Just when you think you've got life figured out it sends you a curve ball...or in this case a fire ball. On tuesday night after I had gone to the movies with Colleen, after I was tucked into bed and almost naked, just before I was saying my goodnights...someone starts pounding on the door - "GET OUT OF THE BUILDING!"...and my pulse starts to race. I can't decide whether to ignore my possibly drunk neighbours or to heed their warning. I decide on the side of safety and grab that days clothes, my keys and my cell phone and leave my apartment.
I smell smoke. I tell Dave I'll call him back.
I run downstairs, someone tells me the church is on fire. I try to call Colleen.
I see Colleen at the bottom of the stairs and run to her, grab onto her arm and we walk/run/escape outside.
I look up and see something like this.
I start to panic and I remember being at a loss for words but not for thoughts. I was thinking "there goes my life, I'm going to have nothing, everything I have is going to burn away, I'm going to have to drop out of University, I will have nothing" - but my mouth was just saying "Oh my God" over and over.
At this point I start to hyperventalate. The fire looks like its going to spread, my apartment building is only ten feet away from the flames. We can feel the heat of the fire on our faces. I can't watch this anymore. I can't watch my life burn away.
I wonder what I looked like at that moment - because Colleen and Jocelyn pulled me away and took me to another building. I dont remember walking there. I just remember showing up. No one has pulled the fire alarm yet.
I remember calling my parents, buddy picking up the phone and saying that I can't talk to them - they were sleeping. Due to stress I kind of freaked out and said YOU CAN WAKE THEM UP MY BUILDINGS ON FIRE! And he immediately gave my Dad the phone.
He told me everything would be okay - a reacurring theme from Dave and my Dad and Colleen and Jocelyne - which was good because I was convinced it wasnt going to be.
After we were all taken to the basement of GRH where we were given candy and water and tylenol to keep us calm. It kind of remands a blur where I was just scared.
Eventually we were sorted out to sleep at Erin's that night while other students were being shipped to the Holiday Inn.
The night at Erin's was restless. I sat in the living room and watched the fire till 4am when I finally couldn't watch anymore. I went to sleep.
When I awoke I watched some more. It was impossible to look away knowing that my house was right there and I couldn't tell what had become of it. When Dave called me that morning as we talked I continued to stare into the space that once was occupied by the church - the steeple still stood and I watched as a piece fell off.
After that I just wanted to see my building but at the same time feared that more than anything. I didnt want to walk around the corner and see blackened walls, chunks of my apartment missing etc. When I first saw the church though my breath was taken away. It was gone.
Later on in the day we were told that our apartments should be fine but we can't go home just yet. They were worried about the church building collapsing onto ours and because of this at two o'clock we were given 20 minutes to rush in and grab whatever belongings we needed to sustain us for un indeterminate amount of time.
So we made a plan: Laura and Erin and Scott would help us - Laura would come with me and Erin would go with Colleen. We had our list of belongings and would grab while the other packed.
To say this went well would be an understatement. We were out in just over 10 minutes and Colleen had enough stuff with her for a very very long time.
Soon the bus arrived and off we went. We went to the Holiday Inn, struggled to drag our possessions to the hotel room and promptly collapsed. The last day and a half had been an emotional rollarcoaster and we were tired.
We put on our pajamas, and went to bed. At 3:30pm.
We didn't move till dinner when we had milkshakes - all we could stomach. The University set us up that we could have $10 a meal and we would have to pay the difference. We were well taken care off.
The next few days are a blur. I have just returned home and I'm so grateful everything is okay. We are still tired, but releaved. Our home is safe and we are safe at home.
I've fallen in love. I didn't think such violent things could happen to ordinary people.
