The rain was coming down in sheets as David drove at a crawl, almost having to feel his way, south. The wipers on double speed did little to give him visibility for more than just a few yards each third of a second.’  The wind and the rain, lashed at the heavy station-wagon, its gusts threatening at times to sweep car and occupant to the roadside ditch in spite of its weight and robust skid-proof tyres.
‘˜Please God let me get there in one piece!’™’  The man was numb with anxiety but greater was his dogged determination to beat the storm. Only his level-headedness enabled him to keep his speed down to ten mph in spite of his urge to put on another five, perhaps ten miles per hour.
Heading into a hurricane was one thing, but being forced to travel with a force four storm coming from the side was not much less than sheer madness.’  Both hands gripping the wheel, his knuckles as white as his face, David endeavoured to pierce through the milky murk of the gale as the wipers flashed this way and that at high speed.
His thoughts were with Valentine, Vincent and Clare.’  They had rented a bungalow of weatherboard until their new home on the old plot would be ready.
‘œGale proof?’  Of course it’™s gale proof’, the landlord had assured David.’  It wouldn’™t be still standing if it weren’™t. Ten years it has been here and then a bit. His easy manner had reassured them.’  ‘œYou must know,’ he said, ‘œHurricanes come from the South-East and South. As you see, the building is placed with its corner in that direction.’  The wind doesn’™t really get a grip on it. You’™ll be fine.’
It was that and the proximity of the place to their new home going up that brought David and Valentine to agree that the opportunity was worth the chance.’ ‘  But as he drove now, he was not so sure at all. This was a G 4 and coming in at them more from the East than he had ever known and he feared for the safety of his family.’  Signs were being torn from their posts; some, together with their stantions,’  ripped clean out of their emplacements.’  These bundled and bounced ahead of the wind as if some invisible giant was playing a mad game with them, or running amok. More than once, a piece of debris hit the side of the car making David wince as if with pain.’  He prayed that nothing serious would happen.’  A branch came whirling at him from the side and David ducked instinctively. It flew over the roof of the car, bouncing, turning and pirouetting as it careered along like a mad thing.’  Parts of wooden shacks and junk that had been lying loose, the wind picked up and whirled as would some monster in hysterical delight.
Nerve wracked and almost demented by his pathetically slow progress David also prayed that a tree or some other large object across the road’  would not bring his journey to a sudden stop.’  In such a case he would simply have to sit out the storm in the car.
The palm trees alongside were rocking and lashing their fronds in a frenzied and crazy dance.’  ‘˜They’™re demons,’™ though David,’  ‘˜putting a’  bloody curse on me in this mess.’™
Then David did the one thing he could – he prayed.’  The last time he had done that was as a kid of four.’  They had been living in Baltimore then before the family moved to Clearwater on Florida’™s west coast and on the gulf.’  His uncle had a small fishing fleet and his father kept the office.’  ‘œThirty five years gone already?’™’  The thought astonished him as it flashed through his mind.
Early fall was always the worst hurricane time.’  Then there came a G2 storm warning.’  Such a warning was not cause for any real alarm but reason enough for David to make a hurried journey to the port to add extra tie lines to his two fishing boats. But force two had freakishly become force three – then four!’  Everyone had been caught unawares.’  ‘œWe’™re sorry but these winds don’™t always follow the rules,’ was the simple answer that blared from the radio.
With only another mile to go David nevertheless felt that the journey would still’  take’  forever.’  Again he curbed the temptation to bring his speed up a little knowing full well that any increase would be tantamount to suicide.’  The needle pointed steadily to five miles per hour.’  He clenched his teeth and kept it there against all temptation.
He endeavoured to calm himself: ‘˜Valentine and the kids are probably all as snug as bugs in rugs, she singing and the kids singing along.’  They would laugh at his concern then chide him for being several different kinds of a fool to undertake the journey across the wind.’™’  Picturing them was enough to cheer him sufficiently to bring the slightest of smiles to his face.
With only another half mile to go, the man’™s thoughts turned to the part that was going to be the most telling of the trip.’  Just before their home the road rose a little then dipped as it approached the river.’  The bridge over the Clay was sure to be flooded.’  All now depended on the height the water had reached and whether he would be able to cross the undoubtedly surging river.
The sheets of rain let up a little and visibility went up to about fifty yards. David was at last able to see where he was.’  Another two hundred yards and he would be over the hump of the levee, then the dip down to the river. He would only then know the height the water had reached.’  Their home was only a hundred yards on from the Clay.’  ‘œPlease God!’  Are you listening?’  Please!’’  He shouted so that God was sure to hear.
As David began the rise of the levee before the river his heart fell.’  He could just make out the figure of a man sprawled on the opposite curb.’  ‘œYou fool!’  You fuckn’™ idiot!’  What the hell did you think you doing going out in this?’’  David’™s shouted words were directed not so much towards the prone figure as towards a fate that seemed to try every trick to prevent him from reaching home.’  But even in his urgency there was no way that he could leave the figure lying in the storm. He slowed and stopped.
