Bill and Sarah's Storm

She smiled and raised her arms but the children remained sitting. Then she remembered that she must look like a scare crow. She said, "Hello Janey and Jason, it's Mom." As soon as they heard her voice both were on their knees at the edge of the couch hugging her neck while crying with happiness to see her. After the warm greeting, their Mom said, "Janey, are the bathrooms working?"

She replied, "Yes. Daddy said that special generators run motors that makes the water flow."

She replied, "Mom needs to go to the bathroom. Will you two stay right here and wait for me?"

She returned 15 minutes later and there stood the 13 year old middle schooler who lived across the street. "Hello Betty, is your family O.K.? And how long have you been here?"

"Yes, our only damage was a large limb broke off dented Dad's pickup. Mister Harrison asked me to stay with the children until you wake up - he knocked on our door and I came over about 7:00 this morning."

Sarah handed a $10 bill to the youngster and said, "Thank you, Betty."

After she had gone Janey said to her Mom, "We were afraid that the hurricane would cause you to drown at sea. Where is our 'new Daddy'?"

Sarah started crying while formulating the words to say and replied, "He is not and never was a 'Daddy' and Mom is sorry I used the word to describe him. He's alive, though. The only Daddy you two will ever have is the one who cooked your breakfast this morning. Please, let's not ever talk about the 'new Daddy' again. Could you help me find some breakfast?"

In the kitchen there was a large pot sitting on a camp stove with some Oatmeal left in it, as if Bill had cooked an extra generous portion for her. With both children beside her and holding on as if she might disappear again, she dipped up the remaining cereal into a bowl and ate it cold. She took one of the apples in a fruit bowl and ate that as well. They returned to the living room. The younger Jason asked, "Are you going to live with us here now?"

"Oh my darlings! I won't know how long I will be staying until I talk to your Daddy, but for a few days, anyway."

They both jumped up and down exclaiming, "Oh Boy! I have really missed you."

No further comment about Jerry Jones was made and the game board was brought out. Sarah joined the children in a new board game they had never played before. Occasionally she would miss her turn because Sarah kept saying a prayer of 'thank you' for being alive and safe and here with her children.

----

It was just before noon and Jerry was in his 16-bay garage that was, of course, closed for business. He ascertained that all seemed well inside in that the preparations for the storm they had made were adequate. He then poured water from the bubbler into a large paper cup and then began driving home. Once he got close to his home he got out his portable hot water heater and made a cup of hot water for his ex-wife. He then poured the packet of instant coffee in the hot water.

He arrived home and opened the door with one hand and held her cup of hot coffee with the other. Sarah stood up, obviously smelling the hot coffee and said, "Bill, is that for me?"

He shook his head, 'Yes.'

She said, "You must know the ordeal I had getting here," as he handed it to her along with the condiment packets with the other hand. She began to cry loudly. She said, "It's wonderful that you did this nice thing for me. How did you know I was getting a no-caffeine headache? It makes my body feel better, anyway. God! If I only had something to make me feel better about myself!"

Ignoring her rant, Bill hugged both children and said to them, "Why don't you continue with your game? Your Mom and I will sit at the kitchen table so she can put cream and sugar in her coffee and we can talk. In a few minutes I will call you for lunch, O.K.?" He then led his ex-wife to the kitchen.

Once they were sitting on opposite sides of the table and Sarah's facial expression indicated the coffee was 'medicine' really needed, she said, "Thank you, Bill, for saving my life, loving our children, and being a thoughtful gentleman, even after all the pain I have caused you and me and the children."

Bill asked, "Care to tell me why you are here alone?"

She said, "We did get married and did go on our honeymoon cruise. But Jerry fell for a young, athletic woman who sat at our dinner table during the cruise. The two left the ship together in Portland. He did say that he would have his attorney contact me about a divorce."

Bill looked directly at her and asked, "Do you love him?"

