EARTHQUAKE - Chapter 19

On Thursday morning Mr.& Mrs. Cartright and I went shopping. Mrs. Cartright decided to go to Penney’s. She took us to the men’s department first. When a salesman came, she said to him,

“Find a chair for my husband. He just got out of the hospital yesterday. He can stand up if you need to measure him. Otherwise, let him sit. You bring the things to him and let him choose what he wants. He was in the earthquake and lost all his clothing. He is getting several changes of clothing to start. He wants four pairs of socks - all cotton, four pairs of underwear – all cotton boxer shorts and tee shirts with sleeves, two pairs of blue jeans and a pair of casual slacks, two colored tee shirts with pockets, two colored short sleeve shirts with button down collar, one long sleeve white dress shirt with button down collar. I’m going to be shopping in the rest of the store. I will come back for him and pay for his selections.”

Melodie took me to the young people’s department.

“Dana, you know what you need. Your father gave me $200 for you to spend on clothes. Keep track of how much the clothes you choose come to. I’ll be back to pay for whatever you choose.”

She walked away. I guess she was going to buy some clothes for herself. I looked for an inexpensive pair of shoes. Summer clothes were on sale even though it was July. I tried to find the things that I needed on the sale counter. I found a pretty dress, some pedal pushers, summer blouses, socks, and underwear.  What I chose came to about $175 according to my figuring in my head. There would be sales tax so I thought that I was close to $200.

When Mrs. Cartright came back for me, she had already taken her purchases to the car, gone for Clifford and his clothes, and was in a hurry to get back to the car. She had started the car and turned on the air conditioning for Clifford. My clothes, including sales tax, came to $188.12. I was proud of myself for staying within the limits of how much Daddy had given her for my clothes.

When we went back to the house, I tried to stay out of the way of Mrs. Stauer.

That night, after supper, Daddy called.

“Dana, I want you to be ready at 9 a.m. tomorrow morning. We are going down to Monroe to visit Mary. On Monday they are going to move her to St. Vincent’s in Little Rock. She will be in their residential physical rehabilitation center. We can visit her for one hour Monday evening after they have moved her into her room there. After that we can only visit her certain hours on Saturday and Sunday.”

“Okay, Daddy, I’ll be ready.”

Later, Mr. Stauer asked to speak with all of us.

“I have spoken individually to Clifford and to Karl about this. I want to speak to all of you together and see if it is all right with you. I really need all of you to be in agreement for this to work.

“Wesson Farm is 8,200 acres of rich farm land. We need to get it back in production as soon as possible. I have asked Karl and Clifford to survey the situation and make weekly reports to me. We need to know how many acres of crops will be able to be harvested and how many have been destroyed. They will also locate and assess what pieces of farm equipment are still useable and how many are fixable. If there are crops to be harvested we need to find and fix roads to get to them and then to haul them away to market. Karl will be in charge of gathering the data and then fixing the roads. Clifford will be crunching the numbers for us and paying the bills to survey the damage and make necessary repairs.

“Clifford and Karl will need to live as close to Victoria as possible. The only way Child Services will allow Karl to keep custody of Dana is if Melodie takes care of her when he is away from their home. My question is this: Are all of you agreeable to live in Marked Tree or even Lepanto so that Karl and Clifford can work out of Victoria during the day? For that matter, Clifford, do you want this job or do you want to find another job here in Little Rock. Since you will never be able to drive, it might be easier for you to live in Little Rock or North Little Rock where you could ride the buses.”

“Paul, I’ll do this job for you. It will only last for about a year. After that I think that living in a city with public transportation would be more suitable. Also, I would like to expand my experience beyond Wesson Farm.”

I went up to get ready for bed. I waited to take my shower until Melodie was finished getting the children ready for bed. While I was waiting, I took my new clothes out of the bags, removed the tags, folded them and stacked them on a chair. I didn’t want Mrs, Stauer throwing a fit if I put them into a dresser drawer. I put the pretty dress on a hanger to hang out the wrinkles. I’ll wear it tomorrow when I go to see Mother.

I heard the children come out of the bathroom and then I heard a knock on my door.

“Yes.”

“Dana, would you read a story to the children. They said you are the very bestest story reader in all the world.”

I went over to the children’s room and started to read a story from the Mother Goose Tales.

“No, not that one. Daddy read us that one last night.”

After reading a couple pages they were both asleep. At this rate they are never going to hear the end of any of the stories.

Friday, Daddy picked me up and we drove to Monroe. I told him about Mr. Stauer talking to all of us about Clifford and him working in Victoria and the families living as close to there as possible. I also told him that Clifford said that he would probably only work there for one year.

“Did you know that Mr. Cartright can never drive a car?”

 “No, I didn’t.”

“That is one reason why he only wants to work in Victoria for a year. In the city there is public transportation.”

When we were entering Monroe, Daddy said,

“It’s lunch time. Let’s stop at this Wendy’s for lunch.”

We both got a hamburger, fries, and a Frosty. Then we went on to the hospital. We arrived a little past 1 p.m. and were allowed to go to Mom’s room right away. 

She was sitting on the edge of the bed. I started to run to her and Dad caught my hand.

“Walk carefully so you don’t collide”

I came up on her left side. She reached down and hugged me with her left arm. Her right arm was gripping some handle hanging from a heavy bar overhead.

We both cried.

