Riding The Storm

I been through several bad hurricanes, the most memorable being Andrew, and they aren’t pretty. Andrew tore down most of Homestead, Florida and cost millions worth of damages. I remember walking outside, hours away from the destructive epicenter where it left the most damage, and saw trees uprooted lampposts scattered, cars upturned and the gloom faces of people who have just realized that happenstance has not favored them. It was an unforgetable sight that displaced many families.

The last thing Floridians needed was yet another hurricane. Katrina came and went on her path of destruction and left her mark on South Florida. I called my parents, who I have been avoiding as of late. I figured that if I avoided them, the question of necessity would not come up, saving me from feel-bad turndowns of assistance. My mom told me a few weeks ago that finances weren’t looking so great and that she and papi were working overtime hours to try and catch up on bills. It broke my heart when she told me that she would be willing to send a little of her extra income my way, if I were to need it. “No mami, I’ll be O.K.”, I replied. And so the days passed and I made sure not to call and be asked of burdens nor become one. Mother Nature naturally placed me between a rock and a hard place and I had no choice but to call and ease my worries that all was well.

Mami, picked up the phone in her usual cheery nature and quite naturally made me blush. “My son, how I miss you, how are you”, you answered immediately. I hesitated before unconvincingly answering, “Fine”. I was cut and dry and went right to business. “How’s the house, is everyone O.K?” I asked. She explained that we lost a big tree in the back of the house which could have fallen towards the house and result in a lot more costly damage, but instead it took out a wooden fence, which the neighbors agreed to split the cost of replacing. Both losses were bad because I love tress, they add property value, shade, and appeal and of course the fence costs money which they shouldn’t be spending. My middle brother suffered the biggest lost. A tree evidently fell on top of his foreign compact size car, blowing out all the widows, flattening the roof and rendering it useless. I feel so bad for their hardships and my prayers are with them. Thank goodness no one was hurt and that the house suffered no major damages. I almost feel bad for living so far from them at times. I wouldn’t know how to forgive myself if anything were to happen to any of them, whom I distanced my self from for all of these years.

Meanwhile, I fight my own battles on the home front. I have absolutely no idea how I will pay my rent in a few days. All I have is an ever dwindling amount of loose change and a stock load of tuna cans. I may soon start to grow gills due to eating so much damn of that damn stuff. But, it’s cheap and goes a long way. I am on super-frivolous mode. I try my best not to have on any extra electrical appliances or lights on. I hardly use the fan, A.C., T.V. or lights for that matter because they are going to cut my electricity at any moment. It is going to be all about cold showers and seven day votive candles after that. The only entertainment I have is the internet and that because I am somehow (on good days) able to log on to someone else’s wireless connection in the vicinity. I hope that they continue to pay their internet service provider bills or I’m shit out of luck.

I guess that everything is gloomy on my end of the world too. I have total faith that all will be well but I hope that it doesn’t have to be under a different roof. I love my home and the memories I have of it. But the winds are blowing and one never knows what they’ll bring.

I Guess that I have to ride out the storm to see what happens.