Chapter 2

The Goddam hurricane season seemed endless. This was the third time I had been down here volunteering for the relief agency in the past three months. I was hot, sweaty, smelled bad, and my feet were itching from some new fucking fungus. I saw no hope for having a shower anytime soon. Didn't matter, my shaver ran out of juice yesterday and I couldn't find any 120-volt circuit to plug it in. I had used more mosquito repellant in the last two days than in the last year.

I went back to the semi and brought another armload of food to the distribution point. The recipients were not nice people. I mean, once they might have been, but in 90 degree temperatures and 80% humidity, the thin veneer of civilization disappeared quickly with hunger, thirst, and desperation.

My ass was dragging as I went back to the relief supply truck. I was buddy-paired with a young strong black guy, named Leon, from up the creek a few miles. I noticed that he was still making his rounds from the van to the tables as I leaned against a utility post and tried to catch a breather.

He saw me and said, "Hey, man, take a few minutes. Nobody out there is starving yet." He continued to do his rounds with clockwork regularity.

I figured he's thirty, give or take, but who the hell can judge black folks? So, I sneaked some ice and put it in a towel and sat with it on my head for ten minutes. I watched as he continued his efforts and soon began to feel guilty about not keeping up. I resumed my place in the endless line of trekkers moving stuff from the truck to the tables exactly like the ants did it. I wished to hell I was thirty again.

After another hour, we had emptied the trailer and smelled the diesel smoke for several minutes after it was pulled away. We looked down the driveway to see another semi backing in with more supplies. I looked over to the distribution tables and saw that almost no one was in line. Maybe we could have a few minutes to rest before we began unloading tomorrow's food and ice to feed the improvised tent city.

When I came down here, I brought my own tent and camping gear, along with some food from my freezer that would keep in the cooler for three days. Then I would be back eating in the relief kitchen. I managed to walk over to my tent and collapse. As I lay on the air mattress, I thought, Maybe I can get up in the morning and go home. I'm not responsible to anyone. I remembered Leon walking systematically back and forth from the trailer to the tables and quickly dismissed the idea of leaving.

Having made that really bad decision, I was left with figuring out how I would like to be stuck in one of the larger tents for two weeks or more with a family. I struggled out of the tent and got the propane grill started and sorted out a steak and rolls. I found a formerly frozen broccoli that could be put in foil. As I looked down on the stunning sunset, I saw Leon sitting on a bench by the tables. As the grill heated, I walked over and asked if he found anything to eat.

"No, man. I didn't remember to pack a lunch. I think they'll have something here in an hour."

"I have some food that will not keep. Come eat with me and we'll see if I can get you fueled up for tomorrow."

He saw the cooking apparatus and food and said to me, "You came prepared. I should have."

"I've been here before and tried to remember all the things I said I would bring next time."

"This is my first and I had no idea how bad things were down here."

"Where do you live?"

"My mother lives about fifty miles up this creek on a nice farm, I came to see her to cheer her up. I live up north."

"Damage?"

"We lost a few tree limbs, but nothing serious."

I threw on the steaks and opened a bottle of red wine. He expressed his appreciation for the wine. "This is very good. Tastes French."

I hid my surprise at his taste. "It is. From Burgundy."

"I went there last year on a tour. A bunch of us hired the guide and had a ball."

"What do you do when you aren't lugging boxes of food?"

He hesitated for several seconds, "I'm an alternate defensive back for the Lions." He smiled and before I could speak, he asked, "And you?"

"I'm, uh, a consultant in human performance."

I turned the steaks. The aroma was getting to both of us. "How done do you want yours?"

"Medium rare, if possible."

"Same as me. I'll try. No guarantees."

I stuck out my hand, "If we're eating together, we should know names."

"I'm Jordan Edwards."

"I'm Leon Jefferson."

"So, if you're one of those human performance people, can you show me how to play better defense?"

I looked at him in all seriousness, "If you sign on for six sessions with me, I will make you all-pro. It's only $10,000 per session."

His eyes lit up, but I couldn't contain my smile, "You are nothing but another white motherfucking liar!"

"God, you are so smart, Leon."

We had a big laugh. I said, "I needed a laugh. This work gets to me." I served the steaks and Leon refreshed the wine.

Leon replied, "I hate to see all those people forced out of their homes. Where I live, a tornado is bad enough, but this is almost more then I can handle."

"I still see pictures of the storm on TV in my mind as I try to sleep. Then, those people living here with nothing left, replace the video images in my mind with real-life misery."

We continued to talk about the situation until it was time to retire. I asked, "Where do you sleep?"

Leon pointed up the slight embankment, "I let the seats down in my SUV and stretch out. It's better than I thought it would be."

"I manage OK in my tent, but I wouldn't want it to be a permanent residence." We cleaned up the small mess and sat in the glow of the lantern. "I have to leave tomorrow for a meeting."

"I do too. Have to get back to the team tomorrow night. It's going to be a long drive to the airport."

In the morning, I made coffee on the camp stove and walked over to the portable toilet to begin the day. I saw Leon walking toward the toilet.

"Hey, man, I have some coffee on and am about to cook some eggs."

"Sounds good to me. I'll be right over."

As we ate breakfast, we noticed that the number of people seeking food and water had dropped since yesterday. I said, "I hope those people who are left can find someplace to be. This place can't support them long."

Leon replied, "This job reminds me of summer jobs in high school. We had to carry bags of cement from the rail car to the truck. The old guy didn't have a forklift"

"Made you big and strong, though."

