| General Fiction posted January 10, 2017 | Chapters: |
...9 10 -11- 11... 
|
  |
New joy, New pain.
A chapter in the book The True Test
Phone Home - Read Author notes
by jusylee72
| Background How would a group of diverse teachers handle a crisis? |
My car was parked a short distance from the Volkswagen. It rolled on its side. I asked a few of the younger men teachers if we could try to roll it off its side. They were able to get it to bounce down. Two of my tires were flat but the car, in general, looked like it might work. I had a charger. I was anxious to call my husband. My phone was in my office so I offered to let anyone else who wanted to try to charge their phone to go ahead. I went back in and got my keys and my phone.
One of my greatest weaknesses was about to become a wonderful asset. I never kept a clean car. It drove my husband completely nuts. Texas weather changes by the minute. I would often come to work with a sweater or coat. By the end of the day, it was too hot to use it so I would just throw it in the back seat. I found 4 sweaters, a pair of sweat pants, two t-shirts and a jacket in my car. The night before the disaster I shopped at the dollar store. I took the bags that were in the trunk inside my house. I forgot about the ones in the back seat. Smiling I opened one of the bags, seven Candles. I was a candle fanatic. I would rather have a beautiful smelling candle than new earrings. I kept searching. I also had a bag of dollar store snacks and candy. The last bag contained cleaning supplies, the generic form of Mr. Clean and Windex and the cheap version of pine sol. There was also a large bottle of shampoo and deodorant.
The young men were still charging their phones when I opened the trunk. Here again, I hit the jackpot. Two blankets I always kept for emergencies. Jumper cables, I was sure we could use those and a 24 pack of beer plus a six-pack of wine coolers. What the heck was that doing there? Then I remembered we were going to go to my youngest son's Matthews house the next day after school. He was having friends over and asked us to bring some of the drinks. Doug must have bought it when he filled my car up with gas. We were planning on barbecuing with the family. The idea of drinking a beer in the school seemed deliciously naughty and fun. We also weren't allowed to have candles in our offices. Those rules would have to change at least for now. For now, I shut the trunk and kept it a secret.
Even though I wished I was at Matthew's house enjoying family and friends and good food, I still felt blessed. I was at a different barbecue, with a different type of family. We sat almost content beside the fire. The sunset changed the sky. Pinks mixed with oranges and yellows filled the horizon. None of us wanted to go inside. It was too dark in there. Once again I thought of the blessings of the candles.
Our spirits had been lifted. Contact with the outer world reassured us that we could make it through the next few days. Most of us were able to reach someone. The cars became our new source of wonder. We would have to maintain that resource. I was so grateful my husband had filled up my car the night before.
After charging my phone, I called Doug. He answered on the first ring. We both burst into tears knowing that we were okay. Doug was at our house. He was a cement driver. He had gone to work at 2:30 in the morning so he was done with his shift by 2 in the afternoon. He was with our dogs. He said our two Jack Russel Terriers started acting strangely a few minutes before the earthquake. Precious started whining and went under the blanket. Spirits ears went down and he jumped up in the chair. Our house was built in 1890, we lived in the historical town of Grey Forest. Our street used to be a stagecoach line. We had a two story stone house. The ten inch thick walls stayed intact. The back part of the house which was added on later was damaged but Doug said it was still standing.
His first concern, of course, was his mother. Peggy lives less than a block from us in another historical home. As soon as the shaking stopped, Doug checked outside. He didn't risk taking the truck. He put his running shoes on and ran down to Moms. He found both Glen and Mom safe but badly shaken. Both of them are in their 80's.
The phones were out and there were no passable streets to my part of town. Finally, on the second night. Doug heard from Mandy in Minnesota and Nik in Florida. They were gravely worried about me. Doug didn't hear from Matthew until a few hours ago. Matthew works at the BMW dealer next to the airport. He insisted that he was okay but he was injured when the car he was working on fell on him. Another worker used a hand jack to get Matthew out. He had a severe cut on his right thigh. The quake wasn't as strong where they were. Some of the roads were still passable. The workers were able to take Matthew across the street to the Airport where medical help was available. He was stitched up and on pain medication. Matthew begged Doug to find a way to come get him. Knowing my husband I knew he would do that as soon as possible. My heart pounded with both relief and fear. I wanted to be with my family.
