Storm Tossed: A troubled woman finds peace with herself and God in the midst of life's storms. (12 page)

Mandy and Andy held out their hands to hoist Gail into the canoe, both wincing in pain from their hurt legs.

“I can’t do this!” Gail shrieked. “I’m going to cut myself on that window glass! I can’t fit through there. I’m too fat! I don’t want to go! I’ll just stay here.”

Ben looked at Mandy in exasperation. “Gail,” he implored, “you can’t stay here. The water might still rise or another surge could come through and we could all die. We’re not going to leave you here alone. Just keep going. We’ll help you. But you have to get into the canoe. We all have to get out of here pretty fast so we won’t risk drowning. And Mandy and Andy are hurt so we need to take care of them.”

“Mandy is hurt?” Gail asked, her expression instantly changing to concern for her friend.
But who cares if I’m hurt?
Andy thought, and then he felt bad for being self-absorbed.

Everyone loved Mandy. She was beautiful, inside and out. Just a very loving, giving, sweet, funny person. She’d give you the moon if she could. Gail turned toward Mandy, her eyes widening and her lip began to quiver again.

“I’m going to be okay. So is Andy,” Mandy said, not wanting to upset her more, but Mandy’s head was pounding now and her leg and foot were throbbing and purple. She knew her leg was more than bruised; it was either badly sprained or broken. But she didn’t tell Ben or Gail this so they wouldn’t worry about her. She had to restrain herself from crying and screaming, too, from the pain she was in.

Stop thinking about yourself
, Mandy thought.
Just help Gail get into the canoe!
Ben had noticed the color and swelling of Mandy’s leg right away as he helped lift her through the window to get into the canoe, after Andy had, holding it steady for everyone. But Ben hadn’t said anything. Right now the priority was getting everyone into the canoe. His mind was racing a million miles a minute right now, thinking of dangerous scenarios, all the “What if’s?”

“Yes, Gail, she’s hurt, so we have to hurry as fast as we can, without hurting ourselves.” Ben said. “Now please try.”

He and Jim carefully put Gail’s white-haired head in first through the window, then guided her arms and legs that were a mottled looking color now, one at a time, avoiding the sharp edges of the glass. The task was made more cumbersome because Gail was a good 215 pounds and had been wearing her soft, tan and white, checkered housecoat over a sheer, cotton, sleeveless nightgown and her Disney Goofy slippers when the surge hit.

Good thing this window is bigger than the average size, specially made, making it easier for even Gail to climb through. God is in little details even like that
, Ben mused, incredulous.

Gail’s Goofy slippers were nowhere to be seen now and she had been obsessing over them and Janine, talking repeatedly about them, trying everyone’s patience in the process. Ben wanted to respect her dignity and modesty and tried to keep her housecoat and nightgown tightly wrapped around her big breasts and her knees, to avoid flashing her granny white underwear to everyone as she climbed through the window.

The fast current made things that much harder to maneuver, but good thing the canoe was tied so securely to the pole by the window.

After nearly 10 grueling minutes of helping her through the window, with her grunting, crying, and yelling in a high-pitched child’s voice, “I can’t!” over and over, she was seated in the canoe, shaking from fear and adrenaline. Everyone cheered for her and she smiled a toothy grin, clapping loudly like a little girl at her own accomplishment.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Ben said to indulge her. Actually it was exhausting, physically and emotionally. He wished he had more of Mandy’s grace and patience, but he knew better than to pray for patience! Jim looked stressed, too, but said nothing.

Ben wiped the sweat and a piece of green-grey seaweed off his brow, looking nervously at the waters and praying silently that another surge wouldn’t come or they’d all be goners.

“Go ahead, Jim,” Ben said, nodding at him and cupping his hands to lift his leg.

“No one gets left behind,” Gail shrieked, pointing to Janine’s still floating body. “We have to bring my sister!”

Ben sighed deeply. They’d told Gail a dozen times by now that they couldn’t bring her or Paula. There was no room in the canoe for them and they couldn’t do it for health reasons, he explained to her, over and over.

He didn’t want to get into why it was a health risk to carry around a dead body with you. He knew that Jim didn’t want to leave his wife’s body to decay in the water, but there was no way to properly bury her or Janine right now.

