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The Cloak In The Storm
by
Theresa Cecilia Garcia and Robert Brian Newbill
Have you ever tried to walk through wind so strong that you could
hardly
move? I hadn't, until that morning.
I had seen extreme weather before. I grew up at the far ends of both
the
hurricane belt and “tornado alley." Better judgment and disposition
would
have cautioned me to stay home, but I had a job to do. I was a
stockbroker
and the market doesn’t sleep. Thus and so I had to get into the city.
Hoboken to Manhattan, not far.
But I had never experienced anything like this. I stepped out of my door
and
the wind not only tore my umbrella apart but also ripped the headphones
of
my walkman from my head.
The Hoboken Terminal was at least three feet deep in water, the NYC
subway
lines were flooded. NJ Transit buses were giving free rides. That was
the
only way to get into the city. And once you were on the island, surface
routes were your only choice.
When I finally made it to the Financial District, the slightly built
narrow
streets held elderly people stuck to buildings. Some of these city
dwellers
were almost 12 inches off the ground because of the wind.
I walked through the narrow streets paved with irregular cobblestones.
When
I arrived at my office, my boss told me that the market was closed and
to go
home. I didn’t know whether to hug her or curse her and I was too tired
already to even make a decision, so I left.
It took me 3 hours to get back to Jersey.
When I got back my boss called me. She said she had called everyone on
our
team, all her "kids", to make sure we were okay.
It reminded me of the old folklore THE CLOAK IN THE STORM.
Once there was a wealthy lady who was named Madame de Maillefer. She
was a
woman of idleness and vanity and would often spend large sums of money
on
her clothes, carriages, gardens, and banquets. Poor people were
starving all
around her but she cared not for them seeking only her own selfish
pleasure.
One day a beggar came to her asking for help and shelter from a furious
storm. He was ill and weak. She told him to go about his business! One
of
Madame de Maillefer's servants took the beggar into the stable for rest
and
warmth and there he died. When told of the events the Mistress was
furious
with the servant and tossed a black cloak at him ordering that the
begger be
buried, dismissing the servant from his duties. The beggar was buried
but
that evening Madame de Maillefer who was about to seat herself for
supper
noticed the cloak which she had thrown at the servant on the floor next
to
the elegant table. Demanding an explanation all the servants of the
household professed to know nothing about the cloak, except that they
were
all sure the beggar had been buried in it. Legend has it that since she
had
failed to show him compassion in life, he declined her cloak in death.
After a warm bath and a few cappuccinos I called my boss back and
thanked
her for her compassion.
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