was just thinking.”
A warm hand landed on his.
“About your parents?”
“Yeah.”
“You never did tell me what happened after you ran from the house you slept at. Did you find your parents at all?”
Kyle took a deep breath. “I couldn’t get to the hotel because of the water. No one knew if another wave would hit. No matter how hard I tried to get through to the authorities that my whole family was down there somewhere, they wouldn’t let me pass. I had no choice but to wait. With the amount of people trying to get to higher ground I kept getting pushed further and further away.”
He closed his eyes and continued speaking. “I’d never felt so helpless as I did that day. So many people cut and bruised walking past me. People carrying dead relatives or the severely injured. I’d never been in a war zone, but with the chaos going on all around me, I figured it was what one would look like.”
“How long before you could get to the hotel?”
“It wasn’t until the next day. The water level had receded and people started making their way back to what was left of their homes.”
“I imagine it was pretty devastating for everyone.”
She had no idea the devastation water could cause. Everyone said the exact same thing she did. Everyone underestimated the reality. “I’ve surfed six foot waves and I’ve been dumped by those waves. I knew water could be powerful, but never could I have imagined the absolute devastation the tsunami caused. Trees were pulled from their roots. Cars and trees were twisted together like some modern art creations. Boats rested in a pub I’d spent some nights drinking in. So many businesses lost.”
“Anyway, when I got to the hotel, I expected to see it a mess like a lot of the other buildings I’d seen.”
“And was it?”
“There was a bit of damage, but it was built by a big hotel chain, you know, so it appeared to withstand a lot of force from the water. Maybe it was because it was closer to the beach, and the more the wave collected debris as it moved inland, the more deadly it became.”
“So I bet you were expecting your parents to be safe.”
“I did,” he whispered around the lump in his throat. “I raced through the foyer, past the people trying to stop me, and headed for the stairwell. I climbed the stairs faster than I thought I was capable of. Once I reached our room I realized I didn’t have a key to get in. I pounded on the door, but there was no response. I figured if they were okay they’d probably be looking for me because I hadn’t seen them for two days. I headed back downstairs to reception, hoping they’d left a message or something. Anything to let me know they were okay. I was directed to a table set up by the authorities where you could check in and enquire about relatives.”
God, he hated this walk down memory lane. He’d come so far with the story. He couldn’t back down now. No matter how hard he found it.
“You don’t need to continue if you don’t want to, Kyle. I don’t need to know the whole story.”
He lifted Jordan’s hand and kissed the top of it. “I think I need to continue. It’s been too long to not say anything.”
“Okay, but if you need to stop, I won’t mind.”
“There’s not much more to tell, really. I enquired with the check-in point.” He smiled. “This is where I met Shey and her husband, Nate, manning the desk. I almost collapsed when I found out my parents and Emily were listed amongst the missing. Nate came around the table and caught me. He led me over to a chair and stayed with me until my head stopped spinning. I’ll never forget how he just sat next to me, not saying anything, thank Christ, because placating, empty words were the last thing I needed.”
“Why were Shey and her husband there?”
“They were on holiday, a tenth wedding anniversary trip. They volunteer with the Red Cross here in Perth so they immediately answered the call for help. They were staying in a little
A warm hand landed on his.
“About your parents?”
“Yeah.”
“You never did tell me what happened after you ran from the house you slept at. Did you find your parents at all?”
Kyle took a deep breath. “I couldn’t get to the hotel because of the water. No one knew if another wave would hit. No matter how hard I tried to get through to the authorities that my whole family was down there somewhere, they wouldn’t let me pass. I had no choice but to wait. With the amount of people trying to get to higher ground I kept getting pushed further and further away.”
He closed his eyes and continued speaking. “I’d never felt so helpless as I did that day. So many people cut and bruised walking past me. People carrying dead relatives or the severely injured. I’d never been in a war zone, but with the chaos going on all around me, I figured it was what one would look like.”
“How long before you could get to the hotel?”
“It wasn’t until the next day. The water level had receded and people started making their way back to what was left of their homes.”
“I imagine it was pretty devastating for everyone.”
She had no idea the devastation water could cause. Everyone said the exact same thing she did. Everyone underestimated the reality. “I’ve surfed six foot waves and I’ve been dumped by those waves. I knew water could be powerful, but never could I have imagined the absolute devastation the tsunami caused. Trees were pulled from their roots. Cars and trees were twisted together like some modern art creations. Boats rested in a pub I’d spent some nights drinking in. So many businesses lost.”
“Anyway, when I got to the hotel, I expected to see it a mess like a lot of the other buildings I’d seen.”
“And was it?”
“There was a bit of damage, but it was built by a big hotel chain, you know, so it appeared to withstand a lot of force from the water. Maybe it was because it was closer to the beach, and the more the wave collected debris as it moved inland, the more deadly it became.”
“So I bet you were expecting your parents to be safe.”
“I did,” he whispered around the lump in his throat. “I raced through the foyer, past the people trying to stop me, and headed for the stairwell. I climbed the stairs faster than I thought I was capable of. Once I reached our room I realized I didn’t have a key to get in. I pounded on the door, but there was no response. I figured if they were okay they’d probably be looking for me because I hadn’t seen them for two days. I headed back downstairs to reception, hoping they’d left a message or something. Anything to let me know they were okay. I was directed to a table set up by the authorities where you could check in and enquire about relatives.”
God, he hated this walk down memory lane. He’d come so far with the story. He couldn’t back down now. No matter how hard he found it.
“You don’t need to continue if you don’t want to, Kyle. I don’t need to know the whole story.”
He lifted Jordan’s hand and kissed the top of it. “I think I need to continue. It’s been too long to not say anything.”
“Okay, but if you need to stop, I won’t mind.”
“There’s not much more to tell, really. I enquired with the check-in point.” He smiled. “This is where I met Shey and her husband, Nate, manning the desk. I almost collapsed when I found out my parents and Emily were listed amongst the missing. Nate came around the table and caught me. He led me over to a chair and stayed with me until my head stopped spinning. I’ll never forget how he just sat next to me, not saying anything, thank Christ, because placating, empty words were the last thing I needed.”
“Why were Shey and her husband there?”
“They were on holiday, a tenth wedding anniversary trip. They volunteer with the Red Cross here in Perth so they immediately answered the call for help. They were staying in a little
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