The Princess and The Flood

Once there was a country boy.  A white boy, not Caucasian white, but white like a crayon, the best friend of one of my brothers.  He teased me, and pronounced my name so that it sounded even more ridiculous than it is.  I pretended to hate him, but secretly, he was my favorite brother. He never beat me up or ripped the heads off my dolls, and he didn’t vie for food at dinner, since he always went home at the end of the day.  Years went by, and the boy remained a part of our family.

One lucky day, the boy met a Princess.  She was smart, strong, and capable. She and the boy, um man, decided raise a family.  Between her black hair, dark eyes, and golden skin and the man’s white hair and translucent complexion, they made two beautiful children.  The children inherited the best traits from their parents.  The boy is a kind gentle soul, and the girl is smart and strong.  The four of them built a sweet, humble home and began to live happily ever after.

Just a few weeks ago, a dark cloud settled over their city. The cloud cracked and released all of the water it ever dreamed of having inside itself, and their city filled with water.  The Princess and her family watched the water rise up their front steps, into the house and up the walls, washing over everything inside and out.  The country boy, who always loved fishing, saddled up his trusty bass boat with its Evinrude motor, and went fishing, this time for his family and friends, helping ferry everyone to safety.  

This is supposed to be the ‘everyone lived happily ever after’ part. If you ask the Wayman family they will tell you that’s just what they’re doing.  I, on the other hand, am a little more removed from the situation, and think things could be even happier!  Their house took on about four feet of water; everything from that point down must be ripped out and replaced: floors, walls, electrical, fixtures, appliances, everything.  

While Jeff teased me as a kid, he also made sure to check in on my widowed mother when her sons were away.  Albeit goofy, he’s always been a good guy.  Auntie Lee is a pediatric nurse and has gotten my children through too many illnesses to count. She’s held hands while shots where administered, wiped tears after a blood draw, kissed boo-boos, and over-indulged cookie habits.  It’s time for me to give back.

Which brings me to my point:  my husband and I have been collecting LOST (and other pop-culture) memorabilia for some time.  Over the last year, we have given away much of it to our friends in the LOST community, but still have a few things left.  The plan is to auction the remaining items to benefit my friends, the Wayman family, to help offset the cost of rebuilding their home. I hope you will stay tuned, and help me with the fundraising efforts.   I don’t know a more generous audience to help with this effort, so please spread the word. Details will be posted in the next week (or so).