A Gut Feeling

Chapter 93

A Gut Feeling

What is a gut feeling? It is the ability to acquire knowledge without inference and or the use of reason. Well, that’s’ what the dictionary says. Personally, I believe it is a direct feeling when you fear something bad is going to happen or you make a quick decision whether it is rational or not. Like today soon after Mom and Dad left together to spend the day in town.

Something bothered me and this time I couldn’t place my finger on it, but something told me something bad was going to happen. At first, I thought I was just being paranoid because Dad had given pacific instruction to take care of my brothers. This kind of responsibility was nothing new to me; I have been left in charge on numerous occasions. Yet today something told me not to go out on the lake.

At first, I thought I was imaging things, as I looked upon the water seeing shadows that weren’t there. Even the waves seemed different as if something was telling me not to go into the water. Crazy right? Well, that’s what I first thought and I knew the Rockwater’s and the other families that were going would think I was crazy.

We had planned a whole day to swim and go water-skiing, something I really, really wanted to try. Yet my gut told me that it was a bad idea. I did my best to shake the feeling and was about to get on the boat with my brothers. When I had a strange sense so overpowering, almost the same sense the day I opened the door and watched Jeff die right in front of me.  In fact, it was like a vision seeing him fall to the floor and smelling the gun powder in the air. I screamed real loud ordering my brothers not to get on the boat.

I knew I looked crazy, but I also knew it was better to look crazy and feel foolish if my gut feeling was right. I knew better from experience that not to take a feeling this strong and ignore it. I tried to convince the others not to go, but they refused to listen to me telling me nothing going to happen.

My brothers were arguing with me pleading with me to let them go. Instead, I told them that Dad left me in charge and if I said no they had to listen to me and if they want to take it up with him when he gets back that I was willing to take any punishment. Jared knew I was serious considering he knew personally that I meant what I said.

I promised him when Dad and Mom come back I’d give him my turn to drive the boat. I would have given him anything and I didn’t care if he asked for the moon.

We stood there on the beach watching them leave without us. I knew I was being rude after being invited and now I was turning down their invitation. I also knew when Mom and Dad got back I was going to be punished and most likely not go home with my mother, instead, I would be grounded and Dad would stick me inside the turn-table as promised.

When they were out of sight we started walking back to the cabin. At first, I didn’t notice anything until everything went still. So still I stopped and quietly placed my hand over my baby brother’s mouth to stop him from crying.

I looked all around me and noticed that birds weren’t there that were normally on the beach and the ones in the trees were missing. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. I looked up at the sky and noticed dark clouds coming in from the north.  I had lived in Utah all my life and spent six months in Arizona, and knew how to recognize a micro-burst.

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A micro-burst is a small, very intense downdraft that descends to the ground resulting in a strong wind divergence. The size of the event is typically less than 4 kilometers across. A micro-burst is capable of producing winds of more than 100 mph causing significant damage. The life span of a micro-burst is around 5-45 minutes. When rain falls below cloud base or is mixed with dry air, it begins to evaporate and this evaporation process cools the air. The cool air descends and accelerates as it approaches the ground. When the cool air approaches the ground, it spreads out in all directions and this divergence of the wind is the signature of the micro-burst. In humid climates, micro-burst can also generate from heavy precipitation, sometimes including Baseball size hail.

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I yelled to my bothers to run towards the cabin telling Jason to take Jonathan and get inside the kitchen pantry and grab pillows and the blanket off our bed and wait for us. I simply said a tornado was coming knowing they knew what that was seeing them on TV and the damage that it can cause. I pointed to the sky showing them the clouds that were darkening even faster and feeling the temperature drop almost in half. I order Jared to start closing the shutters on the windows, while I put the horse inside the barn and grabbed Sparky.

It wasn’t long when we heard the siren warning us that we needed to hurry.  No one argued with me as they did exactly what I had told them to do. Not even the horses argued with me as I quickly locked them each into a stall and secured the barn. By the time I had reached the last window helping Jared forcing it shut, with the winds picking up speed and the hard rain falling. We both watched lightning cress crossing the sky and large spikes like fingers touching the water. Like the sound of large cannon, the air smelled of gun powder, a smell I would never forget.

It tore me up inside knowing I couldn’t help them out on the water. Dad and Mom had placed me in charge of my brothers, not go out and leave them. I prayed that Mom and Dad were safe and my friends were on their way back. Even if I wanted to there was no way I could pilot the boat on such choppy waters or during a storm. I cried as I locked the door placing the long-board to brace the door closed during a storm like this, and joined my brothers and Sparky inside the pantry.

It was frightening to listen as the winds howled all around us and large trees being torn apart. We shook in each other's arms as I hugged them against me with the blanket wrapped around us while I held the flashlight shaking in my hands watching the door in front of us. Sparky whined and my brothers cried as each sound seemed to get louder. I told them to sing, picking the first song that came to my mind, Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer. Knowing even my baby brother knew that song and would annoy the heck out of us with it on numerous occasions Christmas or not.

