A BRIGHT FUTURE... busy but happy (Part 68h)

Jay and I managed to get into a pretty good routine at work. By multitasking and with occasional help from Jo my “compensatory time” had been substantially reduced, much to Elle’s liking. By the end of the first weekend in March Jay and I had built four playhouses. With my share of the money and the proceeds from Elle's paycheck for teaching two straight weeks we had our first checking account and I was feeling "flush". Even though Jay had gotten into the process willingly he let me know that he could make more money doing the carpentry work out on the barrier island. I offered a compromise in that possibly we could build playhouses one weekend and work on his stuff the other. He still had that job to do that we’d abandoned so I said I help him the following weekend. It never happened.

It was only a drizzle as I left the trailer on my way to work on Tuesday. By lunch time it was raining much harder and was pelting against the windows. It was a full County payroll that week and I was a little ahead of my self imposed schedule so left for home at 5pm. I knew Elle would be pleased because it meant I could occupy the kids while she fixed supper. As I went inside I noted that the yard had the look of a wading pool. We’d had a spate of below freezing temperatures and not enough warmer weather to thaw the ground. Since it couldn’t absorb the water it was now sitting on top of it and created large puddles.

Neither of us had the time to read a newspaper so we didn’t have that as a source of information. Elle had never been a big fan of daytime TV so the only time it was on was after the kids went to bed. It was rare for me to watch the late news and, as usual, we didn’t on that night. When I climbed into bed and waited for Elle to join me I was shocked to feel the trailer moving under me. I got up and went up to the kitchen (which was in the front) and looked out the window. As I did I saw what looked like a bucket full of water go flying by out on the street. It was quickly followed by another and then another after that. What I saw told me was that the wind was really blowing and that it was also raining harder. Later, when Elle got up for one of her bathroom visits I could hear the rain beating on the aluminum sides of the trailer. It sounded like someone was throwing very small pebbles against it.

As usual, the kids were awake at 7am. When I looked out into the yard all I saw was water. There was standing water on both sides of the street and it was still raining... hard. I usually didn’t wear a coat since from my door to the door of the County Center only took 10 minutes. However, with the strong wind and heavy rain I knew I’d be soaked if I didn’t wear something. The only thing I had was an old yellow slicker that Elle’s father had discarded and I salvaged. I looked stupid wearing it because he was a much bigger man than I plus I was wearing good pants and shoes and not work clothes and boots. When I arrived at the parking lot I really wished I had a pair of boots. The lot had many large puddles but what was especially troubling was that there was a huge puddle right in front of the door that most people used who parked in that lot. The door was really a fire exit and not meant for entry. Someone had figured out that it was much quicker to use this way in (and out) rather than go all the way around to the main entrance. Someone who arrived early would go and open the door from the inside and then put a stick in it to keep it from locking. Everybody from the Audit and Control department used it. As I approached I could see the water was up to the sill which meant that it was at least two inches deep. A number of people, mostly women, had hesitated before trying to walk through it. I decided to try it by walking on my heels. Not smart! I almost fell and ended up with water in my shoes. I was not happy!

It was quite a bit past 9am and Jay, Linda and Jo still hadn’t arrived. Out in the general work area only half the people were in. From DP, Jay was the first and he looked like a drowned rat as he walked in. He always eschewed wearing any kind of coat to work but he sure wished he had one. He said that there was heavy flooding on the roads. He’d had no trouble but, with his four wheel drive pick up truck, had stopped to help some stranded drivers. Linda was next in and she told us that the Five Corners traffic circle just down the road was flooded. She said it appeared that the river had overflowed it’s banks. When Jo walked in at around 10am we were all shocked. To start with she was crying. But she was literally soaking wet. Jay, in comparison, was dry when he walked in. Jo had gone to the door and, seeing the puddle, took off her shoes and just as she reached for the door handle someone pushed open the door and knocked her flat on her back and into the puddle. As she stood there her royal blue wool coat was dripping water from the hem. Not at pretty sight.

For reasons only known to Jo, she’d taken the spare clothes that she had at work for those few nights, home. It took me a few minutes to suggest a plan. Jo and Elle were about the same body size except for height. I called Elle and asked if it was OK to bring Jo home to find some clothes she could wear. Of course I wasn’t smart enough to tell her what had happened first so she was pretty leery of the idea until I finally explained. Jay, with his four wheel drive truck, offered to drive her to my trailer and I continued processing the payroll.

To be continued...