The summer got hotter. Mom talked a big game about buying some window air conditioners, but they never materialized. Lucy and I, already down to t-shirts and shorts, were running out of ways to stay cool. I knew it was bad when Lucy said it was even too hot to press.
I reached the breaking point one afternoon when the knob of my bedroom door melted off in my hand. I wish I was exaggerating, but there I was, standing stupidly in the hallway, with a broken knob in my hand and no way to get back into my bedroom.
Instead, I went downstairs. Lucy was lazing on the couch, stretched out and miserable. She had on a pair of red mesh shorts and a white, ribbed tank. Her top was slightly pulled up, uncovering her cute tummy.
"This house sucks!" she said, writhing in discomfort.
I held up my doork
