Tuesday, July 4, 9:30 PM. Amy.

Independence Day. One year ago today I told Brewer about Beth. And now she’s here. And he is not. What a difference a year makes.

It’s hard to get excited about celebrating America’s independence from Britain when both countries, so far as we can tell, have vanished from the earth. All that political philosophy—Hobbes, Rousseau, Locke, Jefferson—all that vision, all that courage, evaporated overnight.

I let the kids shoot off some fireworks that Garrett found in a warehouse. They were small ones, but they still made me so nervous. I hope the kids forget about this holiday next year.