"What it made me was tired. I got strong in the weight room."

"Yeah, I know that feeling from yesterday."

Leon said, "I'm going over to the leader and see what they need. I'll be back." I watched as he moved smoothly across the terrain in a few jogging steps. He was back in five minutes. "They think they'll be shutting us down today. Most of the people have been handled. They're going to get the residents to help, too."

"Then, I won't feel so guilty when I leave."

While I was finishing my coffee, I saw a pickup truck drive up to the tables, discharge an attractive woman and a pretty young teen girl and drive away. The woman went over to the table and started a conversation with the leader. While they were talking, I went over to ask him if they wanted us to unload any more boxes from the truck.

The leader said to the woman, "Our hot kitchen has been closed, but I have some snacks and MREs."

"MREs?"

"Meals ready to eat. Just heat them."

I said to her, "Come on over to my camp and I'll show you. It's just over there fifty yards."

Both of the women were dressed in snug fitting jeans, Tshirts, and jogging shoes. They were both dirty. The girl appeared to be a developing carbon copy of her mother. She wasn't as tall or quite as shapely, but she commanded visual attention as well. The woman had a purse and the girl carried what appeared to be an overnight bag. They followed me and I offered them a camp chair while I heated up their food. They appeared to be very tired.

"Would you like coffee? I'm afraid I don't have milk or cream, but I have some sweetener."

She smiled for the first time, "That would be very kind of you. We haven't eaten anything but energy bars since yesterday."

I said, "The portable toilets are right over there. Here's a can of mosquito repellent. You'll need it."

"Thank you. That's a good idea."

"Then, we can all smell alike."

They both scurried off to the portable toilets. I was immediately taken with the roll of her hips as she walked to the stall. That movement always brought out the lust in me. The girl was well into womanhood and her breasts were still growing, I guessed. She walked and twitched as well. Yep, she was going to be something, too. She already was.

When they returned, they both had their hair tied back and I could smell the remnants of the baby wipes that were provided in the toilets, since there was no running water. Baby wipes and mosquito repellent make an interesting combination of smells. Both girls looked exhausted as they sat in the folding chairs. The woman put her head in her hands and cried and the young girl moved her chair closer and hugged her.

"It will be OK, Mom. You have to eat."

I handed the girl a couple of paper towels and she gave one to her mother. I said, "I have a glass of wine if you'd like." I poured it into a plastic cup and handed it to her.

She made a half-hearted attempt at a toast and then sipped the wine. "Thank you."

The coffee finished dripping about the same time the food appeared to be warm. I served them, using empty boxes left over from the relief effort as tables. I offered the girl coffee, water, or a soft drink and she opted for the cold water.

I gave each of them a bottle of cold water, knives and forks from my camping kit and they went immediately to the food. As they ate, I said, "I'm Jordan Edwards."

The mother finished her bite and replied, "I'm Jennifer and she is Brianna." She immediately returned to her food. I poured her coffee in a large mug and offered her the sweetener. She shook her head, "No thank you."

When she finished her bite, she took a sip of coffee, tasted it, and took another sip. "What a treat. This tastes great, and it must be 85 degrees and 90% humidity." She took another sip. "I haven't had any since yesterday morning." Her blue eyes melted me when she looked up and smiled.

Just as she was enjoying her coffee, Leon came back. "I'm off, man. Thanks again for the food." He handed me a card. "That's my cell phone. If you're ever in Detroit and want to go to a game, call me. I can get you fed and a good ticket."

"Thanks. Hell, man, I might just come up to see if you're telling the truth. Lotsa black folks brag."

"Some of us got a lot to brag about, whitey."

We did a kind of lame ghetto handshake and he was away.

When the girls finished their food and coffee, I noticed that both of them were having trouble holding their heads up. "If you like, you can have a nap in my tent. It is not the Four Seasons, but it will keep the bugs away. Best I can offer, right now." I tried some humor, "Actually, it is the Four Seasons, they just come one at a time."

Jennifer laughed out loud. "Yep, one at a time. Come on, Brianna. We need a nap if we're going to get out of here. I'm tired."

I said, "If you take the air mattress off the low cot, you'll both have a place. When you get settled, tell me and I'll move the rain flaps so that you can get some breeze. It always blows."

"Can people see in?"

"If they're real close. I'll be over there helping at the aid center. I'll keep an eye on you."

It must have been five hours later that I saw Jennifer come out of the tent, stretch her lithe body, and head for the potty. I waved at her and she waved back as she went in the door. She came out of the toilet and walked over to me.

"What's happening?"

"They're sending lots of volunteers home. I think they have a new group coming."

"Are you going?"

"When Brianna wakes up, I'll pack my stuff and go home." I thought about her plight. "Where would you like to go?"

"Hell would be fine if I could get a ticket. I need to call my parents to see if they can take us for a few days. That's hell enough."

I handed her my cell phone. "It doesn't get a very good signal here, but it worked best up there on the hill. Call anyone you need to."

She took it and said, "Thanks. Ours are dead." She sat in the folding chair and tried to make a call. Apparently it went through. I heard her discuss her plight with the person on the other end. "We're divorced, Dad. Remember why? I just need a few days to get organized, then I will be gone."

I started packing up the cooking stuff and folding up the ground cover. I heard her say, "No, I can't stay with Megan. Her house was flooded, too. That's where I was going when the storm surge hit."

Just then, Brianna came out of the tent yawning and stretching. She walked up to the toilet. Her mother was still talking when she returned. She took the phone from her mother, "Hi, granddad, guess where we are?"