When I was young I would climb my family’s bookshelves like a veritable mountaineer. We used to live on High St., close to UCSC, and I was in the midst of an “ascent” when the earthquake happened. It was of course the one time my mom didn’t know where I was, and she was completely terrified to see me running from a downpour of books. She scooped me up and made for a doorway. We stayed with the neighbors for two days and two nights. From what I understand, barely a word was exchanged. My parents just appeared on their doorstep and hospitality was volunteered. It’s at once heartening and unfortunate that solidarity among humans sometimes requires a cataclysm to manifest itself.
People forget cell phones were not ubiquitous, or even common, and so they didn’t figure into the equation.
By “b c”
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