“I’ll be a lot closer for you to come and see me after Monday. Then I am going to be working hard to be able to come home and be with you all the time. They say that you can complete the process in as little as three months. That is what I am going to work toward.”

Daddy said,

“Since I saw you last, Mr. Stauer assigned Clifford and me the task of getting Wesson Farm back into production. We will be working in Victoria. Mr. & Mrs. Cartright, their children, Dana, and I will move to Marked Tree or Lepanto. That will work out all right for visiting you because St. Vincent’s only allows visits during certain hours on Saturday and Sunday.”

Mother and I chatted nonstop telling each other what had happened since we had seen each other a month ago. It seemed more like three months or even three years.

Telling her about the horrible church camp shelter I had run away from made me wonder about Rosalita and her family. I wondered what would happen to those families whose fathers were killed.

Daddy and I had to leave when it was time for Mother to eat supper. We drove back to Little Rock. Daddy dropped me off at the Stauer’s. They were setting up chairs on the lawn to watch the fireworks on the River. Daddy drove back to the shelter. The men there were getting ready to walk down to the River Market to watch the Fourth of July fireworks.

On Saturday Melodie asked me to watch the children for the next couple days. She and Clifford wanted to go off by themselves to get reacquainted. She had gathered whatever pictures her parents had of them. All of her own pictures had been destroyed in the quake.

I knew that I would have to give Mrs. Stauer a wide berth, but I hoped that what her husband said might have calmed her down. I had a Sunshine Parade for the children and let them make a lot of noise while they were outside. Inside I let them watch one of the children’s channels on television, had a numbers and letters game for them, taught them a few simple songs, read them a story that they didn’t fall asleep on. By 4 p.m. they were tired and so was I. I put them in their room for a nap and then I went to my room and lay down for a nap.

I was awakened by an angry Mrs. Stauer.

 ”Do you know where those children are?”

I could hear Jamie and Joy marching up and down the hallway singing one of the noisy songs we had sung outside.

I got up and went to the hallway.

“My, oh my, you certainly learned that song well. Let’s see how well you learned the numbers and letters while we wait for supper.”

“You will wait a long time. Paul and I are going to a restaurant so I can get out of this noisy house.”

When they left I took the children into the kitchen and sat them at the kitchen table. I don’t know how to cook! I found a box of cereal, some raisins, a bottle of milk and we had a breakfast-supper. The kids thought that was a lot of fun. After that we watched Sponge Bob Square Pants and Dora the Explorer on television. After that it was bed time. By the time the Stauers returned to their home, the children and I were asleep.

 

 

EARTHQUAKE - Chapter 18

Karl returned to the motel, loaded his tools and clothes into the car, and checked out of his room. He drove back to Little Rock and went to the shelter. After he carried his tools and clothes to the room, he called the Stauer residence. Melodie answered,

“Mr. Cusak, you had better get over here. The police came and were going to take Dana back to the shelter in Ferndale. We went up to her room, and it appeared that she had run away. I might know where she’s hiding, but I’ll wait until you get over here. Also, my father wants to talk to you.”

Karl carried his tools back to the car and put them in the trunk. That was a safer place than in the shelter room. He told the other men that his daughter had run away, so he would be late coming back.

When he arrived at the Stauer’s, the police had left, promising to return the next day. Mrs. Stauer was going around all aflutter,

“Never in all my years have we had police come to our home. That is the kind of thing you expect in the neighborhoods of riff-raff. We are respectable people!”

Melodie said to Karl, “My father wants to talk to you. Then we’ll go look for Dana.”

Mr. Paul Stauer took Karl into the library, away from all the excitement.

“Melodie told me that you were in Monroe, Louisiana looking for a job. I can understand that you want to be near your wife. However, she can probably be moved to Arkansas soon.

“You still have a job with Wesson Farm and we need you, unless you want to quit. We need for you to go back to Victoria as soon as possible and assess the damage up there. Report to us the damage to the roads - what equipment and how many days it will take to make them useable. After that report, we want you to visit all the fields. Tell us which ones are undamaged and have crops still growing, which ones are damaged and what must be done to repair them. Another report will be if there is undamaged equipment, useable buildings, and what buildings or sheds need immediate replacement. You will be working closely with Clifford. When I found out that he was found, that is when I started thinking about rebuilding Wesson Farm.

“Now as far as your daughter is concerned. I know that you want to find her and I pray that she is unharmed. Assuming that she is found, I will call our company’s law firm tomorrow morning and tell them to get an injunction barring the police from removing her from your custody or the custody of your designated caretaker until the whole matter can be adjudicated. The company will pay for the lawyers.”

“Thank you very much, sir. When do you want me to return to Victoria for that survey?”

“As soon as you get the injunction AND find a place for your wife here in Little Rock. I would suggest that you and Clifford find houses or apartments that are adjoining. That way Melodie can be Dana’s caregiver while you are in Victoria. My suggestion would be that you all live in Marked Tree, but wait until you get up in that area before deciding where to live.

“By the way, I know that when Melodie found you in Blytheville, you were working with some other heavy equipment men. Are you still in touch with any of them?”

“Yes, sir. Five of them are in the shelter with me.”

“You tell them that I’ll hire any and all of them until we have this farm back up and running. You and Clifford can decide what wages are fair”

Karl returned to the living room. Melodie said “Clifford, see if you can get Jamie and Joy upstairs and ready for bed. I’ll get a flashlight and help Mr. Cusak look for Dana.”

