Buried While My Family Smiled

The earthquake hit without warning while our family was vacationing on the coast.

My father didn't hesitate. In a heartbeat of blind panic, he threw his arms around his adopted son, Dean, shielding him with his own body as he bolted toward the light of the courtyard.

My mother stumbled out behind them, frantic and pale, but not so frantic that she forgot to scoop up the scruffy stray kitten Dean had rescued two days earlier.

Out on the cracked concrete of the open driveway, beneath a haze of rising drywall dust, they stood huddled together.