"I never loved him, dear ex-husband. I only was enamored with all his high flying friends and parties and excitement that he had bought and paid for when he was a star. His attorney prompted him to 'get married to a woman with baggage' as a legal defense stratagem, because his ex-wife was agitating to sue for more of his wealth. That was his only interest in seducing me. Trust me, I was just side-interest pussy for him, while he went on with his life. I can not tell you how badly I feel inside right now, and how thankful I am that I made it to here in the storm."

"What happens now, Sarah?"

She said, "I am at your mercy. I would appreciate your input on what to do."

"O.K., Sarah. Thanks for the explanation. Continue sleeping on the couch until power comes back on anyway and then we will talk." Then he called out to the children, "Who wants a PBJ sandwich?"

Both came running into the kitchen.

————

Two days later the electricity came back on again in their township and slowly the traffic on the streets picked up. Bill called his shop foreman and said, "If the circuits are available to call the technicians, lets open up tomorrow. What do you think about calling two technicians who have the skills to operate all the equipment to come in?"

His foreman said, "Good idea. I think we can gross enough to pay the overhead, but it will be slow going until commerce is back up to normal."

After finishing the call, Bill walked into the living room where his ex-wife was still asleep on the couch. He knelt down beside her and whispered softly, "Sarah, wake up! "

She suddenly reached up and hugged Bill's neck tightly as full wakefulness came to her. Her ex-husband's first thought was, "How soon can I get this slut out of my house?" But his second thought was, "I want to hold her so badly." Bill said, "What you need to do is to find out when you will start back to work, look for a place to live, and then plan to move your things into the new place. "

She asked, "How about renting me the second bedroom and move the children to the small one you use for an office and move your office to the living room? I would like to live here with our children - and with you, if truth be known. Until now, I never fully grasped just how horrible weekend visitation is for the non-residency parent. Worse, I can see in the children that the visitation is a barrier to their development so that happiness and success might someday follow."

"Sarah, you are hallucinating. The only reason I tolerated you crashing here is that the children missed you and I am a Good Samaritan."

She plaintively replied, "Bill, why can't we live together as room mates independently? We both could influence the children equally since the visitation would be daily for both of us and it would cost you a lot less money, as I would pull my weight."

"Sarah, I don't know how much clearer I can make this but you are Nasty and I want you out of my life! I am not talking about your fucking around with the football player and his friends either. That can be washed away and forgiven. I am talking about the stimulants, music and the kicks and the lifestyle you have embraced and absorbed into your view of life - that doesn't wash away."

She asked, "But can't you see that this ordeal I have suffered has changed me fundamentally?"

"No, Sarah. I can not see that. If you were once again living quietly in a suburban home and commuting to work, then boredom would overcome you again. You would pine for the rocking good times that the go-go crowd showed you. Then, living with a simple shop owner would again become intolerable to you. It would only be a matter of time before you were in someone else's bed."

"Bill, I understand why you feel that way, but you are so wrong because I have changed. The very thought of listening to obnoxious and mindless party music anymore disgusts me. In fact I never liked it - I only went along to get along. Oh God! What have I done to my life and to my children's life?"

Bill said, "Sarah, I will help you get yourself reorganized as much as I can, but understand there is no 'us.' I propose that I enroll the children in a local school when they re-open. And, if you choose not to settle in our township then you certainly can take them out and re-enroll them wherever you choose to live after you are settled. By the way, power has not been restored to the area you live and work and have the children enrolled in school - according to the news this morning - so take your time but please move as soon as possible..."

Resigned to the reality staring her in the face, she said, "Jerry Jones is a major stock holder so I might not even have a job when things get back to normal. Yes, Bill, please enroll the children in the parochial school. I will countersign the monthly check you send me and give it to you - believe me, profiting from our divorce was never one of my goals. In point of fact, I don't want un-earned money, and, I admire you so much until I just couldn't take yours. In fact, I love you so much until...," she said, not finishing the sentence.

Her last statement hit Bill Harrison squarely in the face, as he carefully considered the details of her statement.

——

Two days later, power had been restored in the town where Sarah's plant was located. She drove to the plant and went inside. The Plant Manager and the CEO greeted her. There were some employees doing preventive maintenance on the machinery and retooling to start production.

