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Church was the unofficial mayor of the town, but after a few weeks he announced that Dahlia was a better candidate. There were a lot of arguments, but he won every single one of them.
Ledger came to see him one evening and they sat in the backyard watching the stars. Most of that evening had been passed in silence. They’d told each other their tales.
“You’re leaving, aren’t you?” asked Ledger.
“Eventually. I want to help Dahlia for a while. She’s a remarkable young woman.”
“She treats you like a father.”
“There are worse things in the world to be,” said Church.
“Look, why don’t you come with me? I’m going to see if I can find Top or Bunny. Hopefully both. Then maybe push west, see what’s happening on the west coast.”
Church thought about it. “Maybe. But you go first. I have some things to do and then, if I can, I’ll find you out there.”
Ledger looked at him. “Seriously.”
“Yes,” said Church, “but I make no promises. Finding you here was a stroke of odd luck. Maybe I’ll get lucky and find some other people.”
Ledger knew who he was talking about. Church had been in love with a strange and dangerous woman named Lilith. She’d been on a mission in the Middle East when things fell apart, and he’d had no word of her since. Ledger was pretty sure he was going to try and find her.
They sat in silence for a long time as the stars turned overhead.
“The world is still alive,” said Church. “That’s something.”
“Yeah,” Ledger said. “That really is.”
Behind them, from one of the other houses, there was the music of a Spanish guitar and the sounds of people laughing.
Mr. Church leaned back in his chair and smiled up at the sky, his eyes closed. Joe Ledger laced his fingers behind his head, leaned back, and listened to the laughter. How rare and beautiful a thing it was. Around him, the world did not appear to be broken at all.
