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Post by mae00 on Feb 18, 2021 18:25:15 GMT -5
How ironic that she was just thinking about people being stupid and here she is with the Coast Guard knocking on her door.
she had her chance to NOT go to a shelter and she turned it down. She has no one to blame but herself at this point.
At least now someone knows that they were there and were evacuated. I'm sure the coast guard will have record of it if Philip goes to looking.
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Post by meemz on Feb 19, 2021 16:30:59 GMT -5
The irony of Chloe thinking Philip is saving people from their own stupidity. Too bad she didn't listen to him when he told her to take Parker to Salem with Brady. Now they have to go to a shelter. How is that better? And please tell me she's not going to try to hide from the Coast Guard so she can stay. I think she is referring to her own “stupidity” Wonder what will happen next! |
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Post by fluffysmom on Feb 19, 2021 18:52:43 GMT -5
I understand Chloe's confusion about the right choices considering she has never lived in a state where hurricanes occur. Generally people feel safest in their homes but that isn't always the safest place.
I thought the person knocking may be Brady.
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Post by Kpatch on Feb 25, 2021 9:43:26 GMT -5
Chapter 23a
Chloe held Parker’s hand tighter as they walked into the gymnasium of the Marathon Middle School, which was being used as a hurricane shelter. The place was packed. Every piece of floor space was occupied. The bleachers had wall-to-wall people. There wasn’t a square to spare. Why did they even drop us at this particular shelter, she wondered, when there wasn’t any space.
Holding fast to Parker’s hand, Chloe shuffled her way past dozens and dozens of people seated on the floor. “Careful, angel,” she told him, knowing it would be hard not to accidentally step on someone, and considering how short-tempered people were these days, she didn’t want to instigate world war 3.
At last, she spotted a small strip of space near the far wall by the windows. She headed there, hoping there would be enough room for her and Parker. “Excuse me. Sorry. Pardon us.” Finally, they got there. “Hi. Excuse me, miss,” she said as sweetly as could be. “Would you mind making some room for me and my little boy? Please?” The woman sitting there rolled her eyes and grudgingly slid over, but barely. Chloe inched her butt onto the piece of floor mat that was available, and pulled Parker into her lap.
“I want to go home,” Parker told her.
“We just got here, angel.”
“How long we gotta stay?”
“A while. Until the storm passes.”
He held his nose. “It’s stinky here. Smells like pee.” Parker was right. The mixture of perspiration, bad breath, and other body odors was fairly nauseating but unavoidable.
Chloe dug into her purse and pulled out a coconut lemon hand sanitizer. “Here, Parker. Put some of this on your hands.” He held his hands out and she squirted a dollop into his hands as well as her own. “Go ahead and rub your hands together like this. Then you can put your hands to your nose and smell something pleasant.” She handed him his iPad Mini so he could play electronic brain games to pass the time.
An older woman seated on the other side was watching them both. Chloe made herself smile at the woman. “You have a very cute little boy,” the lady said.
“Thank you.” But when the woman patted Parker’s head, he shyly leaned into his mother.
“I’m Helen,” the woman said.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Chloe.”
“And what’s your name, young man?”
Before Parker could answer, Chloe jumped in and changed the subject. She couldn’t help but be a little wary of strangers. “Um is this your first time in a shelter, Helen?”
“Heavens, no. Here on the Key, it’s a regular event. I take it this is your first time?”
“We’ve lived in Florida less than a year. I guess we’ll need to get used to this. Do you have any survival tips?”
Smiling warmly, Helen said, “I always pick someone to talk to that I think will be friendly. It helps to pass the time to have someone to talk to.”
Chloe relaxed a little. Helen seemed like a regular person. “You here by yourself?” Chloe asked.
“Yes. I’m a widow. My children and grandchildren live in New York. What about you?”
“New York? Really? My parents live in New York too,” Chloe told her. “And um my significant other is with the Coast Guard. Frankly, I’m a little worried about him.”
“Aw, that’s only natural, dear,” Helen said, patting Chloe’s arm. “But I’m sure he’s been through many storms and has a lot of experience. The Coast Guard is one of the best trained branches of service.”
“I hope you’re right,” Chloe said quietly.
Parker looked up. “You worried ‘bout Uncle Phil, Mommy? Is he in trouble?”
