By David Cruz
NJ Today
Jim Limone’s tee shirt reads “Not in the Mood for the Holidays,” but he, and his wife Rachel are, in fact, very much in the mood for the holidays, even after, or especially after what has been a very tough year around here. The Limones were one of the hundreds of families who were evacuated from Little Ferry and surrounding towns on the night of Hurricane Sandy.
Pointing to a spot about five-feet up on the wall, Jim shows where the water ended up that night, claiming everything in their basement rec room.
“It was pretty bad,” recalls Rachel. “I mean there was raw sewage, so to speak, and that’s putting it nicely.”
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There’s crack in the foundation here and the insurance company has yet to pay out on their flood and home insurance until someone comes in to take a look at that. It goes all the way through to the outside. The deck outside was pulled away from the house and the small pool in the backyard was washed away. But the Limones are having their regular Christmas this year, hosting 19 family members for Christmas dinner.
“We have everything. We just don’t have a basement,” says Rachel, trying to control her emotions. “We have broken things outside; we have a broken foundation, but there’s friends of mine who aren’t even going home. Not yet; they will someday eventually, but how can’t I complain. I have no right.”
The Limones moved in to their home on Monroe Street just two years ago. They’ve been married for 15 years and have two boys: Vinnie, 11, and Kyle, 14. Jim says this holiday feels normal even though he knows it’s not. For one, Rachel’s not cooking, which will be a first, but having his family around him will be special, especially the two boys, who he says showed remarkable courage and patience this year.
“They help up good through it, but they knew that something was going on,” he recalls. “They kept on looking out there and saying, ok, [mom and dad] will get us through it, you know. Just listen to what they want us to do – I mean we were with two other families, and the kids pulled together and the adults pulled together.”
Vinnie and Kyle are back in their own rooms, doing what kids do best, ignoring the adults and playing video games or chatting on-line. Vinnie was happy to have benefited from generous neighbors and strangers who showered the kids with extra gifts this year.
We ask what he’s looking forward to this year. “Mostly to having the party because I’m gonna get more [gifts].”
Christmas on Monroe Street is usually very quiet and this year is no exception, but it’s that return to normalcy, or what passes for normal nowadays, that is the greatest give this block and the Limone family will get this year.