Clifford said to the children, “Let’s go upstairs and get ready for bed.”

The children led him to their bedroom.

“What do you do to get ready for bed?”

Jamie said, “We have to wash our hands and face real good. Then we brush our teeth. After that we put on our pajamas.”

“Okay. Go to it.”

Jamie giggled. “That’s what you always say, ‘Go two it, go four it.’”

After the children were in their pajamas, Clifford held back the covers for each of them as they got into bed. Then Jamie said,

“Now you read us a story.”

Clifford said, “Boy, you have a real routine.”

“What’s a routine?”

“Never mind; but what should I read?”

“Dana found a book of Mother Goose Tales. It’s in here somewhere.”

Clifford looked around in the room and found an old book on the dresser. He began to read it to the children, but before he finished the second page they were asleep with smiles on their face. He thought it was strange that he didn’t remember them. After being with them for less than two hours he felt like he knew them from somewhere. Stranger still was how deeply he loved these two children about whom he had no memory.

It was the same with Melodie. At first she was a stranger to him. He could not explain to himself why, but he loved her and knew that he loved her at some other time in his life that he couldn’t remember.

Karl and Melodie went out into the dark night.

“I grew up in this house. I know that from upstairs she heard every word the policemen said. When they said that they would take her back to the shelter in Ferndale, I think that she tiptoed down the upstairs hallway to the back stairway. At the bottom of it is that door.”

Melodie shined the flashlight’s beam on the door.

“It was chilly last night so she would have looked for shelter. The nearest shelter is the garage. Let’s look in there.”

In a couple minutes Melodie was shining the beam into the back seat of the big car. Dana woke up. She began screaming,

“No. Don’t let them take me back. Oh, I wish I could reach my Daddy.”

Karl stepped around Melodie and reached out his arms to Dana.

“Here I am and I’m not going to let them take you away. Now, get into the house where it’s warm.”

“Mrs. Stauer doesn’t like me. She doesn’t want me in the house.”

“I want you.” Melodie hugged Dana.

Inside the house Melodie told Dana to take a shower and put on the nightgown she had given her to use. When Dana was in the shower, Melodie took her clothes down to the laundry room, put them in the washer, and turned it on. Then she went into her bedroom. Clifford was lying on top of the covers still dressed. She helped him get undressed and then put him under the covers. Then she undressed and put on a simple cotton nightgown. She crawled into bed beside him.

“Don’t be embarrassed, Clifford. You’ll remember me the first time we cuddle up together.”

An hour later Clifford was sleeping soundly. She slipped out of bed, went down to the laundry room and put Dana’s clothes in the dryer. Back upstairs she climbed back into bed and snuggled close to Clifford, She felt happy and complete for the first time since the earthquake.

Karl arrived back at the shelter about 11 p.m. Shorty got out of bed and let him into the room. The next morning at breakfast, Karl told the rest of Baker’s Coffee Klatch about the offer of employment at Wesson Farm. All of them were interested in the job.

“Okay, next week, Wednesday or Thursday we will start.”

A little after 9 a.m. Karl received a call from the law firm that handles all of the legal work for Wesson Farm.

“Mr. Cusak we need for you to come to our office at 785 Fifth Street as soon as you can. We need information from you and your signature before we can request the injunction you want.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

 Karl gulped down the rest of his coffee and drove to the address.

Inside the office there were wooden bookcases, a wooden railing, and wooden desks. All the men were dressed in what appeared to be expensive suits and shoes.

One of the “suits” came toward Karl.

“Mr. Cusak?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I am Dexter Nolan. I’ll be working on the request for an injunction. The first thing I want you to do is answer some questions for my secretary.”

“Mr. Cusak, I’m Betty. Have a seat.”

“Give me your daughter’s full name…

What is the date of her birth and where was she born?

What is your full name?

What is her mother’s full name?

What is the hospital and town or city and state where she was born?”

After she had that information she typed a form which contained all the information and had Karl sign it. The form was a request for a duplicate birth certificate. She sent it out on the fax machine. Next she had him sign a form requesting that Dexter Nolan be his legal counsel in the matter of a request for an injunction to halt the return of his daughter Dana Delania Cusak to a shelter from which she ran away. 

After Karl signed the form she asked him for a dollar to make the contract be in effect.

Betty asked Karl, “Who are you appointing as your designated caretaker for Dana? Is it Mrs. Melodie Cartright?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

After Karl left the lawyers’ office, he went to St. Vincent’s Hospital. He asked at the Information Booth where the residential physical rehabilitation unit was located.

“The unit itself is in another building. However, if you want to ask for information about transferring a patient into the unit, they have an office on this floor.”

A volunteer led Karl through a labyrinth of corridors and offices to the offices of the residential physical rehabilitation unit.

A woman in a nice business suit greeted him.

“Good afternoon. I am Sister Catherine. I am in charge of admissions to the residential physical rehabilitation unit. Is that what you came to inquire about?”

“Yes, my wife is currently a patient in St. Francis Medical Center in Monroe, Louisiana. She was in the earthquake on June 13 and was trapped in a building. After she was rescued they flew her to Monroe because all the hospitals in Little Rock were crowded beyond capacity.

