You're On Fire Pt 6

The rental truck’s horn beeps tentatively; your father’s knuckles go white. You tell him you’ll handle it and throw your door open, jumping into the rain; he gooses the accelerator, spraying you with mud from the back tire, but you expected this.

Your mother rolls down her window. You’re making him mad, you tell her.

I need to change your sister, she says. Don’t smart off to me.

You tell her that you will tell him and hurry to catch up to the Mustang that your father is positioning under a tree. You glance at the dark house next door – last month Cavard drowned trying to save two girls from going over the Upper Dam in a rowboat; he swam out and hauled them back to shore, where his heart gave out. At the wake your father pissed off everybody by saying that a couple of stupid bitches weren’t worth the life of a great fireman like Mike Cavard – but Dan Bell was now the new station lieutenant so the firemen just kept their opinions to themselves.