Chapter 13

It is Pam who suggests they have decaffeinated coffee and the remains of a chocolate cake she purchased from Aldi early this morning before her children and their significant others arrived. She removes dessert plates from a kitchen cupboard positioned above the kitchen sink, placing them on the table. Next, she realizes she cannot make coffee because the electric is still off.

Frustrated, she sighs, and tells the group, “The cake will suffice.”

Willa complains about being cold since the electric is still off; the house feels like an ice box or freezer in the butcher’s shop. She decides to use the bathroom on the first floor as Jonah, Sandy, and Bobo sit down at the circular table in the kitchen. Jake chooses to return to his underground den, probably jonesing for a fresh buzz from his latest grown strand of what he calls Winter Bliss. Hungry for the dessert and something sweet, Bobo serves himself a giant chunk of cake.

Sandy leans into Jonah and asks, “What time is it?”