Pulling him closer, she said, “No angel, he’s not in trouble. He’s helping people who are in trouble.” She instinctively rocked him in her arms, comforting her son as well as herself. “He’ll be fine.”
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Post by André DiMera on Feb 25, 2021 9:58:19 GMT -5
Helen seems nice. Hopefully the storm will end soon.
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Post by heroicmuse on Feb 25, 2021 10:12:49 GMT -5
I hope Helen really is a regular person. I'm with Chloe about being guarded around strangers who seem too interested in kids.
This has to be hard for Parker. I hope that Chloe can be honest with him without scaring him too much.
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Post by doolfan4life on Feb 25, 2021 13:44:42 GMT -5
I’m glad they got to the shelter ok
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Post by mae00 on Feb 25, 2021 13:54:12 GMT -5
I'm glad they got to the shelter safely.
I hope Helen really is just a nice older lady with no ill intentions. Now a days, you just can't be too careful.
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Post by Kpatch on Feb 27, 2021 10:10:53 GMT -5
It occurred to me that we haven't seen Philip in a long time, and that's just not right! 
So here's a sneak preview of what he's up to.
Atlantic Ocean
Wearing his wet suit, goggles and an oxygen tank strapped to his back, Philip clung tight to the cable as it swung freely from the helicopter above him.
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Post by heroicmuse on Feb 27, 2021 10:24:50 GMT -5
I hope Philip doesn't get into too dangerous a situation. Looking forward to seeing what he's doing.
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Post by doolfan4life on Feb 27, 2021 11:56:55 GMT -5
Yay for previews
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Post by André DiMera on Feb 27, 2021 12:06:47 GMT -5
Glad to get a preview of what Philip’s doing!
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Post by meemz on Feb 27, 2021 12:47:02 GMT -5
Wow kpatch..realistic descriptions, i felt i was at that gym with chloe and parker
I Missed philip! Cant wait for next chapter
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Post by fluffysmom on Feb 27, 2021 20:23:57 GMT -5
I'm glad Chloe found someone to talk to. Hopefully that will make the time go more quickly. I'd want to go home too if I were Parker. Thanks for the Philip preview Kpatch. |
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Post by Kpatch on Mar 4, 2021 8:27:01 GMT -5
Chapter 23b
Over the next few hours, Chloe and Helen got to know each other. Helen moved from New York to Florida when she retired 10 years ago. Her children and grandchildren lived in Queens and Brooklyn. Chloe didn’t know a lot about the boroughs, other than Manhattan where Craig and Nancy lived, and where she and Parker stayed for a while.
Once they exhausted the topic of New York, they moved on to movies and books and restaurants. They swapped some recipes. Helen shared stories about some hospital stays she had, including a knee replacement and diabetes complications.
The people in charge of the shelter operations came by with wrapped sandwiches for everyone. Helen didn’t want hers, so she gave it to Parker to save for later. After eating, they took turns queueing up for the bathroom, knowing it would be a long wait. Helen saved a spot for Chloe and Parker while they went to the rest room, and when they returned, they saved Helen’s seat while she went.
After a little more conversation, Helen fell asleep sitting up. In some ways, Helen reminded Chloe of her own mother, except Helen had a sweeter and more gentle personality. Chloe was grateful she found someone nice to talk to, and it really did pass the time and help to distract her—but not enough.
Her mind drifted back to Philip and the fight they had the night before. Chloe knew she wasn’t blameless. Philip and Brady’s rivalry ran deep. It ran for decades. Believing Philip would be more mature and magically get past that boyhood envy was a nice thought, but everyone had something in their background that they couldn’t shake off. For her, it was abandonment issues. For Philip, it was insecurity.
But when it really mattered, like when she told Philip that Brady offered to fly them to Salem, he didn’t hesitate for a minute. He told her to go, because he cared more about her and Parker than about his own insecurities. His jealousy didn’t exist in that moment.
Earlier, Brady had said, “I’ll never really understand your relationship with Philip.” Okay, so things weren’t perfect between her and Philip. They had issues they needed to work on, like any couple does. Certainly, she felt bad that Brady got caught in the middle of her and Philip’s drama, but Brady didn’t walk in her shoes and he didn’t live in their home so he couldn’t know the depth of what she and Philip had.
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