The Dead And The Gone Read Online Free PDF Page A

impossible. Planes would start flying again eventually. Papi could get a bus from the airport to Port Authority and walk the couple of miles uptown if he had to.
    Alex looked at his watch and saw if he dressed quickly he had time to make the 8:15 Mass at St. Margaret’s. He thought about waking up Bri and Julie and telling them to go with him, but decided it wouldn’t be worth the chaos. They’d all go on Sunday, maybe Mami, too, and they could pray for Papi’s safe return. But this morning he would go by himself.
    He left a note for his sisters, even though they’d probably still be asleep when he got back, and walked to Columbus Avenue, praying for safety as he crossed Broadway, then up the two blocks to the church. The sun was shining brightly, but even so the moon was clearly visible, the way it sometimes was in daylight. Only it was too big. Much too big.
    Alex was relieved to find the church open and surprised at the number of people there. More men than he would have assumed would be there, and not all of them old. Many-people had fear in their eyes, and many others were weeping. He was glad he’d left his sisters at home.
    He expected the Mass to begin as it always did, but instead Father Franco said he had some announcements to make. Alex could see that he was reading from a sheet of paper. That reassured him. As long as lists were being made, there was order in the world.
    “The mayor’s office and the archdiocese’s office are in constant communication,” Father Franco began. “Whenever the archdiocese learns something, it will inform the parish priests so that we can inform our congregants.” He looked up for a moment and then smiled. “A whole new reason to go to Mass on weekdays,” he said.
    There was a ripple of nervous laughter.
    “Very well,” Father Franco said. “We’ve been told the subways are not yet back in service and bus service is severely restricted, so unless your work is essential to the survival of the community, you’re requested to stay within walking distance of your home. No driving except for emergencies. There is a city-wide curfew from eight pm to six am.” He looked up again. “These rules may seem draconian,” he said, “but as I’m sure you understand, these are very difficult times. Now I know you’ve been wondering about electricity. They’re hoping to have most of Manhattan back on line by Monday.”
    “No electricity all weekend?” a man called out from the back.
    “All the municipal services are doing what they can under tremendously difficult circumstances,” Father Franco said. “The outages are nationwide.”
    “What about the phones?” a woman asked.
    Father Franco consulted his list. “There’s no time frame for return of phone service,” he said. “Again, these are national problems. Most of the communication satellites have crashed. Let’s see, what else. Airports remain closed until further notice. No decision has been made about when the public and parochial schools will reopen.” He looked up again. “We’ll use our bulletin board to post any information we receive from the archdiocese, so be sure to check that daily. All the churches are running short staffed. I’m sure you can understand why. But the archdiocese has declared that all its churches will be open from six am to eight pm. There may not be a priest available, but Christ, our savior, will hear your prayers.”
    Alex had thought the ritual of the Mass, which he knew so well, would provide him with comfort, but his mind was reeling from all Father Franco had said. It wasn’t so much that he was taken by surprise. He knew about the phones, the electricity, the subways. But he hadn’t really known that everyone else knew. Somehow it had felt like the problems belonged to West Eighty-eighth Street. But it wasn’t just Papi stuck in Milagro del Mar; people all over the world were affected by the airports being closed. And Mami wasn’t the only person stuck at her job with