This Monday, January 27, I received a call to unlock our music store so the property folks could check it out for a leak. I was thankful to pull up to the door and find our friend Asher Hughes standing there with a spare set of keys, ready to unlock the door as well.
We unlocked it, walked in and I could smell the water that had run down the walls, caving in ceiling tiles, crashing down on instrument cases, instruments, music stands and so much more. I immediately called my husband and told him he needed to come in (Monday and Tuesday are his days off).
I called our friend Steve Cepek and he and Asher helped me move everything out of the flooded area to the front of the store so it would start to dry.
To say this week has been difficult is an understatement. As we sifted through the stacks, I felt helpless in some ways and hopeless in others.
I wrote this poem Monday night, sitting on the couch, feeling like so much was lost and wondering how we would come out on the other side of it.
Leaks in the ceiling,
Leaks on the wall,
Sopping instruments,
Wet cases,
Ceiling tiles fall.
Floor is a mess,
Water throughout,
Cases and instruments,
Scattered about.
Moved the dry cases,
Moved to dry places,
Picked up the pieces,
Put them in spaces.
Waiting for inspectors,
Waiting on insurance,
Waiting on response,
To the claims for the incident.
Rebuilding a dream,
Piece by piece,
Block by block,
Holding on to what we’ve got.
Today we moved a lot of new instruments to storage so we could use the available space to keep the store functional. We opened at noon.
Now, inside of me, I feel a bit of optimism that Tebo Properties will remedy the situation for us, repair the damages and restore us to where we were before the ceiling came down. Before the damage was done.
I also think of our friends Kimba Stefane and Jeff Chud, negotiating a catastrophic flood at Blue Owl Books. Their story is in this week's paper.
And I hope next week I have a more positive column to share good news about the rebuilding of these businesses and the hope we feel from the community as we negotiate through this process. All of us. Our village.