Monday, December 11, 2006

10:30 Sunday December 10, 2006, The first Night

The time had finally come for me to go. I knew as I sat in my room that day they would be there waiting, drinking coffee, power drinks, and pep pills. Getting stronger and more restless by the hour as grew more and more weary. But for some reason I was drawn forward. Somehow not wanting to see what awaited but also knowing that it was there waiting for me.

I would learn things this week things about people, students, the night, and myself. Some of these things I knew I wasn’t going to like. I stopped at Wal-Mart the very heart of the city and learned that you can by chocolate cheese cake two pieces at a time instead of just one whole one. This was amazing. It meant could stop eating chocolate cheesecake a half a cake at a time. Maybe thing were going to be better than I thought maybe I could learn from these Nacogdochians. However, I knew my destination wasn’t the cookie cutter mercantile world of an old man now lying in his grave. My destination lay to the south. Despite my reluctance I could feel it pulling me, beckoning me, despite my better judgment. I had to know. I had to see with my own eyes the horrors, the tragedy, the scenes of mayhem and destruction that surely awaited me. I had stayed up through several nights sheltering refugees from the angry woman called Katrina. I had later moved the trees and wielded a chainsaw to fight back the onslaught of destruction brought on by Rita, but, was I ready, was I prepared, was I strong enough, ………………………….. for a night at Steen Library?

Only time would tell.

If you don’t hear from me tell my family I loved them.

R Philip Reynolds

Librarian!

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