Metafire

She turned quickly, "No, I think the only reason you get hopeless is that you waste your imagination on worry."

"Huh?" He was beginning to catch on, but he wanted to look at her. He saw her auburn hair and small features. No ring. Nice car. Who was she? She looked briefly in his eyes.

He asked, "Have we met before? Somehow I think I've seen you around."

Erisa looked as the baby's head flopped in one of the people's hands. With a near cry and a near laugh, she felt her chin wrinkling. She was going to fall apart. She looked up at him and said, "help."

His arms went around her, and she fell apart. They were moved back when the police arrived, but sat on the curb for an hour comforting each other.

"I was in software," he said. "I had a friend who was great at user interfaces under Windows. We were doing fine until about four months ago. She was in the New York City blast. I thought she wasn't in the city at the time. I thought she was safely with her parents. Then I found out from her parents that she had gone back into the city to pick up some materials for a job we were working on. Last night on TV, I saw the building that she was in, or what was left of it. Now this, today..."