Still Standing

Veronica wore an invisible veil that covered her excitement as she walked back from Mr. Rays appraisal shop. The news she would share with her family had been baking in her belly for years. But how? Should it be over dinner? Her mind raced with perfect scenerios on how to unfold the truth about her families heirloom.

“Mom you don’t have to take those odds jobs any more!” She thought.

“Hey dad we have a way to pay for your medicine.” Shaking her head to herself she couldn’t get over how this amount of money would spill over into the community she had grown to love and work with.

“Cough, Cough.” Strangers walked passed as she covered her mouth. There was a thickness in the air she couldn’t quite place where it was coming from. Turning the corner she noticed that people were in the streets whispering to one another. Her forehead crinkled in confusion. She thought to ask someone but she kept walking. Sirens and ambulances blared down the street passed her.

“Oh my,”she thought.

I wonder if Mr. Jefferson left his cast iron on top of the stove again. He was deaf in one ear so it was hard for him to hear his smoke detectors.

Quickening her pace she was almost home. The smoke was so dark it filled the streets.

People were coughing, trying to breath through the dark thick smoke.

V began to panick. Placing the little silk bag inside her bookbag pocket and stuffing the letter in the same pouch she zipped it up and threw it over her shoulders. Running to next the corner she couldn’t believe her eyes. That lady looks like mom, she thought.

“Mom!”

“Dad!”

“Oh my is that Katherine?”

Outside in the street Veronica joined her family sobbing in front of their burning house. With it still in a blaze she asked, “mom, dad are you okay?”

“Oh Veronica!”

“I’m so glad your okay. We all are fine. Our poor house”... she continued to cry.

“Dad? What happened?” Katherine hugged Veronica and wept.

Dad looked pale clearly bothered by the smoke.

“Ok ladies and gentlemen we need you to clear the area.” Said a police officer.

Everyone backed out from in the middle of the street. Police cars were still arriving as siren lights reflected off the walls of other houses.

Firemen sprayed water from the top of the ladders, putting out the last of the fire.

“What are we going to do, mom asked?” Everything we owned was in that house.

A police officer lifted the yellow tape and began to walk across the street toward us.

“Excuse me mam, is this your property?”

“Yes,” she cried. My husband and I own this house.”

“I am sorry for your loss. We have the fire under control. There wasn’t any other homes impacted by the flames. There will be an investigation on how the fire started. Are there family or friends that you can stay with for now?”

Everyone shook there heads no.

Coughing profusely the police officer waited until dad caught his breath.

“Was the... was the barn burned down too?”

“No sir. The fire seemed to burn from the inside out and it stayed within its foundation. Your barn may have suffered smoke damage but by the looks of it, it’s still standing. Here’s my card. Please contact me as soon as you get settled we should be able to close the investigation within week.”

We all looked at each other. Neighbors slowly began to go back into their homes. Crossing the street together we began to see what we could salvage.

Everything was burned into a crisp. The smoke rose from the wood and bricks. Standing where the room that hid our families secret, mom dropped to her knees.

“No! No! She exclaimed. Grandmas locket! Noooo.” She cried.”

Was this the time to tell her? I thought.

Dad began to cry as he helped her up. I picked up Katherine who was half my size as we stepped over the debris. Looking in the back yard we could see the barn. Charred fragments of our life before now was ash. Pictures of my grandparent’s newspaper articles had all burned away.

The grass was taller between the house and the barn. It’s a miracle that it didn’t catch a fire.

Dad pushed open the two story barn doors. The door creaked. We all looked at each other. Not knowing what to expect we walked in. The breaker box set to left. Dad walked over to it.

“I wonder if that thing still works?” Mom lit an old lantern hanging on the wall with a match. The flame went out and Katherine ran into one of the horses’ stall.

The barn was also my grandparents. It was more than enough space for the four of us. It’s weird. If it wasn’t for the fire we would have forgotten we had a barn.

The horse stables and other nooks and crannies throughout the barn had me curious.

Dad tried the breaker. The dangling lights lit up the entire barn.

“Wow.” He said.

“This is a pleasant surprise, look we have silver wear and plates.”

Katherine lifted up a plate with two fingers barely wanting to touch it.

“Their pretty old tho.” She let it drop into the hay on the floor.

Knock knock.

Surprised, my dad cleared his throat.

“Who is it?”

Dad being a few feet from the door turned with a louder voice and asked, “Who is it”?

“Oh. It’s me your neighbor Mr. Jefferson. I saw your lights on from my kitchen window.”

Dad slid open the doors. Mr.Jefferson stood 6 foot 5 with black and grey hair holding a pan of something that smelled surprisingly yummy. He was dressed like an insurance agent.

With clasped hands mom joined them at the door. Kathrine and I eyes met from our neutral corners.

“This is for you.”

“ Thank you.”

“ Your welcome. I’m really sorry about everything that happened to day.”

He handed mom the pan as he stepped in. It looked like you guys hit a gold mine. This looks awesome. You know growing up all we had is a barn until my dad could afford more land.”

“Well thank you it belonged to my parents.”

After taking a long look he began to back up towards the door.

“I don’t want to intrude I know you guys have a lot to do.”

“ Thank you again we really appreciate it.”

“I’m right next door if you need anything.”

Mr. Jefferson turned to leave waving his hand goodbye.

I had found a broom and already begun to sweep out stalls for Katherine and I.

The sun was going down now and we could see the evening light peaking through the wood around us.

Here’s some old crates we can use these to eat on before the food gets cold. Dad carried the last one in Katherines stall. We sat on old bags of fertilizer and hay as mom peeled back the aluminum foil.

“Mmm it smells good.”

Katherine giggled. She was right. There had been a smell of burnt wet wood lingering in the air.

Dad began grace.

“ Father thank you for this day that you have made and this food you have prepared. We set this time apart to give you thanks and recognize that you found it fit for us not to be harmed by the fire nor smoke. We also noticed how you provided a barn to shelter us and to keep us warm in time of our need. So we say thank you and ask that you bless our friends that cared enough to feed us during this time of trouble. In Jesus name Amen.”

“Amen.”

We grabbed forks and napkins that Mr Jefferson provided and tasted his homemade lasagna. We all shook our heads as we noticed that the meal wasn’t too bad.

“Better than I thought.”Dad said seriously. We finished the lasagna.

Mom and dad went into the stall cleaned out just for them.

Everyone used old blankets and an old lanterns. We had no idea what we going to do after the house burned down today but the barn turned out to be a warm place to call home.