I hung up the phone and then cursed. Shit! Shit! Shit! I didn’t tell him where I was. I picked up the phone again, but another bolt of lightning hit, and then all I heard was a loud crash.
Trey took the phone out of my hand and hung it up. “Come on, we need to get to the main hotel, Jessie. This storm is getting worse.”
“No! Wait! Let me just call him back and let him know where I am, Trey!”
Trey tried to pull me away, but I used all my might to yank my arm out of his hand. I picked up the phone, and it was silent.
No! Oh no! God, please don’t do this to me.
Just as I was about to tell Trey I had no dial tone, there was a knock on the door. Trey opened it, and it was one of the hotel employees.
“Miss Rhodes, Mr. Walker, I need you both to come to the main hotel.”
“What happened to the phone lines?” I asked in a panicked voice.
“They’re probably down from the storm.”
“I thought we were out of storm season!” I yelled over the increasing wind.
“It is very rare for a tropical cyclone to develop this late in the year, but it’s not unheard of.”
Trey and I both said at the same time, “What?”
“A tropical cyclone? I knew there was a tropical storm out there, but the front desk clerk said it wouldn’t develop into anything. Oh my god!” I said.
“Miss Rhodes, it’s okay. It is a category-one cyclone, and it developed rather quickly throughout the day. We put a notice on your cabana doors. Neither of you got it?”
I looked at Trey, and we both shook our heads.
“We’ve been sightseeing all day,” I said.
“Please come now, and let’s get to a safer location.”
I grabbed a sweatshirt, and then I followed Trey and the hotel worker out of my room. I didn’t even have time to take anything else.
By the time we got to the hotel lobby, everyone was sitting around, talking, as the employees did their best to keep the guests calm and comfortable. I walked up to the front desk and noticed the girl was on her cell phone.
Oh my god! She has a signal in this mess?
She hung up and turned to face me. “Miss Rhodes, how are you?” she asked with a smile on her face.
Jesus H. Christ, how does the staff stay so calm?
“Honestly, I’m slightly freaked, but I’ve been told the storm is only a category-one cyclone, so…” I rolled my eyes.
She laughed. “We locals are used to storms like this although it is very rare to get them this time of year.”
“I couldn’t help but notice you were talking on your cell phone.” I looked at her with pleading eyes.
She glanced around quickly and motioned for me to follow her into the office. “I’m not sure how I’ve managed to keep a signal, but my husband is in New York City on business, and I was able to call him. Is there a loved one you want to try to call?”
I jumped up and down. “Yes! I would be forever grateful to you if I could call him.”
She handed me her cell, and I saw she still had a signal. I quickly tried Scott, only to get his voice mail again. I left him a quick message, telling him I was in Belize and that I would be coming home in a few days. Then, I tried Daddy.
“Hello?” he answered.
The moment I heard his voice, I began crying. “Daddy?”