“She had to have part of her lower right leg amputated. Now the doctor says that she is ready to be moved to a residential physical rehabilitation unit – I guess to be fitted with an artificial leg and learn to walk with it.”

“What is her doctor’s name?”…

“What is the hospital insurance that you have?”…

“Who is your employer – are you still employed?”…

“Here is my card. Give me your phone number and I will call you this afternoon with an answer for you.”

Karl hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast. He asked directions to the cafeteria and found a sandwich, a fruit salad, and chocolate milk. Just as he finished eating his cell phone buzzed. It was the law firm.

“Mr. Cusak. The judge signed an injunction for thirty days. You have that much time to persuade Child Protection to drop their charges. You can come to the office before 4 p.m. and pick it up.”

Karl hurried out to his car and drove to the law offices. Then he went back to his room in the shelter to await Sister Catherine’s call. He also called Melodie to let her know that he had received the injunction and also a separate paper designating her as Dana’s caretaker.

Back in his room Ray and Shorty wanted to know more about the job.

“We are going to go to Marked Tree and drive toward Victoria. We are supposed to mark on the map where a road is too badly damaged to be used by trucks and what we need to do to make it useable. We won’t be doing any paving, just filling in holes or crevasses or whatever so that trucks can get through. Once we have a useable road to Victoria, we go out the county road that passes through the farm land as far as the farm land extends.

“When we have roads, we look for the farm equipment, tow it back to Victoria, put it in sheds, and fix it up. We mark on the map which fields still have crops growing. We mark which fields have been buckled and have ravines from the quake. They will have to be reengineered before they can be ploughed.

“We’ll be rebuilding the farm so that it is ready for planting season 2015.”

Just then Karl’s cell phone buzzed.

“Mr. Cusak, this is Sister Catherine. I have had a conversation with Dr. Kubicki in Monroe. I have also spoken with Blue Cross-Blue Shield here in Little Rock. We are ready to admit your wife to St. Vincent’s Residential Physical Rehabilitation unit. Come to my office on Monday morning. As soon as you sign the paper, I will call an ambulance company in Monroe and have them transport Mary to our unit. When she is in the unit, I will call you. Then you and your daughter may visit with her for one hour. After that you may only visit during the designated hours on Saturday and Sunday. Do you have any questions?”

“No, ma’am. Thank you.”

At 6 p.m. Karl left the shelter heading for the Stauer home. He stopped at a Wendy’s and ate a baked potato with chili and cheese.

At the Stauer’s he gave Melodie the papers and told Dana that her mother was being moved to St. Vincent’s. He told her that they would only be allowed to visit on Saturdays and Sundays but that Monday afternoon or evening after Mary was admitted they would be allowed to visit her for one hour. He gave Melodie $200 and asked her to buy Dana some clothes.

 

EARTHQUAKE - Chapter 17

Tuesday morning Mary awoke with a new enthusiasm. She tried to wrap the elastic bandage as well as the nurses had wrapped them. She did the exercises they taught her. She moved from the bed to the wheelchair. When she had a chance to do so, she took the wheelchair out in the hall and rolled all the way down and back without stopping. In the bed she moved to the different positions without help. Karl was alive. Dana was alive. She had reason to live and to learn to get about on this stump. She wanted to be a wife and mother again. She wanted to move as quickly as possible from being needy to being needed.

When Karl came in to visit her after dialysis, he told her about discovering that Clifford Cartright was in this hospital and that Dr. Kubicki is his doctor. Clifford is suffering from amnesia but is ready to be discharged. Karl guessed that as soon as Melodie finds out she will drive down to get him.

Karl told Mary that he is discouraged by the first couple visits he made to apply for a job as diesel mechanic in Monroe. They discussed whether he would have a better chance in Arkansas. Karl said that he is going to ask Dr. Kubicki if Mary could be moved to Arkansas for her residential physical therapy.

On Wednesday Clifford and Melodie stopped in Mary’s room. They were on their way down to the business office for Clifford’s discharge papers and then on to Little Rock. Melodie told her that Dana was watching her children.

Mary said, “I thought she was at a shelter.”

“Apparently she was being mistreated there. She ran away and then called me and asked if I would come and get her. I told Karl that I need some kind of legal paper giving me temporary guardianship.”

Dr. Kubicki came in to see Mary on his rounds. He asked her to remove the elastic bandage even though Wanda was accompanying him on his rounds. He looked closely at her stump.

“Now let me see you wrap it by yourself.”

Mary worked quickly, but carefully, wrapping it tightly, but not so tight it would cut off the blood flow in her leg. When she was finished she looked up. Wanda was smiling approval. Dr. Kubicki said,

“I am impressed. Mrs. Cusak, you are making remarkable progress. Your stump has healed well. The elastic bandage is shaping it like it should. The nurses report on your chart that you are turning yourself onto the correct side or prone or on your back on schedule and without being told or requiring assistance. You are moving yourself from the bed to the wheelchair and from the wheel chair onto the toilet and back into the wheelchair without requiring assistance. You are rolling yourself down the hall once and twice a day. AND Mamaw’s Miracle Medicine has coaxed your kidneys into resuming their function.

