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We're Praying

Replied Oct. 1, 2008

We're Praying

Replied Sep. 27, 2008

We're Praying
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Started this discussion. Last reply by rose roussel Oct. 1, 2008.

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At 9:35am on October 1, 2008, Dawn Bell said…: Layne always sends Tiffany on these wild hunts for presents...(to Tiff's credit she usually scores) but I'd like to see the face of the person who picks your name and sees what you want this year! Better yet, I want to read your "Ode to the Toilette"

At 1:00am on September 29, 2008, Dawn Bell said…: LOL..for the girl who has everything- a female urinal.
Looking forward to seeing more of your writings.Love ya!

At 12:44pm on September 27, 2008, rose roussel said…: Hi everyone, I arrived home yesterday (Saturday) at about 6:30 p.m. The ride wasn't too bad --nothing like the 14 1/2 hour drive in bumper to bumper traffic that we left in. When we left the house last Saturday at 10:00 P.M., I thought we would miss most of it, but when Nagin gave his speech, I think everybody wanted to beat the Contra-flow at 4:00 out of Jefferson. We sat in the traffic so long we had to pull off to use the bathroom. We ended up in New Orleans East on Read Road. Nothing was open, so we picked a well lit spot that wasn't too deserted, but private enough for our needs. My daughter went behind a tree and squatted down. I waited until she was almost done - then joined her. However, she said I was on the wrong side of the tree. At that point I really didn't care. She finished first and went to let two of her dogs out to do the same. I had my dog Honey (small Beagle) and a new dog Melissa had saved, Buster (large boxer) in my car with me. Melissa had Blackie (Large Chow mix) and Nathy (Chihuahua mix) with her. One of them was so happy to see me, she started running towards me at full speed. I started screaming at my daughter to stop her because I was in mid-stream and semi-squat. Luckily the dog (Nathy) was diverted at the last moment before she knocked me down or got her head wet. But when I stood up, I realized the bottom half of one pant's leg was wet. I ran to the car to get another pair of pants. I was yelling at my daughter to hurry up because we were in a bad area. I pulled the pants on and then realized I had put them on backwards. I was standing by the car in my big white drawers trying to put the new pants on (what a sight). We finally got done and again joined the never-ending parade of cars slowly moving away from the city. We drove or should I say rolled for many hours, reaching I-59 right before it was opened for the Contra-flow (4:00 A.M.) This actually helped us because we were in the left lane, so we moved over to the other side. Since no cars were ahead of us, we had the luxury of speeding up for almost 40 minutes before we again slowed to a snail's pace. As we drove we saw the sun come up over the horizon.
Our directions said to turn off at exit 106, and we were so happy when we saw exit 100. We kept looking, but never found 106. We got off the interstate and back-tracked. We stopped and asked some people. We were shocked to find out we had at least two and half more hours of driving yet to do. We needed the 106 after Tuscalusca. I made a mistake deciding to leave at 10:00 at night. We were both tired and the drive was unbelievably long. Once I noticed Melissa swerving ahead of me. When I called her, she said she had fallen asleep. We got off the main drag and tried to find a quiet place to take a power nap. We pulled into one area, but saw people walking out of their house, so Melissa couldn't manage to take a nap. We decided to get a drink and continue on. During the ride we called each other a lot, sometimes to discuss what was ahead, or to just check on each other. Melissa was the navigator and I followed her lead. Often it was hard to keep other cars from getting in between us, but we managed to stay together. Later in the trip I started fading. I had to pull over and get a Diet Pepsi from the ice chest to get a caffeine fix. I also used the ice to rub on my face and neck. Sometime later, on the road to a soft bed, we decided we needed to try again to get a short nap. We pulled into a busy place this time, but still no success. We bought two big energy drinks (for each of us) and got back into our cars. The last couple of hours of the ride were a total blur to me. I started pinching my leg and slapping my face. I kept using the ice and praying we would make it. When we finally pulled into the motel parking lot, I was too tired to cry. We had to get the dogs walked and fed. Melissa had to change her room to non-smoking and then at last, we could go to bed. I threw myself down on the bed. I was dirty and needed a shower, but I just didn't have the strength. I put Buster on Honey's bed, and let Honey sleep with me. I figured the dog was as dirty as I was. I lay down with all my clothes on and closed my eyes. I woke up eleven hours later grateful (despite the big cockroach and pubic hairs) to be in a room and not on the road.
After resting one night in Birmingham, Alabama, we headed for Lagrange, Georgia; where we would meet up with my two sisters and other family members. The rest of our time in Georgia, we tried to stay informed as to when we could return. My family left before my daughter and me because they had a place with power.
At last the day came to head for home. We felt the drive would go smoothly because many evacuees had already returned. We had a couple of pit stops along the way, but made really good time. When we got on I-10 headed for New Orleans, I didn't feel the need to stay right behind Melissa. I called her and said I would meet her at her house to deliver Buster. As I crossed the state line I honked my horn several times as a salute to coming home. One minute later I felt the car move strangely. Something was very wrong. A few seconds later I realized I had a flat tire. I called Melissa who was way ahead of me. I was scared because I don't like getting out of the car on the side of the road and I didn't know how to change the flat. I told her I would call my husband. He told me to call road assistance, but I knew that might take hours. I called Melissa and she reminded me that I had Fix-A-Flat in the trunk. I got out (so scared that my hands were shaking) and opened the trunk. As I reached for the can I realized something was biting my foot. I had stepped into an ant pile and as I looked big red ants were covering and biting my foot. I started to cry as I batted them away and bent to insert the Fix-A-Flat. Cars were zooming by and some were honking as I filled the tire. The directions said to roll slowly on it immediately after insertion. I did this, but when I got out to check, the tire was still flat. Just as I was looking for the road assistance number, a tow truck pulled up in front of me.
A man in his fifties and a younger man walked over to my car. The young one asked if I needed help. I told them the problem and they changed the tire. The Fix-A-Flat didn't work because the whole side of the tire was blown out. The tire also had a large nail in it. I gave them $35.00 and a 12 pack of Diet Pepsi. I was so grateful I wanted to cry, (I'm talking about loud, heaving, sobbing crying), but held it in. I thanked God for helping me and again got into my car. The older man said to drive no faster than 50, so it took a while to get home. Yet I was so happy to be moving I didn't care at all. I put my flasher on and made my way to my house. I was safe and so were my family and my city. I was home at last!!

