a/n This was written before H. Irene or H. Sandy struck and in hindsight the subject is treated too lightly. Just goes to how why we didn't evacuate until *after* Sandy...two days after! The darkness was overwhelming...
But I / we are home now. Many thanks to everyone here on ff who contacted me after the storm. Caring messages from the outside world were a lifeline. sunny
This takes place when R & S are a couple, maybe shortly after TAC/ Mercenary Ranger world, characters.
A Random Life
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25 . Hurricane Season: Sandbags and Ice Cubes
[Ranger]
''Dude, you need to come by and pick me up, and bring the truck, okay?''
It's Anthony. And you thought I have shitty phone manners.
''What's up,'' I ask calmly.
''Uh like you heard about the hurricane?''
''Yeah.''
''My mom wants us to come out to the beach and help her like board up her house for the storm.''
''Hurricanes almost never hit New York, Anthony.''
''Gloria?'' [1985]
''You were maybe three years old.''
''Yeah, we played that racecar game! Awesome! And then there was Bob!'' [1991]
''We went surfing during Bob, hermano," I reminded him.
''Yeah, awesome. But you know, like, it's my mom...''
''What about your house? Jilly and Nick's house?" I asked. ''And my mother's house?" My mother would-I don't even know what-before she'd ask me to board up her windows.
''We have people for that shit, man. Dani, you remember my PA, Dani? - -she's from the Caribbean, she knows all about hurricanes. She says she has it covered. I'm not gonna, like, drag bags of ice cubes and sandbags and shit at my house. That's ridiculous.''
"So why doesn't Olivia..." his mother, my aunt Olivia, " - -have people? She has more money than god...''
"Ranger. She could have people. But she wants her boys, she wants us. Comprende?''
"Oh. Sure. I'm on it. Should I bring Steph?''
''Yeah, cool."
I called Stephanie, she was just dropping an FTA off at TPD.
''Yo.''
''Yo yourself, Ranger. This place is going wacko, all about this storm that's maybe, sorta, gonna come."
?
"The police department is, I don't even know - -mobilizing?"
''Care to get out of town for a day or two, babe?'' I explained about Anthony's call, how Olivia wanted us to come and weatherproof her house.
Stephanie asked, "What about the rest of your family? Jilly and your mom? And Anthony has a house out there...?"
''They have people." She took a breath to start the "people" convo and I just said, "Don't ask, babe. If Olivia wants us to carry her palm trees indoors and nail up the plywood, we're on it. She's - -"
I could feel Stephanie's smile right through the phone. ''I know, Ranger. She's like your mom too in a way. I know you love her."
''Yeah and we can surf afterwards.''
... ...
In the end I rounded up Tank and Vince and Hal and Brett and Binky and Junior. They all had construction training either through summer jobs or the military. We had us a convoy. Ninety minutes after we hit the road we drove over the last of the bridges to the tiny island we - -Anthony, Tank and I anyway - - once called home.
Anthony told me, "First stop, Whiteside Lumber. Dani called and had them measure the windows, cut the wood."
''Okay.''
''And she had six cordless drills delivered from Home Depot...charged. With extra power packs."
Anthony's ''people'' working behind the scenes.
''Why doesn't her house have hurricane shutters?" I asked suddenly. Olivia's house was new construction, very modern, huge, white. "And, or, hurricane windows?"
''Duh. Because we never have hurricanes, man."
"Oh yeah."
"And the windows are bulletproof glass, you know that. My dad thought bullets were more likely than a freakin' hurricane..."'
Stephanie piped up, "That's just sad, isn't it? I think that's sad."
Anthony and I turned to stare at her. She shrugged. "What?"
... ... ...
[Steph]
We let ourselves into Olivia Stewart's big white kitchen in her big white [bulletproof] house at the beach. She was there at the stove like an insanely beautiful supermodel version of my own mom, stirring the marinara sauce with a wooden spoon.
Anthony's mother is about as non-mom looking as a woman can get. First of all, she looks incredibly young, not old enough to Anthony's mother - -he's, what? twenty-seven or so? She's tall and slim and blonde and - -young. Today she wore short khaki cargo shorts, a grey tank top, and a blue and white striped bakers apron. Her hair was a messy blonde ponytail, her feet were bare, her tan legs looked a mile long. She turned and smiled at us, her flashing white supermodel smile, all warmth and welcome and happiness to see her kitchen filling up with huge tough young men.
Ranger thumped a brown carton onto the antique pine farm table and gave her a hug.
She hugged me and Anthony and Tank, and all the Rangeman boys too then asked, ''What's this?''
Straight-faced Ranger told her, ''It's a case of MREs. Veal stroganoff.'' All the military guys made eeeew faces.
MREs are dehydrated meals for soldiers, always icky though possibly better than starving.
Olivia knew what MREs were and her perfect nose wrinkled. "But Ranger..."
"You may need them, Livy."
Olivia gestured at the stove."I'm making lasagna and eggplant parm and..."
''What if you lose power?''
''You know I have a generator.''
Ranger gave her his zillion watt smile. "Good thing that's a case of vodka, then, isn't it?'
''Oh yes!''
Anthony had gone out to organize the guys and the plywood. Now he asked, ''Mom, should we get you more ice?"
''Just enough for tonight's hurricane party, sweetie. We'll get the house all tucked in and tied down, then we'll have a nice dinner out on the deck. There's plenty for everyone..."
''Okay...?''
''And then tomorrow I'm driving into Manhattan, I have reservations at The Four Seasons. I'll have a spa weekend, get my hair cut."
We all gaped at her.
''What, you thought I was gonna sit here all alone in a hurricane? Please."
... ... ...
[Anthony]
Later, I'm standing with Ranger on the highest deck, the old-fashioned whaling days widow's walk, looking out at sunset over a calm blue ocean. We linger, wordless, drinks in hand. I tell Ranger, "Man, you'd like never know a storm was brewing, would you?"
''Is that a weather comment or globally philosophic rhetoric, bro?'' Ranger asks.
I grin. ''Vodka does wonders for you, Rangeman. You sound like me!''
''No shit.''
''No shit. So - -'' I gesture below where Tank is reigning over the smoking BBQ grill. Olivia and Steph are seated in white Adirondack chairs, both drinking Long Island Iced tea and laughing. "So, you could have all this, right? On, like, an everyday basis."
"I like my job, Antonio," he tells me. And I know that it is true, Ranger loves the hunt, the fight, the challenge. Peace and quiet is not part of his genetic make-up. Still...
"You're gonna get killed chasing after your damn fortune and glory!'' I worry out loud.
Ranger shrugs. "Maybe. But not today.''
''Boooooyyys! Dinner's ready!" Olivia yells. Sounds exactly like old times, when we were little kids. Back when Ranger used a different name, maybe I did too, who remembers anyways?
I clink my glass against Ranger's and agree, "Nope, prob'ly not today."
the end , series tbc
a/n hurricane and aftermath photos are up on my regular blog, link is in my profile, enjoy.