WHEN THE DUST CLEARED
All I could sense was the faint sound of a sonata playing
in the background even though chaos was erupting. Running
everywhere was a crowd, trying to keep safe from all that
was happening. It was like being inside a very bad nightmare
that never seemed to end.
A massive earthquake had hit our City of Angels like a
bully that was running through town just ready to take
anyone or anything that crossed its path. The shattering
could be heard for miles and miles like a stack of dominoes
falling one after another. I had to make sure that my
thoughts stayed clear.
One thought came to my mind on that terrible
November morning. I hoped that my fiancé John did not
think that I had stood him up for our weekend trip to Napa
Valley. I know it sounds silly to be worried about a date
during a time like this one. I have heard in many cases when
someone is going through something difficult such as this, it
is good to keep happy thoughts.
As I thought about John and how he always made things
better, I heard more rupturing across the Los Angeles area. I
tried to keep a clear perspective, but sadly I learned that
many of the homes in the suburban area of my
neighborhood were destroyed, which included many of my
neighbors. Were they injured? This was so hard to deal with
because I had grown up in California. Yes, I was a valley girl.
My parents had worked hard to provide for my brother,
Jacob, and me. When I got older, I moved to Los Angeles
and was able to attend UCLA to pursue a career in acting.
This is where I met John who was one of the directors at the
Network. I still recall when I went to audition and he called
my name for the first time.
“Very well done, Nadia,” he smiled.
I was in complete shock.
“My name is John Gallagher. I will be directing this
episode. You know, I think you were made to play this role.”
After that there was no turning back. I fell madly in love.
Horrifying echoes were stirring among the street. There
was damage everywhere and I could feel pain coming from
every direction. I tried to stay positive by thinking about
John. Another memory came to me and this time, I recalled
our first anniversary of being together.
“Well, Ms. Nadia Chumsky, do you approve of this
night?” he said as we danced the night away.
“Oh, I definitely approve, Mr. Gallagher,” I answered
with a smile.
In the midst of incredible chaos, I heard someone on a
very loud intercom about to make an announcement.
“Attention, everyone, this is a message from the mayor.
We are working very hard, trying to ensure your safety at this
time. Most of our city has been hit pretty hard by a massive
earthquake, which has also hit the surrounding cities. At this
point we do not know how much of the earth still remains.”
It was bad enough that I had to witness how my
neighborhood was knocked down, but his words made me
even sadder. I could not help but wonder how much of our
world still remained.
Suddenly a horrible numbness began to overtake me, and
a bad feeling began to overwhelm my thoughts. I must think
about John and focus on him! I quickly said to myself. All I could
hear in the background was a siren. Another scream came
from someone who was caught up in the aftermath of this
horrible event, which had affected so many. As I looked up
at the sky, I saw dark clouds begin to cast a gloom and a
more somber atmosphere filled the air. I tried not to panic.
I began to rush through the massive crowd. It felt like I
was flying and leaping through all of them in a dream
sequence that seemed to have lasted for a long time.
“Help! Help!” many of the victims cried out. I felt so
helpless. I wanted to stop and carry them all out to safety,
just like a soldier does in combat for his fellow man. But
somehow when I tried to reach out to them, I was not able
to reach them. It was like I was not in control of my own
body.
Oh, John, I wish I knew if you were okay. Then out of
nowhere, I began to feel the ground begin to shake again.
“Oh, what is happening now? I cannot believe this!” I cried
out.
Then after what seemed like forever, I began to look
across the city and saw houses falling down to the ground
once again. Wait a minute! Wait a minute! I remember seeing this
all before. After a moment, I noticed I was back in my car
going through traffic. “Am I losing it?” I said, trying not to
freak out completely.
As I sat in my car for what seemed like hours, I still was
not sure of what was happening. All of a sudden out of
nowhere, I was parked outside of Andre’s Restaurant where
I was going to meet John. I dragged myself out of the car
and saw the city skyline. One by one the buildings began to
collapse around me. The only building that did not seem to
be affected was the restaurant where we were supposed to
meet up for our trip. Now I was more confused than ever.
“How can this be possible?” I said in a more demanding
tone. “This just cannot be. Am I going mad?” In a matter of
seconds, I began to hear chaos erupting once again.
