Thursday, March 17, 2011

Day Two

March 12, 2011 (Saturday)

Hubby was up and ready to go sooner than usual. He still didn’t really know where to go, though. He went to the same spot where he had dropped Makoto off the previous morning, but there was nothing there. When he told me that, my mind started suspecting all kinds of foul possibilities. (But we won’t go there!)

He went (I think to one of our local evacuation spots) to see if he could get directions from someone in Atusya’s neighborhood. Somehow he found Atsuya’s house, and even though they were very worried about their grandfather who lives in a coastal area that was severely hit by the tsunami, his mother told him and his older brother to go with my husband and seek out the head office to see what information they could find about Makoto’s whereabouts. I think they were gone between four and five hours trying to maneuver in traffic that was hardly moving, people carefully creeping along and taking turns yielding to other drivers at intersections where none of the traffic lights were working. (Think back to last night! Driving in those conditions in the pitch blackness of a city full of lights throughout an ordinary night!)

I don’t remember what time Makoto got home, but someone from his workplace brought him home. He was fine. And I could breathe again. (I have to confess that I was a bit forlorn that he didn’t want to hug his mommy.) My boy was okay, and his first words were, “Where’s Dad?”  “He’s out looking for you.” “What for?”  ARGHHHH Can you tell he’s 17?  ;-)

The rest of the day was spent inspecting the house. Dad determined that the foundation was still safe, no gaps or cracks anywhere, no broken windows, and the roof seemed to be fine. The Chair of our neighborhood association was making his rounds, and he was glad to hear that our son was home. My main job was to prioritize perishable food and eat that before it would spoil. The kids gathered firewood. (We can do that since we live in a rural area.) We had to set up a bucket toilet system, and hubby went out to see if he could get any other supplies we might need. We had plenty of water which I had been saving up over the past few years for the BIG earthquake that everyone knew would be coming. And spring was in the air.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Wow. What a story! I can't imagine how you felt having your son missing for all that time.

I could not be happier for you and the family that you came through it as an intact family, with your home, and a bright future ahead of you.

Thanks, Becky.