I had been living in Houston, Texas for about 5 years already, so as I looked out of my office window as the clouds of gray, dark black and ghostly white moved closer and closer diminishing any sight of the sun, I realized we were in for one hell of a day of a monsoon. It was the end of July, when the humidity almost seems to grow from the ground up, like stalks of ivy, at the ready to choke any existing breath lingering in your lungs. The temperature was already in the high 90’s and it was only 10 am. The weather bureau was warning the residents of the city that the torrential rains would soon fall, and everyone should keep an eye on the bayous, in the city as flooding would certainly ensue. Then, as with most summer Houston storms with just one huge flash of lightening and a thunderous boom lasting at least 10 seconds the storm came to town. When it rains in Houston in the summer the water falls from the skies as if one of the Great Lakes is being emptied for its annual cleaning. Normally I would complain, hope that the one bayou I needed to cross to get home was not too flooded, and continue my scheduled work day at the Houston Jewish Community Center. But today was a Friday and we not only had Friday’s Meals on Wheels to deliver, but an added meal to tide people over for the weekend. The JCC had a contract with the Area Agency on Aging, the organization responsible for Harris County to feed the elderly, the ill, the disabled. The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain, but in Houston it flails itself like a a tsunami never satisfied until every inch of ground is flooded. The calls came pouring in, like the rain outside my window, and many were already stranded in their homes. The real crisis was NOT that the city began to look the Caspian Sea, the REAL life or death issue, was how would we feed the individuals who relied on at least ONE meal a day to survive!
The Staff of the JCC, without hesitation pitched in and we decided we would do our best to feed the hungry, despite what seemed a doomsday scenario of Noah and the Flood. I took a route which included 5 people living near Hobby Airport. This neighborhood was a poorer area so, even without floating branches, and other obstacles one might find in a video game, the roads were filled with potholes and other unnecessary objects poorer communities call roads.The rain was insidious but I managed to get close to the area where the 5 people lived. However as I approached a mani boulevard, a Houston Peace Officer stopped me, and with all the authority of a man trying to maintain health and safety told me to turn my car around NOW. I didn’t, how I could I thought, 5 people will not have food for three days. With all of my courage, I stopped my car got out, then opened my back door and said to the Policeman, I am delivering these meals, if i can’t get through 5 people will go without food. He first looked at me, then at the meals in the back seat of my car, then at me again, and said. Holy shit, you are going to ruin that pair of pants, but roll up your pants and I will walk with you to the houses, people got to eat. He then added, hope you are not allergic to fire ants. We walked onto the streets ahead already piled up with a foot of water and plenty of fire ants.
We delivered meals to Miss James, an older Black woman who had a walker and a cane, she was so grateful she begged the policeman and I to sit and have some water with her. We delivered to Robert, a middle aged man with MS, who was not sure he should let us in his house as we were not his regular angel who delivered his food. We delivered to Maddie P, a Caucasian woman in a wheel chair, who begged our pardon, that had she known company was coming she would have tried to tidy up the place. We delivered to Mrs Garcia, a Hispanic older adult ,she had been home from the hospital just two weeks having had a hip replacement, her door was unlocked because she was afraid she would not be able to walk over and open it. We delivered to Antonia Madison, who asked us if we might her put the extra food in the fridge, and then help open the container of today’s meal as her Parkinson’s was acting up more than ever and she was afraid she might spill her food. The Peace Officer, delivered Meals On Wheels, together. We walked back to my car which already was covered in about a foot of dirty water, we hugged each other. As he walked back to his car he tried to smile saying, when it rains it pours.
