On Friday it broke seventy degrees outside. I left the house with a jacket on but I took it off within one block of walking. Already Walgreens was out of toilet paper and the line at the grocery store wound its way through the produce section all of the way to the front door. On the way home we saw a tree with yellow buds and I thought–isn’t this too soon? Back on our homely street kids rode scooters on the sidewalk and grandparents smoked cigarettes on stoops. And at the corner–an eighteen wheeler was stuck trying to make the turn.
I came back out several times during the day. Soon there was a police car. Later, a small crowd. I meant to take a picture but I left my phone upstairs (it was in the middle of an update) so you’ll just have to believe me. The semi was there all day. Perfectly inconvenient and apocalyptic.
Then, at dusk I came outside one more time to collect laundry from down the street. And the truck was gone. Not even a sign that it had ever been here.
Anne Foster 