“In summary, Mrs. Cusak, I am really happy. Anytime after this Friday, I will release you to be moved to a residential physical rehabilitation facility. I realize that it may take a few days or even a week to find a suitable facility. You will remain in our hospital’s care until then. Even though you are able on your own to make these movements from bed to wheelchair and back again and from wheelchair to toilet and back into the wheelchair, you must have a nurse observing you. Accidents can happen to the best of people. I want someone there to catch you if you fall. That stump is fragile. Think of it as fine china.”

“Thank you, Doctor. Thank the Lord. God bless you!”

“Let’s not forget to thank Mamaw.”

Mary was so happy. She couldn’t wait to see Karl and tell him.

When the dialysis nurse came, she told Mary that this would be her last treatment. Doctor Kubicki said that she wouldn’t need any further dialysis as long as her kidneys were functioning.

Karl came soon after the dialysis treatment was completed.

“Mary, I am not having any encouragement at all about finding a job in Louisiana. My years of experience working on large farms, for a heavy equipment dealer, and in the National Guard over in Iraq doesn’t mean a thing to them. Apparently, in the aftermath of Katrina, a lot of unqualified men were hired for the cleanup and rebuilding. They botched up jobs and it cost a lot of money to undo their mistakes. Others ruined valuable equipment trying to perform repairs or even maintenance which they didn’t know how to do. They want more than my word that I can do the work.”

“Karl, I received some good news from the doctor. He said that he would release me to a residential physical rehabilitation facility any day after Friday. He said we could take as long as a week to find one and I will remain in this hospital until we find one. Isn’t that good news? It means I am one giant step toward being a wife and mother, being needed instead of needy.”

Karl kissed her.

They talked more about Clifford and Melodie and about Dana.

Karl said, “I’m worried about her running away and Melodie is worried about police. I’m going to drive back there tonight and see what I can do. The Department of Human Services will be open tomorrow. It will be closed on Friday because that’s the Fourth of July.”

EARTHQUAKE - Chapter 16

When I arrived at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Stauer, Mrs. Cartright’s parents, she hugged me. I cried and told her all that had happened. She said,

“I’m glad you are out of that situation. At the same time I am afraid of what might happen if that shelter called the police. If your father were here, he could call the Department of Human Services and straighten things out. I may hear from him tonight.

“I had some marvelous news while I was waiting for you. There is a man in the hospital where your mother is who has amnesia. They didn’t know who he was. They asked your father to see him. He recognized him as my husband Clifford Cartright.

“My parents are due to arrive here tonight. I am going to Monroe to meet Clifford and bring him back here if possible. I am asking you to watch my children until I get back from Monroe. My parents will be here, but they don’t have any patience with children. Will you do that for me, Dana?”

“Of course I will, Mrs. Cartright.”

“I don’t know what to do about clothes for you. I’m afraid to take you to a store, because the shelter may have called the police and there may be an Amber Alert for you. I will get one of my nightgowns. Put it on and then wash and dry all the clothes you have on. I’ll show you where the washer and dryer are located. Take off your socks and wash them also. You can walk around barefoot in the house.”

About then the two children, Jamie and Joy, came running down the stairs. They ran straight to Dana’s arms. After she hugged them, Jamie said,

“Ooh, you stink.”

I laughed and took that as my cue to go upstairs, undress, take a shower, and put on the cotton nightgown Mrs. Cartright had laid out for me while I was in the shower. I went downstairs with my bundle of dirty clothes. Mrs. Cartright showed me where the washer and dryer were. I put the clothes into the washer and turned it on.

Mrs. Cartright was fixing an early supper for the children. She was hoping that they would be in bed by the time her parents arrived. She fixed a plate for me and I was glad. I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. After we ate, I went to check on the wash. It was done and I put everything in the dryer. After I turned it on, I told Mrs. Cartright I wanted to lie down for a while.

I lay down on top of the bed spread. Sometimes during the night I was freezing cold. It was pitch dark. I crawled under the blankets and went back to sleep. I must have slept late. The sun was bright through the curtains. When I crawled out from under the covers, there at the foot of the bed my clean clothes were neatly folded.

I went downstairs and encountered Mrs. Stauer, waiting impatiently for me.

“I understood that you were going to take care of Melodie’s children. They are up, running around in their pajamas, probably watching cartoons. I don’t want to have to care for two little children. I have just returned from a trip and I am exhausted.”

I found the children parked in front of the television in the living room watching cartoons.

“Hi Dana,” they chimed together.

“Have you had any breakfast?”

“No.”

“Let’s go get some and then get washed and dressed.”

I turned the television off and led them into the kitchen. I put some corn flakes in three bowls, some milk on them, and we began to eat our breakfast. Afterward, I took them upstairs to their rooms, found some play clothes, washed and dressed them and then we sat on the floor.

I led them in some songs, some hand clapping and finger fun. Then I said, “There must be some story books around here.”

“All our books were buried when the house fell down.”

“Let’s go exploring and see if we can find a story book.”

There were many rooms in the house. Some of them looked like they had been closed for decades. In one dusty bedroom we found some old books. There were Robinson Crusoe, Tom Sawyer, Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates and many others that were too old for them, but at the bottom of the pile was Mother Goose Stories. Perfect!

We went back to their room and met Mrs. Stauer.

“What were you doing snooping around my house? Did you think you could find something to steal?”

“No, ma’am. We were looking for some children’s books so I could read them stories. All their books were destroyed in the earthquake.”

“The earthquake, the earthquake. I’m sick of hearing about it.”

“I found a book of Mother Goose Tales. May I borrow it to read to the children?”

