M'buti and family cope with the aftermath of a storm that damaged their house and injured her husband. Like the Sanduskys, the Sormientos are at a temporary shelter for people who lost their homes or suffered damage, thanks to the storm.
I look at my kids (especially our oldest son, Jubaki, who is going to be five in a few weeks), and tears sting my eyes. I wonder if they even know that their lives are no longer the same and that we no longer have a house until our house is repaired. But Jubaki and the twins, Eshe' and Kibarake, are very happy, and they are happily playing with each other and other kids, and they don't know of the severity of the situation; and it breaks my heart.
This is M'buti. I am sitting here, crying (AGAIN! It seems that is all I have been doing, ever since the storms came through!), as I write out my feelings in my journal; and my poor, injured husband, Roberto, is napping beside me on the bed. His face is still a mess, and his nose is still swollen up like a potato. The shelter is full of people, and I am trying to make sense over what happened the night before last. Until two days ago, our lives were happy, normal, carefree; then came the storms, and our lives changed forever. Our house is damaged, and now we are here, at this shelter, and I feel so bad for my husband and especially the kids! I also still don't know anything about our dog, "Rodriguez"; and I am scared that he died in the storm. If he did, I don't think I (or Roberto) could ever forgive ourselves!
I talked to my brothers back in Kenya, and they were horrified to hear of the news about our house; they want to come to America to help, but I told them to stay there in Africa until after our house is fixed. But they are glad that we are okay, and they are glad that we survived.
I also was surprised to see Louie and Bill and their family here. I don't know why they are here, but they are; and they look upset, too. Maybe they lost their house, too, in the storm; oh, I hope not! I also hope that none of the kids were injured; that would be AWFUL!! But they look okay; shaken up, but okay. Ronee' looks so sad, and so does Johnny. My heart goes out to them; those two have been through so much in their lives; and now they don't have anywhere to live. More tragedy for those kids. Just what they DON'T need.
Frankly, I don't know how they can STAND it!!
When Louie saw me and the kids, she came over and gave me the biggest hug, and she also hugged the kids. She told me that the family was okay (much to my relief!), but their house had some damage, and until it can be repaired, they would be here at the shelter. I told her that our house sustained damage, too, and that Roberto had a broken nose when he got hit in the face by a large tree branch, and I also told her about our dog, who was still missing. At the news of Roberto being hurt and also our dog missing, her dark eyes filled with tears, and her face turned sad. She didn't say a word, but she did give me a huge hug, and I must admit that it felt pretty good. We both stood there, crying, as we held each other, trying to make sense over what had happened.
I am glad to report that the storms, for now, have moved on, but it will be weeks, possibly months, before all the damage from the storms is taken care of, and it will be a while before life as we once knew it returns back to normal. Life may return to normal for some people, but for us, the Sormientos, and also the Sanduskys, I am afraid that it won't be that simple. For one thing, our homes have been damaged, and major repairs must be made; and until they are, we really can't go anywhere but stay here at the shelter. Now, we have food and some donated clothes, but we can't enjoy our home, and the kids won't be able to play with their toys or go out in the yard. I won't be able to go to work for a while, and neither will Roberto; and so we will be hurting for money once the bills start coming in. I really don't know how we are going to make it without money, and I am scared that we will end up penniless and homeless for good!
I look at my kids (especially our oldest son, Jubaki, who is going to be five in a few weeks), and tears sting my eyes. I wonder if they even know that their lives are no longer the same and that we no longer have a house until our house is repaired. But Jubaki and the twins, Eshe' and Kibarake, are very happy, and they are happily playing with each other and other kids, and they don't know of the severity of the situation; and it breaks my heart.
