Power Outage

Do you know how to live without a refrigerator? An oven? A furnace? A phone?

How long can you go?

Based on a true story

The Power went out Sunday night, about 7 p.m., right before The Simpsons. Eventually it came back on, around 9 p.m., right before nothing.

I haven't seen so many people in my neighborhood outside and together at one time since I was a child.

I even went out for a walk, to see what the situation was in the whole ‘hood. Power was out only on my street and a couple other houses. All the surrounding streets were online. And everything was okay, until it got dark.

The Darkness

Outage last long time without TV, radio or computer to distract you.

People go outside, ask each other “What’s going on?”

“When they fix it? What happen?” they say.

They take walks too.
Others stand in doorway and shine flashlights at me walking.

No one know what to do. Fading daylight when power go out. Then get dark.
No one understand dark. Electricity = light always. What do when no light?

Up street I hear and look:

“Bob,” Bill say, blinding Bob with flashlight in eyes, “You got power?”

“No, Bill, he say back, “no power.”

“You call electric company, Bob?”

“I call,” Bob say. He take off red cap and scratch head. “They say they know, no power. Send man to fix.”

Bill smile. Look relieved.
“I call too. They say me they know, no power, send man to fix.”

Bob smile too.
“Good, Bob say.”

Down street I hear and see:

Joe pull truck into garage. Joe lucky. Garage open before power go out.
When garage closed, car stuck with no power.

Joe go inside and get wife Jenny and flashlight.
Jack across street see Joe come home and get wife Jill and walk into street together.

Joe shine flashlight on Jack and Jill
Mostly Joe shine on Jill, and he walk into street with Jenny.

Jack shine flashlight on Joe and Jenny.
Mostly he shine on Jenny.

“Jack, what happen?” Joe say. Joe shine flashlight on Jack’s face, but he look from other eye at Jill.
“Power go out,” Jack answer.
“You call power company?” Joe ask.
“I call,” Jack say. “They say they know, no power, and send man to fix. Man be here soon, they say.”

Joe look at Jack and smile. “Good,” he say.

"Need Power," Joe say.
“Have dishes to wash. Have shows to watch. Need power,” Joe say.

Now, Jenny smile.

“Then we listen for truck,” Jack say.
“Yes, big truck bring Power,” say Joe.

The light?

I tired.
I go inside.

I sit in dark and smoke cigarettes.
I listen to bugs and people chirp.
I think I hear trucks, then
I think I hear no trucks, then
I think I don’t care about trucks at all really
And I sit in dark and smoke cigarettes.

Then
I remember,
computer has power in battery.

Go to computer, I say.
I get up, and I walk toward computer, and

Then I hear shouts of “Hooray” and “Hurrah” echoing through the neighborhood.

I heard trucks rumbling away and saw porches bathed in 40-watt bulbs. I saw flashlights go off and parties depart. I saw blue screens flicker on and keep flickering and I felt alpha waves filling the air.

The bathroom light came on, and I saw I needed to scrub the toilet.

-J.A.H.
mentalgongfu