Wind Driven Rain

Shawn patted the hood of his old pickup truck glad it had made it through the back roads to where his house had once stood.He surveyed the area and knew if the cement slab hadn't remained he would never know exactly where his house had been.

Katrina had wiped out everything as far as he could see. He walked the slab from corner to corner counting his steps out loud watching his boots tapping out the numbers with him. He tried to walk out the total area of his property but a large boat blocked the way, it had fallen on to it's side, Shawn peered into the cabin, standing straight up as if he had been pulled by some imaginary string and sucking in a deep breath he bent down to see if it was indeed a person. Slowly his arm extended into the cabin and touched the figure,it felt like nothing he had felt before peering in over his arm he realized it was a mannequin,"it must be from the mall down the highway" smiling for the first time since this had happened two days before.

The idea of taking the mannequin and sitting it in the truck passed his mind, he certainly would get on the news with that! The picture it brought forth made him laugh out loud breaking the silence around him.

Alright...it's done time to move on he spoke quietly and climbed into his truck.
Looking back through his mirror he gave a silent thank you to Katrina, she had made this the luckiest day of his life.

Driving back on what was once the road to his house Shawn looked for old familiar landmarks he used over the years but none were there.

Turning his head from side to side he saw some houses or what he thought were houses scattered here and there.

Off to the left he saw an elderly couple sitting on what was once a large porch the type that so often framed old southern homes. He came to a stop and yelled from his window " Hey are you alright?" "Yes were okay but that's about it" "You?" "Yeah" Shawn muttered as he climbed out of his truck and walked toward them.

He could see that some of the house was still standing but was water damaged and that in the hands of the woman she gently held a little china object. "Do you folks have a generator?" Shawn said as he side stepped the stairs of the porch and looked into the house. "No we just got back in and now it doesn't look like we can get out to get one" the man said as he touched his wifes shoulder trying to bring her out of the thoughts she was having. "I've got me one in the truck, bought it for my house but it's gone can give you five gallons of gas but that's all I can give need the rest to get back out if you want it" Shawn said in a matter of fact way.

"Can't pay you for it" the woman said in a monotone voice her head still hanging down looking at the object in her hands. "No need" walking back to the truck Shawn said over his shoulder.
Pulling it out of the truck he stopped the old man from helping him who had come up from behind him. "I'll get it stay with your wife,she needs you more than I do" Shawn spoke in a voice that startled the old man. Realizing his tone he smiled and gave him the gas can and lifted the generator from the bed of the truck.

After setting up the the generator and showing the couple how it worked and reminding them to keep it ventilated he climbed back into his truck with the sounds of thank you and God bless you floating in the air. He half heartedly waved and drove on. God bless me, God bless me roared in his head as he drove on.

Not likely in this life time his thoughts screamed in his head and his face remained stone like as he tried to get on the highway out of Mississippi to someplace he could now call home.

The drive seemed endless as he creeped bumper to bumper out of Long Beach looking into the different cars he saw the same look etched upon the faces. Total disbelief was the common denominator among the masses, nothing seemed real, time stood still but Shawn was at ease for the first time in years as he slowly left his life behind him.

Passing through Alabama he decided to try and find a place to stay for the night, every place he stopped was full of hurricane victims. He decided to continue on to Columbus Georgia he felt he could go that much farther but than he would have to stop even if it was to sleep in the truck.

Pulling up to the motel Shawn saw that some of the parking spaces to the rooms did not have cars in them, a good sign he thought as he locked up the truck and walked into the office area.

"Need a room for the night anything available?" he asked in a tone that assumed there wasn't.
"Yes have one room left, it's on the second floor and it's a smoking room, okay with you?" the chubby young man said as he continued watching the TV on the counter. "Yes that would be great Shawn replied as he too watched the television screen as it showed the distruction of Katrina.

"Got a credit card? or is this cash" the young man asked still watching the TV. "Cash" Shawn spoke as he watched the news man walking through the area's that had once contained all the casinos of Biloxi Mississippi.

"Fill this card out and it's eighty dollars for the night." Shawn dug deep into his pocket and counted out the money, eyeing the young man he knew this was an inflated rate for this type of place. "Guess everyones making money off this situation!" he said with sarcasm.

"Not me man still making minimum wage here" "It's the old man who owns the place that's making the killing" he snickered as he took Shawn's money and handed him a key."It's on the left side of the building just a couple rooms down" still watching the news the young man turned his shoulder away from Shawn and dismissed him with the movement.

Grabbing the key Shawn walked out to his truck and drove to the space infront of his room.
Taking the bag he had packed before the storm he unlocked the door and viewed the dingy room.
He didn't mind it though, it had a shower and he hadn't had one since this all started.

Stepping out of the shower Shawn threw the towel around him and sat on the bed watching the news and trying to see if anything looked familiar to him. His mind raced about what he knew he had lost, all his mementos all the things he had saved from his targets all the little items he know could one day connect the dots for the police. Now they were gone and he indeed missed them but knew he was free to move on and start again. Yes this had been lucky for him he had felt the last couple of months they were moving in on him, putting the pieces together but now they had other things to consume their time.

He smiled and layed out on the bed, at last a moment of safety in all this danger how ironic it seemed but how very very fortunate for him.

Shawn closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep only to be awaken the next day by the phone call from the front desk. The voice on the other end of the line was once again the young man from yesterday "Are you staying another night or what? I have someone who wants the room if you don't" he said lazily. " Yea give me another night I'll be down in a few to pay for it" Shawn hung up the phone and grabbed his pants and took out the eighty dollars he needed for the room.

