A Daughter of Oklahoma

   The morning air is filled with chaos. Ambulance sirens scream, firetruck horns honk and shouts of alarm seem to come from every direction. I sit frozen on the park bench, my fingernails biting into the green flaking wood. The swing careens wildly from where I abandoned it. No more laughter. The children all disappeared. All but me.

   Smoke billows overhead and I mistake the falling ash for snow until one falls gently to rest on my knee. I should be freaking out, but the noise cocoons this moment. A couple rushes by. A dog’s bark ends abruptly at the tug of the leash. The large boom from moments ago was terrifying. It shook the ground and heads whipped around in puzzlement. A transformer? An earthquake? No. Dust and debris wouldn’t be caused by that.

   I remain on the lone bench wondering where my Mama has gone. I knew my way home from the park, but I never walked alone. She had relented to my begging and taken me to the park. Usually, I would be in school, but Mama had allowed me to skip so we could spend some quality time together. The last I noticed, Mama had been perched on this exact bench while I explored the playground, hoping to see a friendly face to play with among the children too young to be in school. The whole area was now abandoned. Had Mama followed the crowd curious to see what had happened? What had caused the panic?

   When everyone first started leaving, I was mid-swing. Other parents had hastily called for their children. Several adults moved toward the sound, concerned looks on their faces. Clicking my sneakered heels together, I glanced around again. Another police vehicle passed, its pitch rising and falling a block or two over.

   Should I walk home? Where was Mama? I would wait a little longer. Only minutes later, She was there. Tears were running down her face but she looked relieved to see me.

   “Maggie, come quickly with me.” I let her pull me to my feet and didn’t resist when she turned away from home and instead raced in the opposite direction. After a block, we joined a group of people milling on the corner. Police officers blocked any further progress.

   “What do you think happened?” I heard one lady ask.

   “Maybe a terrorist,” a man’s voice answered.

   Through the mutters of conversation around me, I gathered that something bad had happened. It wasn’t a car backfiring or a gas leak. There was some confusion about exactly what had caused the “explosion” and “collapse”. Mama forced her way through those gathered, tugging me in her wake.

   The haze in the air cleared briefly to reveal rubble. Between the arms and bodies of the adults around me, I glimpsed a large building completely open to the elements. I could see right into it like a dollhouse with a missing backside.

   “My husband works there. Please let us through!” Mama’s voice pierced through me. The hand clutching mine was like a vice, but the other was waving wildly as she begged an officer to let us pass the barricades. My Daddy? Tears gathered in my eyes blurring the destruction. That building did kind of resemble the building that Daddy worked in. A wail rose in my throat and suddenly Mama’s arms were around me. She murmured reassuring things, but nothing truly registered. That cocoon from earlier descended again numbing me to my surroundings. We were led to a nearby building and Mama continued to talk with several people. The hard plastic chair was my world. Settling my chin on my knees, I hugged my legs and hummed the bedtime song, Daddy sang to me every night. He would come. I couldn’t sleep without my song. A nice lady handed me a coke and a thing of crackers, but I left them on the chair beside me. I shouldn’t ruin my lunch and I didn’t want Mama to be upset any more than she already was. She spoke on the phone with someone as well as a police officer, who diligently wrote things on a note pad.

   “Maggie, dear,” a deep baritone voice I knew broke through my cocoon and a warm hand settled on my head.

   “Grandpa!” I was up and in his arms a moment later. Mama joined us and soon we were in their car. Mama held me in the back seat and Grandma held us both on my other side while Grandpa drove. It’s all going to be okay were the words on a repeat. Gentle hands brushed at my cheeks and rubbed circles on my back, but the cocoon was back. I was so grateful because it was all too much. Why didn’t Daddy come? Humming again, I turned my face into Mama’s chest.

   Another plastic chair and a busy waiting room were what awaited us. The harsh smell of chemicals made my stomach feel queasy. I should have eaten the crackers when I’d had the chance, but soon I was given the chance again. Grandpa brought Mama coffee and a juicebox with crackers for me. The faces of Mama, Grandma, and Grandpa were tense. Mama’s lips trembled, but the tear tracks on her face had dried. For every rub Grandma gave Mama, Mama gave one to me. 

   “You can go back and see him now.” A nurse approached after hours of sitting there.

Mama stood and I scrambled to my feet to go with her, but something about the nurse’s look had Grandma holding me back.

   “In a minute child. Let your Mama go see.”

   I struggled, wanting to scream. If Mama got to see Daddy then I wanted to go too! The adults refused so I sank bank into the plastic chair and turned my back to them all. It seemed like ages before Mama came to get me. We all walked down the hall but I was too eager to notice the odd glances above me.

   “Daddy!” I started to run into the hospital room, but Mama’s hand stopped me.

   The man’s head was bandaged and his eyes popped open at the sound of my voice, but his eyes looked at me strangely. Daddy glanced at Mama, and at the rest of us.

   “It’s good to see you, Ryan.” Grandpa’s voice shook a little but he held out a hand. “Mighty glad to see you in one piece.”

   “I hear that I am pretty lucky, Sir.” Daddy’s voice was serious and formal, not at all soft and sweet like he was with me.

   “Hi, Daddy!” I smiled at him, impatient for him to speak with me. “I knew you would be okay.”

   His blue eyes found mine. “Hi… Maggie. You look beautiful.” His smile was right, but he didn’t use my pet name or joke with me like usual. I looked to Mama and she immediately came to my side.

   “Daddy has a big headache from the loud noise at his work. You heard it and saw what happened at his work.” She brushed a hand over my head and cupped my cheek as she knelt down to explain. “It might take Daddy a few days to feel better and remember all that happened. We are going to let him rest here and he will join us at home in a few days.”

   Looking at Daddy, I could see he was doing his best to smile, but there were tiredness and confusion in his gaze.

   “Can Daddy, sing me my song before we go?” My wailed request made him wince.

   “Awww, honey. I can sing to you tonight,” offered Grandma coming to take my other hand. I pulled away and scrambled up onto Daddy’s bed before they could stop me. Grandpa moved to get me, but Daddy held up a hand.

   “Sweetheart, my head hurts real bad. Maybe you can sing our song real gentle to help me feel better?”

   Without missing a beat, I grinned. “Of course, Daddy! I will sing to you so you can sleep.” I pat his hand and sang softly the song from our favorite movie Sleeping Beauty. He smiled sweetly at me. “But if I know you, I know what you'll do. You’ll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream,” I hummed the ending as his eyelids flickered closed. “Sweet dream, Daddy.”

   “Sweet dreams, Princess,” he murmured using my nickname and Mama hiccuped and covered her face with her hands.

   Grandma and Grandpa ushered me out so Mama could tuck Daddy in, but I was calmer now that I had seen with my own eyes that Daddy was okay.