Aftershocks

“But a man booked it from London,” the other reporter said. “No reservations. There’s been an earthquake.” “But he called—from London.” “I’m very sorry, sir.” It took me an hour to figure out that the hotel had been spared destruction, but the threat of aftershocks, in the wake of a massive one the city had experienced while we were en route, was too great for them to allow people inside.