A gust of wind shook the car threatening to topple it.’  David moved across to the passenger seat on the lee side.’  He got out dragging with him a sand-bag he kept for such an emergency.’  He strapped the heavy bag to his back firmly.
Doubled up, he began crossing against the wind and rain.’  The’  storm tore at him in gusts threatening to flip him but the bag’™s extra weight stabilised him sufficiently to remain on his feet and keep going into the wind.’  Reaching the prostrated form, he fell full length onto the figure.’  The body squirmed as if in complaint.’  He rolled off and turned the person onto their side to get a look at the face.
‘œVal!’’  The shouted word went unheard as it was whipped from his mouth and into the roaring storm.’  Valentine opened her eyes and seeing David tried to reach out but lacked the strength. David, rose to his knees and struggled with the straps that held the sandbag. Then he began strapping it onto his wife’™s back.’  Rising, bent double and moving backwards he dragged the bag towards the station-wagon.’  The wind tore at him as if frantically desiring to break his grasp but his grip was strengthened by a power that taunted the wind’™s violence.
He reached the protected side of the car which was rocking and swaying in the blustering gusts like an eerie, live thing.’  On the high curb and partly out of the wind’™s grip David, panting violently, let go of his wife, to rest a moment. He removed the sandbag, setting it inside. Then, supporting Valentine by her armpits, he’  backed into the rear compartment. Reaching out he slammed’  the door’  with a shout of relief.
Several minutes passed wordlessly while he caught his breath.’  Supporting and moving her body he made her relatively comfortable on the back seat. ‘œHow come you were caught in the storm?’, David asked vehemently, unable to control his anger and frustration. Valentine opened her eyes for a moment then closed them unable to speak.
Frustrated and nervous as he had never been before, David climbed over the back of and into the driver’™s seat.’  Glancing over his shoulder at the prone figure, now a silent prayer of thanks in his heart, he began moving up the rise of the levee until he was able to see the river.’  It was swollen badly.’  Slowly he rolled down the gradient until the car’™s front was just in the current. He could just make out the depth marker.’  It showed 2.5 feet.’  The current was strong and threatening. He tried but couldn’™t push aside the nagging thought why Valentine had been caught not only in the storm but on the other side of the Clay. He turned and found she had recovered sufficiently to be now sitting staring wide-eyed out the window at the storm rocking the car.
‘œFor crying out loud, Val, what in blazes were you doing on the other side of the Clay?’
‘œThe Littletons,’ she began weakly though loud enough for David to hear. ‘œThey couldn’™t open their storm-shelter.’  They thought you would help. I decided to try. It was a G 2 and I should have been able to do the job easily and return quickly. I helped them with the door but maybe some wet got into the engine and the car wouldn’™t start.
There was no way that I was going to leave the kids on their own.’  Oh, David I tried so hard!’’  Valentine looked at David, her eyes enlarged with fear as if she was still in the grip of the storm.’ ‘  ‘œI’™ve never been in a storm like this and didn’™t realise its force.’  I tried so hard to make it!’  So hard……’’  Valentine choked on her words.
David, now doubly concerned ‘“ both about the two young children who had faced the ordeal alone and on the trial still ahead of him, looked critically at the racing water. He had to risk the crossing.
In four-wheel drive, David guided the car so that its wheel rims pressed hard up against the high concrete curb to give him extra support. He began slowly driving through the seething water.’  An unusual thrust of wind hit the station wagon and David was sure that they would topple.’  The river raged around them and visibility was reduced to just a few yards through a streaming windshield.’  He held his breath but kept the car moving forward in first.’  Water began seeping in covering the floor.’  Another fifteen yards…’  another ten…Again he shouted: ‘Please God!’
The car crept forward, the screaming rims of the wheels on the concrete giving him goose pimples and settling his teeth on edge.’  Another thrust of wind, a lurch and the heavy car began rising,leaving the torrent behind. David’™s sigh of relief was like a release of air from a blown tyre.
‘œWe’™ve made it, Val!, you hear?’  We’™ve made it!’, he shouted in triumph.’  Then he caught a brief glimpse of their temporary home before it disappeared again in a renewed deluge of rain and streaming glass. Their home was still intact!’  ‘œVal, It’™s okay!’  It’™s okay!’  You hear me Val?
But David’™s glance of the bungalow had not sufficed to show the true picture. As he came closer he noticed the house noticeably swaying in the great gusts of wind and his heart sank. It was touch and go whether it would last out the storm. He parked the station wagon almost touching the porch entrance which was on the lee side. Strapped again to his sandbag, David flung the door of their rocking home. Open relief flooded him when he saw Clair and Vincent standing beyond it both wide-eyed and pale with fear and fright.
Five minutes later all four were secure in the relative comfort of the station wagon now, at last, face to the storm.’  Vincent, hugging his mother’™s knees, and Clare’™s arms around her father, relief was plain on all four faces.’  David gloated,’  sure that the wind’™s howl now was one of rage having lost a potential victim.
A hot mug of coffee from a flask he always carried in the cabin went some way to bringing the two back to their normal selves. The children, now smiling, looked happily on David, now kneeling before Valentine and clasping his wife in an embrace that made everything, just everything, alright.