What The Storm Revealed

"I don't run into chaos! You're the one who's always gone when these things happen." Andy snapped into the phone.

"I'm sorry I'm not there," Sean said, trying to steady her. "I have to go. I'll call later."

She hung up and set the phone on the table, her breath shaking in her chest.

Andy stared at the weather map of the incoming hurricane. The yellow blob morphed from orange to red as it glided over the islands, directly above her house. Chainsaws and workers filled the air as the city tried to prepare.

She walked out onto the deck and stared at her furniture. The twinkle lights strewn across the yard, all the plants she'd worked so hard to make flourish. A small breeze cracked across the thin plastic deck cover she had hastily installed to keep out rain.

"You need any help moving furniture?" Her neighbor called from across the way.

"No, I have it." The last thing Andy wanted was that old drunk coming into her yard.

"Well, if you change your mind, honey girl, I'm here." Her lip curled as she sneered at his words, honey girl.

Cap was a remnant of a culture that had left behind a lone pirate. He whistled at girls, made crude jokes, drank too much and had staunch political opinions. Andy tried to keep her distance, but he always found ways to interact with her, especially when Sean was off island.

If the garage door was open, Cap would wander over to see what she was working on. He'd butt in and ask if he could show her how to use that tool. Andy would shoo him off and then struggle on her own. It wasn't that he was a bad person; it was just that everything that came out of his mouth made her cringe.

He watched from his porch as she took down lights, dragged heavy furniture to the garage, and tied up plants. The wind whipped down the street and rattled the roof. Her eyes studied the ceiling of the old beach house, just as a drop of rain pelted her cheek.

Her husband called again. "Hey Andy, it's looking pretty bad. We may lose communication at some point."

"Yeah, I've been watching." The line went still. "This little cottage is going to hold, right?" Silence again. "Honey?"

"You'll be alright, babe." But she recognized the quiver in his voice, the pause, the silence; she would not be alright.

Rain came down in waves, hammering the roof. Wind rattled the windows and the vent hampers. She tried to focus on a jigsaw puzzle for distraction, but the noises were pulling at her nerves. A loud knock hit her front door. She leaped to her feet and pulled it open. Cap stood in the wind, soaked and reeking of booze.

"Andy, listen, my house is made of concrete." He waved a hand toward his house. "I'm going to leave my front door unlocked. If at any time you feel unsafe, just run in the front door."

Her eyes took in his sun worn skin, the marks and scars left all over his chest and face. The red bloodshot cheeks and eyes. "I'll be alright."

"But if you're not."

"Cap, I got you."

He turned and shook his head. "Just trying to help, sweetheart. I watched them build this house, you know what I'm saying?"

Who's he calling sweetheart? She closed the door and clicked the bolt. The storm grew stronger as the hours passed. Thunder rained down on her plastic deck cover, echoing through the thin walls. She went out to look at the road that was now under a foot of water.

A river of rocks, water and mud cascaded down from the cliff side and into the wall protecting her house. The piercing sound of a siren blasted from her phone. She ran inside and gripped it in her hand. "Evacuate now." Her bare feet ran back out onto the deck. Evacuate? Where are we going?

The only way she was getting out of there was in a kayak. Her roof cracked as she dodged a shingle flying through the yard. Or was it the tree? She turned her head to the sky as a branch bounced up and down in the force just as the sky grew dark, and the air howled. With a snap, the power was out.

Her hands were shaking as she ran back into the house for a flashlight. It's daytime, Andy, you don't need a flashlight. She shook her head and stopped in the hall. Breathe, breathe. You're okay; it's just wind.

The roof creaked with the sound of nails shifting in their holes. Holding on to the places they'd sat for twenty years. A loud thump hit the roof and dropped her to her knees. She quickly got up and grabbed her go bag; double checking the contents. There was no plan as she threw the door open.

Her eyes fell on Cap's front door. She scanned the street and realized the water was still just a foot high, easily crossable. Without another thought, she rushed out of the gate and across the street. "Cap? Are you okay?" He appeared in the hallway. "I think the real question here is how you doing?"

