Out of Harm’s Way by Terri Crisp

Out of Harm’s Way by Terri Crisp

Author:Terri Crisp
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: POCKET BOOKS
Published: 1996-07-15T00:00:00+00:00


29

Letter to a Husband

September 12, 1992

Dearest Ken:

I’ve tried to call you, but the cellular phone lines are so clogged it’s impossible to get through. Being unable to speak with you and the girls makes me feel so far away. I’m hoping I can find someone who is headed north to give this letter to. The chances of mailing it myself are pretty slim. All the mailboxes around here got blown away. I saw one yesterday perched in the top of a palm tree.

It’s 4:23 A.M. Sally and John went to bed about an hour ago. Shirley, my cat-trapping buddy, is sprawled out on the floor of her tent. I hope she’s resting. She was bitten by a cat today and her arm is really bothering her, but it hasn’t slowed her down. She’s incredible, as is everyone else. I’ve never met such a dedicated group of people, who will do whatever it takes to help animals.

I should be asleep too, but I had to get this letter written before another day passed. I’m sure you’ve been worried about me, but don’t be. I’m okay. I’m tired, but that’ll be easily cured once I get home. What I worry about is how I’ll adjust to being back in the “normal” world again. I think it’s going to be tough.

Right now I’m sitting under one of the military tents that was loaned to us by the National Guard. My desk is the top of a shattered air-conditioner unit. How wonderful it would be if it worked. The heat here is unbearable, even at this hour, I’m using an upside-down metal bucket as a chair. We’ve all learned to improvise with whatever we can find.

There must be a million bugs swarming around my lantern right now. It’s amazing how tolerant you can become of things when your energy is gone. I can’t quite get used to the ever-present lizards, though. You would not believe how many there are. It’s been a real test of my love for animals. If they didn’t mean so much, I would have packed my bags and headed home a long time ago.

A delicate rain has started to fall. It tempts me to sleep, but I can’t close my eyes. When I do, all I see are the animals we couldn’t help. There have been so many. I know I can’t save them all, but it seems there should be enough caring people in this world to be able to save more. There are so few of us here. Sometimes we feel incapable of making even a dent.

The camouflage-green tent I’m under has a bottle-cap-size hole near the support pole. Droplets of rain are sneaking in to dampen my writing tablet. The words on this page will be a little blurred when they reach you. It’s raindrops, though—not tears—that are smearing the ink. I’m too tired right now to cry. There have been a lot of tears shed since I got down here. My mind feels like the rain clouds overheard.



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