My time on the phone was running out. I told him I could only talk a few minutes more since we had to save our phones. Doug said he would call the children. We started to cry again. "These three days were really hard on me not knowing where you were. I miss you and love you." He understood I had to get off the phone. He too was using his truck to charge his phone but he had a full tank of gas and didn't have to share like I did.
Before I hung up I told him the sad news.
"Krissie didn't make it Doug. She died during the first few moments."
Tearfully, I told him as much as I remembered. Skeeter, Krissie's husband was one of Doug's best friends. We all enjoyed playing golf together.
Doug was heart broken. "I just talked to Skeeter an hour ago. He was wondering if I had heard anything. Now, what do I do? I don't know if I can manage to tell him. I just don't. Skeeter and I were already making plans to meet up and go find you guys. We would have found away. I know he is going to call again soon. Oh, Judy, I am so sorry. I know she is your best friend." His voice dropped. "or was your best friend."
I tried to make him listen. "I have no answer for you. I miss Krissie terribly. You may have to tell him or you may want to wait. I don't know the answer to that but Doug, I am safe for now. Please don't do anything foolish trying to get to me. Please get Matthew if you can. Promise." Reluctantly, he did. "I'll call tomorrow."
The great emotions, the connection with family came crashing down into the realization once again that I had lost my best friend. My true funny sister who made me laugh at stupid things and hated the STAAR test as much as I do. Our golf games were always fun and adventurous in our own special way. We would enjoy our beers and our great shots and make fun of our bad shots and our husbands. I trusted her with all parts of my life.
I walked back to the fire. Emotions were worn on our sleeves. Most of us had a least some good news, some of us had devastating news, some of us had no news. We quickly fell back into the mode of what do we do next. Keeping busy was our greatest therapy.
I ended up with a group of the older teachers. Proudly, I invited them to my new apartment, the choir room. I felt like a real estate mogul and told them they were welcome to stay with me. I claimed the office as my room. I snore extremely loud. It had been hard in the band hall with all of those people. More than once someone had awakened me and asked me to move over. I was happy that I could have my own little place to sleep. That still left the large ensemble room and seven small rooms and closets. It wasn't carpeted like the band hall but there were some blankets and other props we could use to make the place comfortable. We had a card table. I also had a variety of games and puzzles. We took them with us when my choir students had audition days. The audition process was slow. Sometimes my students had to stay in the cafeteria waiting for hours. Our Goody Box, as we called it, would help them pass the hours in a fun way. Yahtzee was a favorite. We also had trivial pursuit and Taboo.
Tonight was going to be fun. Four of my friends started moving their meager belongings into to the new space. Later we would name it "The Women's Room" after the novel by feminist Marilyn French. We were from that generation. We were the first generation who as women were told we could be anything we wanted to be. On the other hand, our main role models as women were our mothers who were "stay-at-home" wives. We had life stories to tell.
Most of all, we had candles. Sweet smelling candles, snacks from the dollar store and soon we were going to sneak in a 24 pack of beer and some wine coolers.
It wasn't that I didn't want to share. There simply wasn't enough for everyone. Also, believe it or not just like the high school students with their little clicks, we had some faculty members who were straight rules followers. I had some problems with one of them. She had turned me into administration one day for leaving five minutes early. I didn't want to risk being snitched on. Three of us went to my car. One to carry the beer, one to carry the wine coolers and one to hold the flash light. We covered up our contraband with the blankets in my car. We were giggling like teenagers all the way through the hallways. When we got in the door of my room we couldn't stop laughing. We hid it in my office like quilty thieves. It was going to be a fun night.