The obese CEO said "Hello, Sarah. How is the newly wed doing?"

It dawned on the distraught woman that Jerry Jones had already talk to him since he didn't use plural on the 'newly wed.' She said, "Between the storm and my recent ex-husband, Jerry Jones, life is pretty grim. At least my children and I came through and safely - thanks to the children's father who saved our three lives. The ship stopped in Boston and I leased a sport van and drove to the house my first husband and I shared for years."

He said, "Well, your second husband called this morning. It seems that he is still in Nevada and will be relocating to Boston shortly. He asked me to give you a message that," pausing to get a piece of paper to read to her, and continued, "Reads, 'I am canceling my lease on the penthouse and Sarah, you are welcome to stay there until October 31st. A friend will be moving my personal effects out to public storage. Best of luck to you.'"

She asked, "Is he not coming back to work in his office at all?"

"What work? heh heh He just disrupted things. But, Apparently he will, thankfully, not even come to say hello or goodbye. We finally will have some peace and productivity around here. The work force starts Monday if we can tool up in time - we have lots of back orders. Plan on starting back then, if you would?"

"I will be here and ready, Mr. Grimes. Thank you."

Later at the Penthouse, Sarah had a crying spell again and even heard ghost sounds of their twosomes and occasional threesomes in this bedroom. She looked at Jerry's round bed and grimaced with pain. She found a new determination to press on and estimate how much of the material she would bring to a new rental place and what would be left behind for Jerry Jones to dispose of. After her inventory lists were completed, she picked up the children's school books and took them to their school to turn in. After she told the Sister the children were safe, she then had her transfer them to "Our Lady of the Lake" in Bill's township. The Sister then asked, " Janey is such a smart, full-of-life young lady. Is she and her brother taking the divorce of her parents well? I hope Jason comes out of his shell-shocked state since he is back with his father."

"Yes, much better. Both children were awfully glad for my safety and to see me. My seeing them again was a major miracle in my life. I had driven from Boston just north of the main thrust of the storm and I wasn't sure I was going to make it." They said their goodbyes.

Back at Bill's home, she noted that he had been there and brought in some groceries. She called him. "Hello Sarah,"

"I am back at your house with Betty and the Children. I saw you bought some groceries, mind if I cook dinner for us?"

"That would be great. I should be home by six. We will talk when I get there."

Later at the dinner table, the children were cutting up and talking excitedly about a new game that Betty had taught them. Both adults were forcing back tears of happiness that their children's life was almost back to normal. She briefed Bill on what the CEO had told her.

After she washed the dishes she joined Bill in the living room while the kids worked on a puzzle on the floor in front of them. Sarah showed her list of things to move and said, "I can live in Jerry's penthouse until the 31st if I wish, but I have got to find a place to live, and I want to find it close by you - like find a house to rent."

Bill said, "Well, there just happens to be a house that is a cookie-cutter copy of this one for lease on the street behind us, four houses down - It is vacant and has a sign in the yard as of this morning. If you rented that house, the children could walk to our respective houses down the alley. Also, I have tech helpers and trainees who are laid off right now. You could hire one to drive the company truck over to your penthouse and assist you in getting your things? It would cost you, at most, a couple of days of his wages wages."

"Oh yes, gladly! I will check out the rental tomorrow. Thanks, Bill." She looked him with pleading eyes but Bill apparently felt nothing since there was no response. The two adults read to the children, taking turns, and put them to bed.

————

Two days later, Bill's employee, Luke, and Sarah sat in the cab of the bob-tail driving to Jerry Jones' penthouse. The two of them rolled flattened boxes up to the top and packed her things and placed them in the boxes. Then Luke two-wheeled them down to the transport. After one last walk through, Sarah took one final look around and grimaced that all the fun parties she once had remembered were now a nightmare memory. All of the once exciting people were now viewed by her as rancid. She locked the door and stopped the elevator at the building security post to turn in her keys and then rejoined Luke. She got into her own sedan that she had left parked in her assigned spot. The shuttle picked her and Jerry up for transportation to the cruise terminal. She drove to Bill's home in her sedan while Luke drove to his home in the Bob-tail. Luke would be joining her at the new home the next morning for unloading.

