Chapter 9: Power Cut

On Friday afternoon Selena came to the house with a manila folder and a smile.

"Three signatures," she said, and spread the pages on the kitchen table. "Here, here, and here. The lawyer's already filled in the rest."

The top page said PETITION. The word under it was DISSOLUTION.

I knew that word. It meant divorce with extra letters.

"I'll read it tonight," I said.

Selena's smile did not move.

"Of course," she said. "Take your time. I'll come by in the morning."

She patted my cheek and left.

I had heard her say I'd sign by Friday.

I put the folder in the oven, which seemed like a place nobody would look.

By eight the sky had gone green and the wind had started to throw the porch swing around.

Milo fell asleep on the couch with the Twins cap over his face. Gus carried him upstairs.

At nine, the storm took out the power.

The whole house went black at once. The refrigerator quit with a sigh.

"Don't move," Gus called from the stairs. "I'll find the flashlight."

"I'm not moving."

"You're moving. I heard the chair."

I stopped.

He came into the kitchen with a flashlight pointed at the floor.

He set it upright on the counter, and it threw a yellow circle on the ceiling.

We sat on opposite sides of the table.

Rain hit the window in sheets. Neither of us said anything for what felt like a very long time.

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