Page 101 of The Secret to Belonging

and you know

it’s bad

you consider hiding in your closet

if he can’t find you

you can’t take the call

but

maybe you’re wrong

maybe it’s a call for Elinor

someone who speaks English

someone in the UK

he knocks on your door

you want to cry

you don’t even know what’s going on

but you want whatever it is

to go away and leave you

and your new life

alone

you take the call

it happened

finally

firefighters from two stations

worked for hours

the foundation is all that’s left

an explosion

an investigation

your father is okay

but your mother and brother

aren’t

the blast

came from the basement