Writing.Com Contest entries

Tragedy creates a family

Word Count: 1,095

Written for: "WdC's 15th Year Celebration Contest"
Prompt: “Friendship is born at that moment when one man says to another: "What! You too? I thought that no one but myself . . ."”
- C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

Tragedy creates a family
By Lisa Noe

The storm raged and ravished the small town of Harlan, where several houses were struck with a tornado
And demolished. People could be heard screaming for help and crying out in pain. The rain was heavy and then it began to hail. People were running for cover. The downtown streets had been covered with people; now there were but three or four up walking around.

A boy could be heard crying out for his mother, the boy must have been around twelve or so, he was clearly badly injured, as were many people. Joe Barns, a man who had been in town with his wife heard the boy’s cries, and ran to him to see if he could help. Joe was a good man a hard worker and a loyal person. He was always there ready to help in any situation. However in this situation his own wife was missing.

“Are you all right?” ask Joe to the boy.

“No man, my leg is trapped under the rubble of the house!” said the boy.

“ Where is your family?” asked Joe

“ I don’t know, my mom was here when the storm first hit but I’ve not seen her since.
I think something bad has happened to her!”

“What is your name kid?”

“I’m Jeremy.”

“Well Jeremy, let’s get you free and then we’ll concentrate on finding my wife and your mom.”

The storm began to leave and the sky became lighter many people were displaced and missing from the scene. The police and rescue squad got together and created a search party to fin victims of the storm.
All total around five homes and three businesses were destroyed. Joe was very concerned about his wife
Who had been with him, but got separated during the storm. He took Jeremy to the red cross area to have his leg looked at, it was broken from being trapped under the rubble. Joe felt responsible for the lad who had no one to look out for him so the two of them became buddies.

“Will you find my mom, Joe?”

“You stay put here and I’ll look for her and my wife, they could be close to each other as we were.”

“Thanks Joe!”

Joe set out to look for his wife and the boy’s mom unfortunately the boy’s mom had been found under the rubble with a broken neck and crushed skull, she was dead. This was a powerful blow to Joe he was afraid his wife may have suffered the same fate. They searched for hours, he knew the boy was waiting for an answer he was afraid to tell him but knew he had to.

“Look son, I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but we found your mother….

“Is she dead?”

“Yes son, she has left us for the pastures of Heaven.”

“But what will I do? Now I have no body, no mom or dad
no brothers or sisters, I’m all alone at twelve years old!”

Jeremy began weeping and whaling. Joe placed his arms around the boy and hugged him

“your not alone, your never alone you have God in your life and he will provide for you I assure you.”

At that moment a firefighter and a police officer came to the site where Jeremy and Joe were sitting.

“Excuse me, are you Mr. Joe Barns?” said the officer

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Well Mr. Barns, I’m afraid we have found your wife, she didn’t make it.”

Joe’s heart sunk in his chest and the oxygen left his body, tears formed in his eyes but being a grown man he fought them back. Joe knew that he would never see his beautiful wife again and he would now be alone with no one to love. He looked over to Jeremy and saw a sad little boy lying on a makeshift bed with a crippled leg. He knew that he was alone forever as was Jeremy; neither one of them had anyone now.
Joe told the officer about Jeremy being left an orphan and how he was now all alone himself, he wanted to adopt Jeremy. The two of them had much in common and got along great. The officer told Joe to get an attorney and take it to court. Meanwhile he could foster the boy until an adoption could be arranged.
Joe knew he had plenty of money, a good job, and could take good care of the boy.

“Would you like to live with me Jeremy?”

“Yeah! I never had a dad before, mine ran off when he found out mom was gonna have me.”

“Well I am going to work it out with the courts and we are going to have a nice home here in town.”

“Wow that’s great, who ever thought a tragedy like this could create a happy family!”

“Boy you are very insightful for a twelve year old. Now let’s get you to a hospital to get a cast on that leg.”

The two of them road in an ambulance to Grace Hospital, where they placed the boy’s leg in traction, it was badly injured. The doctors said it would be a while before he would be able to walk on it again.
At the Hospital Joe contacted his lawyer to fix it to where the boy could come and live with him as soon as he was released from the hospital. The lawyer got him in as a foster parent, and since the boy was an older child, they were hard to place, they would allow it. Jeremy was in the hospital for two weeks with his leg, and when he was released he left with Joe as his foster father. Joe was so proud of his foster son, he had wanted children with his wife, she was trying to become a mother when the storm struck.

“I want you to be my son for real not just a foster son but my adopted son, take my name and be my child.”

Jeremy looked at Joe with tears in his eyes,

“Well d…d…dad…I love being your son and I think we are so much alike, so much has happened to us both we are in the same boat, you lost your wife and me my mother, we neither one have anybody else except each other.”

“Son you are a smart lad, I want you to know you will always have me, you will be my best friend.”

Jeremy smiled and leaned over and hugged Joe,

“Yeah, well you’re my best friend too.”