"It looks like next week is going to be clear up to the weekend, as the tropical storm is going to just graze the Gulf shore before dying off over Georgia."
"That's great Craig. Coming up, we turn to sports and the latest on UK's run through the NCAA baseball tournament."
I mute the television. I don't feel like listening to any more of the late evening news broadcast. I lean back in my recliner and shut my eyes for a sec.
The last twenty-four hours had been a whirlwind, pretty much literally. I was hoping the news would cover the storm some more, but after a day, there wasn't much left to cover. Lexington got off pretty easy. Power out for some blocks on the north side, trees down in numerous spots, minor damage to a few buildings and vehicles, but no serious injuries. There were two deaths over in Clark county. Overall, Kentucky got off light compared to what happened in Indiana and Illinois. Twelve deaths combined. Huge damage to some smaller towns. When the derecho crossed over to Kentucky, it started to die off. It still caused thousands of dollars in damages, but nowhere near as bad elsewhere.
Luckily, my smart thinking saved the Camaro. Not even a dent. Rick wasn't so lucky, as his SUV had its windshield broke out completely. At least they can afford the repairs, I guess. Pete's truck faired fairly well too; only a few minor dings.
I was watching the news to see if Addie was mentioned again. She managed to phone in a report for the late night broadcast, which got repeated for the morning report. I guess it wasn't important enough a day later. Instead, the station let Craig Phillips go for his usual forecast. He's the one Addie will be replacing this summer, as Craig is bound for Indy in a few weeks to join a sister station. Maybe sooner. Technically, Addie will be on weekends while the weekend weather person gets the evening shift, but Addie will probably be bumped up to the spot by the end of the year. The station is trying to keep it all quiet until just before he leaves.
After I talked to Sam, we and the guys went back up the stairs to the second floor to an open door to the emergency stairs. We then walked down to the basement level to find Addie, my Dad, the rest of the wedding party, the catering staff, and the night manager for the center. It turns out that it was standard procedure to lock the main doors in a weather event. However, it was a mistake on the manager's fault to lock the stairway entrance. Addie had been trying to call me, but either the basement doesn't have good reception or a tower had been knocked down in the storm. Anyway, everybody was safe.
Sam apologized to Addie and her family for his outburst, while the caterers went back upstairs to finish clearing up from the dinner. Sam then apologized to Dad, who promptly asked if I had told him.
Before I could respond, Sam said that I hold told him everything about why Dad was selling the house and leaving New York. Dad then corrected Sam and asked if I had mentioned that Sam was going to be my best man. In all the confusion about the storm, and the fallout from Sam's outburst, I had forgotten to announce the fact. At least with it coming out like this, the offer won't come off as some sort of token of forgiveness. Rick was only planning the party; he and my other friends already knew that Sam was getting the position. There was much hugging before we left to survey the rest of the damage.
Will's wife's sister had kept all of the kids safe in the hotel's own basement. In a stroke of luck, Jim's wife had made the same wrong turn that he did and wound up taking shelter in the wrong building. Jim was able to make sure both his children and the rest of his clothes were safe from her anger. They aren't reconciled yet, not by a long shot, but all five of them are still going on to Florida to visit Jim's family. The storm should miss them, if barely.
Will gave Rick the names of some therapists in the Lexington area to help Rick deal with his issues of his guilt over his former doctor. Rick is going to help out Pete get in contact with some local government officials, just in case he does get called out to run for office. Meanwhile, Pete would use his connections in local school systems to see if there is an interest in starting a program to monitor kids like Ray to make sure their stories don't turn our as tragic. I offer my own help, but it really wasn't needed yet. Rick doesn't need an editor or ghostwriter, yet, if ever. Pete has a stronger connection to local politics than I knew. How did I not know, or remember, that the four of us registered as the same party back in high school. Well, I waited until college after I turned eighteen, but we all voted the same way that November. I definitely have nothing to offer Will beyond seed money for any projects, but that will be a little down the line.
I will always love these guys, even if we aren't really that much alike any more.
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