Delicate flower

Amanda Smith was completing her final year of law school. She was looking forward to graduation and returning home to Diamondhead, Mississippi. It had always been Amanda’s dream to become a lawyer and here she was, less than a year away from accomplishing her goal.

Amanda was the youngest of three children, and the only girl. Her dad, Sylvester Smith had raised the three siblings after his wife, Marjorie, died. Amanda was thirteen years old when her mom passed. Sylvester was a retired oil rig manager and Amanda had seen the toll her mother’s battle with cancer had taken on her father. The multi-year battle with the insurance company and the enormous hospital bills had aged Sylvester significantly. This is the primary reason that Amanda wanted to become a lawyer. She was determined to be a champion of the people in her town. Amanda did not want to have television commercials that promised big payouts, but instead, she envisioned a small office that would be accessible to anyone, whether they could pay or not.

*

Stanford Law School, among several others, accepted Amanda. She had decided on Stanford because it was the top-rated school in the country. Amanda wanted to ensure she had the best training when she tackled the big insurance companies. Being protective of his youngest child, Sylvester had hoped Amanda would attend Tulane University in Louisiana. He was concerned that Amanda had never travelled or lived on her own before. He briefly thought about moving to California with his darling daughter, but Amanda convinced him that it was not necessary. Instead, Sylvester called her everyday during her freshman year.

Sylvester had since reduced his calls to weekly. Amanda was oftentimes busy studying or working as a paralegal in a nearby law office. Amanda looked forward to their weekly chats. It not only reassured her that her dad was fine, but it also brought her up to date on what was happening in and around Diamondhead. It was during one of these conversations that Sylvester informed his daughter of the approaching storm in the Gulf of Mexico. Amanda had very little time to watch television and was unaware of this development. Before they ended their call, Amanda made Sylvester promise to keep her updated. He reminded her that her two brothers lived nearby and would assist him if needed.

Amanda now made it a point to periodically check the weather channel on her computer during breaks in her day. The experts were predicting the storm would develop into a major hurricane. It was estimated to impact Louisiana and the surrounding areas, including Mississippi. That evening, Amanda called her dad. Sylvester answered after several rings and notified her that he was busy securing the house with her two brothers. He told her that they would all be sheltering in place, at the house, should the storm continue in their direction. They had approximately two days to prepare. Amanda suggested Sylvester and her brothers travel to California, but they all declined.

The night before the storm was scheduled to arrive, Amanda was again on the phone with her dad. He told her that the winds and rain were increasing but he and her brothers had everything they needed. Several minutes into the conversation, the phone went dead. Amanda tried the call several times throughout the night with no success. She found herself glued to her computer, watching the progress of the now category 4 hurricane, headed toward her home state.

The following morning, Amanda continued to watch as Hurricane Fred made a direct hit on Diamondhead. It had shifted direction earlier that morning and the first images were now being broadcast on television. Amanda, still unable to contact her father and brothers, began sobbing uncontrollably. She felt a sense of helplessness as she continued to witness the devastation the storm had caused. At 8:00am, she phoned her boss to update and advise him that she would not be in. Additionally, she requested a few days off. Her boss told her to take all the time she needed. Amanda immediately packed a small bag and made her way to the airport.

*

“There is nothing flying to the Southeast” the ticket agent informed Amanda. “Everything is shut down pending storm damage assessment”. Amanda, with tears in her eyes, asked the agent, “where is the nearest, accessible airport to Mississippi that you are flying to?” The agent looked down at her computer screen and after a few minutes, informed Amanda that the nearest available airport would be Dallas, Texas. This would place her almost 530 miles away from Diamondhead, but at this point, Amanda had very few options.

The four-hour flight seemed endless as Amanda sat restlessly in her seat. She tried to sleep but being worried about the welfare of her family, gazed out the window at the earth below. Immediately after landing, Amanda made her way to the car rental center. She was disheartened to see the long lines at the counters. While standing on the line, Amanda continued to dial the numbers of her father and brothers to no avail. 45 minutes later, word began to travel along the line that there were no cars available. Amanda could not believe this nightmare. The rental car center rapidly became a center for frustrated individuals. Amanda overheard a nearby woman who was talking rapidly into her cell phone. The woman was discussing going to a nearby bus station with the person on the other end. After ending the call, Amanda approached the woman and said, “Excuse me, I overheard you mentioning a nearby bus station. Would you mind if we shared an Uber to get there? I’m trying to get home to Mississippi”. The woman, seeing the desperation on Amanda’s face replied, “No problem at all. I’m trying to get to Tallahassee.”