After several choruses of it, we changed off to row, row, your boat in spite it was in bad taste; anything to keep our mind off what was going on outside. I don’t know how long we were in there before we heard a loud pounding on the front door. I waited inside until another five minutes passed as the noise on the door got louder. I still didn’t move not trusting if it was just the storm.

Even more so hearing a window shatter thinking a large tree had broken through. It was soon after I heard someone call fantastically calling our names; we soon realized it was Dad. I slowly opened the door and yelled we were here in the kitchen. Hearing Mom crying hysterically as we all came out of the pantry, my brothers being first to race into their arms.

Dad fell onto his knees sobbing as he embraced them. Mom looked up at me and I immediately ran to her, letting her hug me so tight I couldn’t breathe only to have Dad fling his arms around me squeeze me even tighter. While Mom him kissed nearly every inch of us, turning us around in circles making sure we weren’t injured and hugged me again. I sobbed. “I am sorry Dad if I made you angry for not going with them, but you told me to protect my brothers.” Dad hugged me shushing me that I had done the right thing and he was proud of me.

Yet the feeling I felt earlier grew even stronger. I told Dad what had happened while I cried against him. When I told him everything he held even tighter. I forced him to let me go telling him we needed to go. Telling me the roads are all blocked due to the storm. I shook my head said. “No Dad, we needed to go find the Rockwater’s.” Dad's face paled when he realized they were still on the lake thinking like me that they had survived the storm in their cabin.

I felt stupid telling him that I had a gut feeling the same feeling that I had when I knew something was wrong the day that Jeff died. He knew I had watched, he knew without a doubt that I blamed myself for it for not acting sooner. I told him that I still had the same feeling and my gut tells me were needed on the water. 

Dad looked at Mom seeing her hesitate not letting us out of her sight. She knew what it was like to have a gut feeling and when I said they were still on the lake. She only hugged me closer telling Dad to make damn sure we are wearing life-jackets.  Warning us if we're not back in an hour she going to come hunting for us, and when she finds us she going to blisters both our bottoms.  Dad wanted to laugh, but we knew Mom and wasn’t just a threat it was a promise.

Even though I had promised Jared that he could drive the boat, Mom made my brothers stay inside. The sky had cleared, but everywhere we looked was destruction. The barn was still intact but the shingles and part of the roof were gone, and some the rail fencing was smashed by fallen trees. Dad said the horses were fine but sacred. I nodded as the feeling grew stronger telling Dad we needed to hurry. He didn’t argue telling me he too was getting concerned. 

Dad chopped the ropes on the dock because they were too tangled to undo easily and would take time to undo them, time we didn’t have.  Dad threw me a life-jacket and made sure I was buckled into the seat next to him. It took several tries to start the boat having Dad check the engine finding seaweed wrapped around the propeller. He quickly cut it off with a big fishing knife from the tackle box.

Had me crank the engine while he made sure we clear enough not to get it untangled, I buckled myself back in feeling the boat take off like a shot. I watched the gauge reaching the top speeds as I looked through the binoculars pointing to a cloister of boats. Dad gave it all it had until we got closes enough watching people dive into the water throwing life preservers. I told Dad to slow down and feeling the pull to the bank at the left when Dad looked back all he saw was me jumping overboard without my life-jacket. I followed my line of sight seeing a large shadow in the water that looked like someone holding onto a piece of driftwood or a piece of a boat. Something told me to dive as I placed my face-mask on my face and dived, hearing Dad yell at me. I knew he was angry, but I knew something was down there. I don’t know what told me that, but I trusted my gut and followed the debris.

As I got closer I saw some splashing as if someone was slipping into the water. I gave all that I had as I raced with speed using what I had learned in swim practices, with each chopping wave making it difficult. The wind was cold and hindering me with each stroke I took.

I watched as the person went under the water, this time he or she didn’t surface I dived towards them kicking fast and hard. Wishing I had a pair of flippers. When I got closer I realized it was one of the Rockwater boys Jason age. I quickly grabbed his arm, but his legs were tangled in the seaweed. I cursed diving deeper. I knew I didn’t have long and feeling the burning in my chest as my lungs were crying for oxygen. I surfaced and dove again this time pulling the boy and the seaweed with me.

I struggled getting us both to the top and I knew he wasn’t breathing. When we both surfaced someone was racing to me, but they were too far. I knew what to do waving for Dad having him throw the life-preserver. I grabbed on to it forcing the boys head out of the water placing my arm around him and with my stronger arm I swam to the life preserver, yelling to Dad to pull us in.  I kicked with everything I got holding the boy hoping I am in time to save his life. Time seemed to stand still as Dad pulled us both into the boat.

