Redhead by the Side of the Road

Micah wakes on Friday morning to frost on the ground, which he believes is a trick of the early morning lighting at first. As he sets out on his jog, he imagines what life would be like if everyone else suddenly disappeared. He wonders how long it would take for him to realize. At one point, he passes two women talking about someone, commenting how “People can be so…unexpected, really” (96). Micah looks at their faces and compares himself to a starving man, longing for people. As he observes mothers sending their children off to school, Micah thinks about how women keep the world running. He wonders how they know all the secrets to looking nice, keeping things running, and keeping up appearances. He recalls how he knew one day he would want a woman “of his very own” (97). 

As he finishes his jog, he again mistakes the fire hydrant for a little redheaded child. Then he acknowledges his repetitive thoughts and his repetitive life. When he gets home, a woman is sitting on his front stoop. At first, he thinks it’s Cass, then he realizes it’s Lorna as he greets her.