Important Not Famous

In the costal county of Miami, the home of endless beaches. Where there are thousands of tourists that come every day. Where people come to enjoy the warm sun and the cool water. But every good thing has a bad side affect. Being in the costal area would usually bring floods. Many families would be put in danger. Towns would be devastated. The doctors are major hero of Miami. Every one relied on them to help the ones in need. They also loved the police. People will rely on them like they rely on god. The news will be filled with names of the police and doctors and the hospitals. But who prevented the floods? Or stopped them? No one knows? No names heard of. People don’t even know the type of jobs that help with them. 

In the town of Bal Harbor, Miami Florida. There lived a family of 4. The family lived in a small house with noticeable damage. There was a dad named Henry Mill. He was the only one that earned in the family. He was a town plumber. He did plumbing for the town’s main water systems. He did filthy work like cleaning gutters. Working with sewage waters. Risking life and limb on under ground water systems. Working in areas with toxic gasses. Massive leaks. Old and brittle areas that could collapse anytime. He worked his but off for minimum wage. Just so he could support his family. Just so his kids wouldn’t have to do what he does when they grow up. The man mother of the house was Lily Mills. She was a stay at home mom. Always watching the children. Working her but off feeding them. With the limited food that came in the house, some days she wouldn’t eat. Just to make sure her kids are never on an empty stomach. To make sure she never here’s the words, “I’m hungry,” from her children. She would fix up the house to make sure it was safe for her two kids. She would make sure her kids would study hard. To make sure her kids would have brighter future than her’s.The oldest of two kid’s was James. He was 13. He was old enough to understand the problems of the family. He would do as his parents say without a word.He always study different subjects trying to get a job. He wanted one so he could help the family. He kept getting rejected because they all said he was ‘ too young’ . He was a smart boy. He topped in school. Tried free competitions to get his family some money. He was also a great big brother. He had a little sister named Katie. She was 9 years old. She was too young to understand the problems of the family. She is usually quite and is only freely open with her mother and brother. She would always ask James for help and he would happily do so.

 One day on the news it said a flood was coming this evening. Families please temporarily move away. The Mill’s didn’t have a car. So they continued on with the regular lives. The kids and the wife stayed at home. The dad still went to work. He found out many families stayed in the area. He was on his regular routine. Meanwhile in the house, James and Lily decided that they shouldn’t tell Katie about it or else she would get freaked out. Jake and Katie played the whole day. Katie did find it weird that her brother was giving her a lot more attention than usual. But she didn’t mind it. During lunch, Katie said to James , “I don’t want to eat the salad anymore. We always get it. I saw the kids next door having chicken every day. It’s not fair we have to eat this.” Katie complained. “ Listen Katie, here’s an important life lesson. If you always compare your self with other people, you will never be happy. You should be grateful for what you have. Show some gratitude for what god has given you. Some people don’t even get food regularly. Some people don’t even have a roof above their head. Yes, our life isn’t as good as most people, as and yes, it’s not fair. But for some people, it’s even more unfair. So be grateful for what you have.” James taught Katie.

When the sun sank down, the water started to rise. The flooding had started. Water was going into the town fast. The town had safety systems that controlled the flooding. Everyone relied on it. It was the reason nobody panicked. The water levels weren’t rising that much. Everyone was fine. Then slowly with hours of constant water rushing into the town. The systems clogged. Water levels started Rising. They were getting to dangerous levels. Everyone was in panic. Scared, frightened, terrified. People were praying. At Henry’s office, his boss told him he could go back home with his family. But Henry wanted to fix the flooding problem. He asked his boss for some tools and access to the tunnels so he could fix the problem. The boss told him that how dangerous the idea was but Henry ignored it. With the bosses permission he continued into the tunnels. The tunnels were shaking under the pressure of the water. He went to the first area of the clogged system. He knew that after he cleaned it out he would he would have to make a run for it. Or else he would drown. His breath was heavy, his heart was racing. He finally cleared the clog. Water rushed behind him. He had to get through the door to make through without getting caught into the water. He ran with all his might and ran past the door. First system done, 7 more to go. He was going great through them. The water levels were significantly lower. But as his way to the final system, he saw a leak in a gas pipe. He knew how dangerous this could be for the city. But he didn’t have a mask. He also knew that he wouldn’t have time to go back and get one. So, he knew he had to fix it quickly and in intervals. He used a regular paper mask as his only protection.He was getting dizzy but kept working through. He kept going. Put his life on the line. And at the end, he finally succeeded. And at last he moved to the last system. He started clearing it. And he removed the last piece. Water rushed in and he ran but was slow since he was dizzy. He got caught in the water. He struggled his way to the door he swam to it as fast as he can. He had to get through the door while spilling minimal water. He struggled but pushed and finally got through. The city was barely flooded. Everyone was relieved. He came back to his boss with a smile on his face. His bossed gave him a mighty hug. “ You’re definitely getting a raise on your salary,” the boss said to Henry. “Where are you going, we gotta tell the news.” Henry’s boss said. “No, I am going home. I don’t need the fame, I’m fine with what I have. I did it to help, not for fame” Henry told his boss. 

No one knows Henry except his friends, no one knows what he did. He’s not famous. But if he didn’t do what he did, the town would have been perished. Just because their not famous, doesn’t mean their not important.