“Oh, I suppose so, if it will keep the rug rats amused and away from me.”

She stomped out of the room. The children were upset. Jamie said,

“She’s mean. I don’t like her.”

I said, “Let’s read a couple of these stories.” The children listened attentively to the first couple stories. Then they became restless. I decided to take them outside for a while to play. When we reached the door, Mrs. Stauer appeared out of nowhere.

“Where are you going?”

“I was going to take the children outside to play for a while until it is their lunch time.”

“You didn’t ask my permission. I don’t want them outside. They will get a sunburn. Take them upstairs. I’ll call when lunch is ready.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

If she wants them upstairs, upstairs we’ll go. When we were upstairs just as we were going into the children’s room I noticed the long hall.

“I know what we can do. We can have races in the hallway. Then we’ll play a game of tag. After that we can play hide and seek.”

The sounds of the children squealing, the slapping of their shoes on the wood floor, the bumps when they fell were my revenge on the mean Mrs. Stauer.

At supper she announced that Melodie was driving back tomorrow with her husband Clifford. If my father called she didn’t call me to the phone or tell me any messages he might have left for me.

After I put the children in bed, I went downstairs with my clothes to wash them. When Mrs. Stauer saw me going toward the laundry room she said,

“Where do you think that you are going?”

I was going to wash my clothes. I only have one set of clothes. That is what your daughter told me to do.

“Only one set of clothes. I guess it’s the earthquake again. The washer and dryer don’t belong to Melodie. They are mine and I say who can use them. Take your clothes back upstairs with you.”

The next day at lunch time I told the children that their mother and father were coming home, probably after supper some time.

Mr.& Mrs. Clifford Cartright arrived while the children were in for their naps. Mr. Cartright walked painfully into the house and looked confused. His father-in-law came out to meet him, hugged him and kept saying,

“Clifford, Clifford, it’s really you. You survived.”

Tears were rolling down his face. His wife came out and tried to take charge.

“You will just have to find a nice psychiatric hospital to put him in.”

“He doesn’t need that. I talked for a long time with his doctor and with their mental health specialist. The trauma to the brain wiped out all his memory of who he is, who his family is, where he lived or worked, who his friends were. This is day one for him to know me or his children.

“On the other hand, his knowledge of accounting and bookkeeping are intact. He doesn’t need to be in a hospital. He needs to be home with me and his children.”

Mrs. Stauer said, “I don’t know if I can feel safe with a madman in the same house with me.”

“Very well, mother, we will pack up and go to a motel if that is what you need.”

Mr. Stauer said, “You’ll stay in this house as long as you need to until you can find another house of your own. Millicent can check herself into a psychiatric hospital if she doesn’t feel safe in my house. I worked hard for the money I put into this house. I bought a big house so there would always be plenty of room when our children came to stay with their families – whether for a week’s vacation, or as it is with Melodie, to recover from a disaster.”

Millicent muttered, “The earthquake, the earthquake, the earthquake.”

I was embarrassed and went upstairs.   

Jamie and Joy were in their room playing.

“Are Mommy and Daddy home yet?”

“Yes, they just walked in the door.”

They flew out of their room and ran squealing down the steps.

“Mommy. Daddy.”

In all that confusion, the door bell rang. It was the police.

Mr. Stauer went to the door.

“What is the problem, officers?”

“We have information that a girl, Dana Kusak may be here or that you may have information where she is. She is a runaway and we have instructions to pick her up.

Melodie went to the door.

“Officers, please come in and let me explain to you what happened. Dana was in a shelter at St. Edwards parish school. Her grandfather died, and I was contacted by the hospital. Through the Red Cross I located her father, then Dana, and finally her mother. Dana and her father were reunited at her grandfather’s funeral last Thursday. I found out that her mother was in a hospital in Monroe, Louisiana so on Monday her father left for Monroe, Louisiana to see his wife who is in a hospital there after having part of her leg amputated.

“On Monday they moved out all the earthquake survivors from St. Edwards School and took them to a church camp in Ferndale. Dana had been living together with the family of her best friend, Rosalita at the St. Edwards shelter. At Ferndale they separated these two girls from Rosalita’s mother and put them in a dormitory of older teenage girls. They were picked on and bullied from the beginning and the adults did nothing to protect them. They were elbowed and shoved out of the food lines. Dana had all of her clothes stolen. When she told the adult advisor she just shrugged it off, they did nothing.

“She called me crying on Tuesday. I sent my car for her. When I talked to her father on the phone that night I told him what happened and asked him to send me an a letter giving me permission to let her live with us until he gets back up here. He was going to have it notarized and then send it by fax to me. Let me check the fax machine.”

When she returned she looked puzzled.

           “There were no messages on the fax machine. There are usually half a dozen”

Mrs. Stauer said,“Oh, I tore all the messages off the machine and shredded them.”

An officer said, “I’m sorry Mrs. Cartright, we will have to take her back to Ferndale. That is where she ran away from.”

Dana was upstairs and heard all that was said. She went quietly into her bedroom and picked up her teddy bear and silently went down the hallway to the back stairs, and down to the back door. She went out into the dark, cold night.