One of my greatest weaknesses was about to become a wonderful asset. I never kept a clean car. It drove my husband completely nuts. Texas weather changes by the minute. I would often come to work with a sweater or coat. By the end of the day, it was too hot to use it so I would just throw it in the back seat. I found 4 sweaters, a pair of sweat pants, two t-shirts and a jacket in my car. The night before the disaster I shopped at the dollar store. I took the bags that were in the trunk inside my house. I forgot about the ones in the back seat. Smiling I opened one of the bags, seven Candles. I was a candle fanatic. I would rather have a beautiful smelling candle than new earrings. I kept searching. I also had a bag of dollar store snacks and candy. The last bag contained cleaning supplies, the generic form of Mr. Clean and Windex and the cheap version of pine sol. There was also a large bottle of shampoo and deodorant.
The young men were still charging their phones when I opened the trunk. Here again, I hit the jackpot. Two blankets I always kept for emergencies. Jumper cables, I was sure we could use those and a 24 pack of beer plus a six-pack of wine coolers. What the heck was that doing there? Then I remembered we were going to go to my youngest son's Matthews house the next day after school. He was having friends over and asked us to bring some of the drinks. Doug must have bought it when he filled my car up with gas. We were planning on barbecuing with the family. The idea of drinking a beer in the school seemed deliciously naughty and fun. We also weren't allowed to have candles in our offices. Those rules would have to change at least for now. For now, I shut the trunk and kept it a secret.
Even though I wished I was at Matthew's house enjoying family and friends and good food, I still felt blessed. I was at a different barbecue, with a different type of family. We sat almost content beside the fire. The sunset changed the sky. Pinks mixed with oranges and yellows filled the horizon. None of us wanted to go inside. It was too dark in there. Once again I thought of the blessings of the candles.
Our spirits had been lifted. Contact with the outer world reassured us that we could make it through the next few days. Most of us were able to reach someone. The cars became our new source of wonder. We would have to maintain that resource. I was so grateful my husband had filled up my car the night before.
After charging my phone, I called Doug. He answered on the first ring. We both burst into tears knowing that we were okay. Doug was at our house. He was a cement driver. He had gone to work at 2:30 in the morning so he was done with his shift by 2 in the afternoon. He was with our dogs. He said our two Jack Russel Terriers started acting strangely a few minutes before the earthquake. Precious started whining and went under the blanket. Spirits ears went down and he jumped up in the chair. Our house was built in 1890, we lived in the historical town of Grey Forest. Our street used to be a stagecoach line. We had a two story stone house. The ten inch thick walls stayed intact. The back part of the house which was added on later was damaged but Doug said it was still standing.
His first concern, of course, was his mother. Peggy lives less than a block from us in another historical home. As soon as the shaking stopped, Doug checked outside. He didn't risk taking the truck. He put his running shoes on and ran down to Moms. He found both Glen and Mom safe but badly shaken. Both of them are in their 80's.
The phones were out and there were no passable streets to my part of town. Finally, on the second night. Doug heard from Mandy in Minnesota and Nik in Florida. They were gravely worried about me. Doug didn't hear from Matthew until a few hours ago. Matthew works at the BMW dealer next to the airport. He insisted that he was okay but he was injured when the car he was working on fell on him. Another worker used a hand jack to get Matthew out. He had a severe cut on his right thigh. The quake wasn't as strong where they were. Some of the roads were still passable. The workers were able to take Matthew across the street to the Airport where medical help was available. He was stitched up and on pain medication. Matthew begged Doug to find a way to come get him. Knowing my husband I knew he would do that as soon as possible. My heart pounded with both relief and fear. I wanted to be with my family.
My time on the phone was running out. I told him I could only talk a few minutes more since we had to save our phones. Doug said he would call the children. We started to cry again. "These three days were really hard on me not knowing where you were. I miss you and love you." He understood I had to get off the phone. He too was using his truck to charge his phone but he had a full tank of gas and didn't have to share like I did.
Before I hung up I told him the sad news.
"Krissie didn't make it Doug. She died during the first few moments."
Tearfully, I told him as much as I remembered. Skeeter, Krissie's husband was one of Doug's best friends. We all enjoyed playing golf together.
