How long would it take? Could he do some of the work himself? Could he borrow money? Could he somehow keep everything together long enough for Lily's next visit? Every answer led to another problem.
Every solution required resources he didn't have. His phone buzzed in his pocket. For a moment, he thought it might be Lily. Instead, it was a reminder from the bank about an upcoming payment. Caleb laughed once.
A short, bitter sound. Then he shoved the phone away. The afternoon sun beat down mercilessly. Sweat rolled down his neck. Somewhere across the fence line, a screen door opened.
Caleb glanced up and saw Miriam Vale standing on her porch. She had probably seen the power company truck. Probably seen him staring at the damaged breaker box. Probably understood more than he wanted anyone to understand. For a brief moment, their eyes met across the distance.
Caleb looked away first. Because there are some kinds of pain a man can hide from strangers. But it's much harder to hide them from someone who sees the truth without needing an explanation. And as he reached for a screwdriver, determined to somehow fix the impossible with his own two hands, neither Caleb nor Miriam knew that the next few minutes would change both of their lives forever. Caleb, stop.
The voice came from behind him just as the screwdriver touched the warped edge of the breaker box. He froze. Something about Miriam's tone made him stop immediately. Not because she was loud. She wasn't.
Miriam Vale rarely raised her voice. But there was a certainty in it, the kind that made people listen. Caleb slowly turned around. She was standing near the fence line with her arms folded, her eyes fixed on the scorched electrical panel. For several seconds neither of them spoke.
The hot afternoon wind swept through the grasslands, rattling dry weeds along the roadside. Finally, Miriam walked closer and crouched beside the breaker box. She didn't even need to touch it. One look told her everything. "That's not a repair job," she said quietly.
"That's an accident waiting to happen." Caleb looked back at the damaged wires. "I've worked on electrical systems before. Not like this. I can handle it."
"No," she said firmly. "You can't." The words hit harder than they should have. Caleb felt irritation rise instantly. Maybe because he was exhausted.
Maybe because he already knew she was right. Or maybe because hearing the truth from someone else felt unbearable. "I've been handling things my whole life," he replied. "Then maybe that's the problem." The answer caught him off guard.
Miriam wasn't looking at the breaker box anymore. She was looking directly at him. And for a brief moment Caleb had the strange feeling that she could see every sleepless night, every overdue bill, every fear he had spent years hiding behind determination. He looked away first. "I'll figure something out."
Miriam nodded slowly. "You always do, don't you?" There was no sarcasm in her voice. Somehow that made it worse. But what happens when you can't?