Faster Than The Speed of Light

A friend’s art gallery burned down tonight. The neighbour was having a propane gas delivery and someone passing by lit a match for his cigarette, and the gas tank exploded, and a man was in flames, but may be alright, and the flames engulfed the gallery, and another friend Sergio who owns a restaurant next door was hysterical, in a man kind of way, because the gas tank on the roof of his restaurant could explode too, and the fire truck ran out of water, but the restaurant was okay because maybe all the waiters ran heroically up to the roof with buckets of water to stop the flames from leaping. But I don’t know if any or all of this is for sure.

I heard first from Valaria who was at a Christmas Posada. Someone at the party received a phone call, I think it was Lito Gonzalez, the head of tourisim saying that the Ida Victoria Galeria was in flames and no one could find Ida. Valaria recalling that Ida was someone I knew, called me to see if I could find Ida, or Pete her partner and husband to be, or Ida’s parents. I called Johnny thinking he might have Pete and Ida’s number on his cell speed dial, and Johnny was talking in person to someone who I've met once, briefly, named Scott, who just at the very moment I called Johnny, was receiving an emotional call from Pete, who confirmed, yes, their gallery was engulfed in flames, and maybe their home that sits behind behind the gallery too---all gone.

Just when I think our town is getting too big, I discover we’re still a small town. Or, is it true that bad news travels faster than good news.

I know there will be a lot of support for Ida and Pete, and our hearts go out for their loss, and I hope, if there was a man in flames that he will be okay too.