Preface
Rooftop Diva is about the capacity of the human spirit to survive and thrive even in the midst of unthinkable tragedy. Often the true test of resiliency comes after the tempest has passed and the task of rebuilding looms ahead. Very few things in life are more daunting than being forced to start over in life when the circumstance was forced upon you. The main theme faced by the central character is even after surviving nature’s tempest, you will still have to contend with and overcome storms that will come your way in everyday life going forward.
I wrote this book to focus on life after whatever rooftop moments people have had to overcome, whether it was a natural disaster or a personal loss. There is hope on the other side of life afterwards.
The factual basis of this novel was the catastrophic Hurricane named Katrina that hit New Orleans, the Mississippi and Alabama gulf coast in August 2005. I have tried to remain true to the factual underpinnings of this work of fiction by reviewing various elements relating to the actual timeline and settings in which the events took place.
Survivor’s Song
To those that hunger where the crops don’t grow
I will remember you
To those dying where the cures don’t flow
I will remember you
To those whose lives have been washed away
I will remember you
To those fleeing as genocide marches their way
I will remember you
To those braced against the roaring wind
I will remember you
To those fighting chemical demons within
I will remember you
To those involved with the conflicts of man
I will remember you
To those dying by their brother’s hand
I will remember you
Written by Danny T. Pollard
1
Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans as nature’s weapon of mass destruction, but Monique and her grandmother stood fast. Then the levees failed and washed her old life away while she emerged through the roof of her house like a butterfly bursting out of its caterpillar’s cocoon. When she was scooped up by the arms of a rescue worker and flown away by helicopter blades that served as wings to a new life, she knew things would never be the same again.
Her name is Monique Devareaux and she was called the rooftop diva by the man that saved her, but she never knew his name. She must have passed out because the next time her eyes opened she was surrounded by a throng of people at an aid station. A kind lady gave her a cold bottle of water. Reality started to settle in that all she owned was clinging to her in the form of the clothing she wore.
“Has anyone seen my grandmother Martha Devareaux?” she inquired.
All that met her was a blank stare and a shake of the head for no. Deep down inside her mind, she knew her grandmother was floating in the water that swamped their house. It came in so quickly. By the time Monique realized what was happening it was up to her neck. She called for her grandmother, but at eighty years old and wheelchair bound, there was little chance she survived. Not only was she homeless and destitute, she was also alone.
She struggled to her feet and said, “What’s going to happen to me? I don’t have anywhere to go?”
The aid worker replied, “Hi, my name is Wanda, what’s your name?”
“I’m Monique.”
“Monique, I need for you to fill this out and when that is done, we have a bus that will take you somewhere you can stay and get some help.”
Wanda gave Monique a form attached to a clipboard and she began to fill it out and asked, “Where will I be going?”
“I don’t know exactly, but either Houston or Dallas, they have some shelters set up for you there.”
As Monique gave the clipboard back to Wanda, she was directed to a waiting bus filled with people from New Orleans. Their faces registered shock and disbelief at what had happened over the last week. Once on the bus she began to come to terms with her situation and even though her head was spinning, Monique knew she was a survivor and had to find an upside in the midst of this sea of misery.
With chapped lips, sunburned skin and scraped legs as reminders of her three day wait on top of a small shingled roof, now she was headed into the unknown. The smell of filthy clothes and unwashed human flesh that had been baking in the sun was omnipresent. Her own putrid scent offended her personal sensibilities but for the time being that would have to do.
At the age of twenty-eight she had moved back in with her grandmother because her other options had run out. Her boyfriend decided to move out and go back to his wife and children. She had no one to turn to in Chicago since she had left her high technology sales career when she met David and his promises to take care of her. In debt and jobless she felt she had to pack up and go back home to New Orleans for a fresh start. Now the ultimate tragedy had occurred with the storm hitting and knocking her down again.
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