When Sarah got to Bill's house and let herself in, it was past supper time and Bill was reading stories to both children. She was exhausted but joined them in their bedroom. Both screamed, "Mommy" at the same time holding their arms up. She rushed to each of them.

She said, "It's bedtime, sleep tight. I will see you tomorrow. I love you two very much."

She went into the kitchen and broke into tears because Bill had left her a plate with meatloaf and vegetables in the refrigerator. After warming it up, she sat down to eat. Bill joined her.

He asked, "Is the new place you rented furnished?"

"Yes, completely, as the owners have moved to Florida - 'not wanting to spend another winter freezing their asses off,' to quote their agent. I paid a first and last month rent payment. This should be the last night I will sleep on your couch, though I am reluctant to live alone in my new residence. In fact, if truth be known I would rather sleep on your couch permanently, and stay with you, than to live alone in the house behind you."

"Sarah, that can not be, but I don't see why we four can not have dinner together occasionally."

She smiled and said, "Well, that is worth a whole lot."

———

By November 1st, their township in Norther NJ was almost back to normal. On several days Bill's sixteen bays produced good revenue and Sarah had adjusted to the long commute again. Typically the school bus would deliver the children to the 13-year old Betty's house who would accompany them to their home where the three would do their 'homework' or played. When Bill came home he would cook dinner, sometimes enough for Sarah who always came late because of the NJ traffic. In time, Sarah found herself reluctant to leave Bill's house and go to her own. Sometimes one or both of the two children would go with her, but in their mind it was obvious to Sarah and the children that 'home' was Bill's house.

Later Bill had checked out his furnace because winter was upon them. After he finished, he walked over to Sarah's house to check out hers as well. He walked in and Sarah was playing Sinatra and other 'Great American Music' on her table top Bose. Stunned, Bill paused and enjoyed the song being sung. He thought, "She had no idea that I was coming over here so she couldn't just have turned this on to impress me." He walked into the living room where she and the children were playing a game on the floor. All three stood excitedly.

Bill said, "I just want to check out your furnace if you don't mind. You guys continue what you are doing."

"Oh please do. I was chilly this morning, already."

After Bill returned from the basement and showed her how the energy efficient thermostat worked, she said, "The children are going to bed soon. Want to say good night to them?"

After he hugged them both he walked out of their bedroom. He found a cup and made himself a hot tea and sat down at her dining table.

Soon she came out and said, "Oh! You are still here. Good! Let me make one and join you. I have some pretty good lemon pie, want a piece?"

"That would be nice," he replied, and thinking, "God I want to touch her so badly, but if I do there is no turning back. I ought to get the hell out of here because I am too old to have blue-balls."

The two ex-spouses then chatted amiably about general things like work and the children's school progress and an hour later, Bill went home.

————

After several weeks of this routine the weather had turned very cold and this Friday night Sarah came in to Bill's house an hour late from work. She obviously had been drinking some.

She looked in on the children and then came back to the dining room smiling. Bill asked, "Have you had dinner?"

"Two highballs and several bar snacks. Bill for the first time, in the years I have worked at this job, the ladies who work for me asked that I happy-hour with them. Maybe they think I am no longer a 'Chihuahua Bitch.' They confessed to me that that is what they use to call me. "

"That is completely apropos and hilarious - a tiny dog in heat - and I am glad you had fun. I sometimes join the techs for a beer, but not often."

She continued, "Also, a supply parts salesman asked me to lunch yesterday and I declined."

"Was he not your type?"

"No he wasn't, as you are my type. Bill, have you still not gone out with your cashier - she is awfully cute and available."

"No. She is not my type either, because you...," and he didn't finish the sentence. She was quickly on the floor kneeling beside Bill and said, "Dear ex-husband, the last time a man was inside me was in Halifax. I am clean and disease free now. Can we not be what you men call, 'fuck-buddies?"