On Fire by Dianne Linden Page B

known by then what the fire had done if I’d been listening to people talk. But I’d been tuning everybody and everything out. That’s not so easy to do with Frank. He takes up a lot of room.
    A fire, he told me, can eat its way through a whole forest and leave one clump of trees still standing. It can treat a town the same way.
    Most of the newer buildings in Blackstone Village were burned up, including some of the big expensive summer homes I didn’t like anyway. Our house was okay. And the Hot Spot.
    But lots of other places weren’t. The jail was gone. Our Gas and Grocery. The church. The school.
    â€œI guess you’re getting the picture,” Frank said. “There isn’t much to come back to, yet.”
    We sat for a while and were quiet. Frank had to be the first one to speak. I was just trying to hold myself together. “We should probably have a talk,” he said.
    â€œWhat about?” I asked, although I thought I knew the direction we were headed in. It wouldn’t be an angry talk from my point of view. I was more sad than angry by then. But I thought Frank might have a few choice words for me about my behaviour.
    He surprised me though. “We need to decide where you’re going to school this year. And where you’re going to stay while you’re there.”
    â€œI thought you told me our house was okay.”
    â€œIt is. But didn’t you hear me say the school’s gone?”
    One of the kids scored a goal just then. We stopped talking and watched while he high-fived the others on his team.
    â€œHow would you feel about going to this school?” Frank asked. “They have grade nine here.”
    â€œThis one?” I knocked on the bleachers with my knuckles. “Kingman Collegiate?”
    Frank nodded.
    â€œI’d just as soon you shot me.” I went on about how I felt for a while and he let me. Then I changed my strategy.
    â€œOur house is still there. And I’m sure you’re going back to the village. You’ve probably got plans for how you’re going to rebuild already.”
    â€œYou know me,” Frank said. “Bigger and better.”
    â€œWhy couldn’t I do that thing where you study at home then?”
    â€œDistance learning?” Frank asked.
    â€œSure,” I said. School stuff always seemed pretty far away to me anyhow. “It’s a possibility. But you don’t like writing and there’d be a lot of that.”
    â€œI’d handle it, though. If I had to.”
    â€œI don’t know how long it will be until we get that high-speed cable in now. We won’t even have electricity for a while. I suppose you could fax in your assignments when we have a generator.”
    Frank took off his glasses and looked at me. “You realize it’s a disaster area in the village right now. It could be a discouraging place to live for a while, especially for you. Noise. Plenty of confusion.”
    â€œI’ll tough it out,” I said.
    â€œIf Mrs. Stoa went on staying with us, she could help you. How are you getting on with her by the way?”
    â€œNo comment,” I said.
    We sat a while longer. The kids were gone and the field was empty except for a few gulls looking for garbage. You didn’t see ravens in Kingman like we did at home. Too much civilization, I guess.
    â€œAnything you want to tell me?” Frank asked finally.
    â€œLike what?” I said. I was trying to play it cool.
    â€œUp to you.”
    I waited for a while to get my courage up, but in the end I just wasn’t ready to talk to Frank about Dan. It still hurt too much.
    Frank didn’t spend the night in the gym. He said he was staying in an emergency services facility out on the edge of town, but he came in and saw where I was sleeping. “Deluxe accommodations,” he said.
    He also told me he’d think about my school idea. And he’d try to get back tomorrow. “Onward