THE PHONE CALL

I hit the contact button on my cell phone. Then I began typing in the name. J-A-N it was when I got to E that her name appeared. I took a deep breath and hit the green button. Soon the phone was ringing. It's one of those calls you have to make, but don't want to. I knew the questions I would ask, but I was afraid of the answers I would hear.

My sister Janet answered the phone. I love my sister dearly, but she's always cheery on the phone even when it's glum news. So the way she answered didn't give me any clue to how things were going out west. So many of my family members live in and around Canyon Country. Their fire a footnote in the coverage dominated by fires in Malibu, and San Diego.

Me: " Are you guys okay, is the fire near you?"

Janet: "Well Mom spent the night here last night, we didn't want to take any chances."

I knew exactly where the fire was when she said that, I was able to pinpoint it further when she continued.

Janet: "It looks like James and Rajida may have lost their house. They were forced out of their home. It was a mandatory evacuation. James tried to get back up to the house to see if it was okay, but the roads are all blocked. Fire trucks are everywhere, they won't let him back in."

James is my nephew, he and his new bride just bought their town home. They are first time home buyers. They've only lived there such a short time, and now it might be ashes. Like I said I knew the questions I had to ask, and I wasn't looking forward to the answers.

The fact of the matter is if you live in Southern California you get used to the threat of Earthquakes, and fires fueled by the Santa Ana winds. If you read my blog yesterday then hopefully I've given you a taste of what it's like to be threatened by mother nature.

Last night it was the talk at our dinner table. My wife Kate wanted to know if James had a plan. Did he have enough insurance? Did he get out the important pictures and documents? Of course I am a journalist, paid to ask questions. But I didn't ask those questions. I didn't want to. Kate asks because she knows how important the answers are. As a kid her home burned to the ground in San Mateo, California. She was able to safely shepherd her little brothers and sisters out of the home. They survived the fire, but soon learned afterwards that no was the answer to most of the important questions. Hopefully soon the winds will slacken, the firefighters will do their jobs, and reporters will move on to the next big story. But the sad fact of the matter is fire will always be a part of the fire victims life story. Eventually the reporters will be gone, but the pain and suffering will remain.