Shawn decided to walk around the area after he paid for one more night in Columbus Georgia. He thought he might get a feel for the area and see if this was someplace he wanted to stay.

By mid afternoon his decision had been made he would move on to someplace more populated. The odds for him in a bigger city would be better he would blend in with the crowd.

After an uneventful evening the next morning seemed filled with excitement. Shawn had decided to move on to Knoxville Tennesee.


Jake was an old man who fished regularly at the Pass Christian pier just down the highway from Shawn’s house he and Shawn would talk away the morning while fishing and enjoying the morning air.

Jake spoke about Knoxville his life there and why he retired to Mississippi.

He had lived there till his wife passed away and his kids had moved in all different directions across the United States. He loved to fish and hated the cold so this was a ideal spot for him. Knoxville had been his life up until the last five years and he told stories that brought the city to life for Shawn, how it was a small city but felt like a big one. How the town went wild during college football seasons and home games kept the streets blocked downtown with young and old flying orange banners from cars and over passes.

How the city was a friendly place to live and it took no time to reach Gatlinburg which according to Jake was the most beautiful place in the world. He still wore his Tennessee ball cap and everyone called him “old man Vol” for the Tennessee Volunteers at the pier.
He was a character and Shawn liked him.

Wonder if he made it out okay he thought as he got on the highway. Hope he went to one of his kids and not to Knoxville, better no one knows me there.

Something Hills, Something Hills what was the area Jake talked about… Shawn tried to remember but as his mind started to drift he saw it, West Hills Exit two and half miles.
Smiling and looking in to the other cars he knew this was the place for him.

Exiting off the highway he made a left turn taking him in front of the West Hills Mall.
Guess I’ll pull in there and have a look around, malls always give you a feel for an area.

Walking in through the food court it was a nice mall, large and crowded very crowded and very orange. People of all ages wearing orange shirts, jackets and caps. Shawn knew now why Jake continued to wear his old cap it was a statement about who he was and where he was from.

He walked into a store which carried all the Vol clothing and bought himself a cap, just like the one Jake used to wear and put it on after paying for it. Now I’m ready to settle in he grinned as he exited the mall.

He drove down Kingston Pike and looked for a place to stop and eat. He pulled into an IHOP and bought a paper from the stand out front and walked toward the smoking section.

Shawn didn’t smoke but knew from experience that the smokers where more inclined to talk to strangers than non smokers, never really figured out why but it was a fact he could place a bet on every time.

Finding a booth near the back he slid in and opened his paper.
The waitress came and took his order and gave him a smile as she filled the coffee cup.

Looking for a job?

Yes Audrey, I am. Shawn read her name tag and made a point of showing her he read it with a silly grin on his face.

Smiling back Audrey shook her head and turned on her heels in a flirty manner to go attend to her other customers.

That was sweet Shawn thought as he sipped his coffee and scanned the ads for HVAC workers. He passed up all the independent companies and concentrated on the apartment complexes. He knew if he got a job with them he could get either free rent or rent reduction and no credit check was necessary.
Circling three he finished his coffee left a nice tip for Audrey and walked out to find a job.


Unfolding the local area map he picked up at the welcome station he found the three apartments he needed to go see.

The first one he pulled up to just didn’t look like a place he wanted to work and didn’t even bother to fill out an application.

After locating the second apartment complex he pulled his truck into the spot marked “New Tenant”
Looking in the glass window he had a good feeling about this place and walked in with the newspaper in his hand.

Hello, I’m here to apply for the HVAC job.

Betty at the front desk told him to have a set and that Rebecca would be with in a moment.
Scanning the room Shawn saw the now familiar orange locos for the Vols team intricately placed around Beth’s desk and knew she would be someone to have on his side. She was fun and liked to advertise it this is what her desk said to Shawn.

Smiling at her he pegged her to be in her middle forty’s and a smoker, the fine lines around her mouth gave it away and she tried to cover it up with lipstick but it only enhanced the lines.

She smiled back as she talked on the phone, it appeared to a personal call by the body language she assumed as spoke quietly into the phone.

“Yes, may I help you? “

Shawn stood and looked into Rebecca’s eyes and knew this was someone he needed to be careful with, she was business through and through.

I’m here about the ad in the paper for the HVAC man, Shawn spoke quietly as he looked into the paper.

“Yes, come with me please.”

Settling into her office it was minimal, immaculate and had pictures of children too young to be anything else but grandchildren.

“Well tell me what your experience is and why you want the job, lets do this before we even fill out the paper work incase your not a good fit we avoid wasting a lot of time.”

Shawn told her of his last job how he had it for over five years and that now that it was gone due to the hurricane he had decided to move to Knoxville because of a friend who spoke so highly of it.

Rebecca eyed his ball cap and knew that it was newly purchased wondering what his game was if any coming in with it on.

“Did your friend give you the hat?”

‘ No… I drove around the city ended up at the mall and thought I’d fit in better if I wore it.
“Since losing everything but my truck and tools I guess I just had a need to fit in.”

Rebecca thought this over and smiled said she needed him to fill out the application and put down his old employer and would get back to him.

“Can I come in tomorrow?” I haven’t found a place yet and no phone either so it might be difficult to get hold of me Shawn smiled his most sympathetic smile.

Look just go out and get the application from Betty and I’ll call after your done.
Well have an answer today that way neither one of us has to be concerned with the out come.

Shawn did as he was told and started the application process, while Rebecca sat in her office feeling relieved she may finally have the position filled and could get most of the tenants complaints off her desk.

Finding a good HVAC man was difficult and she had been running the ad for weeks, no need for him to know that now he would find out sooner or later from the staff or tenants, that is if everything checked out okay.