           In the back of the house she looked around. She spied the garage. Creeping over to it she tried the door. It was unlocked. Inside the garage were two cars. One of them was locked, but the big one which had come for her and which took them to the funeral, was unlocked. She crawled into the back seat and lay down. Her feet touched something soft. It was a lap robe rolled up on the end of the seat. There was another one rolled up at the other end. Using one for a pillow and the other for a blanket, she was soon asleep hugging her teddy bear.

 

EARTHQUAKE - Chapter 15

On Friday, Karl went to a Regions Bank and asked for the balance in his checking and savings accounts. He had $1000 placed on a money card and took $300 in cash. Then he went to several car rental agencies to inquire about renting a car to drive to Monroe, Louisiana for several days. All the major car rental firms turned him down because he now had no residence address. Finally, he went to a Rent-a-Wreck agent.

“Look, fellow, I know you are jammed up. You look like an honest man to me. It isn’t like you are wanting to rent a Jaguar. Come back on Monday when you need the car. I’ll write it up using your address in Victoria. It isn’t like all that many people ever heard of Victoria or know that it was in an earthquake. I’ll see you Monday.”

He found the offices of Blue Cross. He wanted to see if they knew where Mary was in the hospital. He wanted to be sure that they would pay the claims.

“Yes, sir. We have it in the system that she is a patient at St. Francis Medical Center in Monroe, Louisiana. It is a little bit harder for us because the billing information has to be sent to us by Louisiana Blue Cross after they receive it from the hospital. Then if we have any questions for the doctor or hospital they are funneled through Louisiana Blue Cross. In the end the hospital and doctors are being paid. You’re in good shape.”

“What about when they move her into a rehab center?”

“We would rather that she go to one of our approved rehab centers in Arkansas. When the time comes, we will discuss it with her surgeon. If he says that he wants her where he can keep check on her, we will have to do what the doctor says.”

“Thank you.”

He went back to the shelter, met up with the others, and went down to River Market to look for a good place to eat. They found an Irish pub. Supposedly the owner bought a pub in Dublin, Ireland, dismantled it piece by piece and shipped it to Little Rock where it was reassembled. Karl didn’t believe that malarkey for one minute. However, they did have good sausages and beer.

That night they were glad for the clamp Karl bought to keep the door closed to outsiders. There was racket in the hallway, fighting, doors slamming, and tough looking men roaming the halls. It was definitely not a safe place to be. The next morning the stairway was filled with bottles, some broken, litter from fast food joints, and vomit.

Saturday he hid his tool box under his cot and decided to spend the day sightseeing. He rode on a streetcar which is a replica of the ones that ran in Little Rock in the XIX century, went to the Clinton Presidential Library, and walked across the bridge beside it to North Little Rock and then walked back across it. By then he was tired. He stopped at a stall in the River Market to sit, rest, and slowly eat a hot dog and drink a Coke.

When Karl got back to the room Jack Raymond had brought back two pizzas for all of them to share. They went down for showers first and brought back coffee from the lobby. They were now ready to hunker down in their fortress before the rioting rampage would begin.

Karl was so grateful that they were together for protection. He couldn’t imagine what it was like for men there who were alone and rooming with strangers. What they had gone through was bad enough - losing homes and many of them losing family members. Then to have to come and live like this having no idea what the future held. It was like being locked up in a prison with no guards – a prison run by the prisoners. The only other option was to go live with the homeless. He wondered how many would choose that option.

On Sunday, the stairway was even worse. A policeman was in the lobby at the bottom of the stairs.

“Okay, I want all the bottles and other litter cleaned off the stairs all the way to the top floor. I want it done right now. If it isn’t completely clear of litter in one hour’s time, I am going to run all of you out of this shelter, put a padlock on it and declare it unfit for habitation.”

They all knew that the injustice of it was not going to carry the day. To argue with the policeman would just bring more grief. They took the garbage bags he gave them and proceeded to pick up the litter. The men who had thrown it there were now sleeping off a drunk or were in a drug induced dreamland.

Karl had to hurry to get to the shelter where Dana was living until tomorrow. While they were eating, Dana told him how fearful she was about what might happen tomorrow. He gave her $50 and a phone card. He made sure that she had the card with Mrs. Cartright’s address and phone number.

“If anything happens, or you get into trouble, call Mrs, Cartright. She will take care of you until I can get there.”

After he dropped Dana off at the shelter, he called Mrs. Cartright.

“Mrs. Cartright, you have done so much for us that I am ashamed to ask yet another favor.”

“Mr. Cusak, I’ll be happy to do anything I can.”

“My daughter, Dana, is afraid of what is going to happen tomorrow. Tomorrow I am driving down to Monroe, Louisiana to see my wife. Then I want to see if I can find a job down there. I may not get back until Thursday or Friday. If Dana calls you and needs help, would you take care of her until I get back? I’ll call you each evening to let you know what I am doing and you can let me know if you have heard from Dana.”

“I will be glad to do that, Mr. Cusak.”

On Monday, Karl rented a 2007 Toyota Corolla. He put his tools and clothes in the trunk. It was a little past 9:30 AM when he left Little Rock. It was about 1:30PM when he arrived at St. Francis Medical Center. When the lady in the Information kiosk called, the nurse said to ask Mr. Cusak to wait until 3PM. Mrs. Cusak was having her dialysis treatment. They had a nice long visit. The nurses postponed several things because they knew this was their first meeting since the earthquake.

 Karl found a motel room at a Days Inn and then went out to find some supper.

