“This is an inverter my dad uses in his car.
It plugs into a cigarette adapter and puts out one hundred twenty volts like a
normal outlet, just not as much juice.” She bent over one of the small outlets
in the black box and inserted the two long, needle-like leads from the
multimeter, each one into either of the two slots. “This thing is used to
getting nine volts, and now it’s getting twelve. Now I need to see exactly how
much we’re getting out of it in AC.”
Daniel smiled. He looked across the street as a couple
started dragging limbs from one unnatural pile and placed them in one they had
decided made more sense.
“One hundred twelve,” Anna said. She sniffed. “That’s
plenty.” She turned a knob on the multimeter with several loud clicks. “Now to
see how many amps.” She frowned at the LCD readout as it flicked with numbers.
“Not bad,” she said. “Enough to charge a cellphone or a laptop.”
Daniel beamed. “That’s brilliant,” he said. “What’re you
hoping to charge with it?”
Anna looked up at him, a lopsided frown of confusion on her
face. “Whatever needs charging,” she said.
“I know, but what did you have in mind to wanna get up and
do this first thing in the morning? A radio?”
She laughed. “No. Actually, we have one of those
hand-cranked kinds. No, I didn’t make this for anything I’ve got. They’re
saying we could be at least a week, maybe more, without power. This’ll be for
whoever needs it.” She pointed toward the end of the driveway. “I’ll put up a
sign in a little bit to let people know it’s ready.”
“How much?” Daniel asked.
She tucked a loose wisp of hair, so fine Daniel couldn’t
tell what color it was, behind her ear. “What do you mean? You mean money ?”
She frowned. “I can’t charge for this.”
Daniel felt like an ass. He rubbed his hand over his camera,
which was low on juice. He’d been asking in order to offer something in
exchange for the charge. It had come out like he was accusing, or even
encouraging her for gouging people in a time of need, rather than offering them
a service.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” he said feebly.
“Yeah,” she said, sounding unconvinced. “Anyway, thanks for your
help. Hope I didn’t use up too much of your time.” She rubbed her hands
on the seat of her pants. “In exchange for your services, I can let you use
this anytime you like.” She smirked at him.
“Thanks,” Daniel said. He looked up as a man exited the front
door with a folded blue tarp in his hands. “I guess I’ll go.”
“Anna?” The man peered down the driveway.
“Over here, Dad.” She waved at him, but looked over her
shoulder to smile at Daniel.
“There you are. Whatcha working on?”
Daniel walked down the driveway as she repeated her
explanation of the gizmo. Somehow, the fact that she’d done the project without
telling her father added to the allure. As Daniel walked slowly toward the next
house, he glanced continuously over his shoulder at the two of them, bent down
over the solar panel sticking out from the bushes. Instead of continuing his
planned walk to the end of the neighborhood and out to the main road, he
circled around Anna’s house, noting the damage to the shingles, the fruit tree
toppled in the back yard, the tall radio tower tangled with limbs. As he
wandered back toward his own house, walking slowly by hers, he saw a ladder up
against the gutters, Anna and her father scrambling up the roof on a different
ladder hooked over the peak, a blue tarp unfolding between them.
Who in the world was this Anna girl that lived four houses
down from him?
17
Daniel returned home to find the cleanup around his house
already underway. His mom and Carlton were dragging a massive limb down the
driveway as he rounded the mailbox. There was already a small pile along their
edge of the cul-de-sac.
“There’s some oatmeal left,” his mom said. “Probably still
warm.”
Daniel nodded. “I’ll
It plugs into a cigarette adapter and puts out one hundred twenty volts like a
normal outlet, just not as much juice.” She bent over one of the small outlets
in the black box and inserted the two long, needle-like leads from the
multimeter, each one into either of the two slots. “This thing is used to
getting nine volts, and now it’s getting twelve. Now I need to see exactly how
much we’re getting out of it in AC.”
Daniel smiled. He looked across the street as a couple
started dragging limbs from one unnatural pile and placed them in one they had
decided made more sense.
“One hundred twelve,” Anna said. She sniffed. “That’s
plenty.” She turned a knob on the multimeter with several loud clicks. “Now to
see how many amps.” She frowned at the LCD readout as it flicked with numbers.
“Not bad,” she said. “Enough to charge a cellphone or a laptop.”
Daniel beamed. “That’s brilliant,” he said. “What’re you
hoping to charge with it?”
Anna looked up at him, a lopsided frown of confusion on her
face. “Whatever needs charging,” she said.
“I know, but what did you have in mind to wanna get up and
do this first thing in the morning? A radio?”
She laughed. “No. Actually, we have one of those
hand-cranked kinds. No, I didn’t make this for anything I’ve got. They’re
saying we could be at least a week, maybe more, without power. This’ll be for
whoever needs it.” She pointed toward the end of the driveway. “I’ll put up a
sign in a little bit to let people know it’s ready.”
“How much?” Daniel asked.
She tucked a loose wisp of hair, so fine Daniel couldn’t
tell what color it was, behind her ear. “What do you mean? You mean money ?”
She frowned. “I can’t charge for this.”
Daniel felt like an ass. He rubbed his hand over his camera,
which was low on juice. He’d been asking in order to offer something in
exchange for the charge. It had come out like he was accusing, or even
encouraging her for gouging people in a time of need, rather than offering them
a service.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” he said feebly.
“Yeah,” she said, sounding unconvinced. “Anyway, thanks for your
help. Hope I didn’t use up too much of your time.” She rubbed her hands
on the seat of her pants. “In exchange for your services, I can let you use
this anytime you like.” She smirked at him.
“Thanks,” Daniel said. He looked up as a man exited the front
door with a folded blue tarp in his hands. “I guess I’ll go.”
“Anna?” The man peered down the driveway.
“Over here, Dad.” She waved at him, but looked over her
shoulder to smile at Daniel.
“There you are. Whatcha working on?”
Daniel walked down the driveway as she repeated her
explanation of the gizmo. Somehow, the fact that she’d done the project without
telling her father added to the allure. As Daniel walked slowly toward the next
house, he glanced continuously over his shoulder at the two of them, bent down
over the solar panel sticking out from the bushes. Instead of continuing his
planned walk to the end of the neighborhood and out to the main road, he
circled around Anna’s house, noting the damage to the shingles, the fruit tree
toppled in the back yard, the tall radio tower tangled with limbs. As he
wandered back toward his own house, walking slowly by hers, he saw a ladder up
against the gutters, Anna and her father scrambling up the roof on a different
ladder hooked over the peak, a blue tarp unfolding between them.
Who in the world was this Anna girl that lived four houses
down from him?
17
Daniel returned home to find the cleanup around his house
already underway. His mom and Carlton were dragging a massive limb down the
driveway as he rounded the mailbox. There was already a small pile along their
edge of the cul-de-sac.
“There’s some oatmeal left,” his mom said. “Probably still
warm.”
Daniel nodded. “I’ll
Similar Books
