Hello all our bloggers at Blog for Joy. I'm sorry I haven't been posting as much as I used to. You see, I didn't have electricity for a month due to Hurricane Sandy (which hit the east coast of the U.S. near the end of October, for those of you that haven't been paying attention), and of course, I have so much homework that I don't get enough sleep. But that's completely out of my control. What I can control is the writing of this memoir, part one of a long list of writing pieces which described my experience of Sandy. Tell me what you think!
My
mom was unceremoniously informed that another hurricane was coming, perhaps
even larger than last year's. "It's bad that it will be the full moon.
Tides are already high then," said our neighbor. He was a fireman, and he
wasn't playing around. The man stocked up on water and candles. He also wisely
relocated his car to the mainland. "There might be no water for a
week," he mused. I had known that another tropical storm was approaching
from school. Everyone couldn't wait for education closure on Tuesday. Sandy had
been a gentle reminder on the news, but my mother had assumed that it was solely
Florida's problem. I, however, had forebodings about this.
I
spent all that Sunday before the storm working on my Global History project,
and scratched colored pencils onto poster paper. The left side exploded with
tans, oranges and reds, the official color theme of Ancient Mesopotamia. I'd
often run to the balcony window to gaze out at the resentful ocean, its usual
powerful waves morphing into mountains of choppy white foam pummeling the
boulder jetties. I was mutinous about its incoming arrival so I mocked the
force of nature in my head, which I regretted later. To underestimate something
that colossal is dangerous.
I
hurried back to my project, letting the right side (which represented Egypt)
dance with violets, regal indigoes and bright greens. I decided upon this color
scheme since purple is often associated with royalty. As I sketched the notable
statue bust of Nefertiti, I listened to the mayor speak in a melancholy manner
about "storm surge", and utter warnings quite frequently to evacuate
Zone A as soon as possible. The last subway leaves at seven pm, while the last
bus rides off at nine.
I
had evacuated last year during Irene, but it had been a stressful stay with
friends in Brooklyn. We were agonized with questions of what was happening on
back home. We weren’t doing that again, I must admit. I wasn't particularly
worried that we might die, since our apartment complex was built to withstand
hurricanes. Proof of this: 168 families could nest snugly into one of the
sturdy large buildings during one of the gales which batter our skinny
peninsula often. It was the other houses that I was worried about. They were
constructed of toothpicks.
As
I waited for my mom to return I regularly inspected the window, contemplating
what parts of my life would be terminated as they took their final stand
against the turbulent Atlantic Ocean: the flagpole that had endured so many
winds over the time that I have lived here, the flowers which greet our
residents, my beloved pines. I gave a sigh. As soon as I glued seagull feathers
onto the finished poster I drew, talked to my mom about the hurricane, and went
early to bed. There was going to be no school tomorrow, anyway.
Night
fell, but I still couldn't sleep. A wind howled through the neighborhood, but
it wasn't any more special than usual. That Monday morning, however, brought
several changes: that giddy excitement over having an absence of school, and of
course, the dread that Sandy was to make landfall at eight pm tonight. Harsh
wolf howls spun through the corridor between our long apartment building and
the next, and rain needles shot towards the ocean. The sky was a dismal gray,
since this was a storm from the tropics and not a furious and crackling
thunderstorm.
Around
four o'clock an eight-year-old girl's mother called. This girl was Isabel, who
has golden hair and bright blue eyes. She would be considered pretty if she
wasn't so obnoxious. I was to go and play with her since she was experiencing a
dull day, as usual. This would have been strange if Isabel wasn't the younger
sister of Ivana, whom I had known for nine years. In a way I was glad. I have
people to spend the hurricane with; I wouldn't be so alone.
Ivana
is my oldest enemy, though we sometimes pretend that we are friends. On the
other occasions we are bitter rivals, through no fault but hers. Ivana has
somehow managed to make every member of her vast social clan hate her at least
once. Tonight was therefore a surprise: she is a companion again. I told her
comfortably how a group of pigeons were trying to desperately to escape the
peninsula, flying foolishly in circles. They nearly all crashed into our
building.