Rose Roussel
September 6, 2008

At 10:13am on September 27, 2008, Dawn Bell said…: Hi Rosie! I laughed and felt your agony while reading about your Gustav evacuation experiences. You really put the reader right next to you...it's like having the experience right along with you.

At 11:36pm on September 18, 2008, CARL DURBIN said…: i'm not hip enough to keep up with it either but i do enjoy seeing what new art the members put up. there is alot of talent here.
sorry to hear of your troubles. hopefully things will turn around for you. keep the faith.

At 2:12pm on September 18, 2008, CARL DURBIN said…: thank you for sending me your story. we were hit pretty bad but faired out pretty good. i finally got my power back on today. i'm looking forward to a fresh pot of coffee and a loooong hot shower. thanks again.

At 1:01am on July 10, 2008, Dawn Bell said…: It was really good seeing you again...you look great!

At 1:27am on June 26, 2008, CARL DURBIN said…: thats awesome! they say cher puts on a great show also. why did celine leave? i thought they built that theater just for her?
her loss. even though i still cry like a baby when i her that titanic song she does!!! ;)

At 6:41am on June 5, 2008, Roberto Castillo said…: Your writing is awesome, really caught my attention.-Castillo

At 2:36am on May 30, 2008, Poopy Lungstuffing said…: I woke up to the report of the first plane crashing on BBC.
I saw the second plane crash live on television...though I didn't realise that that was what I was watching...the landlord of the little rooming house I lived in had it on a giant projector screen in the living room. It was very surreal.