…And Then The Tornado Struck!

Ever needed a knight in shining armor to sweep in and rescue you?

I have.

With my Dad fading more as each day passes, it has made me think of the amazing things he has done in the past without knowing it.

Ever heard of April 3, 1974?

If you haven’t, meteorologists sure have!

Let me explain.

I was a complete dork. I spent most of my time watching quiz shows and building models.

I bought the ship models using my tiny allowance and I was so proud of the tiny ships lining my shelves. I had tugboats, and submarines, and even aircraft carriers – all of them no larger than a shoe as they were all I could afford but I loved them anyway. They were my pride and joy.

April 3, 1974 was my eleventh birthday. My mother, oddly enough for her, had suggested that I actually invite my friends over for a birthday party. And, so, I had.

Well, let’s be honest, I had taken the invitations to school and had been laughed at as I tried to pass them out.

“Hobbs, you dork! How dare you invite ME to your birthday party?” was how the class president put it.

“I am not that desperate for friends,” said my former best friend who now wanted to be popular.

“Shove that up your ass.” was the response of one of the jocks who I had coached in English.

So, we actually ended up with eight kids confirming and my Mom in a planning tizzy. To my Mom, eight kids meant an eight layer cake, five gallons of ice cream and enough whipped cream to float a goat.

In the rush of all the planning, the birthday boy got sort of forgotten.

My mother did not care what I wanted for my birthday.

“No, you are not getting any ship models for your birthday.” she said.

“But, Mom-“

“But, nothing. You need school clothes so you are getting school clothes.”

No amount of whining, and yes, I whined a lot did a bit of good.

Dad just smiled and shook his head.

Then, came the morning of April 3, 1974:

Meteorologists became aware of a cold front sweeping in from Canada about midnight. It first broached the border about 4 a.m. in Montana.

At first, nothing seemed unusual. Then, the first air pressure readings came in. The air pressure was very high. Unusually high actually.

The first scientists thought the readings were wrong so they sent up airplanes to take new readings. The pilots passing through the storm front reported intense winds and lightning as few had ever seen before.

That was before one of them crashed.

My three best friends arrived at the house about 4 p.m. with the party to start at 5. Mom fussed about and we watched “Chiller Theater”. It was one of my favorites, “Godzilla vs. Mothra” and we were just getting into it when the weather alerts started.

“THE NATIONAL SERVICE HAS DECLARED A THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN OHIO”

“Mom, there’s a storm coming!”

“Let’s get the table inside.” she ordered.

Just as we got the cake inside and the movie restarted, the skies clouded over.

Godzilla rose over Tokyo harbor and -“

“THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS DECLARED A THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES–“

About that time the sky opened! Rain came down in sheets and we could barely see the street. The gutters overflowed.

5 p.m. came and went and no one else showed up.

“Must be the rain,” said Mom in such a way that you knew she absolutely did not believe it.

I was crushed.

Dork?

Check!

Nerd?

Check!

Social pariah?

Check, check and double check!!!

Godzilla rose again and began to torch Tokyo.

Mom was on the phone with someone.

“Yeah, no one showed up. Yeah, he is upset but he will be fine. Get home soon.”

Mothra swooped in and –

“THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR DELAWARE, FRANKLIN, MARION -“

“Micheal, it has to be your birthday if all this shit is happening.” said Mom as she tipped back another vodka.

The winds began to howl and we could hear the shutters start to bang in the wind.

Godzilla tackled Mothra and they took off for the sky and crashed into a building –

“THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED-“

“Kids! Basement! Now!” shouted Mom.

“A tornado warning for Delaware, Franklin, Marion -” the TV died as the power went out and we scampered down the stairs to the basement.

What we did not know is that the most pwerful storm front ever recorded was sweeping across the Midwest. Town after town was struck. Some were completely obliterated.

Calling the old root cellar a basement was being generous. It was only about seven feet deep and smelled like earth and mold.

Mom turned on the transistor radio. Tornado warning after tornado warning flipped by and the earth shook as lightning struck.

A flash lit up the sky and came through the tiny windows. We gathered there and watched as lightning licked at the barn and the trees in the orchard.

The radio droned on: “Reports are coming in now that the town of Xenia has been completely destroyed…”

“Definitely YOUR birthday…” said my mother.

The wind raged higher and higher. Rain started to seep in around the windows. The dogs started to howl.

The radio broke in “A tornado has just struck Sunbury and Galena and-“

“That’s less than five miles away!” growled my mother looking out the grate.

Howling, the winds grew in pitch and we could almost feel the house rising off its foundations.

I started to cry. This was all my fault for wanting a birthday party.

AND THEN THE OUTSIDE CELLAR DOOR SLAMMED OPEN!

We crouched as the wind and rain reached a crescendo!

Suddenly. a giant came down the stairs and swung the door shut behind him.

“Micheal?”

IT WAS DAD!

“That was quite some storm!” he said. “I could barely drive in it.”

As my father smiled, the room seemed to light up.

“Happy Birthday!” he said as he opened a sack and handed me a huge box.

“Calvin, that has to cost-” started my mother.

“Hush! Open it, boy.” my father nudged me.

The box was simply enormous. “C.S.S. Alabama” was written on the side. In smaller letters, it read “The largest scale model ever produced.”

I opened the box and realized that the model itself was at least six feet long and four feet high once assembled. Huge is simply inadequate. It even came with a small steam engine to propel it through the water once assembled.

IT WAS AMAZING!

And the sun broke through the clouds like a sword. The rains stopped. The world returned to normal.

I later found out my Dad drove through three police roadblocks, flooded roads and hurricane force winds to get home. He had also convinced the shop owner to briefly reopen his shop in the eye of the storm so he could get the gift.

BUT… That’s my Dad!!!