remaining at the scene when Kim & I arrived. (All three had been pulled out of the garage rubble much earlier, and two of them had already been towed away.) |
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the hatchback was recognizable. This was the Subaru Wagon. |
By 11:00, when Kim and I met him at the nearby McDonalds, Drew had already received money from the insurance company, and had already purchased two new cell phones (programmed to Drew and Anna’s regular cell phone numbers)!
The first thing we noticed was that his hair looked … odd, somehow. Upon closer inspection, we discovered that Drew’s entire head had been singed!!! And his hair was “melted” into a really strange shape. Until we mentioned it to him, he hadn’t even been aware of it!!!
“Hmm. Must have happened when I tried to put out the fire.”Hence, Drew had been running around – all morning – in slippers,
Annaclarice had been taken to school so that her parents would be free to get the family’s emergency needs taken care of. Annabeth, Mary and Wes, spent the day getting medication prescriptions filled (the Deats’ had to be called into the Papillion pharmacy from Texas), finding dog food, and buying some clothing.
Anna’s great friend, Patty, took care of Shout until they found a new yard for him. (Patty is Shout’s “Grandmother,” after all!)
Kim and I kept Drew company while he made phone call after phone call: talking to insurance adjusters, business partners, the bank, etcetera. Two of Drew’s Air Force friends were leaving on “Temporary Duty” that morning. But, before leaving, they managed to track Drew down (an incredible feat!), and give Drew their house for the weekend.
Steve arrived at the Omaha airport around 3:30 pm.
Bit by bit, things started coming together. We got the Lt. Colonel’s daughter’s car picked up … Steve took Drew shopping for clothing (he’d been running around in slippers and cast-off clothing all day) … and the offers of places to stay, offers of clothing, offers of “anything and everything I can do for you!” just kept pouring in!!! It was incredible.
Annaclarice had gone to a friend’s house after school. When we went to get her, we also had to pick up the bags and bags of stuffed animals, toys, and clothes that her schoolmates had given her! School-Parents had brought tons of things to school as soon as they heard about the fire. They’d even started an “Emergency Fund” to collect money for Annaclarice’s family. (The money will be put in a fund for the NEXT school-family who has an emergency – a family who might not be as well-insured as Drew and Anna!)
At 6:00 pm we all managed to get together for dinner at a fabulous Chinese restaurant. After that, Steve and Kim and I returned to Lincoln.
The next day, we all went back up to Omaha. Steve volunteered to drive the Deatses home to Big Springs, Texas. (Wes still didn’t have any glasses, so he couldn’t drive!) The drive took about 18 hours. One of Steve’s business partners drove to Big Springs to meet him and take STEVE home. I think he finally got back to Houston late Sunday morning!
Steve, Jodi and the Kidz are driving back up to Lincoln on Tuesday so that we can all be together for THANKSGIVING. Certainly, we’ve got an amazing amount of things to be thankful for this year.
As soon as we get Drew and the Annas settled into their new home, I’ll notify everyone of their new address. I’ll also post it on the main page of this site.
[BTW: The contents of my Denver condominium have been in storage since I moved into the Parent’s basement two years ago! So, we’ve got plenty of things to help get Drew and the Annas comfy until they can purchase their new furniture, kitchenware, and the like. (Thank goodness for the insurance!)]
