WHEN MY 59-YEAR-OLD NEIGHBOR KNOCKED AT MIDNIGHT, I THOUGHT I WAS FIXING A PIPE, BUT I WAS REALLY SAVING MY OWN LIFE…

She looked less frightened than the night before, but more tired somehow, as if the emergency had loosened something in her and sleep had not known how to put it back.

“I’ve come to inspect the flood zone,” I said.

That earned me a small smile. “You’re very punctual for a man who wasn’t invited.”

“I respond well to plumbing-based trauma.”

The damage turned continue reading …