Chapter 37

In the morning, we had coffee in the room as we cleaned up and dressed. We quickly realized that the bath was too small for both of us. Eve said, "If I'm going to visit you often here, you will have to move." She chuckled and I joined her in the mirth.

I said, "You will admit that, just for me, it's quite adequate." She nodded. We went out for breakfast. She said, "Where is the house you're thinking about?"

"I will take you there. We can meet the Merkers who have just bought a home of their own. You will have a chance to think on any decorating you want to do."

I drove over and the Merkers were there with a moving company to load them. Al Merker said, "My company is paying for the move because this promotion constituted a transfer also. It's far enough by twenty-five miles."

"That's great for you." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Eve walk in and began to look around.

Mary Merker saw her. "You're Eve Baylor!"

Eve smiled. "Not any more. I'm Eve Anderson now. I'm Bill's wife." Eve was wearing a tight pair of shorts and looked great in her low heels. Al and the moving guys all seemed to agree by watching her as she walked around. I was watching her, too. She went in each room making notes on a pad that I didn't know she had. We left an hour later for a light lunch. Over lunch, she went over her list with me. She wanted the interior completely repainted. We would re-carpet or put down new flooring all through the house. She said, "Were there any plans for the rest of the day?" I shook my head. "Good. I want to look at some furniture to get some idea of what you like in colors and styles."

We left and looked at a lot of furniture and it wasn't cheap. There were some beautiful pieces. I had the feeling that my bank account was going to take a hit.

It was getting late and I took her to dinner at a buffet restaurant where I had been before. I knew we were dressed sufficiently for the place and that Eve would be appreciated but not bothered. I was right and she loved the Oriental food that was available in copious quantities. We ate well and talked about our week and some of her plans. We had a light desert and left for our room.

We walked in. She said, "Next time, I expect better."

I said, "Eve, it has all the requirements and, when it's just me, I'm comfortable. There are close restaurants and the EOC is near." I paused and grinned. "What are your plans for next weekend?"

"I'm returning for more debauchery with my husband." She grinned. "Seriously, I'm looking forward to creating a mutual home here for us. I just hope you won't be too busy next weekend."

I said, "That depends upon Larry."

She nodded and began to remove her clothing. "Bill, your wife is horny. You can remove your clothes without a fight or I will tear them off you. It's your choice." I choose wisely and stripped. Our evening was delightful. We slept soundly.

We woke Sunday morning and dressed for church. We went to a church that was close. It was a big church and we weren't noticed more than Eve's beauty would be noticed anywhere. We had a light lunch and I drove her down to the airport. "Eve, we will have to talk before you come down again. It may not be safe yet."

"Bill, next week will be in Birmingham. That's close."

"Yes, but Danelly Field is south of Montgomery. We will talk. By then, I can probably get away and join you in Birmingham." She nodded and we kissed good bye. I drove back to the motel which was now lonely. I went out and grabbed a burger for supper. I went to bed early.

Over night, I could hear the rain start and grow heavy. I woke Monday morning to a soaking rain that hadn't let up. I grabbed doughnuts on the way and brought them into the center. Larry hadn't made landfall yet though the people on the coast wouldn't know that. They were experiencing the winds and storm surge right now. The eye was projected to make landfall ten miles west of Mobile at ten this morning. I congratulated Tracey on an accurate forecast. I also received a call from Ben congratulating me on making the right call. He said that our warning probably saved lives.

We tuned into Eve's show. She had a weather person from Nashville on to talk about Larry. The man said, "Isn't your husband the director of the Alabama EMA?" Eve nodded. "That office called this hurricane early and accurately. Congratulate your husband and his weather person. They know their stuff." He went on to talk about details in Larry's landfall referring to Tracey's forecast. She went on to other guests later and we turned down the volume. I liked being able to look up at her.

We still had all our connections but had a ham radio operator in the EOC ready. He and other hams in the county EOC's had already tested their connections. We listened to calls and watched emails come through. Mobile was suddenly cut off. The ham operators came over the air with the news that all outside communications had been lost except for radio. Jane was there and reported under her own license that they were okay but power outages were rampant in the area. We were fielding calls from the southwestern counties that were swiftly moving to radio with the failure of the Internet. Bill was there with a sickly grin. He said, "Bill, I passed both the Tech and the General tests. I just have to wait for the FCC to put it through and issue me my call."

I looked over at Matt and Tracey. Tracey said, "We're stoked. We passed both tests, too. Matt even took a stab at the Extra and got thirty right! I am very proud of him. I think Bill got thirty-three right on his Extra test. Next time, we'll study for that level test though we have what we need."

I said, "Congratulations to all three of you. I am proud of you. We need to get you on the air now."

Tracey blushed and said, "There is one other thing." She held up her left hand and waved it. She was wearing a diamond ring! "Matt and I picked it out Saturday."

I said, "Congratulations on that, too. I will pray for your happiness."

The remainder of the morning passed quietly as information was passed. Our scenario was playing out and Matt was handling events comfortably. In two instances, preparations were made for road crews to go out as soon as they could to provide repairs on primary roads. With bridges out, those roads were closed for now.

During the afternoon, damage reports began to come in from the coast. We were hit more heavily this time. The warning gave people time to evacuate and, thus far, no fatalities had been reported. The county EMA directors were being assisted rather than being told what to do. Two counties' directors were having problems with what was going on and took more time. One was one of Jane's new counties and the other was in the southeast. I worked with both directors to get their situations sorted out. They didn't have any real emergency and still had phone and Internet connections. My next stop was at our radio station. Bill, a local ham, was handling communications but getting some push back from the usual net control until I made an appearance. I explained what we were doing and why. I suggested that this was not the day for the usual rag chew and pass around net. He came back to me and apologized for not thinking. I said, "Guys, we wanted to be used. Now we are. The only contact I have in Mobile is over this radio. Assist Bill in getting reports. This station needs more work as do a few others at Emergency Operations Centers around the state. Thanks. WR4L is clear."