be crying in the morning.

I fell asleep around 10:45 p.m. and I woke up around 5:30 a.m. Helen and I were alright. It was time to turn on the television and make some calls to see how everybody else was doing.