“But did you die?” asked Gordon, later. Then in his deepest voice, he started doing an imitation of God or Jesus, which I won’t repeat here because it was inappropriate and had nothing to do with either his true beliefs or his professional experience. And anyway, it wasn’t any of his business what Steve and I had been doing while sheltering in the hot tub on what was left of the back porch.
We’d come back inside after things calmed down and were able to find some clothes. That helped restore our dignity, at least, and somehow, being dressed instead of half-naked gives you a lot more courage, like you’re ready for anything now. Like a cowboy strapping his guns on. Parts of his house were a mess, with things broken and on the floor, but all in all, it wasn’t too bad.
The whole town was in