Even
Isabel was pleasant that night. Their mother (who ironically has dark hair)
glowed with welcome. However, this may very well have been because I have to
entertain her picky daughter half the time. She sees nothing wrong with the
fact I am the same age as the older daughter. Isabel decides upon beading. She
cuts us two pieces of magenta yarn, and I struggle to get her wooden beads
through the unwilling fibers. There are so many colors which I want to use, all
too small to fit: peach, plum, green, gold, chestnut...
We
consistently scrambled to Ivana's room, which has a window overlooking the
shore. On one such occasion, we heard a massive crash. One of the construction
board-works had fell onto a van. "Great. Now it has no windows,"
Ivana groaned. Their unintelligent British Labrador slept luxuriously on the
bed, with not a care in the world. Outside, as the weather conditions continued
to deteriorate and winds reached a reported 90 miles per hour, people practiced
for the Sunday’s marathon. One of them lightly jogged by the heap of fallen
construction boards when it flew up in the air. He or she wisely ran away.
"Idiots," Ivana muttered. "Go kill yourselves." There were
even more such bright individuals who strolled on the boardwalk, and even sat
on benches watching the ruthless ocean wash in. Suddenly, one of the
construction pieces spun 50 feet in the air and nearly hit one of the geniuses
on the head.
I
returned to my beading, and nearly got all the peach beads on. There soon came
another shout from Ivana. "Come look!" We threw everything on the
carpeted floor and ran to her, who was behind her computer flicking through
Facebook photos. "Look," she breathed. My stomach dropped. Many of
the places I had known since the age of six were completely submerged. Their
cat meowed, who was anxious as her world tore apart, emitting strange yet loud
death cries. Her beautiful tabby flanks heaved as she circled us, flinching at
the noises outside.
I
was almost finished with my bracelet when the ocean spilled over the boardwalk.
It felt disturbing to witness black foaming seawater roll over the park, the
only thing blocking its way of complete conquest. The damaged car filled up
with the water as the ocean crashed over the streets. I returned to tie my bracelet,
glancing out at the balcony window, only to gasp. Shiny black waves rushed past
our building, changing the parking lot into a raging river, dragging all the
cars. A force that could move cars... We all felt stunned and terrified. At
that moment, all the street lights went out, plunging the nightmare into utter
darkness. “Get away from the window!" Isabel's mom commanded as a plastic
container crashed into it. It flopped around like an angry eagle but thankfully
caused no fractures.
"Your
mom could come over too, you know," Ivana informed me. "We can all
sleep over." I thought this proposal over, surprised at this sunny side in
a dark night. I agreed. Her mom was calling mine when the electricity went out
and the phone call was cut off.
I
let out a groan. Their mother put on a head flashlight, the kind one sees used
only by cave explorers with a smile. "See, it's not so bad," she
grinned.
There
came a knock on the door: my mom, carrying a toy flashlight, the only thing she
could find. I was grateful to have her back. We settled down in the living room
and Isabel's mother lit two tall scarlet candles, and we talked deep into the
night. I touch my mother's hand, trying to find her in the dark. Isabel and I
shared the blow-up mattress, since her grandma had gone to her room to sleep.
Outside, there were wild thuds and the brute might of the hideous wind, which
sounded like five individual airplanes going off. It was very difficult to fall
asleep with the traumatic chaos in my ears.
Ivana
received a phone call from Rebeca, who, "is practically crying because
she's alone." Her parents were caught at their work in a senior center,
and wouldn't return home soon.
"Can
I get her?" Ivana pleaded.
"Fine,
but be careful!" her mother nervously answered.
Ten
minutes later, Rebeca returned with her frightened curly white dog, which
promptly scampered over to Ivana's British Labrador. Together we spent that
night of Hurricane Sandy. Even when I discovered the destruction that occurred
the next day, I was more prepared, thanks to people who seemed more human that
night. Later on, I would experience a lack of electricity just like the Ancient
Egyptians of Mesopotamians, as well as the winter cold and isolation from the
outside world.
I
kept that bracelet from the storm as a souvenir. Every time I glanced over I
would be quickly reminded of candlelight, wind and water. In the weeks that
would follow, I continued to witness friendship in the most unlikely of
situations. Dark times bring the real essence out of everyone.“During times
like this we truly know what people are like,” my mother would say, commenting
on the jealousy that would emerge out of people we knew personally. When we
must deal with the worst scenario, we let our guard down and let others
carelessly see who we really are.