Doug was heart broken. "I just talked to Skeeter an hour ago. He was wondering if I had heard anything. Now, what do I do? I don't know if I can manage to tell him. I just don't. Skeeter and I were already making plans to meet up and go find you guys. We would have found away. I know he is going to call again soon. Oh, Judy, I am so sorry. I know she is your best friend." His voice dropped. "or was your best friend."
I tried to make him listen. "I have no answer for you. I miss Krissie terribly. You may have to tell him or you may want to wait. I don't know the answer to that but Doug, I am safe for now. Please don't do anything foolish trying to get to me. Please get Matthew if you can. Promise." Reluctantly, he did. "I'll call tomorrow."
The great emotions, the connection with family came crashing down into the realization once again that I had lost my best friend. My true funny sister who made me laugh at stupid things and hated the STAAR test as much as I do. Our golf games were always fun and adventurous in our own special way. We would enjoy our beers and our great shots and make fun of our bad shots and our husbands. I trusted her with all parts of my life.
I walked back to the fire. Emotions were worn on our sleeves. Most of us had a least some good news, some of us had devastating news, some of us had no news. We quickly fell back into the mode of what do we do next. Keeping busy was our greatest therapy.
I ended up with a group of the older teachers. Proudly, I invited them to my new apartment, the choir room. I felt like a real estate mogul and told them they were welcome to stay with me. I claimed the office as my room. I snore extremely loud. It had been hard in the band hall with all of those people. More than once someone had awakened me and asked me to move over. I was happy that I could have my own little place to sleep. That still left the large ensemble room and seven small rooms and closets. It wasn't carpeted like the band hall but there were some blankets and other props we could use to make the place comfortable. We had a card table. I also had a variety of games and puzzles. We took them with us when my choir students had audition days. The audition process was slow. Sometimes my students had to stay in the cafeteria waiting for hours. Our Goody Box, as we called it, would help them pass the hours in a fun way. Yahtzee was a favorite. We also had trivial pursuit and Taboo.
Tonight was going to be fun. Four of my friends started moving their meager belongings into to the new space. Later we would name it "The Women's Room" after the novel by feminist Marilyn French. We were from that generation. We were the first generation who as women were told we could be anything we wanted to be. On the other hand, our main role models as women were our mothers who were "stay-at-home" wives. We had life stories to tell.
Most of all, we had candles. Sweet smelling candles, snacks from the dollar store and soon we were going to sneak in a 24 pack of beer and some wine coolers.
It wasn't that I didn't want to share. There simply wasn't enough for everyone. Also, believe it or not just like the high school students with their little clicks, we had some faculty members who were straight rules followers. I had some problems with one of them. She had turned me into administration one day for leaving five minutes early. I didn't want to risk being snitched on. Three of us went to my car. One to carry the beer, one to carry the wine coolers and one to hold the flash light. We covered up our contraband with the blankets in my car. We were giggling like teenagers all the way through the hallways. When we got in the door of my room we couldn't stop laughing. We hid it in my office like quilty thieves. It was going to be a fun night.
Teachers at a high school have to stay after school for mandatory Test Training. Towards the end of the meeting there is a massive explosion. Some die instantly, Some suffer. They find shelter in the band hall.
Chapter 2 - The survivors decide to go back to see if they have any more survivors in the Auditorium. They find two alive, but injured. The after shock kills them both. However they hear a it and discover a room with people including their principal who is gravely injured.
Chapter 3 - We need food.
4 - 9 embarrassing in the journey. Learning about themselves and others.�?????????�????????�???????�??????�?????�????�???�??�?� In the chapter before this one they finally find a car to charge a phone in. One of the character has great news about her family. Help s be coming but will not be immediate. Maybe several weeks to a month
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. Chapter 2 - The survivors decide to go back to see if they have any more survivors in the Auditorium. They find two alive, but injured. The after shock kills them both. However they hear a it and discover a room with people including their principal who is gravely injured.
Chapter 3 - We need food.
4 - 9 embarrassing in the journey. Learning about themselves and others.�?????????�????????�???????�??????�?????�????�???�??�?� In the chapter before this one they finally find a car to charge a phone in. One of the character has great news about her family. Help s be coming but will not be immediate. Maybe several weeks to a month
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