The world had seemed a happy place before sundown that fall day, a universe pausing its dance for a moment while we stood center stage among its wonders.

Maggie and I were what people called “Irish twins,” siblings born within twelve months of one another. That was pretty much where the “twin”-ness began and ended.

Having taken lessons from his own days as a manual laborer, he built a magnificent factory that featured the latest and safest machinery, streamlined processes, and hired engineers to design more efficient shoemaking equipment, better lighting, and air quality. But Thomas Plant’s most notable vision was the novel concept of  “welfare capitalism.”

Soon the wind picks up, screaming like a pack of howler monkeys. I wriggle deeper under the stairs. When the rain begins, I’m glad I have cover for the oncoming night.

As fickle as a summer day, life can turn from sunshine to thunderstorms in an instant. Always keep your umbrella handy and your eye on the sky. Not all is what it seems…