After several attempts of trying to get a line to call home to check on the family, which proved to no avail, she busied herself in making a path back to the house to ease the difficulty she knew Zach would have. He lay there helplessly watching his wife, moving rubble from the house and chopping the smaller branches from the fallen trees around them.
Less than an hour later, Phaedra learned that she could depend on others. Despite having their own troubles to deal with, several men from the area appeared in the company of Rosie to see how they had fared.
“Gosh, guys, I’m so happy to see you,” gushed Zach, relieved that they might get somewhere at last.
Phaedra, also very pleased, straightened up from trying to lift a piece of mortar and sat on it instead with great relief.
The men were gruff in their responses and set to work immediately as they sized up what needed to be done. One man set to work with his machete, already sharpened, and the edge glinted in the sun as he swung it repeatedly, cutting the tree into more manageable chunks for the others to pull away.
The car was badly damaged, with the back portion of the roof badly dented, and the rear windows smashed. It seemed like if they were ever to get out of there, they would need a different mode of transportation.
In just a few short hours, the village men had tidied up their surroundings, clearing a path to the house and also the driveway. She and Rosie had been able to use the kitchen, which was part of the more recent addition and was still in good condition; while the men moved furniture from the demolished side of the house to the section that survived the earthquake. It was a tight squeeze but they managed to pack them securely while allowing good space for movement until they were ready to leave.
The power company had shut off the lights but as a precaution, Phaedra turned off all the breakers. The water was off as well, but since they had their own secondary supply, that was one less thing to worry about.
The other things to worry about were the hope that it would last while they were still in residence, their inability to communicate with the family and aftershocks.
After walking around outside attempting to get cell phone service with no luck, Rosie suggested that they walked as far as they could to see if they would have any luck.
She made sure the mini generator was in operation and put water and food within reach of Zach before her departure. She had begun to feel real anxious about calling her family to see how they had survived the earthquake.
It was rough going. The road was lined with rock falls, land slides and fallen trees. Many houses, especially those with inferior building methods, suffered real bad damage and she could see the families standing around the rubble in disbelief. Some men were busy doing whatever they could to provide temporary shelter and a few women stood over hastily contrived outdoor fires preparing food for their children because life must go on.
“Miss Phaedra …,” started Rosie.
“No, no,” interrupted Phaedra. “It’s Phaedra, call me Phaedra, Rosie.”
“Sorry ma’am,” she said looking apologetic.
“Ma’am? That’s even worse!” she laughed and Rosie joined her.
“Phaedra, a hope you ready for a long walk. If we don’t get a signal by the time we reach Richmond, we’ll prob’ly have to walk to Highgate.”
“Well, if that’s what it takes,” said Phaedra. “I need to know what’s happening with my family, especially the children. Are you up to it?”
“Sure, sure, just remember the roads might be blocked and we prob’ly have to walk all the way and back,” she warned.
“God, that sounds daunting. How far away is Highgate?”
“P’raps five miles,” she guessed.
“Gosh, ten miles total. I guess we’ll walk and pray to get a ride even a part of the way.”
They reached Zion Hill Square without luck. A cell phone signal was as elusive as a will o’ the wisp but the road was filled with people interested in knowing what the damage was, and to see if their neighbours were okay.
There was a report of a woman who had died of a heart attack. Of course, Rosie knew who she was even though she had been bed ridden for years.
There were also fallen power lines, but thankfully no live wires since the power company had been swift in turning the power off.
Rosie seemed to know everyone and she could see the interest in wanting to know who she was. Some were even brazen enough to ask, especially the men.
She smiled. She knew if there was cell service, Rosie would be getting a few calls from the women since they were more underhanded with their queries.
All the way to Richmond were houses with damage, torn up asphalt and fallen trees. Men were already at work clearing the roads, but travel was severely hampered because the bridge at Gowie’s had a gigantic crack which they deemed unsafe to travel over until engineers were able to check how safe it was.
Many illegal, high priced taxis were born that day especially when they were told that another bridge closer to Highgate had also been compromised and the drivers had promptly set up a system of service that plied between the bridges and back. Rosie and Phaedra were happy to hear that because it meant they did not have to walk the entire way.
As they were entering the taxi, Rosie saw a friend who told her that she had been able to use her phone in Highgate. Phaedra was relieved knowing it would not be a wasted trip.
On the way to Highgate was a long stretch of road they called Long Level, which was by no means level except in comparison to everywhere else. It snaked along in waves of slight inclines and synclines before hitting a corner in the distance.
They were driving along hopeful to make contact, finally, when the car felt like it hit a bump before it shut off. Startled, Phaedra looked up and saw the road moving like a snake all the way to the corner and the car, which should have been stationary, was bumping up and down.
The women screamed while the men cursed expletives in a row.
“Jesus Christ, God a come,” exclaimed one woman in the midst of the bad words.
