plus magnitude earthquake, Miles expected very little from this trip,
geologically speaking. But now, with this new, unexpected display
of nature, everything has changed and suddenly LA isn’t so boring.
“Dad!” he yells, pointing to the sky. “Look. Pyrocumulus.”
“Pretty neat,” Phil says, capping the tank. He pulls his phone from
his pocket and dials Kate. He says they’re a little lost. He doesn’t see
San Fernando but he sees a cement river, a truck selling tacos, and a
billboard for a movie about robots. He asks if she has any idea where
they might be, and, to his surprise, she does. She gives him turn-by-
turn directions and says to park on the street.
Abby returns from the mini-mart, Diet Coke in one hand, a maga-
zine in the other. “Was that her?”
“Sure was,” Phil says.
“Who?” Miles asks, crawling back into the van.
“Your cousin Kate,” Phil says.
“Do I know her?”
“She was around when you were little. You may not remember her.”
“I don’t remember her.”
Phil closes the door and keys the ignition. “You’ll like her. She’s a
real California chick.” He says this as if she were a type of exotic fruit.
When her uncle Phil called two weeks ago to ask if he and the family
could shack up with her for a few nights while they were in LA,
Kate scrambled for a reason that wouldn’t work. She had a mental
file of excuses for whenever she was asked to take part in something
she found unsavory. It was stunning how quickly she remembered
the dinner plans with an old co-worker who was leaving town, or the
college friend she was planning to visit down in Huntington. But at
seven a.m. on a Sunday, hung over and half asleep, she had noth-
ing. So instead she said, yes, of course, she’d love to have them, and
ended up committing herself to a weekend of entertaining family she
barely knew.
amazing car
Thank you dear