Jim was a military man and had seen the stuff of nightmares when fighting in Vietnam, so he could handle a crisis better than Gail was right now-even his own wife’s death.

Ben grimaced, knowing that after Hurricane Katrina and other hurricanes, bodies had to be burned quickly to stop the risk of disease. This happened in the 2010 Haiti 7.0 magnitude earthquake, too.

But Ben knew that Jim nor Gail was in a frame of mind right now to burn their loved ones’ bodies. Besides, how would they burn them, anyway? Matches were nowhere to be seen, as well as many other things that would be greatly beneficial in an emergency.

Are you ever really ready for the death of a family member or friend?
He wondered. He didn’t want to find out. He was more worried about Mandy’s and Andy’s legs than he let on.

“We can’t take her with us, Gail,” Ben said again, almost in a whisper now, when what he really felt like doing was screaming, cussing, and punching something or someone. Not Gail. And not Janine, for dying and upsetting her sister so much.

Who or what was he really angry at?
Maybe it was God. What’s the point of all this, God? Why do you let these kind of horrible things happen in the world? I don’t get it!
Ben thought.

“We’re going to have to leave her and Paula here, so that the rest of us can get to safety. You don’t want to die here, too, do you?” Ben asked, realizing a scare tactic wasn’t the best motivator, but it was a possibility if they didn’t get moving soon.

“No,” she sobbed, putting her white-haired head in her wrinkled hands, covered with large brown, liver spots. “I don’t want to die. I want to live. I’m afraid to die.”

Mandy smoothed her thin, white hair and rubbed her back again. “You’re going to be okay, Gail,” she said. “Jesus is right here with us. You’re not going to die. Gail, do you know Jesus?”

Mandy knew that she didn’t. Janine had tried to witness to her sister many times before she died in this hurricane, and had prayed with Mandy for her salvation when they had their weekly Bible studies.

Ben stifled a laugh. Here they all were, a motley crew, climbing out of a broken window, surrounded by flood waters, cold rain still coming down on their heads, all of them trying to get on a canoe to paddle to God only knew where to safety, and Mandy was trying to evangelize her neighbor.

Just like her
.
Always getting people saved
, he thought, hiding his wry smile. But he was proud she was his wife, so on fire for God. He admired her and wished he had her boldness and zeal for Christ.

“Okay, Jim,” he said, more firmly now. They needed to get moving and to check on Rachel next door and other neighbors, if possible. But he was afraid they were all dead. It was a miracle any of them had survived this. “Go ahead, Jim. I’m right behind you. Rock and roll.”

Jim seemed to readily acknowledge that Ben had become the group’s de facto leader. Like the centurion who understood Jesus’ authority because he had others under his authority, Jim climbed through the window without argument, then reached out his big bear-like hand to help Ben through.

Ben looked sadly a last moment at Paula’s and Janine’s bodies, bobbing in the water, their faces both at peace. He knew he was simply looking at their earthly shells and that their spirits were now in the Lord’s presence in heaven.

They’re better off than us right now. I almost envy them
, he thought and then he got into the canoe. They needed to check on Rachel first.

As Ben and Jim tried to move the canoe toward Rachel’s rented beach house, the fast, deadly current was like a wild, unpredictable animal with its own mind, fighting against them.

Mandy was praying out loud in the Spirit for God to help them. Andy was in too much pain to help them paddle; he was still trying to stop the severe bleeding in his leg and was suddenly feeling weak and cold.

Gail was frightened and confused at the chaos going on all around them. “I want my sister!” she sobbed, loudly, and Mandy grabbed her hand, shushing her like a little child, while continuing to pray.

Ben managed to steer the canoe away just before the current almost slammed the canoe into a jagged piece of metal that was part of their neighbor’s new, red Jeep.

“That was too close!” he yelled, his adrenaline rushing. He and Jim were doing all they could to safely steer the canoe away from parts of houses, trucks, furniture and other large objects that could smash and sink the canoe.

Looking over at Mandy apologetically, Ben realized that it was no use and they would have to flow with the current, instead of against it, and try to avoid hitting anything. For now, he needed to find higher, dryer ground and get Mandy and his brother Andy to a hospital or makeshift medical clinic as fast as possible.

