It’s been a long time since I’ve written here and this is the first, very personal, post.
On the night of February 14th - both Valentine’s Day and our 5th Wedding Anniversay - our basement caught fire at around 2:30 am.
We all made it out - and this is not without it’s own very long story - except for my awesome orange tabby boy. He’d come to me as a kitten in a way that made me think he was a gift from God himself, that he was destined to grow old with me, so I’ve had a very hard time ’settling’ the matter in my mind - that he is gone. Forever. I miss him more than I miss my childhood photos, more than I miss the jewelry handed down to me from my grandmother. More than anything.
But let’s get back on track…
In our corner of the country side we don’t have a fire department. When a house fire starts you either put it out yourself or you stand there and watch it burn. By the time we knew of the fire it was too late. We had about 6 minutes to get whatever we could out - and after the first 3 minutes you’re not thinking clearly anyway.
The smoke that gets in you doesn’t just fill your lungs, it screws with your head. In retrospect I never would have run back in for “just one more thing” after my daughter and dogs were out. With that said of course - where was my orange friend?
Popular online right now is a video about a fireman reviving a house cat after a fire. I can’t even bear to watch it, my own pain too great to be joyous for another’s triumph over a fire.
Our house burned for 4 days. Mostly because of the oil tank. There’s nothing like having a full tank of oil in your basement (especially at these prices) just to have it burn so slowly and waste.
Today we’re at ‘The Lake House‘ - a friend’s rental home just 40 miles from our own house. We’re trying to regroup as a family. Trying to discover our next plan of action. Trying to heal over our loss.
I’ll write more another day, but for now I just wanted you to know where I’ve been and why I haven’t written in so long.
Laura Childs