On Tuesday he went to several heavy equipment dealers inquiring about a job as mechanic. When they found out that he had not gone to a school for diesel mechanics, they were not interested.

He went to the hospital that afternoon. It was again too early to visit Mary. Karl asked where the Cafeteria was located. He hadn’t eaten anything except a donut and coffee at the motel that morning. The hot food lines had just closed. He found a display of cellophane wrapped sandwiches, another one of salads. He bought a ham and cheese on rye bread, a large fruit salad, a bag of chips, and a bottle of chocolate milk.

While he was eating, a doctor came to his table.

“Are you Karl Cusak?”

“Yes.”

“I’m Dr. Jacob Kubicki, your wife’s surgeon. I talked to you on the phone last Friday. The Information volunteer told me that I would find you here. I have a favor that I would like to ask of you.”

“Certainly, Doctor.”

“We have a man who was brought here on the same plane that brought your wife here. He was really banged up badly. I had to perform two sessions of surgery to repair the damage. He has recovered nicely from the surgery, but he suffered trauma to his head which has left him with amnesia. The Arkansas State Police ran his fingerprints through their files, but didn’t find anything. He had no identification on him when he was brought in. While you are waiting to see your wife, would you mind going with me into his room and see if by some chance you recognize him.”

We went to the elevator and rode to the third floor. As soon as we walked into the room, I recognized him.

“This is Clifford Cartright. He was the bookkeeper and accountant at Wesson Farm where I worked. His wife is the one who located Mary here in Monroe.”

“Clifford, your wife Melodie and your two children will be happy to find out that you are alive. Doctor, do you want to call his wife, I have their number?”

Clifford looked puzzled.

Soon after that Karl saw Mary and told her about Clifford being in the same hospital and having the same surgeon she has. He told her that he was trying to find a job but so far with no success. He didn’t tell her his concerns about Dana because he didn’t want to upset her.

After he visited with Mary, Karl asked to see Dr. Kubicki. He waited in the waiting room over a half hour until they called his name. One of the volunteers told him to take the elevator to the fourth floor and Dr. Kubicki would meet him there. When he stepped off the elevator he saw by the signs that this was the floor where the surgical suites and surgery waiting room were located.

“I’m sorry to meet you in the hallway. I’d just finished one surgery when you asked to meet me. I have another one scheduled. I can only give you fifteen minutes.”

“Doctor, I need to know some things about Mary’s future in order to make decisions about my own immediate future. We have a daughter, so I have to find a job and a place for us to live. The first question is Where? I assume that Mary will be moved to a residential physical rehabilitation facility in the near future. Will you want her to be in a facility here or could she go to a facility in Arkansas?”

“If she is moved to a facility in Monroe, and St. Francis has a fine facility here, then I would continue to be her attending physician. On the other hand, there are some excellent residential physical rehabilitation facilities in Arkansas and I can help you choose one. Please understand that wherever she goes she will have to be moved by ambulance. You can’t transport her in a car.”

“Thank you. The other thing that I wanted to know is how long she will be in a residential facility before she can come home?”

“It could be three to six months. With her attitude of cooperation and wanting to get well, I would guess not much longer than three months. That is assuming that there are no setbacks. After she goes home, she will have physical therapists coming to the home five days a week and then three days a week for probably six months.”

“Thank you so much, Doctor.”

“Thank you for your help with Clifford Cartright.”

When he returned to his room, he called Mrs. Cartright. He was surprised when Dana answered the phone.

“Dana, what are doing at Mrs. Cartright’s home?”

“Daddy, the shelter they sent us to was an abandoned church camp. The adults were mean. The first day I was there all my clothes were stolen. When I told one of the adult leaders she said it was my fault for having them in a garbage bag and that someone probably threw them out with the garbage. But that was what they gave us to put our clothes in. There were no closets or dressers. They put Rosalita and I in a dormitory of bunk beds made of rough lumber and with smelly mattresses. All the other girls were older than us. They made fun of us and picked on us.

“I ran away the next day and called Mrs. Cartright. She sent her car for me. Now she is afraid that she will get in trouble because I ran away.

“She is all excited about her husband being found. Her parents are due back tonight. She is going to leave the children with them so that she can drive down to Monroe tomorrow. Here she is. She wants to talk to you.”

“Mr. Kusak, I cannot thank you enough for being a part of finding my husband. I have been afraid all this time to face the fact that he was probably dead. He had gone to the Wesson Farm offices in Osceola that day. I heard that it had been reduced to rubble.

“As Dana has already told you, I am afraid of getting into trouble keeping her here since she ran away from that shelter. If you would do this for me, please. Go someplace in Monroe tomorrow morning and type a statement saying that you are the legal parent of Dana Kusak and that you have requested that Mrs. Melodie Cartright, put in my address and phone number, keep Dana Kusak as a house guest for a week’s time while you are job hunting. Have the statement notarized and fax it to me at 501-555-5978. You can probably do all that at the motel you are in.

“Tell me about Clifford. How is he?”

“He looked pretty confused when I told him his name, and that he has a wife and two children. Physically, he was banged up pretty bad. He still has bandages. However, the doctor said that he was ready to be discharged, but they didn’t know where to send him.”

“I am going down to Monroe tomorrow. I would like to leave Dana here to take care of my children. My parents will be here, but they don’t have any patience with little children. Dana is just great with them.”