Minutes later, the two travelers arrived at the bus station. Amanda thanked the woman and they offered each other luck. Amanda entered the bus station and saw that it was also crowded. There were multiple conversations all around her from people discussing their travel woes. Upon arriving at the window, Amanda asked the agent if any buses were headed to Mississippi. The agent gave a frown and replied, “the roads have not been cleared in that area yet. All buses heading East have been suspended”. Feeling totally defeated, Amanda walked to the truck stop across the street in search of a quick meal, and to plan her next move.

The restaurant at the truck stop was not crowded. Amanda opted to sit at the counter and ordered a cheeseburger and strawberry shake. The waitress, noticing Amanda’s demeanor, asked Amanda where she was headed. Amanda proceeded to tell the waitress about her plight. The waitress looked over at a booth and yelled, “Hey Merv! Where are you heading?” Amanda turned in the direction that the waitress had asked the question, to see a slim-built man with a pockmarked face. As the man responded, “Mobile”, Amanda noticed that he had a missing tooth. “You have room for one more?”, the waitress asked. Amanda, now horrified, was about to decline when the man replied, “sure thing!”. The man rose from the booth and walked toward the counter. The waitress then said, “this pretty little thing is trying to get home to Diamondhead”. The man extended his hand toward Amanda, and she shook it timidly. “I’m Merv.” He spoke. “Reports say the roads are in bad shape around East Louisiana and Mississippi but I’m going to try.” Amanda realized that this was her best hope and against her better judgement, agreed to join Merv.

Moments later, Amanda followed Merv along a row of trucks until they came to a blue semi-trailer. He took her bag and opened the passenger door of the cab for her. “I’ll give you a hand up”, Merv said. As Amanda climbed-up, Merv noticed a tattoo of a marigold flower on Amanda’s lower back. He smiled slightly to himself. Amanda, still feeling apprehensive, stared out the window of the truck as they departed the truck stop. Merv tried to make small talk and Amanda obliged. She felt her eyelids getting heavy as they traveled along Interstate 20. The last thing she remembered was seeing the Dallas skyline fade in the rear-view mirror. Merv reached over.

*

As he tuned the radio to his favorite Country-Western radio station, he thought about the road ahead.

Amanda opened her eyes to darkness. She looked over at Merv and asked, “where are we?”. Merv looked at Amanda with a smile and said, “Interstate 49”.” You were out for quite a while.” He added. Amanda returned her gaze to the dark road ahead of them. Noticing her gaze, Merv said, “Lights are out in these parts”. The further East they traveled; the more devastation Amanda observed. She continued to worry about her family. Amanda continued calling their numbers but now, her cell phone had no service. “All the cell phone towers must be down.” He frowned.

They were now on Interstate 12 and the evidence of destruction became progressively worse. Merv maneuvered around periodic tree branches on the highway. The duo traveled in silence as they saw the roofs of homes missing and debris scattered everywhere. They entered the Diamondhead city limits a few hours later and Amanda felt nauseous. They encountered a lone police car blocking the street. The officer got out of his cruiser and approached the truck. “Where are you going?” he asked Merv. Amanda, tired of all the obstacles she had encountered, quickly descended from the cab and walked around to the police officer. “I’m Amanda Smith and I traveled all the way from California to check on my family.” She sobbed. The police officer looked at Amanda with empathy and said, “all survivors are being taken to the high school.” Amanda thanked the officer and quickly returned to the cab. As they approached the local high school, Amanda strained her eyes to see a familiar face. She looked at Merv and said, “I’ll be fine here.” She offered Merv cash, but he refused. “I hope you find your family.” He spoke. Amanda thanked him again, retrieved her bag and descended the cab.

Amanda walked among groups of people at the entrance of the school. She studied the dazed, confused, and saddened faces. She saw a woman wearing a Red Cross vest and holding a clipboard in her hand. Amanda walked quickly to the volunteer and said, “I’m looking for Sylvester, Ronald and James Smith.” The volunteer looked at her clipboard and after a few moments, shook her head and said, “I have no record of them.” Amanda felt faint. She continued to wander through the crowd but did not see a familiar face.

Amanda decided to walk the five miles to the family home. If it was still there. She had made it this far and was not going to give up now. As she exited the school’s entrance, she heard someone call her name. Amanda recognized the voice and looked around to see her father and brothers coming up the sidewalk. She ran toward them and gave them each a big hug. “How did you get here?” Sylvester asked. “It’s a long story.” She replied. Sylvester reached into his bag and said, “I have something for you.” Amanda looked down to see the last photo she took with her mom. A picture of the two, in the family garden, holding a marigold flower.