Andy stood there soaking wet, staring at the one person who was there, Cap.

"How 'bout a drink?" He offered.

"Yes, yes, a drink." She dropped her bag.

"Now listen, the safest place in the house is the shower. Solid all around, plenty room for two, and Broken Paw."

Andy stared at Cap's cat, Broken Paw. It wasn't exactly what you would expect from a pirate, but it softened him a little.

Her hand wrapped around the cold glass as her back found a comfortable position on the tile wall. The drink went down smooth and she felt herself relax.

"So, how long have you lived here, Cap?"

"Oh, I came out here when I was a teenager. Wanted to surf the big ones."

"I didn't know you surfed?"

"Well, it's been a hot minute, but I was something back in the day, or at least I didn't die."

She couldn't help laughing. "So you just stayed?"

"I mean, this is paradise, honey. Been gone too long from home, and most of the family's gone now anyway. Plus, I've lived in almost every house on this street at one time or another. Worked on 'em all. This is my place."

"What did you do for work? To afford to stay?"

"I have my degree in engineering, so plenty of work."

She turned, shocked.

"What, you thought I wasn't edumacated?"

"I mean…I."

"Oh, it's alright. You and I haven't really talked much."

Cap got up and went out of the room. He came in carrying a handful of paper rolls.

"Here's some of the projects I've got going."

She unrolled the pages and studied his work. Her eyes met his.

"You read?" He asked.

"Of course I read." She answered sarcastically.

"No, I mean books, fiction."

"Yes, I love to read."

"Well, I got a ton of books if you want to rummage around."

They rose from the safety of the tile bunker and ventured into the living room. "Now this shelf is my favorites."

The two of them spent hours on the floor sifting through books. Cap had a story for each one. He showed her his seashell collection, artifacts he'd collected and his favorite vinyl. Her hand rubbed the top of Broken Paw's head.

"Hey Cap, why do you always whistle and holler at the girls?"

He got up and peeked out the window. "Girls used to like that, you know?"

"Did they?"

"I mean, I can't tell you how many girls we picked up on the beach just by telling 'em how cute they were."

Andy rocked back with her hands holding her knees. "I guess it was a different time. That's gotta feel really strange, watching the whole culture change."

"Oh honey, I don't know what's right and what's wrong anymore. Feels like this world is just moving faster than this old body can keep up with. You know I can't even walk into some offices? They want everything email."

His hand gripped the door frame as his eyes pondered out into a world he no longer recognized. Andy looked him over, his gray hair, thin arms and frame that once were strong, the wrinkles that framed his sullen face.

"Storms passing." He turned back to her. "Your house stands."

She rose and dropped the book in her hand.

"You can borrow that."

"Thanks." She picked it back up. "Hey Cap, thank you."

"Awe, don't worry about it. Just wanted to know you were okay."

She patted his arm and went out into the yard. Tree branches and rocks littered the street. The water was already receding. Andy stared at her little cottage and let out a long sigh before opening the gate.

They spent the next two days cleaning. Cap helped her move the furniture back and hang the lights. She made him lunch and helped clean up his patio.

Andy walked out onto the beach to take in the sunset. Orange and yellow splashed the sky. She sat until the very last light held on. As she turned down her street, she saw an ambulance. Her feet froze until it registered that it was in front of Cap's.

She darted to the house just as they were carrying him out. They weren't using a stretcher, but some sort of carrying sheet to hold his limp body. His lanky feet hung out the back.

"What's going on?"

A neighbor approached; "Someone stopped by to say hi and found him passed out in the living room. His head was busted."

Her heart raced in her chest. "Is he dead?"

"I don't know."

The ambulance pulled away, leaving her on the quiet street. Broken Paw stood in the yard. Andy scooped him up and pressed him to her chest. She carried him to her deck and stared across at Cap's empty porch. A group of girls passed by- no whistle, no "honey girl," no Cap.