Ashes of Fiery Weather by Kathleen Donohoe

Norah wondered. The danger was like standing on a ledge. Like changing the course of a river or calling the moon to a new orbit.
    On Halloween, they settled on Sean’s stoop with a bowl of candy for the trick-or-treaters. Norah hadn’t planned to tell him on Halloween. He might think she was joking. They sat handing out Hershey bars and Milky Ways to the kids. The little girls singsonged his name, drawing out the one syllable to three. “Hey-y-y, Sha-a-awn, this your girlfriend? She from Ireland? You gotta accent? Say something!”
    Sean grinned at Norah. “Say something, Irish. Say ‘Top o’ the mornin’ to you.’”
    Cringing, she did it. The children hooted, and Sean, she could see, was proud of her for playing along.
    In one group of four kids there was a guy with them who greeted Sean by name.
    Sean grinned. “Hey, Freddy. Sorry—no costume, no candy.”
    Freddy waved a hand at a little boy wearing a Batman cape. “That’s my nephew.”
    The little boy, about seven years old, held open his bag and Norah dropped two candy bars in.
    â€œAt least you got a nice girl.”
    Sean laughed. “She is. This is Norah.” He turned to her. “Freddy and me were in high school together.”
    â€œHi,” Norah said, and he nodded at her and turned back to Sean.
    â€œHow long you back from Nam?” he asked.
    Norah sensed the tension that ran up Sean’s spine, pulling it straighter.
    â€œLong enough.”
    â€œThe beaches were luxurious, weren’t they?”
    â€œI found the food magnificent,” Sean answered, and they both laughed.
    â€œYou a fireman yet?” Freddy asked as the kids ran to the next house.
    â€œI’m waiting,” Sean said.
    â€œMaybe I’ll be a fireman too. Maybe I’ll change my name to McLewis and make that my
career.
” He grinned.
    Sean was no longer smiling, and Norah tensed, not sure what had just changed.
    â€œTake the test, man,” Sean said. “Nobody’s stopping you.”
    Freddy laughed. “Take the
test,
he says.”
    â€œYeah, take the test.”
    Freddy started after his nephew.
    â€œPut your money where your damn mouth is,” Sean called after him, but Freddy didn’t turn around.
    Sean shook his head. “We played ball together in high school. Freddy was a helluva hitter. He enlisted too. Good enough guy, but he needs to shut up about the fire department. They think there should be more black guys on the job, they should
take the fucking test.
They talk like there’s some secret committee slipping white guys the answers.”
    Norah didn’t much care. “There’s a test I think I’ll fail.”
    â€œWhat?” Sean said. He turned to look at her. “A driving test? You want to get your license? That’s a great idea. My mom’s always saying she wished she’d learned to drive.”
    But then it must have showed on her face, because he said, “What’s the matter?”
    She shook her head, afraid she might start to cry.
    â€œYour parents said you have to go back? Listen—”
    â€œNo, no. I can never go back.”
    They won’t close New York behind me, he’d said.
    But Ireland would close behind her.
    Helen was living by the calendar, checking off the days until Norah’s time in New York was done and she had her apartment to herself again. She barely tolerated Sean’s brief visits. Her patience would not expand to include a baby.
    Sean, and only Sean, had the power to let Norah drown or save her, though Norah was sure he didn’t quite realize this.
    â€œNorah—what the fuck?”
    â€œI think I’m having a baby.”
    Sean jerked back. Norah forced herself to meet his stunned blue eyes. He had a Hershey bar in his hand and began to methodically break it apart, and the sound was like bones snapping.
    â€œI guess I didn’t think it could really