The trees swayed as if experiencing the fury of a storm as an oncoming car, careened around the corner and crashed in the embankment. Before they could fully comprehend what was happening, they were jolted in their seats accompanied by a loud crash.
As suddenly as it started, the movement stopped. Dazed, they filed out of the car to assess the damage.
“Aftershock,” someone said by way of explaining.
“Look ‘pon me cyar, man. Me jus’ collecki from the body shop las’ week an’ look ponni now,” lamented the driver, as he viewed the damage caused by the car that hit him from behind.
By then the other car had been emptied out and the other driver was also contemplating on his damage.
Phaedra’s driver seemed to be spoiling for a fight but was quickly calmed down by the voices of reason that pointed out it was not anyone’s fault. It was indeed, an act of God and no one should be blamed.
Apart from some minor head banging, nobody was hurt, and since the cars were still able to move, the drivers agreed to complete the journey, albeit reluctantly.
“Driver, turn on the radio and mek we get some news, no,” asked a passenger.
He grudgingly did her bidding.
“… downtown area has been badly damaged. The residents have been warned of an impending tidal wave and have been told to seek refuge elsewhere. Members of the security forces have been deployed to ensure that these warnings are taken seriously.”
Phaedra was terrified. The news continued but she was too distraught to hear anymore. It had now become absolutely imperative that she contacted her family. Her heart was in her mouth with anxiety. Rosie looked over at her and saw her distress and reached out to take her hand.
“Jus’ pray Miss; God will take care of them. They’ll be awright.”
Thankful though she was for the support and encouragement, Phaedra hardly found any comfort in her words. The unknowing was the enemy. Usually quite level headed, she was finding out that separation from her family could be her undoing. Caught in a world where her husband was incapacitated and away from her, and not having seen her children for days before the trauma of this earthquake was causing her to unravel. She felt keenly, the nerve endings in her face coming undone, and the stress was monumental.
She kept telling herself that they were okay. It was all she could do to keep herself together.
Traversing the broken up road presented some difficulty but finally, they came to the next broken bridge where people stood waiting for the next car to Richmond, and cars waited for the next trip to Highgate.
There were also policemen on guard to ensure that unruly drivers did not move the barricade to endanger the lives of their passengers and of course, themselves.
Phaedra felt a headache coming and remembered she had not eaten all morning. In the excitement of the morning, which seemed a thousand miles away, she had forgotten to eat. She consoled herself that once she was able to talk to her family she would find something to eat.
The last leg of the trip was fraught with the same destruction but the road had been cleared, evidenced by the debris strewn alongside the roadway.
Soon they were being let out at the crossing across from St. Mary High School, Dad’s Alma Mater. They paid the exorbitant fees and got out. Phaedra quickly checked her phone, and yes! Three bars.
She dialed so hastily she missed a digit and had to dial again. She held her breath as she listened for the rings and counted impatiently.
“Hello,” said Dad in his calm, familiar voice. Relief flooded her. She visibly relaxed.
“Dad, hi,” she said unable to keep the joy from her voice. “How are you? Are the kids okay?”
“Hi Fay, I’ve been so worried about you. Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. The children …?”
“Yes, anxious to hear from you, but fine.”
Knowing she was chomping at the bit to hear from them, he passed the phone to Will first, and it was the best feeling in the world. He let her know how good he was being as a big brother, and that he had been diligently counting off the days like she had shown him.
She laughed.
Relief flooded her.
Her children were alright.
Then she spoke with the others who displayed more that they missed her, and tugged her heartstrings a little. She reassured them that she would be seeing them soon before asking to speak with grandma. Finally convinced that everyone was okay she told Tom about Zach’s mishap and the damage to the house and car.
“Well, Fay, it seems like you’ll have to remain in the country awhile, as the curfews put in place will be prohibitive for travel across the island. Downtown has been ravaged and Port Royal and the airport are cut off totally,” said Tom.
“What! Just like you predicted.”
“It gives me no joy, dear, none at all.”
“Many are missing and the fear is that they are dead. It’s terrible. We have been lucky compared to the coast, because first there was the damage and then the tsunami and reports are that the last aftershock could possibly be stronger than the one this morning. Thankfully we are still getting updates over the radio.”
“So you have light and water?”
“No, but you know the system. The generator works and it rained recently so the tanks are full and we have food, so we’ll be fine. Just worry about yourselves. I’m sure you’ll be able to drive the car home as long as the engine works.”
She finally bade him goodbye and disconnected the call.
She was happy again.
She was sure Zach was worried so now she needed to get back to put his mind at rest. He did not even know that she was headed this far.
The supermarket was closed but there was a small shop where the owners lived on the premises that they were able to buy something to eat right away and a few more items she might need given the fact that she did not know how long they would be trapped in Barracks River.
There certainly was enough fallen trees and rubble from landslides to keep them there another day or three. However, her biggest pain was over. Her family was doing great. But the day was not yet over. They still had the arduous return trip to make.