The whole building shook once.  We knew it was raining but no one realized it was that hard.  

My boss came down the hall.  Her shocked face said it all.  I don’t remember her exact words.  I think it was a statement of fact, like “A tree hit your van.” She may have added a note of sympathy like “I’m so sorry.” But i was already going a little numb.  

I turned to my piano student Keith.  The power hadn’t gone out so the keyboard was still working.  I asked him to keep repeating the last song, whatever that was.  

I walked outside.  The rain was still coming down faster and harder than I thought.  By the time I walked down the stairs I was drenched.  I had to climb over part of the tree to get to my van.  I hopped in and took a moment to grasp the situation. 

An old growth tree had fallen from its trunk, hit our building once, and landed on the front of my van.  My windshield was shattered.  I was very wet.  The tree was laying on my hood.  Branches were splayed everywhere, it was chaos.  The rain kept coming harder.  

I called my friend and bandleader Jose in Texas. “Hello?”  I thought I heard him answer but the rain was beating down loud.  “Hey, I can’t hear you too well, but my van just got hit by a tree.  It might set back my arrival by a day.  I probably won’t be able to bring the van on tour.  Maybe.  I need to assess.”

He came through briefly, “Oh man!  Be safe!  Let me know—”

I went back up to my boss and Keith.  Keith pretty much figured out that we were done.  We still had 20 minutes on the clock but he was packing up.  My boss said it was fine if I wanted to leave once the rain let up.  Keith left and I did the same;  I never saw Keith again.    

The van actually started up fine with no problem.  I backed out of the parking spot carefully.  Only a few inches back, I saw that the tree was resting on the ground by the stairway, not on my van.  So I wasn’t pinned down at all.  But once I was driving home, past the suburbs, with the shattered windshield I started panicking. 

What if I couldn’t leave until Monday? What if I missed the start of the tour?  What if they fired me before I even left home?What if my professional reputation takes a hit and doesn’t come back?  What if my boss at my day job is mad that I took all this time off for a tour that I don't actually follow through on?  Oh no, here’s the awful part:  What if my career tanks, I don’t make enough money, and my wife leaves me because of it?  

The next day, Friday, was miserable. I drove the van to the auto body shop and signed some form some office worker gave me.  My wife, Nicole, patiently drove me to the car rental agency.  Hours went by and it became apparent that we wouldn’t get the car that day.  Tension grew.  We got it early Saturday after having to drive to the airport and Nicole fronting me like $588 or something.  Jose was assuring me he’d reimburse me, but was too busy with tour prep to put immediate attention toward it.  

By the time I caught my breath I was driving South through Georgia in the rental.  All my drums and travel bags for 2 months were in there.  On Saturday evening I stopped very late at a friend’s house near Atlanta.  Drove all day Sunday and made it to Texas flustered, but on time, for rehearsal Monday.  

I was very distracted during rehearsal week.  I didn’t know what was going to happen with my van (I found out a few weeks later it was totaled).  I was strapped for cash and needed Jose to front me for the tour, but he had all his money tied up paying for the recording and other tour merch (he paid me as soon as he could, and remained a dear friend).  

I wanted to pay Nicole back quickly so she wouldn’t hold this loan over my head next time money was tight (that didn’t work).  

Also, I really loved driving that van, it always ran great and just fit my personality well.  It made me feel safe.  

I love nature in general, and I like trees as a rule unless they give me a reason not to.  But damn that one tree.  

2. 

WHOOSH  (to be continued)