Tony Dunbar - Tubby Dubonnet 07 - Tubby Meets Katrina by Tony Dunbar Page B

her little darling. Flowers was cursing at the winch.
    “You’re too damn big.” Flowers shouted. “You weigh too much for this blamed…” He tried the winch again, and it groaned tiredly. Flowers looked down at Tubby looking up at him. “This should be fun,” he frowned. He pulled the handle and the Airodream ascended, swinging its human cargo forty feet below.
    “Yaaah!” Tubby cried, watching chimneys and the tops of cypress trees pass below his feet. He clutched Pookie tightly for protection. “Yaaah!” They crossed the Seventeenth Street Canal, and the men in hard hats stared up at him shielding their eyes with their hands. He had a fine view of the lake and the wet churches and apartments on Metairie Road, when he dared to open his eyes. This wasn’t so bad.
    He twirled slowly and thought it was sort of like the time he was in the revolving bar at the World Trade Center. He took in the landscape of missing roofs and toppled billboards. Behind him was New Orleans. Over there was the sublimely peaceful Lake Pontchartrain. The fine homes and golf courses of Old Metairie had flooded. Now that was interesting. Where was Flowers taking him?
    To Lakeside Shopping Center, it turned out. Right by JCPenney’s. Right down to the big parking lot. Gently, Tubby’s feet touched the ground. Flowers brought it a little lower, and Tubby could get out of the harness. He had to sit on the pavement, keeping his grip on the dog. Once he was inert, the copter could move away to land. The woman took her time getting out, and shook herself like a bird ruffling its feathers. When she felt sufficiently composed she ran across the parking lot. Flowers hurried behind her, coming to check on his human yo-yo.
    “Pookie,” the woman cried. She had to peel the dog out of Tubby’s arms, and when she had her furry love she showered it with kisses.
    “Are you all right, boss?” Flowers asked, poking Tubby’s shoulder to get a reaction.
    “I’m fine.” He couldn’t move yet. “Just a little windblown. Can you help me up?”
    Flowers helped them all get straightened out. “I saw a police check-point at the other side of the shopping center when we came down,” he said. “I’ll run over there and see if they’ll take this woman somewhere.”
    While Flowers was gone, Tubby and the woman walked in little circles, getting used to being alive and safe.
    “What’s your name?” the lady asked.
    Tubby told her.
    “Mine’s Theresa Campbell, and I’ve never been in one of them things before.”
    “How long had you been on that roof?” Tubby asked.
    “I’m not sure, what day is this?”
    “Thursday, I think.”
    “Then two days. I was up in the attic for one day, I’m pretty sure. And then I figured no one was going to find me there. If I wanted to keep living, I’d have to get where someone could see me. And here I am,” she said with satisfaction.
    “And here you are. How’d you get out of the attic?”
    “Why, I had to knock out a little window in the front of my house and swim for it. It was a pretty stained-glass window, but I guess we can’t worry about things like that now.”
    “I guess not. Why didn’t you evacuate ahead of the storm?”
    “I didn’t expect this,” she said simply. “And I love my little house. Isn’t that right, Pookie? Mama almost got us both drowned.”
    Flowers rode back in a Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s car. They loaded Ms. Campbell and her dog and took them away.
    “Are you all right, man?” Flowers asked Tubby. “You look a little seasick.”
    “You try riding in that saddle. They ought to turn it into some kind of Olympic event— Yow!”
    His pocket was buzzing. Tubby dug out the cell phone, surprised that it worked.
    He listened a second.
    “Yes, this is Tubby Dubonnet. Who is this?”
    “Let me speak to her.”
    “Hello, Christine?”
    “How’re you doing, baby? Tell me what’s wrong.”
    “Say it again. Where are you?”
    “Hey, put my daughter back