Ten.One Thousand, Four Hundred & Eighty-Eight

1. We shouldn’t buy the house. I look over at the clock; it is 3am.

2. Another morning, another headache.

3. More jaw popping.

4. The squawking scrub jays. They flit from branch to branch shaking loose the dry pine needles.

5. I tell him about my first thought waking up. He does not disagree. Okay. We will stay.

6. I see the reflection of the sun in the window. It looks like neon tangerine. Oh, that’s not fog, it’s smoke.

7. She gives us permission to walk her to the gym, but then she see two of her friends and she’s just fine. She leaves us at the sidewalk, turns around one more time to wave goodbye.

8. OG donut.

9. “And we just moved last year. I don’t think I want to do it again,” I tell him. “And I know that the next place will not be exactly like this one, but this home is too good to leave for something like that.”

10. The air smells like smoke. I make a mental list of all the things I should have together and ready. Add air purifier to the list. Add more n95s to keep the cars well-stocked. Add more extension cords for the generator.