dory,” I muttered sinking down on the walnut limb. I stared morosely at the tall pole of the martin house that my father had built. It leaned at a drunken forty-five degree angle, spilling bits of straw from each tiny doorway.
“What a mess!”
“I quite agree, darling, but it could be worse. Horatio called me from his, er, office. At least six people didn’t make it through last night.”
“You’re kidding?”
“Well, dear, look around you,” she said pointing at the swath the tornado had cut through the orchard. “We were really quite fortunate. Imagine if the path of the tornado had taken it a few feet in another direction. Our house would be mixed up in all this mess, and you and I might be in heaven’s equivalent of Kansas.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Wow, six people. Do we know anyone who was killed?”
“I don’t think so, dear. At least Horatio didn’t think so. Or he may have been protecting me until he could tell me in person.”
“Great!” I grumbled, “Something else to look forward to.”
Chapter Five
Mother finally convinced me there was nothing more we could do until we got some help. She had already called Billy to make sure his family was all right and to enlist his aid in procuring some heavy equipment to move the fallen trees. Until the driveway was cleared and the walnut tree was lifted off the garage, we were trapped. The very thought made me crazy to get away, even though Cassie was coming home on her own and I really had nowhere to go.
Somewhere deep inside, my rational self recognized that my impatience and irritability were aftereffects of the storm, but that didn’t keep me from behaving like a spoiled brat all afternoon.
Mother went to a great deal of trouble to make lunch for us in a kitchen with no electricity. She dragged the gas grill out of the corner and prepared shrimp kebabs with pineapple chicken and coconut rice.
“Why in the world did you fix all this food?” I asked petulantly. “It was just a tornado, not the end of the world.”
She smiled pleasantly at me over the lovely table she had set in the corner of the back porch. The sunlight painted rainbows on the heavy white damask tablecloth as it passed through the stems of delicate Waterford goblets. Her best silver cutlery gleamed next to the finest Wedgwood porcelain. I stared at the plump, perfectly grilled shrimp on my beautiful plate and burst into tears.
Thoroughly ashamed and undone, I hung my head until my chin almost touched my chest and whispered an apology.
“I’m sorry, Mother. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“You should. You’ve been through this before,” she said matter-of-factly.
“What do you mean?”
“Post-traumatic stress—from your experiences in San Romero.”
“Don’t be silly,” I hooted. “There’s a big difference between rescuing your daughter from a bloodthirsty mob and spending a night under the stairs because of a little storm.”
“Not such a little storm,” answered Horatio as he climbed over a limb and opened the screen door.
He walked around behind my mother’s chair and gently kissed her behind the ear. She closed her eyes and clasped his hands. Tiny lines of stress eased around her mouth and eyelids as she smiled. She sat back in her chair, and I realized for the first time what an effort it had been for her to remain calm and collected. This meal, the elegant place settings, and the elaborate food had been her attempt to exert some control over the chaos that nature had created. I felt even more embarrassed by my childish behavior.
“Please sit down, Horatio,” I said. “I’ll get another place setting. You sit in my chair and eat while everything is still hot.”
I hopped up and urged him into the chair against his protests. His arguments were feeble, and I could tell he was nearly exhausted.
“How about a glass of champagne, Mother? Don’t you think it would be the perfect touch?”
“Absolutely, Paisley, darling! That’s the spirit!”
Horatio thought of our toast, “Here’s to high winds and higher hearts!” but he took no more than a token sip of bubbly.
“Sorry, m’dears, but I have to get back to the shop. The highway patrol called shortly before I left for lunch. Another casualty of the storm, I’m afraid. A pilot radioed that he spotted a body just past the end of the runway as he was taking off.”
“You’re kidding! That must have been the reason for the buzzards.”
“I suppose you’re right, Paisley,” he said, raising his eyebrows in surprise. “I cannot believe I didn’t make the connection myself.” Horatio covered Mother’s hand with his. “Anna, you might have to trade me in on a new model. I seem to be getting somewhat dull of wit.”
“Nonsense, Horatio,” protested Mother. “Nevertheless, we must all husband our energies during the next few days. We still have a long way to go to reach normalcy again. My friends report more damage to Rowan Springs than I ever imagined. Is it true, Horatio?”
“I’m afraid so, my dear. The high school gymnasium is destroyed. And part of the roof of the adjacent classroom building is at present in the middle of the football field. The courthouse is virtually the only building downtown without any damage. Oh, and Celestine’s building. Of course, she has had to close down like everyone else until the electricity is restored, but she was the luckiest one on Main Street. The sporting goods store on the corner is a total loss. And from what I hear, Bruce Hawkins is about the only one on Main Street who had enough insurance to cover his losses.”
Hawkins was Mother’s lawyer. Several years ago, he remodeled the old Capitol Theater and made his offices an homage to movies of the forties and fifties. He actually had old movie posters and publicity stills with autographs of the stars. I was really glad none of his treasures had come to harm, but the thought of all the damage Horatio had described made me tear up again.
“Paisley, are you all right, dear?”
“Of course, Mother.” I got up and fussed with the food still warming on the grill to hide my emotions. “More shrimp, Horatio? There’s plenty left.”
“Thank you, but no. Miles to go before I sleep and all that, you know. Thanks for the luncheon, Anna. It was exquisite as always. And just the perfect touch.” He winked broadly. “You always rise to the occasion.” Horatio gallantly touched the back of Mother’s extended hand with his lips and headed for the back door. “Call me if you need me, my dears. And please let me know when our Cassandra arrives. I cannot wait to see her.”
I watched the old man pick his way through the fallen limbs. He was almost twice my age, but he was still strong and agile. As I turned back around to help Mother clear the table, I felt my heart flip-flop in a hollow chest. Suddenly all the air was gone from my lungs and my vision was full of sparkling black dots. I grabbed one of the center posts of the porch and fought for a clear head. Mother’s voice echoed in my ears making no sense whatsoever for a full minute.
“…might need some help. What do you think,
