Life As We Knew It

On October 2, Miranda turns on the stove and finds that they have no more natural gas. Her mother says that it is alright because they have the woodstove, and that many families are a lot worse off because of their dependence on electricity and natural gas. Though her mother tells her not to worry, Miranda can see that her mother is concerned. When Miranda and her brothers go to the library on October 3, they are told that it will be closing for good. They are instructed to take as many books as they like. If the library ever opens again, they can return the books. The librarian, Mrs. Hotchkiss, says that she and her husband are going to Georgia, which prompts Jonny to say that they should be leaving as well. Matt says that they have no idea where their dad is, so it does not make sense to try and find him. Also, they have shelter and food where they are. If they left, they would have nothing. He also reveals that all of the food and gas their father obtained was from the black market, and that their mother probably knew this as well. Though Miranda is shocked, she agrees that Matt is right, and that the most important thing is that they have each other.

On Columbus Day, Miranda asks her mother to cut her hair very short, just like she cut her mother’s hair the previous month. Miranda almost cries when she sees herself in the mirror, but her mother consoles her and tells her she looks beautiful. Matt and Jonny are shocked by Miranda’s hair at first, but then say it looks nice and ask for haircuts as well. On October 13, Matt and his mother have a big fight. He wants to use the last of the heating oil, but his mother wants to wait until November. He says the pipes will freeze by then, and that they should at least use up the last of the well water before that time. They finally agree to use some of the oil. They turn off their heat and move all of the mattresses downstairs. Matt and Jonny sleep in the living room while Miranda and her mother sleep in the kitchen. When the oil runs out, they will all sleep in the sunroom with the woodstove. Though Miranda’s room is freezing, she laments the fact that she no longer has privacy. She wants to cry, but has no place to do so.

On October 14, Matt returns from the post office with bad news. He tells Miranda that he found both Megan and her mother’s names on the list of the dead, though he does not know what happened. The news is surreal to Miranda. She knew Megan wanted to die, but Miranda wonders how Mrs. Wayne died. The next day, she decides to go and see Reverend Marshall, as he is the person most likely to know what happened to Megan. When Miranda enters the church, she sees emaciated parishioners praying fervently. She almost gets into an argument with the Reverend, who looks at her like she is a mosquito he wanted to swat. The Reverend eventually explains that when Miranda died, Mrs. Wayne asked for help burying her daughter. When he returned from the church with more men, they found that Mrs. Wayne had hung herself. Because suicide is a sin, he refused to touch her unclean body, but buried Megan in the churchyard. As Miranda prepares to leave, she realizes that the Reverend is still healthy, and looks well fed. She accuses him of forcing his parishioners to give him food, which he admits that they do. She says he is despicable, and that she wants no favors from his God. She then goes to Megan’s house, and when she returns home, sits in the pantry, deeply saddened.

On October 21, Matt says that unless the post office gets volunteers, it will not stay open. He agrees to work there, and Miranda’s mother says that the rest of them should become more active in the community as well, as it will give them a reason to stay alive. When Miranda decides to go skating at Miller’s Pond, she is shocked to find Brandon Erlich is skating there. He says that he was touring when the tsunamis hit, so he and his teammates were fine. He didn’t want to return home, but his parents were overjoyed when he did. He and Miranda skate for a while, but the air quality is so bad they have to stop and take breaks. Miranda finds the event surreal; Brandon asks her to return the next day.