How long has it been that I have not worn earrings? Seems like I never worn them but…. few people even see that I have no ears to even comment. I was wearing scarves well. No one cared about hajibs or tichels, or if a woman covered her hair or not it just did not matter anymore. I wore mine to cover where my ears once were.
During one of the unsettled times where people were deciding if dying would be an easier plan than living in the ever tightening noose of the dictatorship, the more times of hunger, the times of sickness with no medical….especially the older folks, those who were into retirement for a few years were growing desperate and very unsettled in the harder times and the view into the future of even harder times. Perry’s aunt and uncle were like that. Growing more uneasy at what what beyond their control, more careless in their habits of not turning off the stove, of putting the iron on and not ironing, little things like that to indicate that death would be easier now.
One day they came home with a box of fireworks. Not just a small one but it looked like enough to have a block party. They set them in the kitchen. When Perry and I were over for a visit I noticed them and mentioned it.
“we are going to blow the house up” said Aunt Vera as she sipped her tea and nibbled a cake.
“yes” added Uncle Don “we do not want the government to get the house or our belongings so we thought that blowing up the house would be the best solution.”
I nearly choked on my cake and started coughing looking at Perry. His face was stoic to say the least as if he did not hear or understand.
“We want you to come with us. dear.” Aunt Vera smiled her sweet smile. She was a thin woman as was Uncle Don, her face sharp, angular she did not look the motherly type but was always a kind women since I met her a few years ago when I began dating Perry.
“I am going to help them do it up proper and I will need your help” Perry finally spoke and I was flabbergasted at what I heard.
My head started spinning and there was a screaming in my head…i carefully looked at the others and was relieved that it was in my head and I was not actually screaming…..
“OK” I managed to say not meaning OK but trying to buy some time to think of anything through the screaming in my head that would not stop. The spinning just got worse.
“Great” Perry jumped up and dragged me to the bathroom where the in-wall gas heater was. He showed me a box of squeeze bottles and told me they were filled with gell fire started. I was to squirt it all over the bath room and do the same in the bedroom. He would be in the kitchen and Vera and Don would be in the living-room since they had more drugs and could no longer get up.
“do you need more tea?” he asked so gently …it seemed to be so out of place to hear his voice so full of love.
“I mean you only drank half a cup and one cake”
I looked at him and squeaked out
“No I am fine, really quite prepared” My head was into every part of my memory on how to escape and get the hell out.
“go do what you need to to do I will handle this”
The heaters open flame was burning blue and I began squeezing the gel bottles like I was decorating a cake. Once I had finished the bathroom I went into the bedroom and did the same. I opened the window over the bed and knew I needed to climb out that high window.
I heard Perry begin lighting the stove in the kitchen that apartment was so silent the ticktickticktick of the igniter of the stove echoed in that tiny place like it was a music hall.
I heard and felt a strong boom like a sonic boom, then saw a flash through the window as I was sucked out, then a feeble laugh from the drugged old ones.
The explosion was deafening.
No memories of anything have survived until I was in an emergency tent clinic on a cot waking up. I could hear sirens, smell smoke a great panic arose in me and the medic calmed me saying I was safe.
“wha….wha….. happened?” I croaked out my throat was raw. I noticed my eyes stung, my head hurt, particularly the sides of my head hurt, I reached up and there were bandages …
“There was an explosion and fire in this complex” the medic told me, “ you have been unconscious for a few hours”.
“How big….” I could not manage anymore words.
“ We think a full city block has been leveled by the explosion, the fire is still burning” She said while putting drops in my eyes.
“you were found singed and sitting at the bus stop watching the fire” She had a nice face. The civil services uniform was a soft green and suited her and calmed me knowing there was someone in charge; at least of me, I needed some one in charge of me.
I was in the clinic tent for several days. The city hospitals were over run with the wounded. Even though I would need surgery it could wait and I did not need to fill a precious bed.
Once I was able, I began helping in the clinic. I had no where to go at the time and no way to get there. The city transportation was closed down while the ensuing fires were still moving across the city. After ten days of fire the city began to get a bit normal, the new normal of much less city and the pall of smoke settled in with the fog creating a new problem.
I was folding blankets when I saw him…Perry! I went over to him, then stopped. He was with a medic and being assisted to one of the ward beds. I asked later and was told he was blinded by the conflagration and had memory loss. Not surprising since many people had memory loss.
I went to the little lounge and saw the TV was on and the civil station was on with the news
“After two weeks the satellite data has been recovered and it was a meteor that hit Port Center City. Many pieces of space debris have also been recovered and It appears the meteor captured the circling space debris and hurled pieces through the atmosphere hitting many other cities on earth. However the impact from the meteor itself was on Port Center City.