As I continued to walk further, I began to see roses on
the ground. “Hmm, well this is really odd,” I said in a quieter
tone. But the most shocking thing that I witnessed in the
middle of the path was a vineyard. This had me even more
puzzled than anything. All of a sudden I was able to
recognize where I was. “How can I be here?”
By this point, I was breaking inside. “Please, I need to
know what is going on here!” I had been crying for a while
when finally I heard a familiar voice calling to me.
“Nadia, Nadia, do not worry, babe. Everything is going
to be okay now.”
“John, is that you?” I asked anxiously.
“Yes,” he answered.
All of a sudden I realized what had happened to our
plans for a weekend trip to Napa Valley. When I was on my
way to meet up with John at Andre’s Restaurant, an
earthquake broke out and a car had pinned me down.
“Nadia, please stay with me,” he said. It was then that I
started to feel really cold.
“Sir, we need to try and see if we can move her out of
the car,” a paramedic called out.
“No. I’m not going to leave her,” John said.
“You’re not helping her,” a fireman said. He began the
process of pulling me out of my car.
After a few moments of protesting, John finally agreed
to let the first responders do their job and take me to the
hospital.
I heard voices calling out to me. I was so caught up in a
dream that I couldn’t pay attention to anything else. I guess
things started to turn around for me because all of a sudden,
I felt a cool breeze enter into my body. At that moment, the
only person I wanted beside me was John.
I felt grateful and relieved that both of us had survived
the earthquake, even though I knew that there were many
who had lost so much. I wanted to shout it out to the world.
When I woke up in my hospital room, one thing that
really puzzled me was the silence. I would think with what
happened today, it would be a mad house. I began to get anxious
because John was not with me. I wonder what is keeping him
now?
Since it did not appear that the hospital staff was
hurrying around any longer, I decided to take a stroll down
the hall. But once I stepped out of the doorway, I was back
in the midst of all the loud chaos.
Then the effects of an aftershock caused another
building to fall. It took everything down to the ground. Once
again, I was at a loss for words, feeling like I was back at
square one.
“Hello? Hello!” I cried out. This seemed to be getting
redundant, and I was at the end of my rope. The most
confusing part of all of this was that I did not understand
what was happening. Why do I keep losing John?
As I tried to get a grip on reality, I began to hear the
sound of a sonata playing in the background. It was almost
like the music seemed to go into a deep crescendo, leading
up to the climax of what was trying to be uncovered. I
needed so desperately to know what was going on. This was
not up for any negotiations. It was either now or never. I
decided to take a deep breath, and plunge my way to
discover the truth. With all my strength, I opened my eyes
and could not believe it.
“Nadia! Nadia!” my very loving John said. He stood in
my hospital room and looked into my eyes.
“Oh, John!” I said, wanting to kiss his lips. I tried to hold
back my tears. “I was so frightened that I had lost you.”
“Nadia, I just want you to know that I love you!” he
gasped. “I always will.”
I heard a loud sound that mimicked a flat line. After the
sound stopped, I saw people gathering in a room. When I
walked in, I noticed there were many pictures of men,
women, and children. By them were names and dates.
“So, who are you here for?” an older woman asked.
“My fiancée, Nadia,” John said.
I could not contain my tears any longer. My picture is on
the table? No! Not me!
“Oh, I am so sorry,” she said. “I am here for my son.”
“I lost her a few days ago,” John said. “The earthquake
took so much from so many of us. But it took my heart away
when I lost my Nadia.”
It was then that I realized that I had not survived. I was
dead. After all the aftermath and the chaos, I realized I had
to let go of my one true love, but I didn’t want to. I choked
out a few words with tears flowing down my cheeks.
“Goodbye, John.”
It all made sense now. The journey of where I had been
was all part of my denial. The answers had been clear. I just
refused to see them.
“Oh, my beloved John. I will see you again. I will love
you forever. I must move on to a greener pasture for now.”
As I began to walk away, I started to see other souls that
were headed somewhere new just like me. It was then that I began
to see the humility of my life. Even though I had not quite
understood what was happening, I was able to realize that once
the dust had cleared, I had to learn the biggest lesson of finally
letting go.