My instincts took over as my lifesaving merit-badge lessons kicked into high gear. I quickly laid him on his back and gave him mouth to mouth and turned him over forcing the water out of his lungs and repeating. I pumped his chest giving him CPR and returned to mouth to mouth. When he coughed I breathed a sigh of relief, turning him on his side and patted him hard on the back, pushing the water out of his lungs.

Dad took over placing a blanket over him and keeping him from going into shock. I dived back into the water following my gut feeling. Finding another person and it was the same boy that had introduced me to his friends, clinging on to some of the shattered boat pieces. I swam tiredly and dug deep pushing my way towards him. He was just about to slip under when I caught him and pulled him to life-preserver, letting Dad bring him in. I kept swimming along with the current as another person joined me pointing to two more.

I took the farthest one and dug deep pushing myself. Dad was too far away so my only choice was to choose one of the other boats. I quickly grabbed the person realizing it was Nora. The fact that we were both naked never dawned on me until later. I kept my focus as I swam with my arm under her breast. Her life was more important than my dignity as I pulled her telling her she was going to be alright.

By the time Dad had reached the other boats I had saved five people, and working on my last person, having to once more give mouth to mouth to another girl, a girl I had never met before. The fact I was laying my head on her chest so I could hear her heart and lungs didn’t matter. I kept giving her mouth to mouth and CPR and until she responded. I stood nearly falling over with exhaustion if it wasn’t for Mr. Rockwater catching me I would have fallen on my face.

Asking if that was everyone, closing my eyes hearing that everyone was accounted for thanks to me and Dad. Mrs. Rockwater was busy attending to her son and daughter where he should have been. Yet he was concerned about me. I whispered I was fine and told him Dad would take care of me while he went to his family, passing out from pushing myself too hard.

By the time the coastguard came searching for us, we were half-way back to town. I was so tired I didn’t even know that Dad had carried me off the boat or the fact Mom was holding my hand as they carried us all to the small hospital.  When I woke I cringed feeling the IV in my arm and was in a long row of beds with the same people I had rescued. I groaned telling Mom that my head hurt finding a bandaged on it and several fresh cuts. When I groaned Mom cried and reached over and hugged me telling me I had just earned a serious spanking. I grinned telling her it was worth it, that was when I noticed Mom was fully clothed and Dad and my brothers were all in shorts. I, on the other hand, wasn’t that lucky and frankly, I simply didn’t care.

I was released a couple of hours later having the Doctor tell Mom and Dad that all I needed was some bed rest and I would be as good as new. Mom hugged me tight telling him I was going to get more than just bed rest, smacking my bare bottom with her bare hand. Not hard, just enough to let me know she was angry but relieved and proud at the same time giving me several kisses. Even though I could have walked to the truck Dad carried me having my brother’s ride in the back. Placing me next to Mom having Mom lay my head on her chest and softly cradled me in her arms weeping. Telling me how much she loved me and softly stroked my hair.

Dad smiled at Mom as he finished telling her what I did. Mom's fingers kept stroking my hair and tears kept falling on my cheeks and trailing down my shoulders. When we arrived at the cabin Dad carried me up the stairs as if I weighed nothing at all, not once did he complain that I was heavier then I used to be. Dad was about to put me to bed, but Mom told him that wasn’t going to happen said. “Don’t you dare, when he smells like something that died and rotted in my clean sheets!”

Order him and me into the tub. Dad knew better to argue carefully lowered me inside turning on the water. Watching Mom yank his shorts off pointing to the tub, all he said was “yes ma’am.”  Dad placed me in between his legs and bathed me like I was a small child, while Mom undressed and climbed in washed mine and Dads hair and his back, plus every nook and cranny. Threatening me if I ever do something like that again she would ground me, giving me several kisses.

Dad dried me off first and walked me back to my bedroom, while Mom does whatever women do. Like fresh makeup and fuss with their hair. Dad, I just left her to it, I was about to go back downstairs and lounge on the couch or go outside and help my brothers clean up the mess until Mom yelled. “Where do you think your going young man?”

When I said to help clean up; she placed both her hands on her hips and pointed to my room. Telling me I had done enough for one day, Dad and my brothers can do it just fine without me. I was about to say “Oh Mom, I am fine.” Having her across the distance with a towel over her head and spanked me hard, leaving a nice red hand print on my bottom. Then pushed me gently to my room calling Sparky, telling him to bite me if I even thought about leaving my room.

I knew he’d never bite me or anyone for that matter, just simply climbed on the bed and wagged his tail. Mom patting him on the head telling him she’ll bring him a treat for guarding me. I looked at him as I climbed in bed telling him he’s a trader, he smiled, well what looked like a smile on a dogs face. A treat was a treat to him and he was bound and determined to do his job.

Mom tucked me in and kissed my cheeks and placing one more on my forehead. Telling me I better be asleep before she comes back or she’d give me another spanking. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t tired, well mostly. Yet I knew better than to argue with Mom and nodded and closed my eyes.