Breaking Up: The Objects We Save from the Fire

I hadn’t been home in over a week, and during that time a new cook at the restaurant downstairs had left the gas on overnight and turned our entire apartment building—brand new baby on the top floor and all—into a giant stack of matches just begging for a spark. Another near tragedy happened, too: My golden banana had broken.
The night of my return, I slowed my pace from the subway, acknowledging the extra springtime hour of light against the chocolate brownstones and hoping th