Dennis had been a deputy in that county for twenty-six years. During his very first winter on the job, he was alone at a wreck out on the state highway, with a family trapped in the car and a long, long wait for help. My mother stayed on the air with him for ninety minutes that night. She talked to him about his dog. About its name and what it liked to eat. About anything that would keep his hands steady.
I didn’t know that then. All I knew was that a grown man had said two words on the radio, and my mother’s chin had come up half an inch.
The speaker hissed. Then it went again.
“Odell Fire One. Hello, Shirley.”
“Hello, Ron,” she said softly.
Hiss.
“Medic Two. Hi, Shirley, it’s Deb. We’re up at the hospital. Brenda’s here, she says hi too. She’s waving at the radio. I told her you can’t see it.”
