A Fire Changes Everything

We were lucky. When we were called and told our house had burned to the ground and it was a total loss, the house that burned was not the one we live in. We have two houses in the tiny town where my husband grew up in. The one where he used to live and we now stay whenever we are staying there. And a second one that he used to live in that became a sort of storage unit. We had a lot of stuff there, but not the things we need.

Now all those things are gone.

There was an army tent worth a of money. The first bed I ever had when I moved out on my own. Which since it wasn’t new when I got it, it was probably darned near an antique now. It was gorgeous. I had an autographed copy of a beloved book, Lorcan’s Desire, by SJD Peterson. We had a dining canopy for when we had big parties. And there was this one movie poster that had a lot of meaning….

Now all those things are gone.

This happened on Friday morning and we found out on Friday afternoon and we raced out of town, not sure what to think, and got there just before it was totally dark. The house was still smoldering. I wasn’t expecting it to still be smoldering. I looked at my husband. He said he was okay. I wasn’t sure if he was. This was his house before we met. And for a while—too long a story to tell right now—it was the house we stayed at whenever we went to visit his family, holidays and such. We ate in that house. Watch television in that house. We slept in that house. Made love in that house….

Now all those things are gone.

The next day we went back where we could really see and…it was a shock. Absolutely everything is gone. You would think there would be remains of stuff. That tent was huge! There was a TV and a giant old Commodore computer and a whole passel of wrought iron rods. We saw no trace of any of that. But then the fire department knocked the walls outward and then Bobcated them inward after the flames calmed down. The fire chief said that when he got there the flames were a hundred feet high.

I watched my husband R move around and through the rubble that was safe. God. His face. Stunned is what I can say. My heart broke. He’d tried once to make the place a little shop. Even sold used books. And as we looked upon the ruins we saw part of the house was still burning! You could feel heat twenty-four hours later. How is that possible?

And how is it possible that Tina survived?

But then we think…. It wasn’t our main house in the tiny town he grew up in. With dishes and couches and air conditioners and beds and bathtubs and showers and so much more. And no one was there in that house. No one was hurt. The house that was so close that it too took on damage was abandoned. What a blessing!

And the house was an emotional struggle. We knew that because no one was living there and no one had in fifteen years, and we don’t live in that tiny town, he was beginning to suffer. A major leak in the roof, that R repaired, had wound up doing considerable damage to the floor and structure to the house that would cost more than it was worth to repair. And what to do with all the “stuff” that was there?

Now those decisions have all been taken away. In a sense, it was a relief.

But then we keep remembering little thing. Oh. Yes. That was there too, wasn’t it?

It was a tough weekend. R was trying to be strong and tough and logical about it all. Because that’s who he is. But there was pain too. But there was a lot of holding and cuddling and sitting next to each other. Because when you love someone, if you have a good relationship, you come together. I was so happy to see that is what happened.

Because what matters isn’t gone. It’s still alive.

And all that other s#it was just stuff in the end, right?

Right.

So please remember to count your blessings, especially when stupid crap is going on. When the Cheeto is doing something stupid once again. When idiots are out marching that are nothing but disgusting excuses for human beings. When someone gets bent out of shape because an author had a character use jelly for lube (and I’ve used some wild things for lube when the need was there and the Wet wasn’t).

Remember to focus on what is right and good and lovely in the world. Remember to see with the right eyes.

Your life will be better for it.

Namaste,

BG “Ben” Thomas

B.G. Thomas lives in Kansas City with his husband of more than a decade and their fabulous dogs Sarah Jane and Oliver. He is blessed to have a lovely daughter as well as many extraordinary friends. He has a great passion for life.

B.G. loves romance, comedies, fantasy, science fiction, and even horror—as far as he is concerned, as long as the stories are character driven and entertaining, it doesn’t matter the genre. He has gone to literature conventions his entire adult life where he’s been lucky enough to meet many of his favorite writers. He has made up stories since he was a child; it is where he finds his joy.

In the nineties, he wrote for gay adult magazines but stopped because the editors wanted all sex without plot. “The sex is never as important as the characters,” he says. “Who cares what they are doing if we don’t care about them?” Excited about the growing male/male romance market, he began writing again. He submitted a novella and was thrilled when it was accepted in four days. Since then the romantic tales have poured out of him. “It’s like I’m somehow making up for a lifetime’s worth of story-telling!”

In 2015 he made and entry every day in his blog “365 Days of Silver,” where he found something every day to be grateful for. You can find it right here: https://365daysofsilver.wordpress.com/

“Leap, and the net will appear” is his personal philosophy and his message. “It is never too late,” he testifies. “Pursue your dreams. They will come true!”

Website/blog: https://bthomaswriter.wordpress.com/about-2/