He was worried about both of them, although he didn’t let it on. Right now his priority was saving them. Ben quickly prayed for Rachel to be okay and for God to send someone to rescue her at the beach house.

5:58 a.m. Faith stared at her purple digital clock. Not a morning person, she rarely got up before 9:30 a.m. Sometimes she’d even sleep until noon, if Rachel or Jackson didn’t order her out of bed to go look for a job or do something constructive.

Jackson’s dad was a farmer and laziness was a cardinal sin in their family. Jackson knew he didn’t want to follow in his father’s footsteps. Farming was just not his thing. But his dad had taught him a strong work ethic, making him and his sisters work the soybean and produce fields every morning and after school until dusk, and he now appreciated it.

He loved his daddy’s farm. All those acres of beautiful land in the country, rich fertile land with a variety of fruit and pecan trees, a huge vegetable garden, and cows for meat slaughtering.

Their freezer was always full of steaks, hamburgers, and roasts. There was nothing better in the world than a good grilled steak.

His mom spent a lot of time in the vegetable and flower gardens. She grew herbs and used them frequently in her cooking. She faithfully canned fruits and vegetables, filling the pantry with sealed Mason jars of food to stock up for winter.

He remembered the glass jars of home-made jams and jellies: paw-paw (the best way to eat it is in the woods, tearing into it as if you had claws, slurping the pulp and spitting out seeds), may haw, blackberry, strawberry, peach, pear, and apple.

Unfortunately Rachel didn’t grow up on a farm or learn these kinds of things. In fact, she hated to cook, one of the things they frequently fought over until the last several years when she radically changed her diet and began cooking them healthy meals. Jackson supposed it was better than nothing, so he didn’t say anything and ate whatever she put in front of him, grateful. He drew the limit at her trying to get him to stop eating potato chips.

But mama was an incredible cook, making bacon and eggs or pancakes with thick maple syrup every morning for daddy, and a supper with hot buttered biscuits or cornbread each night.

Some of his best memories in life were from the farm. Fishing on the pond with his dad. Long talks with daddy at night, a man usually of few words, as his dad pointed out shooting stars and the different constellations. Their hearts would connect gazing at the Big Dipper.

They’d listen to the loud cicadas and Jackson would watch the fireflies, often running after them to catch them with an empty Mason jar. The next day mama would fuss at him for using one of her good jars.

He also remembered the delicious figs. Daddy was most particular about his fig trees, his favorite fruit. He actually hired Jackson to kill the blue jays and blackbirds who were ruining his fig trees. Daddy paid him a nickel a bird. Jackson would sit in a rocking chair by daddy’s bedroom window after school, shooting them with his 22 pistol.

He could never kill an animal now; he loved them too much. But back then he made at least a couple dollars a week, his aim getting steadier through the summer to make as much money and kill as many birds as possible to save daddy’s figs. Daddy had been quite proud of him for that and helping so much on the farm. He always said Jackson was a hard worker.

Jackson expected this work ethic in his children as well.

Autumn was all about working her butt off, earning A’s, getting on the dean’s list each semester, and making good money. Jackson had no doubt if they had lived on a farm, she’d have become an expert shot of blue jays and blackbirds to save the figs, too.

But Faith-well, she was just a very different child. He and Rachel couldn’t figure out how to motivate her, as far as work or further education were concerned.

She was her own unique person. Quiet. A deep thinker. Creative. Brilliant. Musically and artistically gifted. A beautiful singing voice. She kept most of her thoughts and feelings to herself. But when she laughed, it was a free-flowing, happy, musical laugh that made others laugh, too.

Faith wondered what Rachel was doing right now. A big tear slid down her face. She and mom butted heads a lot, mostly over dumb things. When mom and dad fought, Faith always took his side. Sometimes she felt guilty about this. She resented having to be in the middle between her parents. Why couldn’t they just be a close-knit, loving family? Isn’t that what God wanted them to do?

The truth was, she knew her dad was in the wrong sometimes, but she didn’t want to let Rachel know that or she’d hold it over both their heads forever. Rachel always had to be right.

But no matter what their problems were, Faith was really worried about her mother right now. She was scared she was—Faith couldn’t even finish the thought. It terrified her. She silently prayed for God to protect her mom and for them to find out news soon.