This weekend we had a storm. Very rare for this part of the country, but definitely needed. The hard part is how unprepared we all are for these things.
I came home to my garage slowly filling with water. The black wet stream working its way toward precious guitar amps and random boxes. Quickly stuffing towels under the door stopped it for a while but they were quickly rendered useless as we entered hour 20 of continuous rain. The garage smelled damp and I knew the mold was not far behind.
Racing to a hardware store at 7 pm before they closed, I hoped they still had something to plug the holes or slow down the leak. I was not the only one there. The store was full of people buying sandbags and rubber strips to seal themselves against the storm. Two women were fighting over the last tarp near the front of the store, screaming at each other in Spanish. I presume they both had a leaky roof.
I searched the aisle and found nothing really useful. I got a large push broom to move the water around, but nothing to stop the leak. Until I saw one empty box labeled "INSTA-DAM." I carried the box around with me like a security blanket, showing it to every employee in the hopes they could find one more for me. The first was a young black man who said "NO." Then, an older Asian woman, who also said "NO." After asking what seemed like dozens of people, a strung-out teenager said "Come with me, I saved a couple."
She showed me the way to a pallet in a dimly lit corner of the store. There was her treasure, 10 boxes of supplies she was planning to take with her after her shift. She had everything. Tarps, dams, sandbags, umbrellas, and a pair of boots lay there in her hidden alcove. She handed me a dam while holding her finger to her lips to let me know to keep this secret. I was saved.
I came home to my garage slowly filling with water. The black wet stream working its way toward precious guitar amps and random boxes. Quickly stuffing towels under the door stopped it for a while but they were quickly rendered useless as we entered hour 20 of continuous rain. The garage smelled damp and I knew the mold was not far behind.
Racing to a hardware store at 7 pm before they closed, I hoped they still had something to plug the holes or slow down the leak. I was not the only one there. The store was full of people buying sandbags and rubber strips to seal themselves against the storm. Two women were fighting over the last tarp near the front of the store, screaming at each other in Spanish. I presume they both had a leaky roof.
I searched the aisle and found nothing really useful. I got a large push broom to move the water around, but nothing to stop the leak. Until I saw one empty box labeled "INSTA-DAM." I carried the box around with me like a security blanket, showing it to every employee in the hopes they could find one more for me. The first was a young black man who said "NO." Then, an older Asian woman, who also said "NO." After asking what seemed like dozens of people, a strung-out teenager said "Come with me, I saved a couple."
She showed me the way to a pallet in a dimly lit corner of the store. There was her treasure, 10 boxes of supplies she was planning to take with her after her shift. She had everything. Tarps, dams, sandbags, umbrellas, and a pair of boots lay there in her hidden alcove. She handed me a dam while holding her finger to her lips to let me know to keep this secret. I was saved.
If this is fiction then i hope to read more.