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So I sat down there with theossip that didn’t amount to much more than, "Holy shit, look at all this water"

My phone rang again while ere playing catch-up, and it was Lu It was loud and crowded there in the corner of the bar, but I finally felt calh to answer her, so I didand immediately wished I hadn’t I’d expected to findand she didn’t disappoint At so-tea

When they were finished, I told theht and I didn’t knohat else to say It had all happened so quickly, after all When I’d left the es was still just that--a threat Within two hours, the city was shut off and I was don I’d only o meet some friends; I hadn’t anticipated this I swore all this was true, and I was only lying a little bit I’d been expecting a mess, but the sheer extent of the mess--how could I have known? How could anyone have known?

They conceded that point Because really, I was right: how could anyone have known?

Lu and Dave atching TV at holad for that much Ter people for uys are staying up there, right? You’re not going to do soet me, are you?"

"No, of course not," Lu answered for the pair of theet down the ht now And even if we did, we’d nevermartial lan there, did you know that?"

"I didn’t knoe had enough police in this city to enforcethem in from all over the place Eden, this is--this is historic This is fucking epic This is like New Orleans," she said, and I could hear an edge of excitement in her voice It wasn’t happy excitement, exactly--it was more like a keen interest tempered with fear "Hey," she went on to add "I saw that reporter friend of yours on the news If he ever wanted a stab at a Pulitzer, this is his chance"

"I’ll be sure to pass that along to him"

"Will you be seeing hilad you’ve foundwell, I’lad you’ve found Harry and you-knoho, but I’uy and your crazy-assed brother? I wish there was solanced over at Harry, who looked ready to beat the ass of the entire world at a ht of Nick, who is only a little taller than me and probably drinks fussy coffee drinks when he feels like butching up "What exactly are you trying to say, Lu?"

"I’ to say that I’d feel better if you were soy Or more civilization, or--"

"Or so like that," Dave finished for her "You’re over at the train station?"

"Yes, I’m here now But if it makes you feel better, Nick and I are supposed to catch up with each other in a little while If he happens to have a satellite hidden under his shirt, I’ll be sure to use it to phone horowled "Next ti to assu to have to hunt you down and kill you"

"Got it, sure Love you too"

Dave backed her up, buton, and answer it Make a couple of old fogies happy?"

"I’ll do what I can, but these batteries don’t ically last forever Please keep that in reed not to call every hour on the hour and I agreed to anshen they did call; but in real life, I knew better Their idea of nervous moderation was to phone every other hour, andjudiciously was to pick up every other time

Harry and Malachi were happy to have h none of us see stories of sloshing our way through the city, and they shared their bottled water with ranola bars and Little Debbies; it wasn’t high cuisine, but it would suffice

Above us, fits and starts of rain echoed loud against the ceiling and the world began to go dark outside Inside, things weren’t much better We accepted thin but sturdy blankets fro for word or ht, Nick called My phone was stuffed intodouble-duty as a pillow, so the vibrating ring startledopen and was amazed to note that I hadn’t awakened either Malachi or Harry, both of whom slept aardly beneath the piano and behind it

"Hello?" I said, keeping my voice down but not to a whisper Even after hours there was a dull roar in the rooo hoo to As far as I knew, the flooding centered on the old business and tourist districts The residential areas tend to be on higher ground, or on cheaper ground farther inland

"Where are you?" Nick asked, as usual without a greeting

"I’m still at the Choo-Choo" I rubbed atto crack et down here?"