Jacob woke startled. Karen was calling me in my dream. Shaking his head to release the sleep that threatened to take over. The night before Jacob found Paul at his door when he returned from his visit with Karen. The black woman named Lila had been at the beach house. Paul had let her know Jacob was not home. After sending Paul home, Jacob went to bed. The day had been strange on so many fronts.
Loud knocking. Jacob heard Karen’s voice. I did not dream about her calling me. Jacob jumped out of bed. The beach house shutters on the window banged. What is going on? Karen yelled, “Dad.” “Coming,” Jacob replied.
Jacob opened the door as Karen raised her fist to hit the door again. Karen, Paul, and the black woman, Lila were standing on his front porch. “Why are you all here in the middle of the night?” Jacob asked. “Dad, the hurricane switched directions, and it is headed this way,” Karen said. The rough sound of the waves caught Jacob’s attention.”Why are all of you here? You could have called.” Jacob said. “I tried calling Dad, but it went to voice mail,” Karen said. He had turned the ringer off both the house phone and his cellphone before going to sleep.
Lila stepped in front of Paul. “I am Lila. I had a dream about your beach house, and it worried me, so I came to see if you were okay.” “Do I know you?” Jacob asked. Lila smiled, “No, I do not think so, but something about you seems familiar.” “I could say the same thing about you,” Jacob said.
Karen and Paul watched the interactions between Lila and Jacob. “Dad, you need to come to my house. I told you when you bought this beach house it was not a good deal.” “Karen, this is my house, it has weathered many hurricanes.” “Jacob, I think Karen is right, you need to leave,” Paul added.
Jacob turned to Lila. “Tell me about your dream.” “Dad, this is serious, you can talk about dreams later and away from here,” Karen said. “We can talk later. It is not safe to be here.” Lila said. The concern Jacob saw pushed him to rush inside. He had a duffle in the closet packed for his various adventures. With the bag, his cellphone and his favorite coffee mug, Jacob took one last look at his beach house and locked the door. The feeling of life ending grabbed his chest.
The wind pulled them towards the ocean. “The hotel is closer,” Lila said. “Hold my hand,” Paul shouted over the roar. The four of them hand in hand struggled against the sand that pelted them. There were folks in the hotel lobby. Many had never lived through a hurricane, and the fear was evident on their faces. The staff worked tirelessly to get everyone down to the basement.
Karen pulled out her phone. A quick call to her brother to let him know she was with their dad and at the hotel. The packed elevators were not a choice. Jacob pointed to the stairs, and the four of them headed to the basement.
Will my beach house still be there? Lila touched his arm. A spark ignited between them. “I hope your beach house survives.” “Did I say that out loud?” Jacob asked. “No.” she answered.
© 2019 Ivy Jade